10 Dietitians Share their Wellness Habits {pt.1}

How do you keep yourself well? It is apparent that our health is not merely about the foods we eat but about our mental and physical wellness. I am sure you’ll agree that with our jam-packed schedules, carving out time for YOU can sometimes seem near impossible! Therefore, to equip my readers with innovative and powerful wellness tips (that are non-food related) I reached out to a few of my fellow Canadians Dietitians to see what they do! I’m so thrilled that I did because the response has been astounding and inspiring!

Today’s blog is part one of a two part series that will leave you motivated to take care of YOU!

Top 10 Dietitian Wellness Habits:

Andrea Holwegner, Health Stand Nutrition Consulting Inc., Calgary

“Morning mindfulness meditation practice and learning to “LET BE”. Change is inevitable.  Bad thoughts/experiences won’t last forever and can’t be numbed (they simply need to be tolerated and given space to let be). Juggling many commitments both at my nutrition practice and busy home life often feels like I am being pulled in different directions while doing the Russian splits.  I’ve read self-help books on life balance and worked with a counsellor on the juggling act.  While all of these helped to some degree, none of these actually worked to decrease the noise of a restless-never-good-enough brain more than mindfulness meditation.”

Abbey Sharp, Abbey’s Kitchen, Toronto 

“I work from home, so getting out of the house everyday is an absolute must to help me boost my mood and sense of well-being. Every morning, I look forward to walking down the street to my local fitness club to take a spin or weight class, getting there a little bit early to socialize with my fitness friends. I avoid checking my email until I have come back, showered, had breakfast and sat down to my office computer. This way, I am able to start the day feeling refreshed, energized and rejuvenated.”

Casey Berglund, Worthy & Well Inc., Calgary

“Every morning I move my body in an enjoyable way (yoga or stretching) as an act of giving to myself before giving to another.”

Carol Harrison, Yummy Lunch Club, Toronto 

“I define happiness and success on my own terms. It takes honesty to identify what makes you happy and then courage to build your life around that. Then stop second guessing yourself, worrying if it’s good enough or looking to see if the grass is greener on the other side. Trust you know what is right for you how you want to live your life.”

Amanda Li, Nutrition Wellness Simplified, Mississauga

“Every morning I dedicate a few moments (before I check my phone or email, prepare my breakfast, get ready etc.) to write in my “Five Minute Journal.” The Five Minute Journal primes your brain for happiness. I reflect and journal upon the following:

• I am grateful for… (3 noteworthy things)
• What would make today great?
• Three amazing things that happened yesterday…
• How could I have made yesterday better?

Grab a pen and notepad and start focusing on the good! There is a Five Minute Journal App coming out soon, so keep your eyes peeled!”

Zannat Reza, Food for Happiness, Toronto

“I’ve learned the importance of getting enough sleep. I’m in bed by 9:30PM on most nights. Also, being exposed to nature has been great for my mental health. Sometimes this is going for a walk near green space or even looking at pictures of nature.”

Chelsea Allen, Chelsea’s Healthy Kitchen, Waterloo.

“I’ve learned to feel comfortable to saying “no” to some requests. This helps ensure that I have time for all the things that are actually important to me in my life.”

Kate Park, The Sensible Foodie, Burlington

“I create a “Wanna Do List” of things just for me. Things that would make me happy like taking a bubble bath or doing yoga. I set a goal of crossing at least one thing off my “Wanna Do List” each day.”

April Saunders, April Saunders Nutrition, St. George

“I meditate for 10 minutes each day and find it gives my mind a rest, helps me focus and see the big picture!”

Vincci Tsui, Vincci Tsui RD., Calgary

“I’ve learned to schedule self-care time every day, and schedule it FIRST. I know it’s super-scary to be taking time away from work, your family, or your other commitments but really, you can’t be your best self if you don’t take care of yourself first!”

Bottom Line:

Thank you to my fellow Dietitians for your honesty in sharing your wellness habits! Check out part 2 with more wellness secrets revealed.  Feel free to join the conversation and share your own strategies for how you take care of yourself! After all, you deserve it!