What Will I Be Having?
What will I be having? I would like a well-rounded diet with an attitude mindful toward developing better health and wellness habits. A strong attribute of the recovery journey is finding interests and hobbies to get your focus turned in a different direction. I accomplished this by gaining a deeper gratitude for all things food. I have become more aware of how fortunate I am to be able to have most foods I want, while also choosing portions. I think a lot about those that do not get to choose their foods and have a limited supply of whatever it is they are eating, and drinking for that matter. There is no room to complain about anything.
My capabilities include a natural flow when it comes to food. I inherited a vast set of cooking skills from my grandmother. Much like my personality, I enjoy getting creative with food, looking to find new recipes and fun stuff to cook. Also cooking can be nicely challenging as well. I see cooking as a meditation. It has always been something I have used as a healthy outlet, especially after entering into recovery. I baked cookies a lot when I was first getting sober. My baking has tapered off a bit over the years but I still love to do it. As far as my cooking is concerned, I enjoy cooking meals and grilling out on a regular basis. I love making dishes for parties and providing meals for other people. It is a classic ritual in my world.
Exercising is something else I have picked up doing after I got sober. I still struggle with keeping on a set schedule with my exercise. This is a very tough aspect for me and as time passes I am truly realizing how important it is to keep at it. I am not getting younger and bouncing back into shape is not as easy as it was in my 20’s.
I have incorporated different things into my routine. I drink apple cider vinegar most days. It is a good natural cleanser and there is actually a long list of healthy reasons this is a positive habit to pick up. I also like to do a honey immune system booster, I learned about this from a holistic professional. She has helped to open up my eyes to taking the next steps toward health and wellness.
So first thing is first get rid of the alcohol, drugs and face my past. Work on the present moment, give back and now treat my body as a temple and start working towards cutting out sodas and other things that caused my body to react in ways that are unhealthy. This has caused noticeable skin irritations. I have had skin issues for close to 8 years now. It is a direct result of the way I am managing my nutrition. All of this is a huge learning curve in my life. I call these problems of privilege these days.
Before I got sober I would be on a straight drinking and cocaine diet while binging in between using. I did not have a concept of what it looked like to have a balanced diet. Frankly, I didn’t even care about my own personal hygiene because my body was too tired or too weak to care.
It feels good to be in a place where I respect my body. I want to provide things for my health that will help me to grow in ways where I am avoiding future health problems. By working on my recovery, health, wellness, and food habits I am building worth in myself; my mind, body and soul.
Thank you for continuing to read my blog. Also, please check out my other fellow advocates’ blogs! Heroes in Recovery is a movement designed to break the stigma associated with addiction and mental health. We do many things to support this mission including asking people to share their recovery stories with us. We also host various events around the country including our Heroes in Recovery 6k run/walk series. These focus on working with communities to raise awareness and break the stigma and motivating others to get involved.
You can visit Heroes in Recovery or reach out to me on Facebook and I can personally help you get started.
Godspeed,
Hillary