I never knew how true that Irish saying was until I got older. Early on I learned that we were supposed to honor our fathers and mothers. It was something that would put us in good stead for life. However, with the fastest growing segment of the population being people aged 80 and older, many of us are taking a more active role in caring for our parents as they age.
My great-grandmother said to age was to be blessed with years. Unfortunately, aging does come with varying levels of disability, chronic conditions, and sickness. While these issues must be addressed medically, we must consider the emotional and mental health aspects of aging for both parents and their caregivers, who are more often than not, daughters.
For most daughters taking care of others is second nature, especially if they’re mothers. That said, you don’t have to be a mother to be caring in nature. For those of us who are either empty-nesters or winding down careers, we shift gears to assist and take care of aging parents. All of this results in juggling a number of balls at any given time to our own detriment. It’s important to remember that we are our own best resource.
We’ve got to take care of ourselves first otherwise we are of no use to anyone. It’s imperative to eat correctly, exercise, and get enough rest. We don’t want to forget our mental and emotional health. Take time to hit the reset button by talking to and socializing with friends. Pamper yourself with a trip to the salon, get a massage, or a mani-pedi. Whatever allows you to take a deep breath and feel good. You’re allowed to focus on yourself and me-time and still be a good daughter and your parents’ treasure.
What You Can Do When You’re Drowning in Books by Emma Grace Brown
If you’re a book lover following your heart to create a home you love, you may be surrounded by a sea of books. It’s a booklover’s dream and a nightmare at the same time to be able to say you have more books than you know what to do with. Fortunately, Still A Chick Lit Fab And Forty Plus shares some great ways to organize your home library and some fantastic shelving options you could incorporate into your house.
Sort your books
If your book collection is really overwhelming it may be time to lighten it. It can be difficult for a booklover to part with books, so here are some criteria professionals recommend for making your collection a bit smaller:
Keepers
Books you are keeping could include ones by favorite authors, books that are hard to replace, selections that work well with your overall collection, collector’s editions, unread books, and books you have enough space to keep.
Discards
In your discard bin, you can include old, moldy, or damaged books, books that aren’t favorites or classics, those you already read and will not reread, books that have outdated information, and books that you simply don’t have room to keep. In short, you’re in the process of decluttering, so be sure you get geared up for the work. Gather some boxes, tape, and a marker, and don’t forget to dress comfortably by wearing clothes that are stretchable and breathable. There’s some work ahead!
When it comes time to eliminate your discards, Living Well Spending Less notes that there’s a variety of options. Books can be sold online and given to senior centers, churches, or hospitals, or you may offer them through local or online book swaps. Also, consider giving your items to your favorite charity organization.
Choosing an organizational system
Even if you have a pretty large book collection, you probably don’t want to use the Dewey Decimal System to get your library under control. HowStuffWorks has some great suggestions:
Subject matter. Organizing by subject matter is a relatively simple and straightforward system. You can decide on what subjects seem most appropriate and their order. For instance, if you are a history buff, you might include a general history section, or if you have a larger collection, a whole section on the Civil War may be more appropriate.
If you have a substantial amount of fiction, alphabetizing by authors’ names may be your best bet.
The old cliche about judging books by their covers is not always true. For some readers, this is just the ticket. You can organize by color or another aesthetic quality.
If you have books from throughout your life, you may want to consider shelving them in the order they became part of your story. You could line them up from children’s books to teen novels, textbooks to parenting and self-help, or whatever categories apply. Similarly, you might shelve books in the order that you read them.
Perhaps it makes sense to you to put your books in the order that seems most important. Spiritual and personal guides may come first, or perhaps home maintenance manuals take top priority. Maybe your favorite fiction books are most prominently displayed. This highly personal system may just work best for you.
Storage and shelving
Once you know how you want to organize your books, you will need a place to put them all. Think about what you would like to incorporate into your own unique home library.
High ceilings? Try high shelving and a ladder.
Shelving can be installed under stairwells.
