At the beginning of each month, I count the blessings and misfortunes of the previous one. Welcome to #HealthyThursday November Health Review, Tips & Quick Recipe Edition! Keep reading to find out more.
MS STATUS UPDATE
Since last month, I’ve seen my MS act up a little bit more than usual. Meaning I got faced with new symptoms that went on and off and thus not being able to be considered as relapses. You relapse when you experience a new symptom or an older one acts up differently, the whole issue last longer than 24 hours, and you are at least 30 days apart from your last episode.
There were mostly sensory and visual issues, but concentrated around my premenstrual period, when the body gets inflammed and hot (totally not the type of hotness you would want in a relationship!) from the inside out. Top that with days where my lifestyle schedule got upside down due to urgent stuff, social occasions and cravings and you get multiple sclerosis and emotional mayhem.
I noticed “menthol” sensations down my right front shin. The type of sensation you get when you put a menthol based cream on your body, or that when your body recovers from being numb. It went on and off, but nothing stable. The second thing was some stinging in my left eye. The type of pain that you have when an eyelash falls inside your eye. But trust me, I know how to tell those two apart by now! This also was short-lived, so I got over it.
HEALTH TIPS
The body is a well-oiled machine, that you can fine tune to be the best shape and version of you possible. Have the same sleeping patterns, the same healthy diet and the same amount of exercise daily. Once you get used to that lifestyle, you’ll feel a lot better, trust me. But there is a downside to that also. The brain has to learn new patterns, skills and habits. If you screw that up, not having a constant behavior, it’s going to be confused and act up. It’s important to have a schedule and stick to it.
Daily exercise and stopping to be present in the moment are equally important techniques to master. Moving your body constantly and progressively makes you stronger and more flexible. Staying present in the moment and breathing deeply while you focus on your breath gets you closer to your self and calms your mind. If the body doesn’t move, the mind is racing.
So, this month’s health tip is eat moderately, move more and relax the mind through breathing.
Not stuffing your face makes you feel lighter and boosts up your self confidence. Exercising trims and tones that body to fit into your favorite clothes and being mindful and relaxing with breathing helps you to see things more clearly and have a calmer outlook on your life.
QUICK RECIPE
I know you want it! I know you crave it! It’s your favorite guilty pleasure! Chocolate!
Here’s the gluten, dairy and refined sugar-free recipe that you’ll just fall in love with!
COCONUT HONEY CHOCOLATE
(serves 2; difficulty: easy; time needed: aprox. 5 minutes)
INGREDIENTS:
Basic recipe:
- 6 tablespoons of coconut oil (melted)
- 4 tablespoons of raw honey
- 6 tablespoons of raw cocoa
Add your own twist:
- essence of your liking (rum, vanilla, etc)
- chopped peanuts, goji berries, almonds, etc
HOW IT'S DONE:
- melt the coconut oil over low heat, until it gets liquid (put aside to cool off)
- in a bowl mix together the cocoa, honey, essences and add the oil (use a mixer to get a creamier texture and to speed things up a bit; you could also do this with a spoon)
- after all the ingredients are evenly blended, add the twist of your liking (I didn't today)
- eat it right away if you like, or put it in the freezer for 1-2 hours to harden, take it out and serve with the fruit or topping of your linking (same or other than the ones you used in the mix).
Moderation is advised, as it’s still a sweet treat.
So now you know what to do when those cravings hit home! Hehe!
This was all for this week’s #HealthyThursday! Thanks for being here!
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Love,
Alexis