Resetting some good habits

During October and November of last year Caleb and I completed a Whole30. If you aren't familiar with a Whole30, the goal is to eat real food that is minimally processed. Basically: no grains, no sugar, no legumes, no dairy, no alcohol. For 30 days!

We completed our Whole30 Challenge right before Thanksgiving (perfect timing, which was planned, yes) and enjoyed the holidays and all the relevant treats.

While my waistline really enjoyed the Whole30, the thing that I loved the most was the way I felt. I had a lot more energy, more focus, much better sleep, I was more emotionally even, and had better homeschool days.

Currently I am not wanting (or willing) to eat this way every single day. But now that the holidays have passed, there are a few habits that I am planning on carrying over to 2023 from my Whole30 challenge

Daily Walk

While on the Whole30 I reinstated my morning walk that I stopped taking sometime last spring (much to the chagrin of the puppy). I'm resetting and making it my habit to get out in nature for at least thirty minutes of movement each day. Mostly in the form of a morning walk. (The puppy has been thrilled and approves of this reset).

Morning Routine

When I get busy, the first promises I break are the ones I’ve made to myself. My morning routine is another thing that I have let slide over the past year, but picked back up during my Whole30 and I loved it. I'm continuing this year in 2023 with going to bed earlier (so that I can get up earlier). I know getting up early is such a hard thing for moms with smaller kids, but the real reason that I love getting up earlier is so I can pay myself first. Before my kids are asking for breakfast I've had a full cup of (hot) coffee, read my devotion (currently working through Mere Christianity), written in my journal, met the day with prayer, and reviewed my schedule/to-do lists for the day. It's not always easy to set the alarm clock for an early hour, but it's always worth it. It's the best way to pay myself first so that I can then take care of those around me.

Reading Challenge

I've talked before about my love for reading, but I'll be honest: since having kids it's been a lot harder to _find make the time to read (see again, not paying myself first). I recently re-installed the GoodReads app on my phone and am using their monthly reading challenge this year to be inspired and to hold myself accountable to read at least 40 books. (If I ask my kids to read that much each year, I certainly can too, right?!) If you aren't familiar with GoodReads, it's free! You can keep track of what you've read, rate it, and get inspiration for the next thing you should pick up to read. You can also set your own reading challenge for 2023 and GoodReads will help you stay on track.

With that said, have you read anything good lately? I'm always looking for the next book to fall in love with! (If you are looking for a good book to read about paying yourself first - basically what all of my habits are focused on resetting, this is a great read that I recommend!)

If you are on GoodReads, too, let's be friends! Just email me back with your handle and I'll add you. My account is currently private.

Saving my life right now

Another habit that I restarted right before Christmas was applying Progessence Plus serum each night as part of my supplement routine.

As I’ve gotten older I've realized my hormones just need more support than they used to. Specifically I've found that my body is high in estrogen, and Progessence Plus works to bring my body back into balance by naturally producing more progesterone (using wild yams!) that balances out the estrogen that is already there.

In the past when I’ve used Progessence Plus daily, I've had more restful sleep, no more hormonal acne, easier cycles, less hair loss, more energy, and even emotions. While it's again "paying myself first", I know that my family has benefited from from it, too. I’m already noticing some of these wins since starting this habit again.

There's so much to say about this serum! If you'd like to learn a little bit more about it, how to use it, and if it's a good fit for you, you can read more here.

Snippet from my week

We've had so much rain last week! On Monday we drove up from Yucca Valley (near Joshua Tree National Park) to Big Bear Lake (in the San Bernardino Mountains) to find snow! The drive was beautiful - it went from Joshua Trees and high desert at the beginning of the trail to pines and snow at the top! The traffic on the way home was absolutely horrendous (I think all of LA also came to see the snow), but seeing snow fall from the sky in big fluffy flakes was incredibly worth it and we had such a good time!

Thanks for reading! Are you resetting some habits or starting some new ones? I'd love to hear about it and cheer you on! Just hit reply if you'd like to respond. (When you hit reply, your message goes directly to my email. It’s a private conversation between just us.) I read all your messages and try to respond, but not always in a timely manner. Sorry! And if you enjoyed this email, you’d be doing me a favor by forwarding it to someone else who might like it.