A home office is a classic choice for bookshelves.
Perhaps you have a nook, loft, or other room to reinvent into a reading room.
Tight on space? Incorporate a vertical bookshelf onto a column or turn a room divider into book storage.
If you read in bed, you may want to find some space in your bedroom for books.
Enjoying your new library
Swimming in a sea of books is the booklover’s paradox. It’s wonderful to have a lot of books, but it can feel overwhelming when you can’t find them. Thankfully we live in an age of ebooks, which take up zero shelf space. For those books, you can hold, follow these handy tips to do your sorting, decide on your personalized organizational system, and install your own unique bookshelves. Then you can sit back, relax, and read.
The Still A Chick Lit Fab And Forty Plus blog features fiction, food, fashion, modern fairy-tale beginnings, and Fun For Life North of Forty, Fifty & Up! Read more interesting articles today!
The humble banana is low in calories and has no fat, no sodium, and no cholesterol. They also contain vitamin C, potassium, fiber, and vitamin B6. It’s no wonder that over 100 billion of them are being eaten all over the world every year, making bananas the fourth most popular agricultural product. The average American eats about 27 pounds of bananas each year. So, it’s more than likely that most people find themselves with a few overripe bananas to make banana bread or banana muffins. Most of those recipes call for at least two or more bananas. However, what can you do with one lone overripe banana. You can make a one-banana mini- banana loaf. It’s the best way to use it in a delicious and healthy way.
This is an adaptation of Dominique Ansel’s banana bread recipe by Baking Mischief
Mini Banana Bread loaf recipe by Baking Mischief adapted by Still A Chick Lit
This mini version bakes in a 5.5 x 3-inch loaf pan (or can be baked as muffins in a muffin tin)
Prep time: Quick 10 minutes
Bake time- 22-24 minutes (depending on your oven)
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
½ cup (60g) all-purpose flour (gluten-free all-purpose flour, 1 to 1 gluten-free baking blend, white rice, brown rice, or sorghum flour. If your flour blend doesn’t contain a binder, add ½ teaspoon xanthan gum)
½ cup granulated sugar (Swerve sweetener, Splenda granulated, monk fruit granulated sweetener, coconut, turbinado, or raw cane sugar, pulsed fine)
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon baking powder
⅛ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 medium overripe banana
1 large egg (3 tablespoons Aquafaba, ¼ cup silked tofu pureed with 1/8 teaspoon baking soda, vegan egg replacer, or mung bean liquid egg replacer= 1 egg)
1 teaspoon (4g) granulated sugar (Swerve sweetener, Splenda granulated, monk fruit granulated sweetener, coconut, turbinado, or raw cane sugar, pulsed fine)
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a mini loaf pan, line with parchment paper sling (optional), and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate medium bowl, mash the banana and whisk in the egg until well-combined. Pour banana mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
Add melted butter and mix until butter is incorporated into the batter. Don’t over mix, but there should not be pools of butter remaining around the edges of the batter.
Transfer the batter to your prepared loaf pan, leaving ¾ inch of space from the top of the pan (discard extra batter if there is too much).
Optional Cinnamon Sugar Crust
In a small bowl, stir together sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over the top of the batter.
Bake
Bake for 30 to 38 minutes, until a toothpick or knife inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Allow cooling in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes before removing and slicing.
Serve and enjoy.
Store the bread tightly wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days.
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With the official start of spring just around the corner, chances are you’re ready for a little time off to be with your family, friends, or that one special someone. However, as we watch the prices of everything, including gas, rising, a getaway might cost more than we can comfortably afford. Guest blog contributor, Emma Grace Brown has a great few tips to help you plan an affordable and enjoyable staycation at home or nearby.
How to Plan an Affordable Staycation That Feels Like a Real Getaway by Emma Grace Brown
What do you do when you want to get away but can’t go far due to COVID-19? Plan a staycation of course! A staycation is a safe, budget-friendly alternative to long-distance travel during the pandemic.
