Infused by Arlinda McGlothin-McKinley On Sale Now

Infused On Sale Now

Self-Care Saturdays ~ Overnight Tea

Yesterday my niece sent an article to our group entitled, "Why 'Future You Care' Deserves a Spot in Your Self-Care Routine". The article discusses how we can do things now to assist us with self-care in the future. There was one section that really caught me eye. It discussed brewing tea.

“Cold brew a calming tea the night before a stressful morning.“

 If you really know me I absolutely love tea. There's even a cabinet in my kitchen dedicated to tea. My favorite tea? It's way too many to name. Lipton is favorite since childhood. I love Chamomile with Lavender tea and Rose Hips with Hibiscus tea by Traditional Medicinals. 

So, I thought I'd give it a try last night. I found a mason jar, with a matching lid which is often hard for me to do, added water, a tea bag and two packets of Splenda and then I placed it in the refrigerator last night. I kept wondering if this would really work because I never thought of brewing overnight tea. 

I wake up this morning in anticipation and not only did the recipe work but it was the coolest cup of Lemon Lift sweetened iced tea. To think that I prepared my favorite beverage ahead of time and just in time to enjoy for Self-Care Saturday while I catch up on episodes of Queen Sugar. 

Wellness Wednesday Shake The Salt

First let me say that I feel way better than I did last Wednesday. I just knew that I had the flu or something. However, living better now, Coogi sweater....... My bad. Sometimes I get off topic.

Today's topic is about sodium. When I was in the hospital, my doctor had me on a " cardio diet", which is a low sodium diet. For the most part I maintain a low sodium lifestyle at home. I do mess up sometimes but I try to stay consistent. That means that I consume 1500 mg or less of sodium a day. That equals to less than one teaspoon of salt. So what does that look like for me on a daily basis?

Breakfast - steel cut oatmeal (with chopped pecans and raisins) unsweetened applesauce and light orange juice.

Lunch - Small salad with apple cider vinaigrette and water or unsweetened tea and unsweetened applesauce (or a fruit salad). 

Dinner - Bean burger, sweet potato and unsweetened applesauce (I even baked four sweet potatoes at a time so that I can have them ready throughout the week.) 

Listen! Unsweetened Applesauce is a thing for me. Think about it, when you eat an apple there's no sugar added. Then why do we want applesauce with added sugar? Makes you go.. Hmmmmmm?

You may be asking, "How do you keep track of your sodium?" Well, there's an app for that. I use MyFitnessPal, thanks to my friend Destiny. Now, if I can't track it, I don't eat it. The app tracks information of the food you eat by scanning the products barcode and uploading the information. It also allows you to set limits to parts of your diet that you are targeting. Of course my sodium is limited to 1500 mg.

There are a couple of things that I've learned eating this way. One I love bean burgers and two my body responds well when I eat in this manner. I feel better physically, I rest better and I can often tell when my blood pressure is high after eating a larger amount of sodium. Those headaches are the worst. The first time I had one, I went straight to the phone to call my mommy. Trust me, you're never too old to call your mommy. She always has a remedy, drink some tea, drink some water and go to sleep. Welp, that works for me. 

After I was released from the hospital and taken off of the "cardio diet" I decided with my special self that I would go to a fast food restaurant and have a fish sandwich. In one bite I felt as if I had eaten a whole cup of salt. It was a feeling of disgust and from that point on I decided to make great attempt to eat like I did in the hospital because my body had adjusted to intaking a lower amount of sodium.

When people ask me about my eating lifestyle they often say, "Oh, I couldn't do that." I'd probably had said the same thing months ago but hey, it just works for me. 

Self-Care Saturday ~ Drink More Water

I've learned some hard lessons about not drinking enough water this weekend. So  how much water do you drink a day? Do you drink 64 ounces? Do you drink half of your body weight in water? Or are you like me and you drink one bottle when clearly it should be more? Normally I do drink more. We've even started buying water by the cases at home. I've been out and about lately and trying to avoid having to go to the restroom. That's real talk. All public restrooms are not created equal.

Yesterday I thought I was doing a good thing. Ok. Not a good thing because I seriously drank one bottle of water and it was hot outside and the humidity was up. After that one bottle of water I thought I'd be fine til later. But no. I wasn't. I needed more water. Today's goal is to not just drink one bottle but to consume several bottles of water because this heat ain't no joke. 

Listen to your body it will tell you what it needs. 

I Am Her

Today I did something I seldom do. I went shopping and it was hot. There were some quaint stores that I wanted to visit and they didn't disappoint me at all. While shopping in one store I came across a book entitled "I Am Her". I really did pick up the book and hug it. It was further confirmation for me that I finally know who she is.

This book is beautiful, serene and affirmative and it's blue. The color blue has been a blessing during my healing process. It's weird but my favorite color is lavender. My house is blue and my car is blue, I guess blue has always been there for me but I'm just realizing it. Kinda like I'm finally realizing that I am her.

Have a Fab Friday!