Becca's Fab Five- July Edition
I LOVE the Human Body with all of its mysteries and intricacies. New products and science are always coming down the pipe and it's hard to know what to read, where to spend your dollars, and when to focus your energy. I thought it would be helpful to show you just FIVE things I'm loving each month. Maybe a recipe, or a book, or an exercise or stretch..... Maybe a product, or a podcast, or a restaurant or venue. I'm giving you ONE THING in each of the areas of our Four Cornerstones or Health, plus a bonus. I hope you'll try them in your life and find a benefit for you!
NOURISHMENT:
While we cook mostly all fresh foods at the Haka House, it's nice to have easy options that you can feel pretty good about , too! Well recently, I came across a great company putting out some pretty damn clean foods that are either ready for you like THESE crackers or a mix that just needs you to add your oil, eggs, and maybe milk of preference. Locally, the Publix at Lake Miriam has a whole section of their mixes!!! But not the crackers, yet :-( Fingers crossed for soon...
The other day I picked up the mix for the Artisanal Bread. It has three different ways to adjust the mixture for a flatbread, a dinner roll and something else. I chose the dinner roll and added 8 oz of organic cheese. After they cooled, I put them in the fridge and had a perfect, healthy and quick breakfast option for me and the kiddos. Paired with a boiled egg or some oven baked bacon, we had a satisfying and yummy option that we all enjoyed (and no mom guilt for crappy food choices)!
** I realllllllly prefer to use silicone muffin pans for everything. They result in an all around better result, plus no toxic non-stick stuff and perfect for freezing stuff like broth. Because they are pliable, you can just pop everything right out.
MOVEMENT:
Back Pain. It's the most common complaint we hear at Haka Fitness. "I don't know what to do about it... I'm afraid to do the wrong thing.... I was worried I would make it worse if I did anything..." Well, hear ya go. This is my go-to, my first stop, and my regular maintenance. The AMAZING Double Tennis Ball Contraption.... it needs a better name :-/
Seriously, though, this one little make-at-home tool is great for low back, mid-back, upper back, neck, and shoulder issues. And it is as good as FREE!
ENJOYMENT:
I am going to stick to my common assertion that it is nearly impossible to ENJOY life when you are sleep deprived and/or stressed to the max. While you likely can't ALWAYS enjoy a perfect night of sleep, you can create little habits that promote better sleep more often. One of the simplest things you can do to promote good sleep is to reduce or eliminate blue light exposure in the two hours before bed. Say What?!?!? "Blue light has a very short wavelength, and so produces a higher amount of energy. Studies suggest that, over time, exposure to the blue end of the light spectrum could cause serious long-term damage to your eyes. The sun is a big source of blue light. The sun also wakes you up. Blue light is also rampant in computer screens, T.V.'s and phones. So when you are staring at the screen, you are waking yourself up.
There's an easy hack, though. Most smart phones and many computers now have a blue light filter. You just have to turn it on! If yours doesn't, you can download an app like Night Shift, which is what I use. I leave mine on almost all of the time, just to reduce the effects in general. But you can also set it to come on two hours before bed. Voila! Problem solved.
Fulfillment:
Knowledge is key. The more you know and the better your fact processing skills, the easier it is to see things for what they are rather than just react to how they seem. My current read, Factfulness, is a book dedicated to just that. Hans Rosling compiles easy to read info to give the ultimate case for a positive world view. This book gives you the tools for understanding why you feel negative about the state of the world..... even though you SHOULD feel good about it! It is a MUST READ!
BONUS:
Chocolate Pudding you can eat at any time of day. Make it. Now. Did you do it yet? Go! Don't waste another second.... You're Welcome!
