Tag: wellness

Green background with cream colored line and layered leaves and the text January 2023: 'Rhythms of Renewal' + Flex the Plan

January 2023: ‘Rhythms of Renewal’ + Flex the Plan

Posted on by Kelvey Vander Hart in L I F E

How has your 2023 been treating you? I’m 99% sure my new annual tradition is having COVID during January. Let’s hope that tradition breaks next year. Here’s a recap of January 2023: 

Best Book I Read This Month 

One of my favorite books is The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer (which you can find here). So, when I picked up Rhythms of Renewal by Rebekah Lyons to start 2023, I was happy to find it contained the same heart as John Mark Comer’s work. You can find it here. 

Best Article I Read This Month

I love liberty, and I REALLY love animals. The government being the driving force behind cruel animal testing in the United States has infuriated me for years. This announcement came as extremely good news for animals and liberty lovers alike. Read it here!

Tip + Trick of the Month

Getting enough sunlight is critical to our health. (Although, I’d add the disclaimer that you should do so WITH sunscreen.) But with shorter days and freezing temperatures, getting enough sunlight can be hard. 

So, embrace the window during the winter. Find places in your home where you can lurk by windows that get plenty of sunlight or find buildings that you can spend time in that have those windows. I find myself spending a lot of time working from the Greater Des Moines Botanical Center during the winter, which is essentially one big window. 

Yes, braving the cold and getting outside for some fresh air is optimal. But even if you’re not doing that, chase sunlight from inside. 

Quote of the Month

“The further you can distance yourself from the corporate food system, the better off you’ll be.” -Max Lugavere

I usually don’t add much commentary on quotes, but Lugavere’s work has been a big blessing in helping me improve my health and well-being while handling chronic illness. You can find more of his work here. 

Kelvey’s Thought for the Month

When we start a new year, we tend to get rigid with our plans, habits, and aspirations. One glance at my lengthy goal list would reveal that this point is especially true in my life. 

But life often gets in the way. Remember when I mentioned having COVID this past month, right in prime get-after-those-goals season? 

We have two choices when life interferes: Abandon the plan or flex the plan instead. Instead of abandoning, which tends to be a default, how can you flex your plan? 

Sick but have serious health and wellness goals? If you can’t exercise, keep your nutrition in check, drink enough water, and get plenty of sleep. 

Want to do some deep work on a project once a week? Have a backup time on your calendar. 

Need to hit a target, like a certain number of pages read, by the end of the week? Have a few different ways you can chunk up progress to fit the calendar of different weeks instead of having a one-size-fits-all plan. 

Life throws things at us constantly. Getting adaptable in reaching our goals lets us throw them right back. 

Keep those resolutions going strong as we get further into the year. I’ll catch you next month.

April 2022: Greenlights + Build Back Better (Habits)

April 2022: Greenlights + Build Back Better (Habits)

Posted on by Kelvey Vander Hart in L I F E

Here’s hoping your Monday went well and that your May is off to a great start! April 2022 was far too cold, but I still shivered my way through a full month to recap for you: 

Best Book I Read This Month 

I read my first celebrity memoir, and I think it’ll probably be my last celebrity memoir. Matthew McCounaughey’s Greenlights was a wild ride. Beautiful quotes and wise advice were interspersed with stories so crazy they must be true (partially because a good number of them reflected very poorly on him, his family, and other loved ones). It was an entertaining and bewildering read, and you can get the book here. 

Best Article I Read This Month

I swear I read journalism from other outlets and not just from the magazine I work for, but Reason has so many good takes it would be a crime to not share. Enjoy this longform read from our May 2022 issue talking about the pandemic, social networks, and old-time saloons. 

Tip + Trick of the Month

Do you want to cut back on mindless social media scrolling? Set time limits on your phone, but let someone you live with set the password. And DO NOT let them tell you what it is. I share a house with my sister, and since having her set my phone’s time limits, I am far more exacting in my social media use. I’m not exaggerating when I say it has reduced my phone use by hours every week. 

Quote of the Month

“If you are part of Christ’s own body, your sins evoke his deepest heart, his compassion and pity. He ‘takes part with you’—that is, he’s on your side. He sides with you against your sin, not against you because of your sin. He hates sin. But he loves you.” 