Staycations needn’t be dull either! Whether you’re exploring the great outdoors or discovering local hidden gems, there’s a lot of fun to be had right in your own backyard. Ready to start planning your staycation?
These tips from Still A Chick Lit will help you plan an affordable local getaway or home staycation that feels like the real thing.
Plan Ahead
Preparation is the key to a truly guilt-free staycation. Take a long weekend off work, set a budget, and chart out what you plan to do at home or on the town. A roadmap makes it easier to stick to your staycation!
Book a Local Stay
This is also the time to book local lodging, and getting out of the house can make a difference if you want your staycation to feel like a real getaway. You won’t have to spend a lot either with many hotels offering discounts to local travelers during the pandemic. To make it more romantic or special, consider a B&B for a more personalized experience.
Dress to Impress
It’s been months since you’ve had a reason to get dressed up, so take advantage of it. Refresh your wardrobe with a couple of new pieces before your trip, like a fun and flattering dress, pajamas for cozying up at your B&B, and maybe even some lingerie. Not only will you look and feel your best, but you’ll also get a little bit of retail therapy too! If you’re on a budget, look to deal sites with promo codes and discounts to help you save money.
Pick a Theme
Not sure where to start planning your staycation? Planning an itinerary under COVID-19 restrictions presents challenges, but it’s far from impossible! A theme provides a great focal
point for planning. Do you want to take a culinary tour of the town, explore local history, or get back to nature? With a few adaptations, you can do whatever your heart desires.
● Get takeout, delivery, or dine outdoors rather than eating in. Instead of splurging on gourmet dining, take a tour of local taco trucks, ice cream shops, or another budget-friendly (but delicious!) food.
● Explore art museums and visit local art galleries. Galleries are rarely crowded outside of openings, but be sure to wear your mask.
● Visit local attractions like zoos, aquariums, and botanical gardens during slow midweek hours.
● Plan a DIY walking tour of your city’s historic downtown or visit nearby historic landmarks.
● Get outdoorsy with hiking, biking, paddling, horseback riding, and other outdoor experiences. National parks are a great place to start your outdoor adventure.
Make Time to Relax
Fun activities give you an experience to remember, but don’t forget to relax on your staycation too! Vacations can be just as stressful as a day at the office when your itinerary leaves no room for downtime.
● Get mindful with yoga and meditation.
● Recreate the spa experience at home with bath bombs, facial masks, self-massage, and soothing music.
● Curl up with a good book in a tranquil setting or go on a walk while listening to an audiobook. Reading for pleasure is a rare treat for many adults!
● Clean and organize your home before your staycation to ensure you’re not stressing about the mess and to create the perfect harmonious environment for your staycation if you plan to stay put.
● Most importantly, disconnect from work. You can’t relax when you’re answering emails and phone calls. Set an away message on your email, turn notifications off, and let yourself sleep in. You’re on vacation!
Travel right now is a question mark for everyone. Instead of pining for a far-in-the-future getaway, plan one that’s more feasible in the interim. A staycation can be just as relaxing, and it won’t hurt your pocketbook!
Still a Chick Lit offers tips on fiction, food, fashion, and modern fairy-tale beginnings at forty, fifty, and up. Check out our books!
Like many other women who are north of forty-five and fifty-plus, I rejoiced when I heard Sex and the City was coming back to television. I think many women identified with the characters as they pursued careers and other life goals as women in their thirties. The first Sex and The City movie took fans across the bridge to their forties and fifty with Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha. The second iteration, while fun, seemed to lose the thread of realism that drew fans like me to the television series. Now, you might wonder what was real about a fashion and designer shoe-obsessed freelance writer living in a posh apartment in Manhattan. Honestly, nothing. What mattered is Carrie was living in a way most of us could only dream of, and we were invested in her story.
And Just Like That represents the same hopes and dreams of Late Boomer, Gen-X, and Xennial women, who are in their late forties and fifties. The very fact that HBO is bringing the show back and they are not pandering to a younger demographic. Seeing Carrie and Miranda with grey in their hair was liberating on so many levels, and it flies in the face of our youth-driven culture. It’s also a beacon of hope a medium where one wouldn’t ageism applied, books.
