of 2020
Staying HOME...
Being confined at home because of Covid-19
did not bother this homebody at all.
As the pandemic dragged on...
and everything was still cancelled, the only events I even slightly
missed attending was a BYU football game,
my favorite comedian's show
that Emmsie and I had tickets for,
Kyleigh's last Christmas Around the World performance at the Y,
and the annual MO TAB Christmas Concert.
In all honesty though NOTHING,
even all things Covid related, has annoyed,
angered, saddened and disappointed me more than the
Election outcome.
That was the WORST event of 2020 for me by far.
And quite possibly my life time-
up to this point.
Who knows.
But I do know I'm not looking forward to
living in Biden's America.
Big Government sucks ya'all.
I really do feel sorry for our country.
**big sigh**
Intermittent Fasting...
has become a lifestyle for me.
I started on Jan 6th 2020 and have
consciously fasted every day since.
Daily recording of fasting times
and food journal to boot.
My favorite is to fast 17.5 to 19 hours daily,
with my ultimate goal of ending my
eating window around 6:30 at night and then waiting till
1:30 the next afternoon to eat...
But really the fasting time varies
from day to day.
It's good to switch it up.
Some days its way less depending on daily circumstances and
sometimes a little longer.
Like in the summer.
Just depends.
For women it's important to not do longer fasts on days 12-14 and
21-28 of your cycle- as fasting longer during these times will
not garner any added benefits.
Intermittent Fasting definitely has its perks.
For myself, it's helped me with my lower back pain issues
due to an uterine fibroid.
{I don't have to be on birth control anymore for that issue. YES!}
And it's helped me maintain my weight
thru this hormonal peri menopause phase
that I'm in.
I lost a few pound initially,
but never the 20 lbs I had hoped....
BUT
that's okay...because I know I would have to probably stop
eating wheat completely and cut way back
on dairy and sugar to lose
significant weight. I'm not willing to do THAT
because I don't like diets...
of any kind. And... I love food too much.
I'm okay limiting on occasion,
but not eliminating or restricting
any food. I'm more of a eat everything,
but in moderation type of gal SO....
I'll take the maintaining of weight
for now. LOL
Besides, there are so many
other advantages to fasting,
other than weight loss,
that it makes it worth it.
I've compiled a list of possible NSV's
{non scale victories}
that fasting has to offer.
Heals your body naturally
I feel like I’m doing something healthy for my body everyday
Stabilizing “norm”
More mindful eating
Helps to regulate hormones
Lowers cholesterol
Better focus, less brain fog
Clearer skin
You learn to listen to your body
Blood sugar levels stabilized
Lowers your insulin..(constantly spiking your insulin all day w food and drink keeps you from losing weight)
Can improve sleep
Reduced inflammation
Gives your body time to fully digest so you aren't in constant digestion mode 24/7
Better immunity
Delayed aging
Better eating habits
More energy
Zen calm like feeling
Feel lighter less bloated
More empowered and disciplined.
Better relationship with food. I’m in control of my body, food isn’t.
Builds willpower
Satiety is on cue...feel full and satisfied, less food cravings
Overall feeling of wellness
Body able to tap in to fat cells to burn as energy
It’s simple
Costs nothing
No prep, nor takes any extra time or energy out of your day
Autophagy...fountain of youth for your cells...Gets rid of cellular garbage...and excess fat, helps recycle,
restore and repair your cells
Gift of self discipline and mental strength
Not getting to have everything you want right when u want it is a great lesson in all of life-not just with food!
Gin Stephens is my favorite expert on Intermittent Fasting
and this YouTube video by Dr. Cynthia Thurlow initially sparked
my interest on the topic.
At one time I wanted to start a separate blog about being a foodie
and an intermittent faster because HELLO,
I'm a huge fan of both BUT
I could never figure out how to navigate
WordPress enough to make a go of it.
Too frustrating.
After having this blog on blogspot for almost
14 years now, I'm too set in my ways I guess.
Anywho, implementing intermittent fasting
into my life
was definitely a highlight of 2020.
