Hello my lovelies!

I have been getting a lot of messages on Instagram asking what my new routine looks like in terms of all things self-care, diet, etc. so I thought I’d take some time to break it all down for you.

Having the sweet babe has certainly shaken things up in every facet of my life, and routines have drastically changed.  Prior to getting pregnant, I was on my yoga mat daily, drinking celery juice (click the link for benefits of celery juice) on an empty stomach every morning, and also following Medical Medium recommendations of no gluten, dairy, corn, canola oil, eggs, and animal proteins.  I was journaling every day, getting my face masks in at least twice a week, sleeping at least nine hours a night (yes, post-treatment I still need to get a lot of sleep in order to feel my best), and overall just taking really phenomenal care of myself.  Probably why we got pregnant as quickly as we did! During my pregnancy, I did not have an easy go when it came to energy and my stomach. Shocker. The first thing to go was celery juice. I couldn’t even look at it. Soon after, yoga was also out the window.  I did it when I could, but sleep became so important that I would sleep until the last possible second to make it to work on time and when I got home all I was interested in doing was eating dinner and going to bed.  I was nauseous for my first 18 weeks all day every day. I figured out that gluten-free pretzels were key in keeping my stomach full and am pretty sure I kept them in business with the amount I ate. I craved fruit like CRAZY. Pineapples, pears, cherries, you name it, this girl wanted it.  I ran on fruit. Veggies were a total toss-up.  I couldn’t even look at broccoli, brussels sprouts, or salad of any form.  I LOVED cucumbers, carrots, and potatoes. Fast forward to being diagnosed with gestational diabetes… ALL of what I just named had to go out the window.  I was left with cucumbers.  I had to make the executive decision to start eating animal protein again for the sake of me and the babe since my diet got SO limited.  I ate a lot of salmon and organic chicken.  Pretty much every meal was eaten with cucumbers on the side since everything else I either had an aversion to or spiked my blood sugar like crazy.  I introduced egg whites as well just for my own sanity since I felt so darn limited in what I could eat.  It was definitely a challenging time since I am such a fruit/ veggie person.  Consuming fruit made my blood sugar spike like CRAZY, so it was completely out of the question.  Even with being super strict with my diet, for whatever reason, my blood sugar was super high when I woke up every morning, so I was put on insulin at night. To those that need to poke themselves on a regular basis, I commend you. This was such a huge thing for me to overcome.

Now that I am almost 5 months postpartum, I am back on the celery juice train.  I started that back up in January and haven’t missed a day.  I stopped eating most animal products the day that Emilia was born.  I have been much more flexible with my diet since I am breastfeeding and desperately need the calories. I find myself craving more dense foods, like gluten-free breads and pastas, oatmeal, etc.  Every once in a while I go crazy and have some goat cheese.  I have been drinking the Medical Medium tea I was drinking before I got pregnant made of star anise, fennel, lemon balm, and nettle with some raw honey.  I have also been drinking the Medical Medium Liver Rescue Smoothie from his latest book…. man is that good!! I add in some hemp seed just for funsies.  I am eating plant-based with the occasional seafood if it looks really good when we are out to eat.  I am giving myself grace and listening to my body. I think that is the most important piece that I have taken from this whole journey.  Your body will tell you what it needs when it needs it!

Yoga has been something that I have gotten back into slowly but surely. It serves as such a great relaxant for me, as I have a really hard time turning my brain off throughout the day.  As much as I wish that I could get on my mat every day, sometimes it just isn’t possible.  When I do get to practice, I do so at home with Yoga With Adriene.  If you have not practiced with her, she has a ton of free videos on YouTube and is AMAZING! Highly recommend!  With my husband working nights and also going to grad school at night, I am alone with the babe most nights after work.  Mornings are hectic trying to get out of the house, so yoga is out of the question.  Sometimes Emilia lets me get a flow in, but other times it just isn’t happening. Again, giving myself grace.  We love taking walks, so that has been a great source of exercise especially on days that yoga isn’t happening for me.

My beauty regimen has also changed!  After baby, my skin was a hot mess.  I had those awful cystic pimples that would last for weeks and hurt like a mofo- ones I hadn’t seen since before I went to Mexico for treatment!  After searching and searching, I found a great, clean brand that is also affordable called Cocokind.  I am in no way getting paid by Cocokind to say all of these wonderful things I’m about to say about them- I just really love them and want to share their amazingness with all of you. To say that this brand has been life changing would be an understatement.  I started off using their turmeric stick, which is used as a spot treatment for pimples and also any scarring you may have.  I put it on for about 20-30 minutes before bed, and then wipe it off when I wash my face.  It has made such a huge difference!  After realizing how much I love them, I then ordered their facial repair oil, facial cleansing oil, raspberry vinegar toner, and matcha stick.  The matcha stick is used for hydration- I use it under my eyes in the morning and holy wow is it awesome.  I don’t look half as zombie like as I should.  The facial repair oil I use as moisturizer before bed and it has reversed some of the damage I thought I’d never get rid of.  The amount of scarring I had from cystic acne when I was at my worst with Lyme is almost gone (I’ve been using it for about two months now) and I have no new spots from little pimples I’ve gotten here and there.  I thought the cleansing oil would be weird since you don’t use water to wash your face, but man do I love it! I use it at night and it doesn’t leave you feeling oily or anything like that.  My skin actually feels SUPER hydrated when I wake up, which I couldn’t say before! So, if you’re looking for an awesome, clean, affordable skincare line, add Cocokind to your routine! You will not be disappointed, I promise!

Have I rambled on long enough?  Please drop me a comment about what you’d like me to cover on here, I’d love to hear from you! Thank you for taking the time to hang with me ❤