Chick-lit was the now lambasted genre that brought us Sex and the City as a book. Chick lit was considered lighthearted fiction with a twenty-something or thirty-something heroine dealing with her professional, work, and emotional life. However, once the plot revolves around a character that is north of forty or fifty-plus, everything changes about publishing that book. A hot romance between fifty-somethings is deemed ‘seasoned romance’, which sounds more like a cookbook category. On the other end of the spectrum, is the idea that any book about a woman over forty has to be some kind of emotional journey. Both And Just Like That, and Sex and the City prove that stories centered around women as we age emotionally and chronologically aren’t an all-or-nothing deal. Aging happens gradually, and it’s about time that all media realizes it can be approached in a nuanced way. To bring this back to this not-so-flattering comparison being made with the Golden Girls, it would behoove us to note, that the show changed the way we looked at women in their fifties. No one ever thought of their grandmothers or mothers as vital, sexually progressive women like Dorothy, Blanche, Rose, and Sophia. The characters helped to liberate generations of women, even if we didn’t know it at the time.
Tune in to listen and let us know what you think about all the fuss over Carrie and Miranda’s grey hair, and let us know think will happen for your favorite characters the fabulous ladies.
Most of the country has been enjoying a longer Indian summer than usual. However, fall is beginning to make its presence known with temperatures beginning to dip all across the country. Although many are sorry to see the warmer temps go, I enjoy the cooler temperatures. Sleeping weather is also a perfect time to enjoy a nice bowl of soup.
Squash is available year-round everywhere, but there are seasons when certain varieties are more plentiful. I love the hearty gourds like acorn and butternut squash. Both are versatile and can be used in many recipes. This Makeover Monday puts the spotlight on butternut squash soup.
This soup has been on my fall and Thanksgiving table for many years. The recipe is very simple, and you can adjust the ingredients according to your flavor palate. It’s a wonderful combination of roasted butternut squash, sweet onions, and ginger. To make it even easier, you can buy butternut squash that’s already prepped. It’s a time saver.
This recipe is vegan/vegetarian, low-carb, and gluten-free.
Total Time: Approximately 1 hour
Active time: 15 minutes Estimate
Inactive time: 45 minutes
Butternut Squash and Ginger Soup
2 large butternut squash (Cut in halves and seeded) (or 2 packages of pre-cut butternut squash)
4 medium sweet onions, rough chopped
1 small fresh ginger root (peeled and minced)
3 tablespoons Canola oil
Virgin Olive Oil
4 ½ – 5 cups Unsalted Vegetable Stock
Preheat oven to 375-degrees.
Split the butternut squash in half and take the seeds out. Line a large sheet pan with foil. Place the squash on the pan, skin down, and drizzle olive oil until the squash is coated. Place it in the preheated oven and roast it for 45 minutes to an hour. When you can easily pierce the squash with a fork, take it out and let it cool to room temperature. Once it’s cool enough to handle scoop the softened squash into a bowl.
In a Dutch oven or large soup pot, heat the canola oil over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the onions. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook until the onions are soft, then add the minced ginger, and cook until the onions are translucent.
Add 1 cup of the vegetable stock and the squash. Using an immersion blender, blend the onions, ginger, and butternut squash. Add the remaining vegetable stock, one cup at a time, blending well after each addition. Cover, and let simmer on low heat for ten minutes. How thick or thin the soup is up to you. If you like a thinner soup, add more stock, if a thicker soup is to your liking, add less.
Tips
You can save money buying fresh butternut squash and cubing it yourself. Split the squash in half, and then into quarters. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the skin, then cut into medium-sized chunks.
