I know that it’s a terrible title, but really, I didn’t do much! Last week was the fourth week that I worked from home, and l think I’ve settled into the routine pretty well. Some days are better than others when it comes to healthy eating, exercise, and self-care, but for the most part, things have been flowing. I’ve continued to play with fun hair color since I don’t have to go into the office.
Also, happy Earth Day! If you’re familiar with my posts, you know how much I enjoy being in nature and exploring forests. I feel like a lot of mindfulness, grounding, and peace comes from spending time in nature and living in gratitude for earth’s beauty and riches. I am also really cautious with how much water and electricity I use, and I tend to eat a meatless diet most days to reduce my carbon footprint as much as possible. Reusable bags, recycling, and composting can help too! Aldi recently started selling compost kits.
My workouts have been going well, too. Sometimes I really miss my old gym and working on the squat rack and with heavy bars, and I also miss having a treadmill and stair climber to do cardio on. I really have not done much cardio because it’s been a bit too chilly to run and on nice days, everyone is crowding the forest preserves, doing exactly what we’re not supposed to be doing! I have been using resistance bands, 2, 5, and 10-lb weights, a pull-up bar, and yoga mat to do a variation of body weight exercises, lifting, and stretching. My schedule is:
- Mondays – arms (using resistance band, weights, pull-up bar, wall, and floor)
- Tuesdays – yoga (Yoga with Adriene class)
- Wednesdays – abs (standing crunches, kicks, and Russian twists, planks, etc.)
- Thursdays – rest, but stretch
- Fridays – full body (mostly body weight exercises)
- Saturday – legs (lunges, squats, deadlifts, kicks, jumps, etc.)
- Sunday – rest, but stretch
For the most part, I’ve stuck to the kind of diet I maintained before being home all the time, but I feel like I have much more of a sweet tooth. I try to combat them with treats like gluten-free banana bread, fruit and dark chocolate, peanut butter bars, etc. I have been grocery shopping every 2-3 weeks and use up fresh produce the first week and frozen produce the second. Many times, I’ll just make a quick meal out of some vegetables and a veggie burger.
On Sundays, I have been trying to make more hearty or homestyle meals, just for that cozy feeling and because they tend to be good leftovers for the week. I usually make my chicken soup with kale and white beans, but my pantry and refrigerator was running a little low so I decided to try chopped-up Brussels sprouts, and it worked pretty well. I love throwing veggies into chili or soups, especially ones that are hard to eat on their own. I will admit it, I found Brussels sprouts to be overpowering and kind of…fragrant. Ha! But it was much easier to eat them in soup.
I am excited because I am hoping to get the newest iPhone soon. Supposedly, it has the best quality camera and I think it will be much better for my blog photos, so hopefully you’ll see some improvement soon! I did take a couple walks this week, but usually the only fresh air we get is when we go for a drive. Last week, we stopped at a cemetery. It’s a nice place to walk because there is usually no one there.
In terms of self-care, obviously I am continuing with my yoga. Occasionally, I’ll use the Calm app to do a meditation session, and I do find a lot of solace in cooking, baking, and reading. I’m still dealing with hormonal acne since getting off the pill, so I am trying a new skin routine to see if that helps. I use a Vitamin C scrub, rose water as a toner, Vitamin C serum, and then a sunscreen moisturizer. I also try to do clay masks on weekends, a dermabrasion scrub once a week, and I use a dry brush. Sometimes I will put makeup on just for fun and when I get to see my friends in our Zoom hangouts!
It’s been really nice getting to talk to them. Some of my really good friends are nurses, so they’re out there every day. I really have no complaints about staying at home. Yes, it can be a bit boring and frustrating when you have difficult family or rambunctious kids, but to me, I feel lucky to have that opportunity. Even though my university is considered an essential business, I am grateful to be able to work from home and will continue to follow important guidelines to make sure other people are staying safe. I’m also lucky that I get to do therapy sessions through my webcam. Those have been helpful during these difficult times. I hope you are all well, and I think practicing gratitude can be really helpful to those struggling.
Breeanna Living Brilliantly 