L.O.V.E Notes 💌 #2
Reflections and insights on Learning, Organization, Vitality, and Eating for happier, healthier life + business.
Happy Sunday!
What’s one thing that made you feel proud of yourself this week? I’d love to celebrate with you in the comments! 💬
Onto the L.O.V.E Notes…
On Learning 📚
Behavior change is not linear—normalize recycling through the stages of change.
My role as a Leadership Wellbeing Coach is to support my clients in clarifying their vision for health + wellness, uncovering the lifestyle factors and leadership skills that will help them reach that vision, and to co-create a Leadership Wellness Plan—empowering them to adopt and sustain those behaviors.
In my Functional Medicine coaching classes this month, we've been learning about coaching clients through the five stages of behavior change.
Precontemplation: In this stage, individuals are not yet considering changing their behavior. They may be unaware of the need for change or resist the idea. They may not see their behavior as problematic or feel hopeless about their ability to change.
Contemplation: This stage is crucial. It's when you're fully aware of the need for change and are considering the possibility of a change. You're weighing the pros and cons, gathering information, and seeking support to help you decide whether to take action. It's a stage many of us spend a significant amount of time in, and that's perfectly normal.
Preparation: During the preparation stage, individuals commit to change and actively plan to take action. They may set specific goals, gather resources, and make arrangements to support their behavior change efforts. They may also start taking small steps toward change.
Action: This is the stage where you're actively changing your behavior. You're implementing your action plan, modifying your environment to support your new behavior, and seeking out support and resources to help you stay on track. It can be challenging, but it's also incredibly rewarding as you start to see progress toward your goals.
Maintenance: Once individuals have successfully changed their behavior, they enter the maintenance stage. During this stage, they work to sustain their new behavior over time and prevent relapse. They may continue using strategies and resources that helped them during the action stage and find new ways to reinforce their behavior change.
The biggest takeaway I wanted to share with you this week is that change is not linear. Most of us will relapse and recycle through the stages of change before we sustain new habits and behaviors. It doesn't mean you've failed or are incapable of the transformation you want. It’s a normal and expected part of the process.
What’s a behavior you’ve been trying to adopt or change? Head to the comments and share which stage of change you’re currently in.
I wrote more about behavior change in this week's Mindful Memos article:
On Organization 🗃️
Using a system to stay consistent with my Functional Medicine protocol.
Last week, I shared my health journey with Functional Medicine. After uncovering the root cause of my symptoms, my physician recommended several botanicals, supplements, prebiotics, and probiotics.
It’s a lot to keep track of, and I struggled to stay consistent. I needed a system.
I finally found the perfect pill organizer on Amazon! Supplements tend to be bigger than prescription pills, and the compartments in this holder are big enough to hold all my supplements. Plus, I love that they’re colorful and bright.
Now, I sit down one day a month and organize all of my supplements for the next four weeks. My ADHD brain never has to wonder, “Did I take that one?” because I get out a new holder daily and ensure I take everything in the morning, afternoon, and evening slots.
Where could a system help you stay consistent with one of your wellness goals? Let me know in the comments 💬
On Vitality 🪴
Making movement a part of my daily routine—even though I hate to exercise.
Ok, I hate to exercise. 🫢
Since I’m studying to be a health coach, you’d think I’d be into all things health and wellness, and exercise is a significant part of health. But I haven’t found something I enjoy doing.
I have a chronic condition called POTS—Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. It impacts my heart rate, blood pressure, and energy levels. My resting heart rate is typically high, and my blood pressure is usually low. Exercise can exacerbate my symptoms and make me feel completely drained. Yet, I know how important it is to get movement in.
During my coaching classes, we role-play to practice our new skills, so I have a weekly session with a peer acting as my health coach.
This week, we planned an experiment to help me make exercise less sporadic and more routine.
I’m committed to exercising four days this week. Each day, I’ll experiment with a new type of movement to find something I enjoy.
That’s the thing with any behavior change—intrinsic motivation and getting joy from the experience of doing something is going to make it so much easier to sustain the behavior and make it a natural part of your life.
Here are the four types of movement I’m trying this week:
Walking with Chris & Willow 🐾
I already know I love this one! We’re just not consistent with it. Partly because we’re coming out of winter. Now that spring is here and it’s warming up outside, I’ll enjoy making this a regular activity for all of us.
Yoga 🧘🏼♀️
I’m eager to learn how yoga impacts the body, mind, and spirit. When I worked full-time in corporate, I would get a lot of neck pain from being at my desk all day. I tried yoga for stretching and found it helpful, so I want to explore more yoga routines.
Pilates 💪
My sister and I took a Pilates class in my early twenties. I remember feeling sore in muscles I didn’t even know existed 😂 but I also enjoyed the class. It’s been a while, and I feel like this one is worth a try.
Rebounding on a Mini Trampoline 🤸🏼♀️
I’m amazed at all the benefits of rebounding on a trampoline. I’ve read it’s a great full-body workout, easier on the joints than running, stimulates the lymphatic system, and is pretty fun. We got a mini fitness trampoline last year, and I’m ready to give it another try.
On Eating 🫐
Finding healthier (and less expensive) alternatives to our favorite Starbucks drinks.
Ahh Starbucks. How do they do it? I've driven the 15 minutes into town and waited 20 minutes in line to get my 7-dollar iced matcha latte with oat milk more times than I can count.
Their matcha is presweetened and, like many of our favorite Starbucks drinks, is loaded with sugar. That's why I've been experimenting with alternatives at home. Not only do these homemade versions allow me to control the ingredients, but they also help us save a significant amount of money.
Iced Matcha Latte 🍵
Jade Leaf is the best matcha I've found. It's organic and a vibrant green color, indicating its high quality. Plus matcha is concentrated green tea and is high in antioxidants.
I use an electric whisk like the one pictured to mix two teaspoons of matcha with a quarter cup of water and a packet of Stevia. I pour it over a glass of ice and mix in oat milk.
Strawberry Lemonade Iced Green Tea 🍓
I tried making this last week and it turned out so good! I brewed green tea and added it to a pitcher filled with ice. Then I added this mango dragonfruit lemon water (which is sweetened with Stevia) and mixed in freeze-dried strawberries. It doesn't taste exactly like a refresher, but it's equally delicious!
Iced Latte ☕️
I can't drink coffee anymore because it irritates my stomach, but my husband likes iced lattes. I pour a cup of cold brew coffee over a glass of ice and save enough room to add half a cup of this mocha latte protein drink. This is great for breakfast because of the added protein boost. I’m going to order the vanilla flavor to try with my matcha latte.
Lavender Lemonade 🍋
My niece tried this lavender lemonade she found on TikTok. I haven’t tried it yet but it looks amazing and she said it’s “awesomeeee” so thought I’d share with you. ☺️
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With love,
Alyssa B