Guest Blogger Cheryl C provides us her recent health challenge and solutions. She didn't let a kitchen remodel stand in her way!
We have been renovating our kitchen for three months. Yes,
THREE months. When we started the demolition, I thought it would be a
three-week project, but one surprise after another has kept pushing our
timeline out. We keep an organic garden and generally try to eat healthy and
smart, but this has been quite the challenge without a stove, oven, or sink. Here
are three tips that have made this temporary situation a little more bearable:
1.
Find any excuse to get vegetables on the
plate: Vegetables might taste great when steamed, sautéed, or roasted,
but they’re just as good when raw. Not to mention better for you. In some ways,
our eating habits have improved sans kitchen because so many of our meals
center around vegetables. Salads and green smoothies are almost a daily staple
in our diet; a habit I hope we keep when our kitchen is functional again.
a.
YWS Says: Awesome
idea and adaptation! Embrace the opportunity to try a new health habit or revisit
an old!
2.
The microwave is your friend:
Granted, there are risks to frequent microwave use, but there’s no way around
it when you want hot food without an oven or stove. I like to buy frozen side
dishes from our organic grocery store and jazz them up. One of my favorites is
a frozen package of lentils, kale, carrots, and peppers. After heating the
package, I top it with a poached egg done in the microwave (super easy!).
a.
YWS Says: If you have a choice, use the oven
or stove, but if in a pinch I’d rather use that than eat the packaged 10
ingredient foods. Try thawing the veggies first to reduce the time in the
microwave. And love that egg idea –breakfast too!
3.
Don’t feel too guilty about eating out:
Without a kitchen, everything is more work. After a long day at work, sometimes
eating out is all we have the energy to do. And that’s okay…our kitchen-less
house isn’t a permanent situation (I hope), so we allow ourselves to indulge
and try to make smart menu choices when doing so. Put that sauce on the side!
a.
YWS Says: Mental health is as important as
physical health! The time to unwind and regroup is key for self-nourishment and
recharging. Choose wisely - focus on veggies and quality protein and don’t fear
the quality fat!
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When Cheryl relayed her kitchen experience I asked her to submit her challenge because it exemplifies how we can’t be our healthiest selves 100% of the time. Life goes
on. Habits take time to create. And during the habit making process kitchens are
remodeled, jobs have crunch times, kids (or you) get sick, friends have
parties. The list is endless. But one doesn't have to suffer. The tips here represent one of my main coaching themes- make
the best of your situation and choose wisely along the way. She developed some
great habits – I’ll check in with her on those green smoothies. She also
ensured that accomplishing clean eating during this upheaval time didn’t
add more stress. She cut herself a break by smartly eating out!
So I challenge you to make the best of your situation. Find
the resources that help achieve health vs adds stress. Do you have a challenging
health situation? Do you have tips to share? Or maybe some questions? Let me
know! Submit your guest contribution or challenge to yourwellnessscout@gmail.com,
comment to this blog, OR post to www.facebook.com/yourwellnessscout
