Life Lessons

Well, if 2020 taught us anything it taught me how to slow down and how to appreciate the little things in life. I used to think that multi-tasking was the very best use of my time and that I could get “so much more” done if I could master this skill. Well, I was wrong! Multi-tasking is just a way of doing things that makes you do a half-hearted job at many things rather than a good/great job at one thing!

Why do we think the busier we are the more important we are? Who ever put this idea in our heads?

I have really learned to appreciate life and learned that “multi-tasking” is NOT more efficient and not always the solution to today’s busy lives. Multi-tasking just means you are putting in a “partial” effort to more than one thing. We need to STOP thinking that this is better! I was like everyone else and thought that while I talked on the phone to my mom I should be cleaning the bathroom, walking the dog, making dinner, or doing SOMETHING else! But do you know what? I only ever gave her “partial” attention and she deserves my full attention. Same thing with multi-tasking chores and jobs; everything is only “partially” done!

What I am trying to wrap my head around is just why everyone is so busy all the time! I live a fantastic life and don’t feel like I am missing out on anything, yet I don’t feel overwhelmed in any way and have plenty of down-time. Am I just different? Is this a choice I have made? Am I lazy?

It seems as though we think we are viewed as “Lazy” if we are not always running around doing 20,000 things, for 20,000 people!

Taking time to yourself and SLOWING DOWN is something we, as a society, need to embrace. Honestly, the lockdown and isolation of 2020 taught me that I need to take care of myself. I am that important! If I want to be a better human being/mom/wife/daughter/friend/employee than I NEED to take care of myself.

What does this mean you might ask?? It means prioritizing what makes me feel good, what I enjoy doing, what will make me feel fulfilled, and what I need to be happy. If we put ourselves first, we become better at being there for everyone else!

When my children were very young I realized that I needed exercise in order to feel complete, and to maintain my mental health. So, I carved out time in my day to do this.

There is this completely INSANE belief that to exercise you need to A) have at least an hour, B) join a gym, and/or C) own exercise equipment. This is 100% not true. There are a ton of workout videos on Youtube, (and a ton here on my blog!!) that are short, efficient, and totally worth your time. HIIT (High intensity interval training) is an intense 10-15 min workout that gets your heart pumping and gets you sweating and that’s all you need to do!

So please, tell me who doesn’t have 10 minutes to give yourself????? I GUARANTEE you spend quadruple this time scrolling through your social media feeds! Take the time right now to schedule in 15 min on 4 days this week where you do a Pilates, Yoga, HIIT, Booty Band, or Weights workout! Seriously………schedule it in right now! If we write things down we are more likely to commit to doing it.

To sum up, 2020 taught me to SLOW down, do one thing at a time, and that I am important! I have had a lot of time to think about life, contemplate my purpose, really realize who my friends are, realize how important connecting to people is and how to be the best wife/mom/friend/daughter/human being I can possibly be. You know what??? It is taking the time to appreciate each and every thing I do, and appreciating each and every conversation I have with someone I care about.

What do you think?

Are you willing to slow down?

I will never forget this year for so many reasons, but I also would never take away the lessons I’ve learned and am grateful for those every single day.

Your Simply Susan advice of the day💛🙃🥰

WHEN …..and IF…..

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Welcome back and thank you for taking the time to follow me on my IF journey.

When I first began back in January 2020, I just started by skipping breakfast. At first this was weird as I had been eating breakfast my whole life and really enjoyed eating it! It is……”the most important meal of the day” isn’t it????? NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! This was an ad campaign bought to you by one of the biggest cereal companies out there! Yes, that’s true, look it up!!!!

What you also need to know is that eating constantly is just not good for your body. If you’re doing it because your stomach is growling, or you think you’re hungry but you just ate 2 hours ago then you’re not eating the right foods.

Did you know that your body has a satiety (feeling full) hormone that will tell you when you are full? Well we do, and it’s called Leptin!! I have learned that processed foods, fast foods, and frozen prepared meals are mainly filled with “junk” and therefore do not give your body the “full” signal!? Our bodies require nutrients and real, whole foods provide these and therefore when we have had enough we actually feel full!

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Have you ever noticed that when you eat a fast food meal you feel temporarily full, but then are hungry again 1-2 hours later? Ever wonder why? No nutrients! Your body is saying “wait, there was nothing real in that food so give me something else!”

This sadly is one of the causes of the very sad obesity epidemic that is so unfortunately taking over! More than 50%of the population is struggling with obesity and it’s become a worldwide epidemic that is sadly becoming one of the leading causes of preventable death now; more deadly that our recent epidemic not Covid-19!

