I bet many of you have updated your surroundings over the last several months. Painting rooms in your house for a fresh new look, doing projects that had patiently been waiting for your attention. You’ve probably been weeding, planting, trimming trees and tidying up potted plants or flowerbeds around your home this spring and summer. I love buying a new tote bag every couple of years. Filling all those pockets with my necessary goodies and marveling at the thoughtful design that goes into making something so practical and lovely that’s an important part of my everyday functioning wardrobe. Even our computers enjoy regular updates and maintenance making them run better and smoother. Yes, modernizing can be enjoyable and is often needed.
What’s your current health status like? Have you made any recent updates? I invite you to modernize just one area of your life that relates to your Wellbeing if you haven’t done so over the last few months. It might be easier than you think!
Maybe you used this quarantine time to cook more at home, learn different dishes or venture into ethic cooking not previously tried and enjoyed. Do you eat foods or drink beverages that you crave, but may be sensitive to, or even be addicted to, but buy them because they’ve been on your shopping list for years? How might you update those choices? I like substituting beverages like sodas or beer/wine with Kombucha drinks. They are fizzy and satisfying along with being a healthy choice for your intestines. Drinking spring or filtered water with a slice of fruit can be a great upgrade over sodas.
Are you drinking diet drinks that became popular in the 80’s or 90’s? Diet drinks and artificial sweetener consumption represent a staggering statistic in this country. Yet when we look at other countries that don’t consume artificial sweeteners like the U.S., we see that their quality of health is often better than ours and I believe one of those reasons is the omission of these toxic chemicals. Artificial sweeteners are noxious to your nervous system and body and over time can create a number of health problems. A better modernization might be making your own iced tea and using liquid or whole leaf powder stevia, or local honey.
What about your means of preparing foods and snacks? I am often amazed at the number of people that cook food in the microwave oven, even though we know there are healthier ways to cook food. You might consider a steaming basket for your stove top or a handy cast iron pan that is your go-to for cooking and warming many of your favorite foods.
If you are trying to cut calories or lose weight, consider minimizing or eliminating simple carbs like white potatoes and rice, breads and pasta. Instead try spiral cut veggies like yellow squash or zucchini, steamed spaghetti squash or riced cauliflower as delicious alternatives to pasta. They cook quickly and combine easily with many sauces or a simple olive oil and butter combo.
I’ve written a couple of articles on sleep and perhaps you’ve read them and are snoozing better. Of course, you would be feeling better from improved rest and your immune system will be stronger too.
Photo by Joan Azeka on Unsplash.
For exercise, I always suggest finding something you like or love doing and do it! Look at all the options for streaming, recordings, classes or activities that are new for you to experiment with. I see a number of people that have modernized their tennis playing with pickleball games and are having a blast!
Sometimes updating areas in our lives invites us to make simple choices – in fact modernizing by embracing a straightforward approach for continued expansion and success. This summer and fall consider a health update for your wellbeing. You will look and feel better for the holidays. Happy Modernized Fall!
