I never thought that these 7 self-care practices would change my health and wellbeing as much as they did. It has certainly been life-changing, to say the least.
In this episode, I share my 7 favorite selfcare practices with you, so you too can start prioritizing your own health and wellness.
Supplements I shared:
Young Living SuperCal Plus
Young Living Life9
Young Living Progessence Phyto Plus and Clary Sage
Join my Young Living community and get your supplements here: https://www.myyl.com/vandghie
Transcript:
A few years ago, if you asked me about selfcare, I would probably have frowned upon the idea.
I definitely had no time for self-indulgence or pampering.
I was too busy looking after my family and building my career.
And if you have that kind of mindset, trust me, it catches up with you.
It did certainly catch up with me.
Until I figured out one day that selfcare was not just a treat of self-indulgence, but critically necessary for any women to thrive in her body.
Once I started implementing some selfcare practices daily, the effect on my health was so significant that most people that knew me, noticed it.
They asked questions about it!
And I honestly was blown away by the change I saw and felt in my body.
I experienced benefits like weight loss, glowing skin, amazing energy levels, a healthy libido, decreased joint pain and inflammation, eczema clearing, better sleep at night, and emotions that were under control. No more emotional rollercoasters and uncontrolled irritability.
So I wanted to share with you today, the 7 selfcare practices that I do every single day and that I don’t compromise on.
These are the things that i KNOW my body needs and can’t function optimally without.
Not only do I need to implement these practices, but my family needs it too!
Now I just need to clarify here, that this is what’s working for me. And I wana encourage you to experiment and find what is working for you. What fits into your schedule, what works for you hormones and your body and what are the things that you can see yourself doing for the long run.
I implement these self-care practices daily, because i believe that I deserve to feel good. And I also believe that those around me, the people that I love most and the people that i want to impact, they deserve to get the best version of me.
So without further ado, here they are:
This may be meditation for you, but for me it’s spending time with my Creator. It opens the door for mindfulness and a sense of calm throughout the day, and helps me to start the day without anxiety and with mental clarity throughout the day.
I also write down my prayer list and pray for other people, which helps me to be outward focused and not focused on my own situations.
Number 2: Walking in nature
Everytime I go for my walk, it reminds me of the time of healing that I went through. It’s as if my body has this memory embedded into it, and knows that walking is good.
Apart from the physical benefits relating to walking, it also gives me a boost of vitamin D.
Hands down, walking has made such a huge impact on me hormonally, mentally, and metabolically that I’m committed to walking outside in nature, for life.
I also use my time walking to practice mindfulness.
So just to clarify here, when i talk about mindfulness, I talk about it in this definition:
“A mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.”
So for me, mindfulness is the practice of being aware of my undercurrent of emotions and understanding where that mental state comes from. And then speaking truth into the feelings and emotions I know are not true.
Sometimes, I’ll listen to a book while walking, sometimes a playlist, depending on my mental space.
But this allows me to consume content which i don’t necessarily have time for. LIke I won’t have time at the moment in running my business, family and everything else, to just sit down and read a book. So for me it’s a great way for self-development, while practicing some selfcare through walking. In other words, I get to fuel my mind and reset my body at the same time. I love stockpiling selfcare habits like this.
So that’s how walking goes down for me.
Number 3: weight training
I have always loved weight training.
I’ve done crossfit for about 10 years and loved every second of it.
But as my hormones started shifting, that kind of exercise was not good for me any longer. It really put my body in a place of unbalance and I had to shift the way i think about exercise.
But as we get older, it is so very important to keep strengthening those muscles and building muscle mass.
This will not only help to maintain muscle mass, but it also ensures that bone density does not decline, which is what happens naturally as we age. Specifically as we approach our 40s.
So although I used to do crossfit at least 4-6 times a week, I now try to focus on weight training at least 3 times a week to ensure I keep those muscles strong and healthy.
This is also critical for metabolic health, for my brain and for energy.
So I do my weight training for about 30 minutes a day, about 3-4 times a week and I also pay close attention to where I am in my menstrual cycle and adjust the intensity accordingly.
I also always throw in some core work in there too, which involves some slow, controlled movements on the physio ball.
So I try to move my body every single day. Exercise is not just a gym routine for me anymore, it’s literally a selfcare practice that helps me to be happier and healthier.
So not only is weight training and movement important for physical health, but also for mental health. It is such an important stress management tool.
Moving on to Number 4: Nourishing my body with key, hormone-loving nutrients
For me personally, nutrition has always been the foundation of health. If we don’t get that right, we’re not building all other healthy habits on a firm foundation.
So I care for my hormones and my body through eating a really nourishing diet and adding some high quality supplements to that.
I wanna challenge you too, to see eating as self-care. If you take on that mindset, you are more likely to take the time and make the effort to plan and prepare your meals well.
So the supplements that I use daily are a good Calcium and Magnesium supplement. My recommendation here would be Super Cal Plus from Young Living, which is unfortunately only available in the US, or a product that I use from BioMedica Nutraceuticals called BioActivated Calcium, which is available in NZ and Australia.
But what’s important here, is that you always take Magnesium WITH Calcium, in a ratio of 2 parts Ca to 1 part Mg.
So I just add my Ca/Mg supplement powder to my morning smoothie.
Secondly, I always take a good probiotic. LIfe9, which is also a YL product, is a good quality product, or you can choose your own, which should be a broad spectrum probiotic, meaning it should include different strains of bacteria, such as different Bificobacterium strains, and Lactobacillus strains.
