Random Acts of Wellness

by Nadine Nelson, Queen of Cuisine

I move through my day to day life with a sense of appreciation and gratitude that comes from knowing how fortunate I truly am and how unearned all that I am thankful for really is. To have this perspective in my everyday consciousness is in itself a gift, for it leads to feeling “graced,” or blessed, each time. – Jean Shinoda Bolen.

Often wellness seems something unattainable or within reach with conditions. Our minds weave webs of stories that say, I don’t have enough time for a walk, the money for a massage, or the life for a trainer. However, an integral part of living wellness is to appreciate what I can do for myself. Ultimately my wellness and my approach to it dictate how it will manifest in other aspects of my life.

As a working mother, I struggle with carving out time for ME and not feeling guilty for it. I am blessed that I had a mother that set a great example of how to pamper oneself with homemade beauty regimens with plenty of ingredients that you have at home. When I concentrate on what I do have and what I can do, I feel empowered. Enjoy this list and share it with others. Most importantly, take some time each Wednesday to celebrate wellness for yourself. It will make you happy and feel balanced and the people around you will benefit from that inner and outer glow taking time for yourself achieves.

1. Start the morning by giving thanks and thinking about how many things you have to be thankful for. Listen to Meshell Ndegeocello – Thankful to set the tone for the day.

2. Meditate and think about your intentions for the day.

3. Listen to U2 – Beautiful Day to really get you motivated and filled with joy.

4. Do yoga – look at your cable on demand for free videos with yoga experts. There are varying lengths, styles, and levels to fit your needs. No cable, take out tapes from the library. Alas, my own personal trainer and so inexpensive.

5. Use a natural brush and brush your body towards your heart. It is invigorating and simulates the skin and muscles.

6. Take a shower with Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Soap. You will never go back to “regular” soap, talk about a pick me up for hump day.

7. Give yourself an oil massage with a signature oil you can make yourself – olive oil and your favorite essential oil blend. I made a mix of Aura Cacia’s grapefruit, peppermint, and lemongrass for a joyful, cheering, and revitalizing mood.

8. Eat breakfast. I made a two egg omelet with chives, orange bell pepper, and shallots with a teaspoon of Mexican Blend cheese with 2 slices of turkey bacon, a slice of multigrain toast with raspberry all fruit jam and a cup of sliced strawberries. It took 15 minutes to prepare and I am worth it.

9. Appreciate that Spring has sprung by noticing the flowers budding, the leaves shaking their greenness, the birds chirping, butterflies spreading their wings, and the cacophony of colors in the rainbow.

10. Have a picnic at your desk, in the park, at the beach, or on a roofdeck. Pick your favorite spot and gather up a simple meal from the supermarket of gourmet meats, local cheese, homemade bread, artisanal condiments, fruit, a specialty dessert, and don’t forget the chocolate too. Some of my favorite places in New Haven are East Rock, West Rock, the sea look out by the Coast Guard Station, Milford Beaches, a private beach cove in Brandford, Egerton Park, and Edgewood Park.

11. Take a walk.

12. Go to the museum. Did you know that Yale Art Gallery and the British Art Museum are free?

13. Send a note of appreciation to the people you love most.

14. Go to the library and take out some books on a hobby you always wanted to do or you have been neglecting. Make time to pursue it.

15. Read in our spare time.

16. Write down 10 things you like about yourself, be indulgent and say them in the mirror.

17. Order in from your favorite local restaurant.

18. Dance to Happy Music For Happy People

19. Sing with Sangers!!!

20. Eat your delicious local meal and drink a libation – wine, beer, cordial?

21. Give your hands an acupressure massage with your massage oil.

22. Soak your feet in epsom salts and lavender.

23. Give your feet a reflexology massage with your massage oil.

24. Steam your face with cammomile tea bags.

25. Make a facial scrub with yogurt and oatmeal. Scrub your face.

26. Make a hydrating facial mask with mashed up avocado and banana. Put mask on, cucumbers on your eyes, and sit back and relax for 20 minutes. Wash.

27. Recite empowering affirmations to yourself.

28. Listen to Nature Sounds Spa Therapy – Natural Spa Therapy and Natural Healing and think about the wonderful spa experience you have created for yourself.

29. Massage your face gently with olive oil.

30. Paint your nails.

31. Watch a funny movie.

32. Meditate. Think about what you are grateful for and appreciate your day.

33. Do some breath work to prepare you for a deep slumber. Breath in positivity, breath out negativity, slow, deep, and find your rhythm.

34. Count your blessings and recite your blessings.

35. Sleep.

Wellness is not hard to achieve when we see it in chunks of deserved happiness. As our culture is experiencing some very tenuous times, we must make it a priority to be well and insure our wellbeing. My mother worked and I saw her come home and do facials and saw how it was a stress release not to mention my mom’s skin is flawless and defies her years. When we are well we feel liberated to be ourselves, we acknowledge our worthiness, and we feel powerful and strong. This leads us to be more loving to ourselves and consequently to each other. So rename hump day as Wellness Wednesday. You might not get to every detail in the list in one day, but sprinkled throughout the week is even better. Here is to you feeling healthy and “well”thy too.

Chef Nadine Nelson, Queen of Cuisine, is the green chef and social entrepreneur of Global Local Gourmet, a roving community supported kitchen that specializes in cooking classes, culinary tours, wellness workshops and corporate team building. Chef Nadine was born in Toronto, Canada of Jamaican Heritage. She has always loved cooking and her vegetables. She has studied the culinary arts in Paris, New York, and Boston and brings a worldly perspective to seasonal food. She is a social activist, cooking instructor, chef, writer, recipe developer/tester, food consultant, and interactive epicurean event producer. You can find out more about Nadine HERE and Global Local Gourmet HERE.