Avocado on toast for breakfast.
Having (and sticking to!) a self-care routine helps you get more in contact with your body and therefore, it makes it easier to detect what it lacks/needs. However, with busy schedules and increasing demands on ourselves it is a challenge to stay on track with our self-care routines. In my case, I have been trying to discipline myself and get a better understanding on the importance of the self-care routine. It is your base, how you start your morning most of the time dictates the rest of the day.
For vegetarians and people with special diets, committing to a self-care routine becomes even more important because sticking to for example, taking of our vitamins and supplements every day will ensure that whatever we are lacking due to our special diets are compensated by our supplements. What you include in your ‘must’ on self-care should be routines that are not only beneficial for you, but that are also simple to do on a daily basis when you wake-up. Having a simple routine will add to the success of sticking to it. My daily rituals help me connect with my body and myself. Here are my 6 must on self-care:
1. Tongue scraping– This one I discovered over a year ago and I have been able to stick to it ever since. Every night our bodies regenerate, this is also so for our tongues. Scraping your tongue aid in removing any toxins and extra stuff your body has been able to expel during your sleep. Once you do it once, you will do it for ever! Trust me! Want to know more? This is a very informative article on the subject.
2. Warm lemon water– I started incorporating warm lemon water in my routine ever since starting the 21 days Lean+Green program. My health coach Sherrie from With Food and Love , recommends drinking a full glass of warm water with half a lemon each day to (among other things) aid in the balance of the alkalinity in the body. Drinking lemon water first thing in the morning serves as a flushing device for our bodies and prepares it to better absorb the nutrients from our breakfast. I do have to admit that in the beginning gulping the warm lemon water was not easy as I was not used to the taste, but I eased into it and now I can’t live without it (seriously!). If you try it out and find that it is a bit tough, add a touch of honey to start with and ease into it because it is not worth it to push too much on something which will later be abandoned. Take it easy!
3. Meditation– Incorporating meditation into my self-care routine has given me so much balance throughout the years. Those 10, 15 or more minutes I spend in silence with myself give me so much back throughout the day. It helps me calm my mind and connect to my source. I also read inspirational passages from books which help me energize my morning and therefore my day. If you are not familiar with meditation, mindfulness is also an alternative. Find what feels good for you, 10 minutes of reading a book, contemplation or whatever make you sit in silence for at least a couple of minutes before starting the day.
4. Vitamins and supplements– As I have mentioned before, people with special diets need special need in the department of vitamins and supplements. Vegetarians and vegans in particular because of their lifestyle need extra nutrients pumped into their bodies. A plant-based (extracted from algae) Omega 3 complex is of extra importance because those fatty acids help the body in wondrous ways, from reducing inflammation to aiding in the prevention of disease. A good quality multivitamin is also another important supplement. Make sure you make a thorough research on the vitamins to ensure that the balance of nutrients is right for you. You can find more information on the subject here.
5. Movement– Getting your body to move is so important. Of all of the above, this is the one I have been struggling for a large portion of my life. I have finally come to terms with the importance of movement for my body, therefore, incorporating it and seeing it as part of my self-care routine helps me stay motivated and stick to it. I have tried so many ways of exercise, and now I have found what feels good for me and what I like, not what the latest fitness fad is. You need to stick to what feels good for you. In my case is Yoga, Pilates and walking. I like these types of exercises because they help me connect not only with my body, but also with my spirit. I prefer to do my movement in the morning, but you can choose the most convenient time for you. Your body, your rules!
6. Breakfast– This one might seem obvious for some, but it is worth mentioning because a large portion of people (myself included!) tend to skip this meal at times. When I started seeing breakfast as part of my self-care routine, it started making sense to me that whatever I was putting into my body first thing in the morning was the fuel for the rest of the day. Like a car, you would not dare to go on a large journey without fueling it, our bodies also need fuel. Increasing demands on ourselves means that taking the time to have a proper breakfast becomes a squeeze every morning. But if you don’t have much time some of my suggestions are: cereal bar (watch out for extra sugars and try to stick to natural ingredients, always), smoothies are also alternatives which are super easy to prepare and if you have frozen fruit in your freezer can be made in a flash, yogurt with some nuts and fruit, these are some ideas when you are in a hurry.
These are my top 6! What do you include in your self-care routine?
Also I am now featured on Bloglovin’ check it out!
