I feel like a broken record sometimes. And, I wonder if maybe the process of being injured or getting sick – or, ahem, going through a stressful time in life – could simply be accompanied by a *hall pass* for working out that extends however many days, weeks, or months past the pausing-situation so that we could all just stop feeling so dang badly about it.
I snapped this photo back in February, when I dusted off my spin shoes to start moving my body again after many months of only a few dog walks per week. What started with an injury then transitioned into a stressful period of time, and then simply into an out-of-the-exercise-habit extended break.
And what I want you all to know is that IT IS OKAY to take a break. As a health conscious person, I know you feel like it’s unhealthy not to exercise. And I’m right there with you. BUT, consider this: if you’ve been sick or worn out, is it not okay to rest?
I think our society puts such a strong emphasis on how we look, that we look lean and strong (even *ripped*) that we often forget there’s a PERSON INSIDE THAT BODY who has NOTHING to do with how that body looks on the outside.
Do you feel me? All this to say, if you’re pushing, pushing, pushing yourself to exhaustion and you need to just TAKE A BREAK, this is your hall pass. It’s okay to take a break. It’s okay that it’s not just a few days or a few weeks. It’s all okay. And if you start up again and instead of finishing a 50-minute spin class, you leave after 30 minutes because you feel like your body is saying “that’s enough for today.”
Let me know on this post what you're doing to take a break.
p.s. I’ll be talking more about this in my next segment with Emily Schromm for the Body Awareness Project all about adrenal health. Because we need to know that exercising for the sake of vanity when it’s not also working in favor of our health is pushing us down the wrong path.
Easy Recipe – Rack of Lamb
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
– season rack of lamb generously with salt
– sear fat side down in a hot cast-iron skillet over medium high heat for about five minutes until it begins to brown
– flip fat side up and season generously with GREEK blend, then pop it into your hot oven for about 10-15 minutes, removing it from the oven when you think it’s still under cooked and pretty soft to the touch.
– let it sit in the skillet for another 5 mins and rest, covered with foil while you make horiatiki (Greek village salad, pictured)
– slice chops apart, garnish with flake Maldon salt and a squeeze of lemon.
Boom. Dinner!
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#BBSpices Blend Highlight – BAGEL Blend
I’m really proud of this blend. (Thanks to @lexiscleankitchen for this pic of it!)
Back in October of 2016, when Scott and I were on an oven fries / chips bender for several months, I kept trying to think of different flavors to make them. With our annual holiday champagne brunch coming up, I knew I wanted to bring that bagel flavor to them to be a vehicle for smoked salmon and schmear (you can take the Jewtalian outta Jersey but…). So, I blended what I had on-hand into an everything bagel blend that rivaled the best Jersey bagel flavors. Not long after that, a nationwide retailer started selling one very inexpensively that’s not organic. While I can’t compete with them on price, I can bring the quality in with a hand-blended, small batch, all ORGANIC BAGEL spice blend that’s perfect for so many things.
It wasn’t easy to nail this blend since our organic garlic arrives sliced, and untoasted, for example. But we’ve gotten it to a beautifully toasted and nutty flavor and a chunky, amazing texture that adds so much flavor to everything it touches. My favorite is the coarse sea salt in it. 😍
Have you tried BAGEL blend yet?! If so, what do you love it on the most?
For more information about the blends available click here.
And be sure to follow @balancedbites on Instagram for recipe inspiration & upcoming giveaways!
What you missed on Instagram
Sunset walk tonight.
Why does sour cream make EVERYTHING so much better? No, seriously. Why?! 😭
If you can’t do sour cream, you can replace it with an avocado or coconut cream & lemon juice mixture but there’s something about that sour cream that just takes a taco salad to the next level.
We’ve found that we can do @greenvalleyorganics lactose-free sour cream that’s cow dairy even though we often don’t do well with cow dairy (I can’t do cow yogurt, milk, whole butter, or most cheeses). It’s taken years to get to these discoveries with a clean slate to know which foods are doing what, but it’s worth it to be able to include MORE foods. That’s always the goal: eat as many real, whole, nutrient dense foods as possible while remaining well.
New on the Balanced Bites Podcast
#355: All About Thyroid Health with Dr. Becky Campbell
In episode #355 Dr. Becky Campbell joins me to chat all about thyroid health.
Topics
- News and updates from Diane & Liz [1:59]
- Balanced Bites Spices
- Balanced Bites Master Class
- Introducing our guest, Dr. Becky Campbell [3:25]
- Dr. Campbell's personal thyroid story [7:57]
- Seven common triggers of Hashimoto's [11:15]
- Identifying and working with gut infections [17:12]
- High cortisol, adrenal dysfunction, and the thyroid [23:29]
- Exercise and high cortisol [29:31]
- Mindfulness and the healing power off the mind [33:59]
- Doctor's and ordering blood work [37:27]
- Anxiety reaction to certain foods and supplements [43:36]
- Hashimoto's during pregnancy [45:47]
- Low-carb/keto and Hashimoto's [48:08]