On December 9th, I graduate from the Health Coach program at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. We will be coaches for health and wellness and along with that title, we have so many other endeavors to choose from such as writing books, developing a health product, presenting workshops, running wellness groups etc...the possibilities are endless. Kimberly is a fellow classmate of mine who wrote and published a book called The Small Change Solution: A 52 Step Guide to Getting the Naturally Healthy Lifestyle You Want. The book focuses on small, sustainable changes that you can make for better health not only having to do with diet and fitness but also self care. Kimberly's book is available on Amazon.com and at barnesandnoble.com. I'm so happy for Kimberly on the publication of her book and I was able to see her on stage at the November live IIN conference when she introduced us to her book! Kimberly wrote a wonderful post below on the importance of taking care of yourself and how you can focus on self love.
Vegans know the importance of
eating their greens. They know Whole Foods inside out. They use care when
deciding what to put in their bodies. But what some vegans don’t know, and what
many people in general don’t know, is that there is a whole other side of
healthy living. It is the part where you love the heck out of yourself. The
part where you focus on the things and the people that make you feel happy and
fulfilled. The part that makes you fabulous. You won’t find it in your average
diet book. It’s called self love.
In what ways do you like to treat
yourself? Maybe a massage, a nice dinner out, an evening spent with a new book,
or just luxuriating in a hot shower after a long day. Whatever it is that
relaxes you and keeps you sane, do it often. If it makes you feel selfish,
think of the amazing benefit to those around you when you show up every day as
your best self! The love you give yourself, you pass to those around you.
If you’re not in the habit of
showering yourself with love, I can help! Here are a few of my favorite ways to
pamper myself:
- Turn your shower into a spa
experience. Grab a candle, your best towels (which should NEVER be saved for a
special occasion! Today is a special occasion.), and your favorite playlist.
Before you hop in, take five minutes and make yourself a homemade sugar scrub!
Here’s how you do it: mix together a cup of organic sugar and ¼ cup of coconut
oil. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the mixture. Then get creative with
your favorite essential oils! My current favorite is cinnamon leaf essential
oil, because I feel like if autumn could be an oil, it would be cinnamon! It’s
just perfect this time of year.
- Grab your calendar, find your
next available Friday night, call your girlfriends and make a date! Seriously,
what feels better than girls’ night out? If you’re short on cash, a coffee
house is as good as anywhere for a good gabfest, or whip up some healthy snacks
and make it a Netflix night! Keeping your loved ones close is so good for your
soul. You may feel too busy at times, but never let your besties drift away.
- Dress up! Monday blues? You
might be tempted to skip your beauty ritual and throw on your most comfortable
clothes to go to work, fashionable or not (I’m so guilty of this). You’ll feel
better if you take a few minutes to put on a little jewelry or something nice,
whatever makes you feel good. It’s different for everyone, but dress for
success!
I challenge you to find a small
way to indulge in self love every single day. Figure out how to tell yourself
“I’m AWESOME!”. Maybe it’s treating yourself to a second cup of coffee at the
end of a long day, or turning off your cell phone and taking a long walk (which
I HIGHLY recommend doing at least once a week!). You may have the diet thing
all figured out, but no amount of broccoli will make you feel whole if you
don’t give yourself all the love you possibly can!
Kimberly Petrosino
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