3 New Things I Have Been Trying (and 1 I am giving up)

I want to share with you three things I have been trying and LOVING lately, and one thing I’m deciding to give up. All of these have proven health benefits, and you may find you’d like to start doing one of these too so read on.
First off, I want to say that three of these 4 shares come out of me doing a 10 Day Cleanse in January, which taught me A LOT! (That should be another article altogether) so three of these were actually pretty accidental. Don’t you just love when happy accidents happen?

​COLLAGEN PEPTIDES

The fourth one wasn’t fully accidental, but happened more out of curiosity. And that first thing I’ve been trying and loving is - Collagen Peptides! This was a random purchase initiated by a tik tok I saw; and then followed by a social media impulse buy, but here I am now, a converted consumer ready to click “subscribe”. I will say, if you know me well, I am pretty blunt, honest, and have high standards so I won’t just re-shop something unless I’m fully convinced I love it. 

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It was a post by Vital Proteins that had me click their link and saw a Jennifer Aniston faves, which I ended up trying. My box came with Vanilla Creamer Collagen Peptides, and Unflavored. Without going too much into what collagen peptides are, their main function with this product is to help support hair, skin, nails, and joint health.

​I WISH so bad that I took some sort of documentation of my hair, skin, and nails before starting on this product. But I kid you not - my hair is looking so healthy, my nails are growing strong and long, and I have been getting compliments on my skin that I can see as well!
(Here's a pic of my current hair, skin, nails though. Yes my nails are painted but there is no acrylic add on.)

​I’m so glad I took a chance on the collagen peptides. I’m now a raving fan and have found this company to manufacture with high standards to produce a high quality product. You can learn more about vital proteins here.

HERBAL TEA

The second thing I’ve been trying and LOVING is drinking herbal tea! Now this may sound pretty basic but there is a population of us who are coffee-lovers and simply just don’t lean towards tea often. I know tea has been around forever, but drinking it regularly was never a thing for me. Until now. So I’m sharing my excitement! As part of my cleanse, I was not allowed caffeine but I could have unlimited caffeine free herbal tea. I have a selection of Wild Orange, Chamomile Lavender, Mint, Lemon Ginger, and Sleepy Bedtime Tea.

Over the past week or so, I’ve been drinking loads of teas throughout the day, as my cleanse is pretty calorie-restricted. I’ve been having them hot and cold, with honey and without, with lemon and plain. It helps me be more mindful of my hydration and is a great alternative to coffee. Herbal Teas offer a variety of health benefits. 

Chamomile Tea is known for its calming effects
Peppermint Tea has antioxidant antiviral, anticancer, and antibacterial properties
Ginger Tea has disease-fighting antioxidants and helps fight inflammation
Read more about herbal tea benefits and other teas to try here.

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LEMON WATER

​The third thing I’ve been trying and LOVING is Lemon (or lime) Water. This was also a result of my cleanse. I was drinking lots more water throughout the day, plus I was gifted loads of lemons and limes from friends recently. It was the perfect combination for me to start squeezing all those loose fruits into my water. (As I was desperately craving flavor in my life during my cleanse!)

​Little did I know how much benefit it could be to add lemon (or lime) to my water and teas. 
Benefits of drinking lemon water

• Rich in vitamin C (important for immune system function and iron absorption)
• Powerful antioxidant (antioxidants help protect the body’s cells from damage)
• Rich in flavonoids which help boost health and fight disease

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CASUAL DAILY DRINKING

Now the one thing I’m giving up, also as a lesson learned through my 10 day cleanse; is casual daily drinking. Judge me here if you want to, but I know I’m not the only one who upped their alcohol intake during the course of the 2020 pandemic lockdown. I excused myself to drink far earlier and far more often than I had before during that time and it’s continued as a casual habit that I want to toss beginning now. As most of us know, drinking alcohol doesn’t come with loads of health benefits (some might argue for a good wine); but for me, as an individual, there are some good reasons to stop. 

Disclaimer- I’m not saying I’m giving up drinking altogether. I’m referring to the “I have to have a (name your drink of choice) with my dinner, or if the kids are too much for me, or whatever” daily drink. 

For Malia…

• I’ve had acute pancreatitis as a teenager and probably should be careful with my alcohol intake
• I have a history of addiction in my family. A gigantic reason for me to be cautious of my consumption and habits
• My cleanse showed me that I could function and be totally fine without the drinking. It’s not necessary to be a mom, to have a meal, or to even have fun! It encouraged me to find healthier ways of managing any emotion or situation where I might feel like a drink is the solution. ​

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I don’t have all the answers to that last idea just yet. But I know I was able to attend an important party and abstain from the champagne. I was able to be a single mom of two boys and abstain, and I have been stoked on the wasted calories I’ve been drinking unnecessarily. 

I want to say this here. I was hesitant to post that last item because I don’t want it to come across as preachy. I decided it was right and important to share because 1) This is my story and my truth; and 2) Whenever I would come across an Instagram post that shared a message about moms not needing to drink; I found myself getting defensive. It was a little nudge to my gut saying there was a hint of truth to the message and I just didn’t want to hear it.  Which tells me it's time to really look at things.

With all of that said. I feel pretty excited about what I’ve learned of the past month or so. I’m thrilled with these new things working out so well, and especially being habits I’ve somewhat stumbled upon. It has sparked a desire to want MORE healthy habits in my life because sometimes it can be so simple! Sometimes not. But well worth it!

The little changes that can add to your wellness, possibly extend your life or at least the quality of it - count me in! I’d love to hear your thoughts on any one of these or share a simple healthy habit you’ve taken on. 

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Stay tuned for when I share all I learned from my 10-day cleanse. Never miss a thing by getting updates straight to your inbox! 

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