july in your body
now that summer is in full swing, july brings in cookout season, summer camps, and longer days for socializing and getting sunlight. the heat continues to build up after the warmth of late-may and june and it starts to settle in your tissues. tissues associated with heat include the blood, the digestive tissues, and the nervous system— so finding cooling and balancing practices this time of year are pivotal for maintain systemic equilibrium.
lifestyle & routine
because like increases like, the sunny and warm aspect of the summer months motivates us to get outside, get active, and get involved. during july, it’s useful to counteract some of this heat by taking time off to do nothing. movement creates heat and heat creates life. with the long days comes the insatiable itch to go outside and play, so having time of inertia is particularly useful around this time.
it can sometimes be hard to find right time to squeeze in time for yourself or create space for even a moment of luxury. excess heat creates irritability and agitation, leaving our nervous system fried and fatigued. taking the time to cool off with something simple and cooling like a hydrosol/face mist helps to reduce the build up in our head.
at the end of the day, a cool shower or spending time in the moon (moon bathing) helps to get our bodies cooled off and ready for a night of restful slumber. continuing to prioritize getting in bed at or before 10pm aids in support the healing of the liver tissues after a day of heat build up, as well. with our skin being the biggest organ on our body, a light layer of coconut oil (called abhyanga) before a cool nighttime shower will boost the cooling process of the body.
the sun is hottest in the midday, so keeping our bodies nourished with something light but nutritive (like a smoothie), will keep your engines running without bogging you down and turning the mood sluggish. over all, our priority remains in maintaining stable meal times and honor our bodies hunger (or fullness) signals.
diet staples
along the same trend as may or june, early july warrants cooling and hydrating foods that are substantial enough to help maintain electrolyte balance. cucumbers, berries, bitter greens, tropical sweets, and melons will all quench your thirst and satiate the dry heat in the mouth. cilantro, fennel, coconut oil, quinoa, fish, and citrus add a splash of flavor to your meal without adding the weight/strain on your digestion.
towards the end of july, though, too much of these hydrating foods will lead to diuresis (or depletion through flushing), triggering dehydration. end of july signals a flip of the switch into late summer, a time to prepare for fall. so late july menu items will include demulcents (think cool and gooey like chia) and sweet taste (which is building and cooling) for nourishing the tissues. menu items begin to include peaches, grapes, chia seeds, white rice, quinoa, sweet potato, carrots, fish, and egg whites.
what’s next
summer is at it’s peak, and cooler days are just around the corner, so continue to rest, relax, recover and then repeat so that you’re time out in life is most fulfilling instead of depleting. and, as always, reach out to your friendly neighborhood lifestyle consultant if you need a hand getting started.
home made pancakes
makes 5 pancakes
what you’ll need
1 egg
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 cup oat milk
cinnamon, all spice, nutmeg, any warm and sweet herb
3 tbsp sugar
how you’ll prepare it
put all the drys together- whisk with a fork.
add wets and completely wet the drys.
bonus add blueberries, choco chips, oatmeal for bulk.
throw on stove top pan or in waffle maker.
ways you can consume it
add a drizzle of maple syrup or honey.
top with fresh fruits or chocolates.
make as a side for fried chicken.
tastes great cold or warm.
conscious consumption
as a trainer and nutritionist, i’ve had the opportunity to have a front row seat in many different lives. one of the best parts of my job is having the opportunity to connect with all kinds of people from all walks of life. something that i’ve noticed as a constant for people, regardless of background, is their understanding of their bodies and the constituent parts of their “selves”. it brings much joy to have the opportunity to ignite their curiosity and stoke their interest.
what makes us
you may have heard the saying that “we are star stuff”— while true, this take is a bit ethereal and keeps a bit of a chasm between the cosmos and little old us as individuals. are cells are made from the materials we consume from our skin (both inside and outside). through an extremely reductionist perspective, the air we’re surrounded by, the food and beverage we intake, and the vibrations of the sounds that surround us influence our make up on a cellular level.
the act of being well in our bodies becomes a multilayered, highly nuanced/individual pathway which, in my opinion, should offer a sense of relief. the more variables there are, the less complicated it happens to become.
assimilation
in ayurveda, the things that we consume are transformed through three main theories of metabolism. we can take the opportunity to unpack those theories another time, for now— we can focus on the concept of irrigation as our main framework for understanding. in a theory of irrigation, what we consume is first absorbed by the skin tissues (most often recognized by the ones in the gut).
after consumption, our other tissues (called dhatus in ayurveda) each progressively get to pick from the remaining nutrients. this path begins with the blood plasma and ends with the organs of reproduction. along the pathway, disturbances in a tissue can indicate a root issue earlier on in the pathway or, if you’re really keen, can give you a sense of what to expect next without taking steps to change.
it’s the practice of intuition for me. it boils down to getting uncomfortable and then getting familiar with yourself to tap in and take small daily steps to keep you body and spirit fresh.
elimination
as the saying goes, “you are what you eat”— but the addendum is the key to the castle. “you are what you eat and assimilate”, the vital things that are taken in by your body become you, but the things that are waste products to your body are eliminated. it is in these two processes that we are able to maintain towards balance. when we experiences blockages, the stagnant waste products start to be assimilated into our tissues.
when this happens, we begin to experience the things like lethargy, brain fog, anxiety, insomnia, gas, bloating. so be it the food we eat, the spaces we inhabit, or the language that we use towards ourselves, we can find wellness through discerning and addressing that which doesn’t serve us versus that which does.
pr-oat-ein oats
makes 2ish servings
what you’ll need
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 tbsp flax seed
1/2 cup oat milk
cinnamon, all spice, nutmeg, any warm and sweet herb
1 tsp poppy seeds
maple syrup or honey
fruit of your choice
how you’ll prepare it
put dry oatmeal, flax seed, oat milk, sweet herbs, poppy seeds, and eggs into stove top pot.
turn stove to medium-low heat.
stir until eggs are no longer runny and ingredients are blended.
eat fresh or store for bulk breakfast options.
ways you can consume it
add a drizzle of maple syrup or honey.
top with seeds like chia, hemp, more flax.
add dry or fresh fruit sliced, diced, and bite sized.
tastes great cold or warm.
late spring quinoa salad
what you’ll need
2 cups beets
1 can chickpeas
2 cups quinoa
2 apples
1 white onion
apple cider vinegar
olive oil
2 cups spinach
himalayan pink salt
how you’ll prepare it
preheat oven to 450°. add prepared beets when oven indicates “ready”.
wash, peel, dice beets. toss with olive oil and a dash of pink salt.
drizzle olive oil in pot on medium-low heat, add quinoa and brown.
peel and dice apples and onion.
add 1 cup of water to quinoa and bring to a boil. hang out for approximately 8 minutes.
mix onion and chickpeas into quinoa. let boil for about 12 minutes.
add cut up apple and spinach to quinoa pot. turn heat off and add a splash of apple cider vinegar. cover pot.
turn off oven and bring out beets when tender enough to skewer with fork.
eat fresh or divide up into lunch portions for the week.
ways you can consume it
add a splash of italian dressing and parmigiana cheese.
top with light meats like fish or poultry.
tastes great cold or warm.