reflections from italy ☀️🍷🍕🌸
issue four // food and wine intoxication with a digital detoxification
Steve and I just returned from our covid-delayed honeymoon in Italy! We had the trip of a lifetime and are so glad that we dusted off the itinerary from May 2020 and acted like newlyweds. 🥰
Before the trip, I thought a lot about my plan for eating and drinking. I assumed that Italy would be a hard place to be gluten and dairy free, and I knew it would be hard to pass on wine! I decided to resist my instinct to plan ahead.
Here’s what happened.
At our first meal, I ate pizza and had terrible stomach pains all night. It was so delicious. I have no regrets, but…I didn’t eat gluten again. 🤣
I drank a lot of wine and felt great (like seriously so great, what is it about wine in Italy that doesn’t make you feel like crap the next day??)!
I ate delicious gluten-free pasta and felt grateful that it isn’t that hard to be gluten-free in Italy after all!
While there, I also did a digital detox. I shut off my phone and we didn’t watch TV the entire time. This left me with a lot of time to read (!!) and a lot of time to reflect.
I couldn’t stop thinking about the Wheel of Life, one of the tools that I recently learned about in my health coaching program.
The idea with the wheel is to score each component. To achieve complete wellness, every piece of the pie should be in balance.
Being symptom-free is just a piece of the pie. Total wellness is also about having fun, feeling joy, and making the most of your time on earth. So that’s what I did! After three years of waiting, I broke from my normal routine to fully experience my honeymoon with Steve!
Am I full of energy and feeling super awesome right now? Nope!
Does my WHOOP band data show it? Sure does!
Was I ready to get back to my green smoothie breakfast and 9pm bedtime? Yes!
Am I full of joy, love, and gratefulness, with no regrets about my decisions? YES!
And to me, that is really what health and wellness is all about. 💗
swap of the month | vacation snacks!
In keeping with the travel theme, I’m sharing some of my favorite snacks that I throw in my bag before a trip:
You can order all of these yummy snacks on Thrive Market. This link will give you 40% off of your first order.
I also love to pack an electrolyte powder like Ultima or LMNT.
finding the motivation to change your habits | tiny habits
Tiny Habits is a method developed by BJ Fogg, head of the Stanford Behavior Design Lab. I felt inspired by his method to create new habits by first anchoring to your aspirations and then linking new habits to existing ones. You can learn more here, in the book, or by signing up for his free five day challenge!
one thing that blew my mind this month | exchanging addictions
One of the books that I read in Italy was Helping People Change by Richard Boyatzis, Melvin Smith, and Ellen Van Oosten. I learned many things from it, but one concept, in particular, wins one thing that blew my mind this month!
Their book explains that substituting one less effective habit for another (exchanging addictions) is a big mistake because it can recreate the conditions a person is trying to change. Instead, seek variety. For example, it is more effective to engage in four, different 15-minute activities to reduce stress throughout the day (say 15 mins of talking with a friend, 15 min of yoga, 15 mins of playing with your dog, and 15 minutes of joking around with your partner) versus one 60 minute workout. By spreading out these renewal moments, you are training yourself to find them throughout your day, eventually experiencing a greater benefit because you have established a persistent balance of stress and renewal. Cool! 🤯
ask me anything | questions from readers
How often should someone get their thyroid tested if they have thyroid disease? And why?
Like many things in health and wellness, the answer to this question depends on the person, where they are in their healing journey, and the perspective of their doctor. You should always try to get a full thyroid panel instead of just your TSH. If your doctor is not able to request a full panel for you, you can order it on your own through companies like Paloma or Function Health (Function measures more than just thyroid markers and is a new service founded by Dr. Mark Hyman).
Here is some general guidance:
At diagnosis or if there is a change to your thyroid medication - four to six weeks after starting medication or changing dosage so that you can see if the medication is working as intended
Ongoing maintenance - I test my full thyroid panel every three months and my TPO and TG antibodies ~twice a year. I am testing more frequently because of a few health events that have caused instability in my levels, but if you’re pretty stable, you don’t have to test as frequently (the standard recommendation is annually)
I've been meditating lately in the morning and it's been changing my life. However, on busy days, it's the first thing I cut out of my routine. I'm trying to build the habit so that it's never something I omit (like brushing your teeth!) but it takes time. Have you come across any research or literature about building habits either generally, or specific to meditation?
Read Tiny Habits! If you brush your teeth every morning, you could use a part of BJ Fogg’s method and start by meditating for five minutes immediately after you brush your teeth. Connecting a new habit to an established habit increases the likelihood that you’ll stick to it.
You may also want to reflect on your aspiration/outcome (using this worksheet from BJ). I’m guessing that your aspiration/outcome is mindfulness for a specific reason. Meditation is a behavior to achieve that. If you aren’t motivated to stick with meditation, you might be able to find other ways to achieve your aspiration that feel more natural to you like staying present when you walk your dog or eating without distraction.
If you have a question that you would like to have answered in a future newsletter, email me at millhouse.health@gmail.com. I love receiving them and sharing them with our community. If you have a question that you’d prefer I keep out of the newsletter, let me know that, too!
Wishing you a fun, healthy, and joyful summer! 🏖️
Love,
Elizabeth
All recommendations made in this newsletter are based on my personal preference. Always seek the guidance of a doctor before introducing or changing anything about your health and wellness protocol.
Great reading as always!
I am *loving* this Wheel of Life diagram and also the idea to seek variety in our mini habits — that also allows ourselves to be gentle when/if we're unable to "hit" that habit every day. Terrific advice!