allputtogether

Five months ago I found out I have a gluten allergy. As much as I am bummed to never eat certain foods again, I’m so thankful to finally feel good everyday! I would be lying if I said it has been easy – I’ve had to make some pretty big life changes. If you ask anyone who knows me, they will tell you that I have a huge and undiscerning appetite. Although my diet has always been pretty healthy (I was raised by vegetarians), I do love junk food (hello corn dog!).

Now I was totally prepared to feel sad about things like not being able to have a slice of cake at my friend’s upcoming wedding. What I wasn’t prepared for was how much I would mourn my previous relationship with food. Prior to being gluten free, my life revolved pretty much around food – it punctuated my day, it fills my memories, it’s what I did for entertainment. But now eating is infinitely more complicated – gluten tends to find its way into every dish, so eating outside the home, whether it’s at a restaurant, event or party is a lot less fun. Basically, going gluten free felt like a big fat break-up with food. And I was wallowing in it!

I know in the post title I promised “3 ways to enrich your life.” When you’re forced to make big life changes, especially changes that affect your health, you find yourself reflecting on your entire lifestyle and whether or not it’s conducive to a rich and healthy life. For the most part, I felt I could answer yes, however there is certainly room for improvement, so I decided to make a concertize effort to spend more time on the following activities in hopes of enriching my life:

Yoga
It took me a long time to come around to yoga. My dad has been a huge proponent of yoga way before it was mainstream and although I certainly appreciated its benefits, I never really got into it. And it wasn’t for lack of trying – over the years I have taken classes and tried many routines. However, thanks to Comcast (yes the company did something right for a change), I am now a yogi. Recently, I was flipping through Comcast’s OnDemand features and stumbled upon some free yoga videos. I decided to try one – Shiva Rea, A.M. Energy. I loved the routine – it was challenging, yet fun. And most importantly, didn’t seem to feel like exercise. The video has since expired, however it’s available on Amazon for $11.99. If you’re on the fence about yoga too, I would recommend trying one of Shiva’s routines.

Juicing
I’m a bit obsessed with food-related documentaries and recently watched “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead” (available for free on Hulu). The documentary was very interesting and focused on the positive health and weight loss benefits of juicing. Although my husband and I were already considering becoming juicers (produce not steroids) this doucmentary sure kicked us into gear. We juice several times a week now and love it! Although it’s time consuming and somewhat expensive, the health benefits are numerous and worth the effort. We try to stick to an 80/20 ratio (80% veggies, 20% fruit), however when you’re just starting out, that ratio can be unrealistic, especially if you don’t naturally like the juice of veggies, like Kale.

DIY
If you’re a regular reader, then you have no doubt noticed I’ve really ramped up the DIY projects. I find crafting to be incredibly rewarding and absolutely essential to my everyday happiness. Since I have made it a priority, I have found that I now notice the DIY potential in nearly every object (thrifted, trash or otherwise). Currently, one of my favorite magazines for DIY inspirations is Mollie Makes. It’s somewhat expensive ($9.99), but totally worth it – each issue even comes with supplies for a DIY project, like an adorable coin purse.

So there you have it – three ways that I am enriching my life. What have you done lately to enrich yours?

xoxo, Andi

Tags: breville juicer, fat, food documentary, juicing, mollie makes magazine, shiva rea, sick and nearly dead, yoga, yogi