Healthy Hermit Habit Hacks

To say this is a challenging time is an understatement as we all learn new approaches to navigate our daily lives at home. We are all doing the best we can to adjust, so I have put together a list of what I am calling “healthy hermit habit hacks” as a resource to support you through this season…however long it lasts. This post is a collection of healthy habits that are supporting me, from how I have tweaked meal planning, to cloistering with my preschooler, to emotional and immune support practices I am incorporating into my daily lifestyle. Take a few things that speak to you and try implementing them over the next week to create more peace and health in your home. 

Meal Planning

Grocery shopping and meal planning remain a source of stress for many of us as we are learning to navigate this together. If your experience is anything like mine, it’s not necessarily that the grocery store doesn’t have anything, but it’s kind of at a “take it or leave it” point. We may not find all of the ingredients we are looking for to make our favorite recipe. For me, this has completely flipped my meal planning style on its head. Honestly, this is more like how I used to plan meals before becoming a mother. Buy a bunch of random things, and then see what I can throw together! This brings its own unique set of challenges for those of us with known food intolerances or allergies, or if you are on a special diet like the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol (AIP). So I have a few healthy habits on how I am managing meal planning without losing my mind. 

First, whether you are braving the store or ordering curbside pick up, aim to buy at least a few proteins and hardy vegetables each week. Root vegetables and squash varieties are great, as are frozen and canned produce (just look for BPA free canned goods). I abandoned meal planning before grocery shopping pretty early on because that just resulted in stress and frustration when ingredients weren’t available. 

Once home, make a list of all the main ingredients you have. Include proteins, vegetables, fruit, and grains, if you tolerate them. If you already practiced meal planning before this pandemic, you may have your regular go-to recipes in the back of your mind that you can turn to if you have those ingredients on hand. If not, stick with me…

Next, mix and match which veggies and proteins pair well. Here are a few examples:

1. Pork + Brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes, apples
2. Chicken + carrots, zucchini, asparagus
3. Roast + root veggies like carrots and sweet potatoes
4. Salmon + broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower 
5. Ground beef or turkey + broccoli, sweet potato, asparagus, spinach

Instead of searching for the perfect recipe that matches all of your ingredients, pick a recipe template. By recipe template, I mean a general framework of the type of meal you will make. For example, one pan sheet meals, stir fry, salads, soups, and burgers of various kinds are all really flexible templates to build your meal around. You certainly could use a website to search by the ingredients you have, but I think this is way less time consuming and stressful. Remember, cooking is much more flexible and forgiving than baking. And we’re going for “nourished and fed”, not five-star dining. Building on the examples I shared earlier, here are a few more: 

1. Pork + Brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes, apples = One-pan oven meal
2. Chicken + carrots, zucchini, asparagus = one-pan oven meal or stir fry
3. Roasts + root veggies like carrots and sweet potatoes = slow cooker or oven pot roast
4. Salmon + broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower = one-pan oven meal 
5. Ground beef or turkey + broccoli, sweet potato, asparagus, spinach = stir fry or hash 

Once you’ve decided on your main meal ingredients and meal template, now is when you can really let those creative juices flow. Chop onion, add some salt, and a few herbs that pair well with your protein. If you get stuck at this point, that is when a simple Google search to look up which herbs and spices pair well with your chicken will only take a minute. Remember to add healthy fat and acidities like vinegar or lemon, if needed. I hope this inspires you to get creative with your meal planning. We’re all doing the best we can. For more in depth meal planning tips, check out this post.

Healthy Habits for Emotional Support

From the stress of changing our routines and shifting our workflow, to isolation and anxiety over all the unknowns, I have been leaning into all the things to support me emotionally during this time. 

• A cup of chamomile tea before bed
• Adaptiv capsules and Serenity soft gels before bed to calm anxious and irritable feelings and support better sleep 
• Diffusing calming and grounding essential oils like Balance, Adaptiv, Elevation, Bergamot, and tree and citrus oils. 
• Listening to calming or fun, upbeat music
• Doing a quick clean up of our main living spaces at the end of the day so we start with a fresh morning
• Getting outside every day 
• Moving my body every day 
• Calling or video chatting with someone a few times per week
• Setting a time limit on scrolling social media
• Creating a new family routine and reevaluating weekly 
• Creating alone time for each member of the family every day 
• Creating family time every day 
• Working on a creative, new project 
• Reading a book that has been on my booklist for years 
• Journaling 
• Breathwork, prayer, and meditation
• Baking
• Prioritizing sleep 

Healthy Habits for Immune Support

We have no control over what is going around, but we do have control over our lifestyle choices. We can do things to support our immune system in an effort for a good offense and defense strategy for seasonal threats. 

• Diffusing and using immune supporting essential oils like On Guard, Breathe, and Frankincense
• Taking extra Vitamin C and D
• Taking a whole food multivitamin 
• Drinking lots of water, at least half your body weight in ounces
• Eating lots of veggies and nutrient-dense foods
• Diminishing stress as much as we can (stress weakens your immune system)
• Supporting your gut health with digestive enzymes and probiotics 
• Symphony of the cells essential oil technique 
• Prioritizing sleep (listing again because quality sleep supports your immune system)
• Washing hands (obviously, I hope) 

Healthy Habits for a Preschooler

Every child and family will be different, but here are some of the things that are supporting my daughter (and us as a family) through this time. It’s by no means perfect, but I want to help her feel as safe, stable and cared for as possible. We both still have more emotions than we used to, but I am trying my best to welcome them as we go through our days. 

• Trying (keyword) to stick to a consistent bedtime and nap/quiet time
• Focusing on our sleep hygiene and promoting a relaxing environment before bed
• A visual picture schedule (think routine or rhythm) so my preschooler knows what to expect each day
• Designating a consistent opportunity for a little screen time each day to limit tantrums on her end and adding extra screen time to get things done on my end
• Outdoor time every morning and afternoon
• At least one walk per day 
• Saving boxes for any craft, project, or Pinterest idea I can think of
• Rotating activities like painting, play-dough, chalk, bubbles, drawing, and baking
• A new preschool curriculum to give us both a routine and something new to learn/do every day
• Family time each day
• Independent play each day
• Video calls with friends and family
• Checking out new library books online 
• Working on my mindful parenting skills
• Incorporating relevant emotional and immune-supporting things from above 

I hope these “healthy hermit habit hacks” have inspired you with new ways to support the emotional and physical wellbeing of your family as we all hunker down for at least the next month or so (at least in my area of the world). Please share with me which healthy habits you try by commenting below or tagging me @simplywholesomeroots on social media and using the hashtags #healthyhermithabithacks and #simplywholesomeroots. 

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*Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. As a FertilityCare Practitioner, I am an allied health professional. Reading the content on this blog does not form a practitioner/client relationship. The purpose of this blog post is to share general information and it is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare provider with information and any questions for your individual situation.*