A checklist to remember
Not a definitive list, rather one to use when you need to get back to basics.
I’ve blinked and it’s basically mid January! This week ushers in a short departure from core topics to whoosh out a checklist. For those of us in the Southern Hemisphere, the full beat of summer is here. Most people are out of routine, or at least moving into a new gear after time off on holiday. My hunch is that it’s time to remind ourselves of the basics, and keep as much ease and flow happening as possible.
Today also marks six weeks since Golden State kicked off. We’ve considered how to ‘try something on’ and the power of repetition when cementing new habits. My beloved ‘add in’ approach was introduced as were tips for having a ‘routine on tour’. I pulled apart the mechanics of delicious salad in salad 101 and just last week focussed on the power of an absolute basic tool, hydration.
Now, the checklist. When all else fails a list is a great and powerful place to begin.
To remember.
1. Chew your food. 10+ chews per mouthful. I used to inhale my food, barely chewing it and wondered why my digestion was so off. It seems hilarious to even mention this but chewing properly helps.
2. Sunshine on your face and body, no sunglasses, first thing in the morning when you wake. Sun protection (SPF, hats, shade) from 10am.
3. Pair most meals with leaves and greens. Aim for a simple diet, lots of vegetables.
4. Eat raw foods (for instance, salad) before cooked foods in a meal to improve digestion.
5. Poop daily! Find your rhythm of elimination and become friends with your bathroom. Use magnesium, plus adequate fruit and vegetables alongside proper hydration to help move things if you need.
6. Incorporate movement daily. Bounce, run, walk in hip height water, swim, stretch, dance, strength train, whatever calls you. When we move we avoid stagnation. So much can become unstuck for us physically and emotionally through movement.
And if none of the above happens for you today, no stress. Begin again tomorrow. Let’s feel vibrant this year!
As always, we’re aiming for joy, ease and curiosity. These are my own personal baselines for health on a daily basis. Keep establishing, practising and noticing and I’ll see you back here next week.