Trying something on
This week’s focus isn’t groundbreaking but is essential if you seek greater daily vitality.
When it comes to making adjustments in health, we benefit the most when we approach new routines, ways of eating and even individual foods from a state of curiosity and open mindedness. It is, in my opinion, the crucial first step when we decide to make a change.
Preconditioned ideas or ingrained habits around nutrition and health can hold us back from engaging in or even trying healthier practices.
So - we want to approach new ways of doing things from the perspective of I don’t have to believe in this, I can work with it a little and see what vibes. If we stay rigid or set in our ways, we lose a precious tool in our move towards a more vibrant life.
A simple reframe can help if you feel resistance creeping in: say to yourself that you are “practising” a new habit. You’re just trying this new thing on for size.
Another plus to this approach. When you try these things on, you also welcome a shift in yourself. You’re not doing something because you think you have to, you’re doing it because you are practising new ways of doing things and learning about what makes your body feel good.
You are in process! A glorious place to be for a human.
Here’s a few things you could try on for size. It helps to observe how you feel during and after too.
Try out drinking a large glass of water as soon as you wake up and see if you can observe any changes over a week.
Have a go at dry brushing for 2 minutes before a shower to wake up the lymphatic system and improve the effectiveness of your detox pathways. Notice if you feel any different post shower.
Practice adding more plants to every meal without changing anything else - more chopped herbs, more salad, more roasted vegetables, whatever helps you to add plants to your daily diet. More on this last one next week.
With all of this, we are aiming for joy, ease and curiosity. These are my own personal baselines for health on a daily basis. Keep on establishing, practising and noticing and I’ll see you back here next week!
Sophie’s Marketplace
A few bits and pieces I’m loving right now, maybe you will too.
Weleda baby oil. I bought this for my girls but I now use it the most out of anyone in our family. I’ve always been so-so on actually moisturising but one day I lathered this on after my morning shower. Instant convert! I love it because the bottle and cap mechanism are easy to flick open and squeeze when you are wrapped in a towel and small people are shouting at you. And there are two simple ingredients: sesame seed oil and calendula flower extract. It’s not fiddly when you are in a rush, doesn’t have a scent, absorbs well and I can use as much as I like knowing it’s cost effective and not hard to buy again.
Tronque dry body brush. My husband Tom and I have been using a dry brush 3-4 times a week before we shower for a few years now. It’s a quick and easy way to wake up the lymphatic system. Using one regularly has been a beautiful way to maintain body skin health, and it seems to really improve my circulation. We’ve always used a very basic one which does the job but I want to upgrade to this guy, which has fine copper bristles. Gorgeous.