March Madness - A Life Update

My version of March Madness has nothing to do with basketball. Well, not entirely; I DID fill out a bracket for my family's annual Beer Barrel Lights Challenge. And yes, there's a story there. But really my March has consisted of starting a new job as a clinical dietitian and everything that goes along with it - lots of training, meeting new people, digging through old notes from my dietetic internship on nutrition support, waking up earlier, eating lunch at the hospital cafeteria (no complaints, check out the salmon salad below *drool*), etc. - AND gearing up for three weddings in four weekends! Madness, right?! In the best way, of course.

MXLLS​​​After working at a private practice doing nutrition counseling, it's definitely different going back to an in-patient clinical mindset, but I'm here for the challenge! That's actually one thing I've learned from reading my March book, The Happiness Project; growth is one of the key pieces involved in happiness, and growth often occurs from a challenge or new experience. I've noticed that when I do push myself, as scary as it may be at first, I feel a sense of satisfaction and confidence that does, in fact, make me happier. Anyways, I'm really into this book and the way it makes me self-reflect, if you can't tell. (: Also, it's nice to be wearing scrubs again.

I got back from the first of the three weddings on Sunday; it was a family wedding in South Dakota, so it was a decent distance to travel for a quick weekend, but totally worth it. The hubs and I left Friday night, grabbed Snarf's sandwiches (Turkey and Swiss on wheat with everything but hot peppers is my go-to!) at the Denver airport for dinner, flew to Sioux Falls, and then drove with my parents, brother and sister-in-law to Brookings. By the time we got to the hotel around 10 pm I was exhausted, but of course we couldn't go to sleep without trying one of my uncle's home-brewed beers and a cinnamon chocolate chip cookie; I made my husband split it with me, because I don't like eating too late and then laying down. Yes, at the ripe old age of 28 I can get heartburn!

I didn't sleep well because I was fighting a sinus infection, which usually throws off my eating habits as well; research shows that inadequate sleep can increase cravings, particularly for carbohydrate-rich foods, and lead to overeating the next day. I did my best to stay hydrated and choose nutrient-rich foods to keep my immune system strong - eggs for breakfast, banana + RXBAR Vanilla Almond butter for snack - but I definitely didn't miss out on my favorite local burger joint, Nick's, while we were there.

They serve up old-fashioned little sliders on dinner rolls; simple and delicious. We enjoyed a few cups of Guinness on tap at the wedding, along with roast beef, mashed potatoes and seasonal veggies for dinner. For dessert, Grant and I shared two cupcakes - strawberry with strawberry icing and yellow cake and chocolate icing - although I don't think we actually finished both of them. We were busy working up a sweat on the dance floor (:

All-in-all, I felt like it was a good weekend of intuitive eating for me: practicing gentle nutrition to eat balanced meals/snacks and to keep my immune system strong; honoring my hunger/fullness cues; and enjoying all the foods that I actually wanted to eat without any guilt or shame or need to "make up for it later".

I hope I'll be feeling 100% for the next two weddings, especially since I'm a bridesmaid in one of them. I can get away with carrying tissues to wipe away a few tears, but I certainly don't want to be blowing my nose up there in front of everyone!

To prepare and keep my body as healthy as possible, I've been focusing on:

• Probiotics; eating Siggi's yogurt or Wildbrine fermented coleslaw, or drinking a little bit of kombucha almost every day

• Clementines/mandarins for the vitamin C, folate, fiber, magnesium, and just plain deliciousness

• 3+ servings of veggies every day for the variety of vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytonutrients; lately it's been in the form of salads (spinach or cabbage-based), roasted sweet potatoes, cauliflower rice, carrots and broccolini

• Zinc and protein; e.g. from lean meats like bison or chicken, Trader Joe's Hi-protein Veggie Burger or Garden of Life Vanilla Plant-based Protein Powder in smoothies (check out this Vegan Coconut Cream Pie Protein Smoothie)

• Nuts and seeds for vitamin E and magnesium; e.g. almond butter with snacks, sunflower seeds on salads, chia seeds and/or nut butter in smoothies

• 30+ minutes of walking/running daily for the energy and mood boost, plus stress relief

• And last but certainly not least, 7-8 hours of sleep! Gotta get those Zzz's baby

xoxo,

Hale