The problem is, so many people just don’t know how to get themselves out of this “rut” !

Everyone is more busy than ever these days, it seems, so sadly, this leads to us eating on the go. What does this lead us to? Fast food, easy meals, snacks etc.

So, how can we change this?

Planning for one! If you know when you are gojng to eat you can pack whole food meals.

My second tip is to try an “eating window” aka Intermittent Fasting. Start by just skipping breakfast…..even just delaying breakfast. Fasting is one of those things that is hard to wrap your head around! Everyone thinks “there is absolutely NO WAY I could skip meal” You’d be surprised!

Your fast start time is when you finish eating the night before until your first meal of the day. So if you finish eating at 7pm and eat breakfast at 9 am you did a 14 hour fast! Start there!

Before you eat breakfast you can indulge in all the black coffee, black tea, water, sparkling (unflavoured) beverages you like, and these also will help you to extend your fast and help you to feel full. Once you decide to “open your window” try eating a “whole” food; meaning nuts, avocado, berries, a banana; anything that is raw or unprocessed, and has as few ingredients as possible.

Intermittent Fasting is the absolute BEST thing I’ve ever done for my body and my mind! The mental clarity and the focus is so much better when your brain isn’t always focused on your body constantly digesting!

I’m going to leave it at that for now. Try a 14 hour fast today! It may be tough on your first day but it will get easier! Trust me on this! Trust the IF process! It’s totally worth it in the end!

Life changing! I’m not kidding!☀️😊

Wanna know something? IF you do read on…..😉

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I just felt the need to write a new blog post today as my life has changed so very much in the past year and a half, and I wanted to share my journey. Basically, the big change in my life started very simply, but it is something that has had a HUGE impact on my life in EVERY aspect!

In January of last 2020 I started Intermittent Fasting, also know as time restricted eating. A very simple explanation of this is that I only changed WHEN I eat, not WHAT I eat; I am already someone who eats 90% of my diet as whole foods, with little fast food or processed meals. I start my eating each day after 12pm and eat what I like between 12 and 7 p.m., but drinking all the water, black coffee/tea, or unflavoured sparkling water I like.

By doing this I am giving my body a chance to digest, heal, and use up what has been stored as fat to fuel my body throughout the day.

Let me be very clear about wording here; Intermittent fasting is a way of life, NOT a diet.

At first, not eating first thing was a little difficult as I felt a bit weak and had headaches, but once my body adjusted to it, which took about 3 weeks, I realized that I don’t NEED to eat first thing as long as I get my nutrients, vitamins, and minerals in my “window”. I am in no way starving myself as many people believe! Starving is a state you have no control over, Fasting is a state you have complete control of.

What people don’t realize is that if we eat every 2 hours to “keep our metabolism going”, “to keep our energy levels up”, “to keep our blood sugar from dipping/crashing” we are actually never giving our bodies a chance to digest and use what is in our bodies already. As long as you have more than 10% body fat as a female (and truly the only females who don’t are highly trained athletes which, let’s be honest, very few of us are) you have enough stored body fat to become a “fat burning machine” every day! If we aren’t using this body fat which is being stored as soon as we eat it, what is the point of it?!?!

My “eating window” as it is referred to by IFers (Intermittent Fasters) started out as 8 hours, but has gone down to 2-4 hours a day usually as I am able to fill my body with enough nutritious food (lots of good healthy fats and proteins, mainly “whole” foods) in a much shorter span of time, and I’m simply not hungry until this time. I no longer revolve my day around meals. I no longer revolve my life around a “grumbling stomach”. Once you start doing this you realize that hunger pains come and go, they don’t just get worse and worse. When your body becomes “fat adapted” which means that it is fueling off of stored fat rather than the quick burning carbs you just put in, you have all the energy you need. I exercise (and those who know me know I am quite intense with my exercise!) in a fasted state 100% of the time and feel incredible; NEVER lack energy. I will never go back to exercising after eatting, but more on this later. When you figure this out and instead realize that drinking water, black tea, or coffee when your stomach makes noises is enough to get you past these “moments” you realize that you have been filling yourself unnecessarily all along.

I am going to leave it at that for my 1st post about this, but I am going to continue this journey with you all for a while now as I have barely scratched the surface of this fantastic new way of life.

I have learned so much and have so many resources to share so leave comments, message me if you want more info now. Otherwise….stay tuned as I am very passionate about this and can’t wait to share more 😁💪🌞

Your Simply Susan tip of the day!

Shine on my friends🌼💛🌞