How I’m Keeping Track of My Health & Wellness These Days

This post is sponsored by Babbleboxx. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

Babbleboxx Spring Health & Wellness, Quarantine Routine, Tilden of To Be Bright

Now more than ever, I’m putting an emphasis on maintaining my health & well-being, both physically & mentally. The last 40+ days have been incredibly draining for me; from balancing all the emotional ups & downs, feeling super motivated to suddenly lethargic & low, one day hopeful then pessimistic the next. I’m sure many of you can relate to this roller coaster of a time we’ve all been forced to ride with no true end in immediate sight.

But until we get there, we have to ride this all out the best we can. What we have on our side is our ability to put ourselves first; in fact, consider it an essential reminder to continue do so. Keeping track of my health & wellness these days have given me stability in an unprecedented time. As a result, I’m taking care of myself far better now than I was at the beginning of this year. Routine along with self-care has more benefits to your overall well-being than you can imagine. The trick to continuing it, even when you’re feeling down, is finding ways to make it something to look forward to. For me, that always comes in the form of tangible things that I can use throughout my routine 😀


STAYING ACTIVE


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If you’ve followed me on Stories, then you know I recently completed my first 10K last Sunday afternoon! I’ve been training for it since January & I’ve never run more than 4 miles at a time, in my lifetime before. So when the race was naturally cancelled due to COVID-19 in March, I didn’t want all my hard work to come to a halt just like the rest of my once-daily activities. So I continued to run throughout March up to the weekend of April 18, when the 10K was supposed to be. I ran a little over 6.3 miles in 60 minutes flat, which was the time I was shooting for. I felt incredibly proud of myself for pushing myself to continue on with training and as a result, I’m looking and feeling better than ever these days. I’ve also learned to love running so much more than I ever did before; in fact, you could say it’s something I’ll continue in routine with once things begin to go back to normal.

Setting a small, attainable goal like running a 10K gave me purpose, which did great things to my mindset. What also helped make the training for it fun were the gadgets & gear that I used/wore during my runs!

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Of course, listening to a good playlist is one way to keep motivated & these lightweight Aftershokz Solar Red Aeropex Wireless Headphones made it all the more enjoyable. Headphones are such a personal thing because we all have different ear shapes and preferences of comfort. What I like the most about these is the open-ear design which rests them right on your ear, not inside. This is not only better for your hearing in the long run, but it enables you to keep constantly aware of your surroundings (i.e. ability to hear a car racing up from behind you.) Sporty, sweat + waterproof, along with an 8 hour battery life are big pluses to these headphones as well.

P.S. you can get 15% off any order of wireless headphones now through 5/15/2020 – click here to shop!

Babbleboxx Spring Health & Wellness, Quarantine Fitness Routine, Suunto 7 Smartwatch, Tilden of To Be BrightBabbleboxx Spring Health & Wellness, Quarantine Routine, No Nonsense Feel-Good Sport Compression Socks, Tilden of To Be Bright

Another great way I kept myself motivated is by tracking my runs & progression with each milestone. The Suunto 7 Smartwatch not only handles that data, but also allows me to make use of it in my everyday outside of running with helpful features from Wear OS by Google – like receiving incoming calls/text alerts along with other app updates as they come. It also provides me with free offline outdoor maps & has an onboard GPS which makes it all the more reliable to use on runs in unfamiliar territory.

Lastly, I found the more comfortable I am in my running attire, the more likely I’d run for longer time periods & not call it quits early. What used to be the main reason for discomfort were my choice of socks. So often they’d slip in my sneakers and leave me with horrible rubs and blisters. I started wearing these Compression Socks from No Nonsense and all of a sudden, my cause of discomfort was eliminated! They feel great to run in as well as to lounge in, making them versatile for active & lazy days all the same.


MINDFUL CONSUMPTION


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Staying inside means more frequent trips to the fridge lately. I honestly think it’s something I do as a means of looking for a distraction from work; like Facebook, I constantly open it to see if anything “new” is there (LOL.) So I figure if I’m going to continue with this weird behavior, I might as well stock up the fridge with healthy options to snack on & make meals with. Which got me into the new habit of LOVING salads for lunch! I mean I’ve always enjoyed a salad, but I’m finding making them on my own and adding my own mix of ingredients each time to be very satisfying. Plus I get the chance to try out new dressings along with the ingredient combos I’ve whipped together.

Thomas and I recently tried out these two Power Dressings from Healthy Choice – Greener Goddess & Garden French. Both are made without any artificial flavors, packed with a savory mix of herbs & spices, and only 45 calories or less per serving! Personally, we like the Greener Goddess better for our salad combos but if you’re a super fan of cauliflower, the Garden French is quite tasty.

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Another habit I’ve gotten myself into the swing of is adding collagen powder to my morning coffee. I’ve been using the Simply Collagen from Pink Products because it’s unflavored and mixes well into any hot/cold beverage I want. Considering I have coffee every single morning, adding the collagen powder to each cup made the most sense in order to keep it routine. I also like the fact that they’re to-go sized which makes them great to take with me for when I go on trips down the road (not now obviously.)

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Lastly, after learning more about the various health benefits to taking Apple Cider Vinegar, I started taking these Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies from Nature’s Truth every morning after my coffee & breakfast. Fun Fact: all my vitamins/supplements come in gummy form because I’m such a baby about swallowing pills. These gummies are gluten-free, Non-GMO & vegan; they also don’t have that harsh taste that liquid Apple Cider Vinegar has. I just pop three in my mouth and go about my morning routine.


PRACTICING SELF-CARE


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I’ve talked about my Quarantine skincare routine on the blog recently after dealing with crazy eczema and rosacea flare ups while INDOORS! Thankfully I’ve gotten it under control after a month of experimentation. However, a new concern started showing itself to me after I noticed one side of my face looking relatively darker than the other. I then realized it was from sun exposure THROUGH THE WINDOW in my office! Did you know the sun can still get to you through a window, because I sure didn’t! To be honest, I stopped using SPF as part of my routine skincare because I haven’t been spending time outdoors enough to justify it (personally.) But I’ve been spending much more time at my desk next to a sunny window…lesson learned. I now use SPF even while inside & this LiftActiv Peptide-C Sunscreen from Vichy has been a great addition to my Quarantine routine! It’s anti-aging and Vitamin-C benefits have helped tremendously with my existing dry skin concerns.

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Self-care doesn’t only come in the form of skincare; it also comes in any way you can provide yourself with a mental reset. Personally, I love getting into my cozy loungewear on the couch and picking up a light read, preferably one with tips, ideas, or brightly colored illustrations/pictures. I recently got this Ignite Your Light Book to peruse with my glass of wine and so far, it’s been really inspiring me with some actionable ways to boost my self-care routine. From recipes to try to immune-strengthening rituals to practical steps to bring more daily joy and happiness into my life, I honestly can’t think of a better book to read during this time. Truly recommend getting it!

I hope some of these fun things help to inspire you as you keep track of your health & wellness during this time too!