-Dane Ortlund, Gentle and Lowly

Kelvey’s Thought for the Month

I was in great shape when I was in college, but by the time 2021 rolled around, I couldn’t say the same. Between gym closures, reduced outings, and food delivery, the pandemic took the same toll on me that it did on everyone else. Couple that with a newly diagnosed thyroid disorder, and I lost a lot of muscle mass while putting on inches and generally losing a lot of my former healthy habits. 

2022 has been my rebuilding year, and I’ve rebuilt with wellness (not just muscles or hard workouts) in mind. Here are some of the simple habits that have had me feeling better, building more muscle, and leading a healthier life than I have in years. Steal if they work for you! 

  • Prioritizing Enough Quality Sleep
  • Getting 150 Grams of Daily Protein
  • Maintaining Average Calorie and Macro Consumption
  • Averaging 70,000 Weekly Steps
  • Building An Adjustable Workout Schedule

That’s all for now, folks. Have a great May – I’ll catch you next month.

My Top 5 Wellness Hacks

Posted on by Kelvey Vander Hart in L I F E

It’s not a secret that an overwhelming amount of Americans have health-related resolutions. Whether that be weight loss, gym time, drinking water – whatever it is, someone has committed to it (and probably already broken down by now). 

You’re not going to see me writing for goop or Well + Good anytime soon, but for several years I’ve tried to lead a pretty healthy lifestyle. Here are 5 hacks you can steal that help me get there: 

1. Don’t Force Yourself To Do Exercise You Hate

Don’t read what I’m not saying – I’m NOT saying that you should always avoid a hard workout. What I am saying is that if you’re continually forcing yourself to do a type of exercise that you despise, you’re going to have a hard time maintaining it in the long-run. I have hard power yoga workouts, hard lifting sessions, and hard boxing rounds just like I used to have hard runs. The difference? I love the first three and that motivates me to power through – I HATE running. 

2. Write Down What You’re Eating

This is harder than it sounds to keep up, but it’s one of the best mindfulness and accountability tools I rely on. Whether you’re using a program like Noom, tracking your macros, or simply keeping a food journal (I’ve done it all and turn toward different things in different seasons), it will keep you honest. And, it will help you identify gaps. Need more water? Vegetables? Fruits? Eating out a lot more than you thought or picking up junk food frequently? Now you’ll know. 

3. Have A Backup Plan

On an ideal day, I would be hitting the gym at 5:15 am for a workout class or at 6:45 am for a lifting session. In reality, if I’m not signed up for a class that will ding me if I miss, it’s a toss-up whether I get that early workout session in. And that’s okay – I’m working to prioritize sleep as a key part of my health and well-being. Instead of stressing, I always have an alternative plan. Maybe that means I’m working out at home; maybe that means reserving both a morning class and an evening class and knowing I’ll make it to one of them. Whatever it is, don’t let a missed alarm derail you – have a plan B. 

4. Keep A Cute Waterbottle Around 

This is so cliche it hurts, but so effective it can’t be left out. If you have a water bottle you like looking at (for me it’s my sticker-covered Hydroflask), you’ll be more likely to lug it around with you and drink enough water during the day. That, and you’ll be less likely to leave it places. 

5. Decide Your Food “Musts” and “Passes” 

This varies by season, but it’s helpful to create food indulgence rules. For example, I know that I am never going to go to a party or celebrate a birthday where there is great dessert and not eat some – doing so would feel like deprivation and these are uncommon enough events that it is totally worth it to me. On the other hand, I will always pass on soda and drinking my calories, and rarely bring home cheap desserts. I know what my indulgence musts are, and I know what I can pass on, and while I don’t always stick to these rules, they’re very helpful in the long-run. 

Are you going to try one of these in 2021? Or do you have tips of your own? Tell us in the comments!

We need a functional life, not just one dedicated to achieving goals.

Let’s Work Toward Functionality, Not Just Goals

Posted on by Kelvey Vander Hart in L I F E

I remember a time in my life where I would regularly get up at 4:45 a.m. and be at the gym by 5:15 a.m. to grind out a hard workout. 

Oh, the ambition of younger me. (Yes, four years qualifies as ‘younger.’)  Continue reading “Let’s Work Toward Functionality, Not Just Goals” →