You can use unsalted or low salt vegetable broth
You can also use unsalted chicken stock or broth to add a little more depth to the soup
How much ginger you use is up to you. Remember, you can add more ginger, but you can’t take it out. If you use a bit more than intended and it has a little too much bite, you can a little applesauce to add a bit of sweetness and tamps the spiciness down.
If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a blender. Be careful to do it in small batches, and make sure the mixture isn’t too hot to avoid making a mess.
You can store the soup in the fridge for up to 11 days
This soup freezes beautifully in an airtight container for up to three months.
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Embracing Silver Linings of the Pandemic by Emma Grace Brown
New jobs, careers, lifestyles, ways of learning, and uses for technology alike have all arisen from the global pandemic. In these unexpected and unconventional times, many people have done what they can to build healthy habits during COVID-19 lockdowns.
The great news is that as you begin to embrace a new normal, those who’ve learned to balance work and play, picked up new hobbies, found a new appreciation for friends and family, or worked on new goals have a lot to look forward to. Whether you’ve learned to embrace nature or returned to school for an advanced degree, bringing these new interests and skills with you post-pandemic is a great way to set yourself up for a healthier you.
Mother Nature and Fitness Trackers
For many, the pandemic has afforded them the time to explore nature. Many people have picked up great habits, such as hiking and biking. Others have found a passion for outdoor travel and camping. If you’re like many who’ve become closer to Mother Nature, a fitness tracker or smartwatch can be a useful tool to track the progress you’ve made since picking up healthy habits and making positive changes.
Specific Changes to Carry Forward
The truth is that change is hard. Many people are struggling with their mental health, are grieving, or are experiencing anxiety about the future. Even good change can cause someone to feel stressed or experience symptoms of anxiety or depression. While it’s perfectly normal to feel down during a global pandemic, research shows that embracing healthy habits and engaging in self-care can help.
Consider changes you’ve made since the pandemic, such as eating healthier, getting regular exercise, making the most of family time, or being more engaged with your child’s schoolwork. These are all great habits you can carry forward. Whether you’ve created a new space in your home that you love or vowed to support small businesses, these changes will matter in the future.
Making Habits Stick
If you’ve decided to form new habits, create new goals, and set new priorities, make them a permanent part of your future. It’s not a good idea to return to work and the “old normal” without bringing with you those positive activities and interests you’ve worked so hard to develop during the pandemic.
As you return to work, school, or old schedules, build in time to engage in the things you’re newly passionate about. If that means scheduling daily walks or weekend hikes, go for it. You’ll thank yourself down the road. Not only will keeping good habits help your overall physical health, but they’ll add up to great ways to cope during the challenging times ahead.
Embracing Healthy Habits
At the end of the day, no one can change the fact that you’ve been impacted by the global pandemic. However, by embracing a healthy lifestyle and carrying it past the pandemic, you may enjoy a more productive future.
For more about Emma, click her to visit her website
In 2020 the pandemic put trips to the hair salon for regular trims, hair coloring services, a wash, and set, or a blowout on pause. We were forced to pivot and turn our bathrooms and makeup tables into an in-home salon on the fly. While most of us are knowledgeable when it comes to our own hair, many of us still found ourselves going through a process of trial and error when it came to finding the right products for our hair type. Moreover, age can play a factor. Many women who are north of forty and fifty plus are dealing with changes in their skin and hair as a result of hormonal fluctuations, perimenopause, and menopause.
As a black woman who is north of fifty, I found this to be especially challenging after I stopped relaxing my hair. My decision to go natural was the result of getting older and from having an autoimmune disease (MS) for twenty-plus years. However, my relationship with Ms. Clairol was safe. I made the transition with the guidance of a skilled hair professional who took care of my hair every two weeks. I received a combination of services including deep conditioning treatments, hair coloring, and styling.
When the pandemic forced salons to close, I had to figure it out. At first, I was able to wash and blow my hair out at home. I worried about the use of heat weakening my hair. So, I decided to embrace the curls I’d been avoiding for most of my life. It didn’t take long to discover that finding the right products for my curls was going to be a challenge. Nevertheless, it was a challenge I was willing to accept.
