May & June Notes & Notables
All the things I loved in May + June: food, habits, practices, products & more <3
Helllooo! As you may relate I feel like I literally blinked and it’s now July ???
In light of that, I’m combining my roundup of realistic tools, wellness habits + feel-good practices that last two months into one — a top 10 for May and June! Better late than never right? 😅
As always, take what inspires you and leave what doesn’t!
1. Evenings in the Park
I have been loving the simple act of grabbing a book, packing a snack or picnic dinner, and lounging on some grass in the summer evenings. It has done something to my brain chemistry, and has become an ideal way to round out the day.
It’s non-demanding, yet feels like you are out and about doing something in the company of nature. It’s the perfect balance between relaxation and productivity.
I am always looking to add more substance into weekday nights — and this has been one of those simple joys.
2. New Favorite Dinner Unlocked
This colorful dinner has become a staple multiple nights of my week. Of course, it’s a ground beef forward meal, and there’s something about this particular combo that hits the spot. It’s beyond simple and that’s what makes it even better.
Here’s the lineup:
Ground beef
Red pepper
Zucchini
Raw white onion combined with cilantro + lime 🤤
Rice
Avocado
Sour cream
PSA: The onion/cilantro/lime combo is literally to die for in my opinion. I’ve been putting it on everything possible that makes sense 🤣
3. Meat From the Market
I will always tout the benefits of shopping local for your food. When you do, you are getting food that was picked that day/week over the multiple weeks + miles it took for that apple you picked off the shelf to land at a grocery store. Farmer’s markets take out the middle man and ensure you are getting more nutrient density from your food.
I am obsessed with getting high quality meat from the market. I am picky about my meat. I believe in sourcing the highest quality when you can, and I believe the best place to find quality is the farmers market.
The best part about sourcing meat from local farms is that you can actually meet your farmer and learn about their practices. This naturally connects you closer to your food, and you find yourself appreciating it more. I think in today’s world, we can loose sight of honoring our food. Meals have become a “quick” thing we squeeze into our day, grocery shopping is associated as a chore or a pain— when in reality, if you have the luxury of being able to run down the street to pick up food for the week ahead — that’s a really big deal.
4. Scrabble, for the Nervous System
This week, instead of winding down with an hour of scrolling on your phone, whip out a nostalgic board game you used to play when you were a kid. Indulging in more slow, yet engaging activities before bed has been a game changer for my stress levels.
Something about a game with a loved one diverts you away from what happened in your day before and almost stops time so you aren’t anticipating tomorrow.
5. Weekday Side Quests
More on adding more substance to weekdays — I have been loving a post-work hike. I sometimes find myself pushing off what feels like “grand”, or more “weekend-worthy” activities for later, but then I realize I have free will on a Wednesday and can be on a mountain in 15 minutes. Which is a blessing I will never fully wrap my head around.
Where can you add a little more spice into your week? Go book a class over a skill you want to learn, take your book and read it along a body of water — I think we get so used to tending to responsibilities and the never ending tasks of life, that we don’t realize that life is passing us by, and next thing we know, those little things we wanted to pursue never become greater than an idea in our minds.
6. Gelatin Gummies
I have been making homemade gelatin gummies and let me just tell you the process it easy and fun. It’s like a homemade fruit snack but with functional benefits and without the artificial sugars and dyes. I have a full breakdown on my Instagram here.
Gelatin has numerous benefits including:
joint health
skin elasticity
supportting gut lining integrity
filling in your amino acid gaps
SO FUN 🤩
7. Diverting From Routine
In the month of June I’ve traveled to my hometown, bought a house, AND moved into said house within the same 30 days of putting an offer in. With that has come a lot of mix up to routine and my space. Many things are still in boxes. Nothing is the way I want it at the moment. It’s made me realize WHY I’ve established a routine in the first place, and let me explain.
The very reason I pour into developing supportive health habits are for these very occasions. When you work to establish a basic baseline of health a majority of the time, these chaotic spurts of life don’t phase you. When you have come so far in sticking with your habits, it makes it easy to crave them over dread them — and not worry about “maintaining” them.
Even in the chaos, my habits are so second nature it’s not overwhelming to really uphold them amongst all the change. Sure, I may not be performing them at the same intensity or devoting as much time to them with all the new going on around me, and the point is I’m not sweating that part. Simply having them available in my toolbox is what keeps me grounded.
Let this be a reminder that your habits should be there to serve you even when all the external noise is at the forefront. Diverting from routine, I feel, is essential for health.
8. The Untethered Soul
I read the Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer back in (I wanna say) my senior year of college. I recently pulled it out for inspo in my yoga class and remember how much this book altered my day to day thinking.
I will be rereading it again this month to refresh my perspective. Highly recommend for your next read.
9. Non-Dramatic Workouts
I’ve never been one to put a lot of mental effort into my workouts. I guess that’s a personal preference. I rarely go to the gym with a concrete plan beyond the area of my body I am going to work. I have my uncomplicated, functional staples that get the job done and make me feel really good.
I believe it’s the “thinking” aspect that deters people from getting their body actually in motion in the first place. It’s easy to get caught up in the Instagram rabbit hole of the “best workouts for X….” and then get overwhelmed and do nothing at all.
The key for me is to make workouts as non-dramatic as possible and sprinkle in pockets of play in my day. Have 20 minutes? Play around with a kettlebell — lift it over your head, do some curls. Just get your body under some sort of load into some sort of motion.
We are an undermoved society. In general, instead of thinking “when or how” I’ll get a workout in, instead, I like to think about how I can be “less idle” as much as possible in all parts of my day.
10. Curating an Intentional Home
I’m a big proponent of making your home your own little sanctuary. As I mentioned, my fiance and I just bought a house!! I remember when we were first moving into our first ever place, I rushed to furnish, decorate, and “complete” the place.
This time around, I want to be so intentional about what I’m bringing into our home. Not rushing to fill up the space but carefully selecting when it feels right.
The tendency to rush to consume is real, but in the end, they are just things.
While these last two months have been a whirlwind, they were also so so sweet.
If you made it until the end, drop a comment about one (or many) of your most notable from your last two months <3
In health,
Hanna