Another supplement that I take every day is an organic greens powder, which I also add to my smoothies. This is to support liver health.
I also take hemp seeds in my smoothies every morning. It is high in proteins, healthy fats, fiber, minerals and vitamins, it’s been proven to support hormonal imbalance and also reduces inflammation.
And then lastly, I use Progessence Phyto Plus Serum and Clary Sage Essential oil almost daily. These have played a significant role in my healing process. Both these products are available from Young Living and I’ll post a link in the shownotes.
Number 5: Journaling and gratitude
Research shows that practising gratitude can reduce pain, increase self-reliance, resilience, enabling restful sleep and enhancing self-worth
You actually build new pathways in your brain by influencing the world around you
Over the last few months, I’ve been in the process of creating my own journal.
I have never done journaling in the past, I just had no idea what I’m supposed to write about.
So I’ve been creating a journal that works for me, and it captures my gratitudes every day, but also helps me to reflect on where I am in my menstrual cycle and how that may influence me on any given day.
So i spend about 15 minutes each morning, completing my journal for that day, and I’ve found that this has helped me to set a foundation for thankfulness, positivity, reflecting on my scripture reading for the day, writing down my appointments I have for the day, reflecting on my long-term and mid-term goals and also plan my day out ahead, which gives me a lot of clarity and direction. I have found that this practice has made me much more focused, efficient and helps me to accomplish more. It has also helped me to shift my intentions and not leave my emotions up to the days activities, but rather to decide first thing what the day will look like for me.
So I choose my response in whatever comes my way for the day. I love my journal, and once I’m completely happy with the format, who knows, I might be sharing it with you all.
Number 6: A nice long bath at the end of each day
THis is one of my favorite parts of my daily routine. Especially in winter. A nice warm, relaxing bath at the end of each day. My dream is to have a hot tub outside, as our property has a beautiful view over some rural dairy farmlands. So one day, I’ll have my hot tub sitting outside for my end-of-the-day relaxing soak.
This helps me to reset my nervous system and just take some time out after a full, busy day.
Lastly, number 7, i track my cycle and reflect on it every morning.
This has definitely been a game changer for me. Understanding where my cycle is at, how to adjust the planning for my day and what to expect each day.
The change I’ve seen in my body since doing this has been phenomenal for sure.
So I can highly recommend adopting a lifestyle that is in harmony with your cycle.
So there you have it, my secret weapon selfcare practices that I do most days to make sure that I’m a nicer person to myself and to those around me
So after listening to these rituals that I practice every day, which one do you feel connected with you that you would love to start implementing today, so you can also cultivate more joy?
Or if none of that really resonated with you, do you have a few selfcare practices that you never skip?
Or do you even practice any intentional selfcare practices at all?
If you do have some selfcare habits that have helped you, I would love for you to share those with me. So just send me a DM on either instagram or facebook at vandghie - v a n d g h i e , or send me an email. I would love to hear from you!
So lastly, I just wana share some short self-care practices that you can start implementing today to help you care for yourself. This can be literally 5 minutes and can start to help you shift towards spending some time every day, caring for yourself. Often implementing selfcare practices is really easy once you’ve made the mindset shift. It’s the mindset and beliefs around selfcare that’s the hardest part to overcome.
So to get started with just a few short minutes every day, here are some ideas:
Deep breathing for 30-60 seconds when you wake up and just before bed each night.
Turning on a diffuser with some good quality essential oils. Citrus oils are great for lifting the mood and helping you feel energised
Writing down one gratitude every morning
Celebrating the day’s wins at the end of each day by reflecting on the day
Reading something that you love or downloading an audio book to listen to, even when you’re in the car commuting to work or taking kids to sport. I sometimes use my time next to the pool, while i’m watching my daughter dive, to also listen to my audio books.
Making your favorite drink. This is one of my favourites, i love making a matcha or rooibos latte with oatmilk and cinnamon in the mornings.
Moving your body for a few minutes each day, this can just be stretching if you don’t have much time. Even if it’s just going out into your back yard with your hot drink to take a few deep breaths of fresh air and then coming back in
So there are a few practices that you can start with today, just pick one or two.
But the most essential step here, is to say yes to YOU and making a commitment to start practicing selfcare because you are important. Sometimes, choosing to believe that you are worthy of self-love can be the hardest part. It’s just so much easier to prioritize our kids and husbands and not allowing ourselves any time or energy to look after ourselves.
If you are so very ready for a change in your energy levels, mental health, and overall wellness, you will have to grow into a different version of yourself.
What got you to this current state, will not bring you to the place that you desire to be.
So you’re best to make that decision today, to start focusing on your own health and wellness.
So I wanna challenge you to chose only 1 selfcare practice that you will commit to over the next few weeks.
Changing your beliefs about yourself will definitely take some conscious effort, and that can start today.
We need to let go of the guilt that we so easily feel as women.
Not only do YOU deserve to look after and love yourself, but you also owe it to those around you..
I’m telling you, once you make the mental decision to prioritize you, the practical implementation of these selfcare practices will come easily.
Well thank you again for joining me in today’s episode. This show is all about the journey of understanding and loving our bodies, so we can feel amazing.
If you’ve enjoyed today’s episode, please share it with a friend via a text message or even on social media, and if you do share it on socials, please remember to tag me.
Until next time my friend