From time to time I will post my experiences with different products. I will review the products, provide price ranges, product effectiveness, and more all in an effort to give you as much information as possible.
Rating Scale
Poor *
Fair **
Good ***
Excellent ****
My first review is Mark Anthony True Professional Hydrating Curl Cream.
The pitch: Extra Frizz Control! This Sulfate-Free Curl Cream is a hydrating blend of Coconut Oil, Shea Butter, and Biotin that help de-frizz and add moisture to your dry brittle curls. It provides extra curl styling control with humidity resistance. Curls are now shinier, more defined, and tangle-free. Lightweight enough to use daily after shower. Color safe.
Usage: Apply to wet or damp hair. For my purposes, I applied after I washed and conditioned my hair. I section my hair in two. Then I use about a half-dollar size amount of cream in my palm and work it through from the roots to ends with my fingers. I try to follow my curl pattern and repeat on the other side. I let my hair dry naturally, but you can use a diffuser to blow it dry as well.
Results: I’ve found that my curls have great hold while still feeling soft. I’ve found that some products with coconut oil and shea butter can make your hair smell like a tropical fruit salad, which if you live in a warmer climate, or it’s spring or summer, can be tricky once you go outside. Bees don’t know the difference. Marc Anthony’s hydrating cream smells nice and it’s not overwhelming.
Cost: The cream ranges in price from 8.99-9.99 (depends on where you purchase it)
Available at: Walgreens, CVS, Target, Walmart, and Rite Aid. Check online to see which stores in your area have it in stock
It’s already August for many of us it’s been a hot summer. It is also the time when we begin to see more zucchini recipes as it’s the time of year there’s a bumper crop of zucchini everywhere.
I found this recipe in my inbox and it was a hit, even with my seven-year-old nephew, a very picky eater. The best part was that I got to sneak in a little nutrition with all the chocolate goodness. I hope you give this recipe a whirl. There’s a link for A Kitchen Addiction to see what other goodies she has.
This recipe has adaptations for:
Gluten-sensitivities
Low Sugar
Vegan, Vegetarian
No-Sugar
Happy Monday to everyone.
Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins by A Kitchen Addiction adapted by Still A Chick Lit
Yield: 18 muffins
Prep time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 20 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes
INGREDIENTS
2 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour (brown rice flour, quinoa flour, buckwheat flour)
1 cup unsweetened baking cocoa (Dutch-Process cocoa powder)
1/3 cup sugar (Swerve sweetener, Splenda granulated, monk fruit sweetener granulated, or coconut, raw cane, golden, or turbinado sugar, pulsed fine before using)
1/4 cup brown sugar (Swerve brown sugar substitute, or organic brown sugar, light or dark)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 Cup whole-fat or low-fat plain yogurt (non-dairy: almond, soy, or coconut yogurt) (dairy: Greek plain yogurt low fat, whole milk Greek yogurt, do not use fat-free yogurt)
1 cup milk (dairy: whole, 2%, or skim) (non-dairy: almond, soy, rice, or light coconut milk)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs (1/4 cup Aquafaba, ½ cup silken tofu pureed with ¼ teaspoon baking soda, 2 flaxseed or chia seed eggs, vegan egg replacer)
1/4 cup melted coconut oil (measured in the liquid state), melted and cooled butter or canola oil would also work (vegan unsalted butter)
2 cups shredded zucchini
3/4 Cups mini chocolate chips + additional mini chocolate chips for garnish, if desired
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line muffin tins with cupcake liners or spray muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, unsweetened baking cocoa, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until well-combined. Stir in yogurt, milk, and vanilla extract until the mixture just starts to combine.
Add in eggs and melted coconut oil. Stir until combined.
Gently fold in shredded zucchini and mini chocolate chips.
Divide batter into muffin cups. Depending on the size of the muffin cup, each cup will be anywhere from 3/4 to completely full.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.