Freshly...
meal delivery service is a godsend for me.
No secret that food prep is
not my favorite thing to do.
Like I can cook and bake, and
I'm somewhat descent at it,
but it doesn't bring me joy.
Just eating it does. haha
The time it takes and the mess..UGH!
I'm a fan of Freshly because they are
chef made,
gluten free and already prepared.
All you have to do is heat it up
and plate it if you want.
We tried Hello Fresh a handful of times, but
the prep was STILL too time intensive
when you don't feel like cooking...
which in my case is always. LOL
We make a Freshly order a couple
times a month.
And btw, in full disclosure,
not everyone in the fam likes
these meals as much as some of us do.
Come Follow Me- "Don't Miss This"
Instructors...
David Butler and Emily Belle Freeman
are two of my favorite people.
They make the scriptures come to life
and personally more relatable.
They have a gift for teaching and I love LOVE
watching their weekly
lessons on YouTube.
Leslie Sansone Walk at Home Videos...
was my go to for exercise
during the summer and
stay at home order.
It's low impact, doesn't overly stress
your body out,
but gets your heart rate up.
I'll never be in to high intensity work-outs
because I'm not an intense, energetic human
so I naturally gravitate to more
easy going, peaceful ways to exercise...
like pilates, walking, maybe a bike ride.
In the past light jogging.
I'm just horrible at finding a way to
incorporate exercise during the
working school year.
No interest at all.
So therefore, it's currently not
exercise season for me. HA!
Doggie Door...
by Pet Door Products....
Best purchase we made in 2020.
On the pricey side for a dang door,
but well worth it for its
high quality and convenience.
We went 13+ months being dog owners
without a doggie door.
The dogs would just ring the bells
on the back door
to let us know they needed to go out.
That got old fast.
😂
Tim Janis music...
I've always loved beautiful and calming music
and found Janis' music particularly soothing
during the
crazy noise of the world this past year.
I've known about him for years
because of my parent's love of his music,
but came to really appreciate him
even more during 2020.
He has an awesome YouTube Channel with gorgeous
landscape videos to go along with his music.
If you like to meditate or just want to relax...
he's your guy.
Hormone Help...
If you are around my age {48} you are most likely in
peri menopause, or possibly going through menopause.
Most likely your body is whacked
out hormonally.
I finally made an appointment at
Vitalize Hormone and Wellness
and so so glad I did.
Barb Stuart is the
owner and nurse practitioner.
She draws your blood and from your lab
work will spend an hour with you telling you
what your body is lacking
and needing etc.
Her vitamin, supplement, and RX suggestions
have done wonders for me.
Just so you know...
If you overall feel more "blah,"
everything feels like a chore,
and you are waking up
multiple times in the night
for no good reason... your body is most
likely low in the progesterone hormone.
Progesterone is our sleep promoting, as well as
mood stabilizing hormone.
If you never feel fully rested
and more tired than you think
you should feel
{as in wanting to take a nap every day
between 3-5 PM like I did}
you probably have a thyroid issue.
Completely normal to have these issues
in this stage of life.
Don't suffer through it and think thats just what women
have to go through, get help.
Podcasts...
I was never a podcast listener until 2020.
Some of my favorites
are Intermittent Fasting Stories hosted by Gin Stephens,
Life Lessons by Gin Stephens and Sherri Bullock,
and Sweaty and Pissed-
a podcast on menopause
by my favorite comedian Leanne Morgan
{she's hilarious}
and Karen Nickell, her nurse practitioner friend.
All are very informative
and inspiring.
Somebody Feed Phil...
on Netflix. It's my favorite show.
Combines my love of food,
different cultures, countries and dreams of
traveling the world with the hubs.
The host Phil Rosenthal is so endearing.
A genuine human, funny,
passionate about food, a bit quirky,
but gosh he sure loves
what he does and it shows. He's a joy to watch.
So there you have it, my top ten....
game changers, life savers, joy producing,
what ever you want to call them....things of 2020.
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