I don’t know what happened, but we’re already to the last weekend in April! I was actually planning on going away for the weekend, but unfortunately, got sick and had to cancel my trip. This was the first time I’ve ever lost money on a flight. I’ve been pretty bummed about it, but I figure everything happens for a reason, and hopefully I can reschedule the trip soon. Anyway, here’s this week’s recap of Amy’s podcast, 4 Things with Amy Brown. Go listen to the full episode if you haven’t already, and be sure to subscribe to the podcast!
- Healing your relationship with food. Amy talked about eight things we can do to heal our relationship with food: When people “food shame” you for eating healthy, remember that’s about them, not you. Donate any clothing that doesn’t serve you. Don’t let your inner critic control you. Don’t compare. Don’t put too much mental energy into the food you’re eating. Think about everything you could accomplish if you weren’t worrying about food. You are so much more than what you weigh. Love yourself more than anyone else.
- Benefits of cold showers. I never knew cold showers were so beneficial. Amy went through some of the benefits, which include fat loss, improved immunity, better circulation, increased activity of lymphatic system that carries out waste from cells, emotional resilience, lowered stress, less chance of depression, faster muscle recovery, enhanced skin and hair, and better sleeping at night.
- Staying healthy while traveling. Celebrity trainer, Erin Oprea, was on again this week to talk about things we can do when we’re away from home to stay healthy. It’s all about balance. Bring a jump rope — it’s easy to pack and you can do this from almost anywhere. Walk a lot instead of taking public transportation, and stay active, whether it’s hiking, whitewater rafting, or whatever you like to do. You can still indulge and enjoy favorite foods, or bring some of the healthy foods you normally eat at home.
- How to prepare for the loss of your dog. Amy lost her dog last year. She has since gotten a new one, but wanted to share some tips on things you can do to prepare for the loss of a dog or other pet. Spend time with your pet doing the things you both love. Prepare for the arrangements with your vet ahead of time. Take photos of your pet or take paw prints. Basically, just make memories and enjoy your time with them as much as you can. I honestly think this is one of the hardest things to go through, and I’m not sure anything really helps, other than time. But it is important to make the most of your time with your pet.
Here are the 4 things I’m loving most this week.
- Striped sheet set. I saw these sheets at Target recently, but they didn’t have the size I needed, so I went home and ordered them immediately. They are so soft and I love the micro stripe. The color also matches perfectly with my bedding color scheme.
- Eye masks. I ordered these after seeing a couple other bloggers mention them, and they really do feel great and help reduce puffiness and dark circles. I’ve never used an eye mask before, but I do use eye cream every night. I know the skin around our eyes is so sensitive, though, so I figure the more I can do to help prevent signs of aging, the better!
- Laundry detergent. I know this may seem really random, but I tried a different laundry detergent that Amy actually mentioned she uses. It’s the Method brand from Target in the Ginger Mango scent, and it really smells great! It’s done a nice job of cleaning everything I’ve washed, too. I also bought the fabric softener and use that, too.
- Green smoothie packs. I came across these at Publix and decided to give them a try. They had a couple different varieties, but the supergreens had the least amount of sugar, so I went with that. You only need to add a cup of juice or milk or some kind, a banana, and a half cup of frozen fruit. The bag suggests using apple juice, so that’s what I did. I added the banana and some frozen strawberries. It was really tasty! Next time, I’m going to try using my unsweetened vanilla almond milk to cut down on the sugar even more. We’ll see how that goes! I really like these smoothie packs, though, because it essentially has greens packed into frozen form. I like to add spinach or kale to smoothies, but don’t always have it on hand, so this is a really convenient alternative.
I hope everyone has a great weekend! See you back here next week for more fun finds!