Maintaining our health is always important, but it is increasingly so as we age. While there are many things we can do to improve and maintain our physical appearance, taking care of what’s on the inside is the key to looking and feeling good.
Taking Care of Your Body
Over the past five years, more people are investing in home fitness equipment that comes with personal trainers for different types of workouts. Peloton is at the front of the pack. Fun fact about the word peloton. In a road bicycle race, the peloton (from French, originally meaning ‘platoon’) is the main group or pack of riders. Riders in a group save energy by riding close (drafting or slipstreaming) to (particularly behind) other riders.
Peloton is just one of a number of in-home streaming workouts. There are others that may be more suited to what you like such as:
Yoga
Dance
Barre (ballet-based)
Cardio
Cycling
Look for a program that fits your budget. Many of these services offer trial periods before your commit to the either monthly or yearly expense of the service. Some workout platforms like Fit-On, have free basic memberships. However, it’s important to remember that if you want more variety, the price of a pro-plan could be worth it for you.
Healthy Diet
A healthy diet is another key to maintaining balance in our lives. It’s important not to focus on calories, carbs, and fat. Rather, approach your diet by putting the best food or fuel into it. Vegetables, fruit, whole grain, lean proteins, and plenty of water are the basis for keeping your body running at peak condition. Treats are okay and don’t need to be measured and weighed if you partake in moderation.
There is a vicious cycle that results from denial. When you feel like some ice cream, chocolate, or whatever your preferred indulgence is, it’s best to go ahead and eat it. You are more likely to indulge moderately. Conversely, it’s the denial of what your body is craving that leads to overindulgence, binging, and guilt. Allow yourself a treat. When you want to snack, pick something that hits your flavor profile whether it’s sweet and crunchy, sweet and salty, or salty and crunchy. This way you snack smarter.
Read labels. Even light or healthy food products have hidden things in them like salt. Google all the alternative names used for salt and sugar. You would be surprised at how many healthy alternatives are filled with sugar, salt, and preservatives. Also, if you are looking into one of the many meal services available, research their ingredients too. The meals and components have to travel, which means preservatives and more. If this is something that would work for your lifestyle, make sure you pick one that benefits your health too.
Relax and get some rest
Powering down our bodies is as essential as powering them up. Most of us lead incredibly busy lives and spend oodles of time on the go. Find time to disconnect from your schedule to reconnect with relaxation and rest.
Spend time with hobbies- Whether it’s model airplanes or cars, sewing, knitting, crocheting, painting, or drawing, hobbies relax our minds to focus on something we enjoy.
Read- Turn the television off and put down the smartphone to pick up a book or magazine.
Watch television- Put on your favorite program. Watch a nature show or binge a series. There’s nothing like watching a guilty pleasure.
Get all the electronics (phone, television, computer, laptop) out of your bedroom. Make your bedroom a real place of rest. This will allow you to turn off the distractions so you can get the 7 to 8 hours your body needs.
Keep your mind clear and centered
Our mental and emotional health plays a big role in the health of our physical body. To keep everything balanced, we need to find ways to deal with the biggest enemy of good mental and emotional health, stress.
Stress, anger, and sadness, are three things that can wear us down. Therefore, it’s important to deal with the issues that cause them.
Talk to a professional. There is nothing wrong with seeing a therapist or psychologist for talk therapy. It’s a safe space to let our emotions out and to figure what’s a healthy way to deal with them.
Friends, family, spouse, or partners. Talking to the people we love can help us feel supported and loved. However, there’s a difference between unburdening ourselves and offloading our problems onto someone else’s shoulders. The latter is something to avoid doing for the sake of your relationship.
Worship If you’re a religious or spiritual person connecting with God through a church, synagogue, or mosque can provide a sense of being grounded and having a greater purpose in life.
Meditation – This allows you to connect with yourself. It also helps you learn how to quiet your mind, which keeps stressful thoughts at bay.
If you can find a way to implement some of these tips, you will be on your way to whole-body wellness as a woman who is north of forty plus shining brightly for years to come.
