Habits For Better Digestion

Hi there my loves!! If you have ever had to deal with an annoying bloated belly, this post is for you! Until recently, I thought I was not allergic to any food or medications. Turns out, I was wrong. Eating mindfully and being conscious of my body has paid off on its own. I realized that I am dairy intolerant.  Which means I have trouble digesting not only milk but also ice cream, cheese or anything with cheese, like pizza! *gasp! I love pizza! How can I not eat pizza? Or cheese quesadillas?? I love cheese so much, I swear I couldn’t live without it. But eating cheese also means that I have to deal with stomach pains and an uncomfortably large belly.

So I figured I need to manage my digestive system. After trying out numerous tricks ,tips and habits, I found a few that were really useful. If you have ever experienced bloating or any kind of digestive issue give these a try.

1.Eat Fiber

You know this already. But make sure you eat insoluble fiber. Insoluble fiber is a little hard to digest and adds bulk to the stools whereas soluble fiber draws in water and prevents stools that are too watery. Some good sources of insoluble fiber includes, whole grains, nuts and seeds, legumes, vegetables and wheat bran.

2. Stay away from high fat food

Fatty foods tend to slow down the digestive process, making you more prone to constipation. Instead, eat lean meats and pair your fatty food with high fiber food to help the digestive process.

3. Stay Hydrated

Water helps dissolve fats and fiber and allows the substances to pass through easily. Try to drink at least a gallon of water a day to aid the digestive system and also to manage weight.

4. Exercise

If you have ever gone on a run before going to the toilet you know the effect it has on your bowels. Keep active and get enough exercise regularly to keep moving your food through the digestive system and avoid constipation. You can also aid your digestion by taking a 15 min walk after eating.

5. Introduce gut friendly supplements to your food intake

My favorite supplement for digestion is Chlorophyll. I use liquid chlorophyll either in smoothies or simply mix a table spoon with water at least once a week. This helps move your bowels easily and it come packed with many other holistic benefits. You can also include a probiotic and a green tea supplement. Although I would personally prefer yogurt instead of a probiotic, and actual tea instead of a pill. Ginger tea with lemon is also a great cure for digestive health.

6. Release stress and negative emotions

Stress and anxiety always interferes with healthy digestion. If you have ever noticed heart burn, loss or increase in appetite when feeling sad, you already know that emotions do affect your body. Try to incorporate stress and negative emotion management techniques in to your daily life to release any negativity around you.

7. Practice mindfulness

Last but not least, be mindful of what you ingest your body with. Eat with mindfulness paying attention to each bite, chewing slowly and savoring each bite. Practice being present even while working and during your day to day activities.

 

Share your tips and tricks. Do you experience bloating? What is your go-to method to cure bloating?

 

Lots of love,

 

Let’s Get Accountable For Our Health

Hello there my lovelies! It is already time for my second blog post on ETC by Nori!

In my last post I unveiled a little something I learned during my soul searching years. “Contentment and joy lies in understanding your core values, striking a balance between ambition and spirituality, and continually working on mind, body, and psychological wellness.” As we go along, you will notice that this blog is all about creating holistic habits. The ones that lead to living life fully, with a joyful heart, and a playful spirit.

So today, I want to dive in to the first step and the foundation of developing healthy habits. If you have a strong foundation, you know that you can build any structure. One that  you can rest assure will not fall apart later. So what is the first step towards building long lasting holistic habits?

Get accountable for your own health!

If you feel like you know this already, think again. How often do you lose motivation to exercise? How often do you give in to unhealthy cravings? How often do you chose mindless activity over personal and spiritual development? (you know Netflix is the biggest culprit here). I know I have been guilty of all of the above in the past. But since I answered some deeper questions, I have been on a roll with healthy movement, eating and mind exercises.

What questions to ask yourself, you ask?

Here’s a quick guide to take accountability of your health and kick start your holistic journey…

1.Define Healthy.
What is your definition of healthy. To me, being healthy means many things. It means that I am physically in good condition, with normal vitals. It means that I can run, lift, do yoga or whatever activity I feel like doing without being in pain or feeling physical or emotional frustration. Being healthy also means that I am not depressed, sad or stressed. It means that I am mentally and emotionally strong to see things in perspective, with an open mind and make right, effective decisions. To me, healthy means that I feel a sense of peace within and am conscious enough to deal with stressful situations without losing it.

Take a moment to think about what healthy means for you. Write it down. And feel free to change it as you go along. But have that as a point of reference at times when you feel lost or in a health rut.

 

2. What can you do to integrate your definition of healthy in to your life?
For me, this means staying active every day. Whether its yoga, running or strength training at the gym, I always do something active to get a good dose of endorphins and serotonin in my system. I also dedicate a whole hour every morning at least a few days a week to do my Buddhist chantings (pirith) and practice mindfulness meditation. Eating healthy has been a work in progress. But I renew my commitment every now and then and remind myself of the importance of balance.

What activities can you integrate in to your daily routine to maintain a healthy life? It could be walking 10 mins a day or running 5 miles. It could be meditation or journaling daily. Come up with a strategy that is easy to achieve and fun to keep at.

 

3. What are your reasons for not taking charge of your health and well being?

We all have them. Some of them are excuses but some are real reasons, or excuses in disguise. I personally have this idea in my head that no matter how hard I work, it takes so much more out of me compared to an average person to lose any weight because I have fat genes. Also, I am more likely to get heart disease, kidney diseas, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes because, guess what, everyone in my immediate family have all of the above. Sometimes, it demotivates me to workout at all. “No matter how hard to I work, I don’t see results.” At other times, I use the same reasons to motivate myself and get the work done.

So what are your reasons?  Is it lack of time, bad genetics, already deteriorated health or disability? Or is it a financial situation that doesn’t allow you to get to a gym? What ever your reason is, there is always a way! You can always find time. You don’t need money to get out of the house and go for a walk or run. While you can’t reverse your genes or a unfortunate health situation, you can still work to manage your health.  Write down your reasons and when they show up as excuses, crush them and show what you are made of.

 

4. Once you have a grasp of why living a healthy lifestyle is important to you and ways to get there, you are already well on your way to upgrading your life to a full on holistic life. If you need external motivation ask a friend to be your accountability buddy. Share your knowledge and inspire each other to set goals and crush them.

On a final note, don’t forget that healthy lifestyle is not a destination. It is a journey. A never ending journey. If you fail, simply re start and recommit. Enjoy it and keep at it until it becomes your second nature. And trust me, it will, eventually.

 

Tell me… Are you actively taking charge of your health? What are some tips and tools you can share with us? Or what are your reasons for not eating healthy and being active? What can you do to change them? Share your insights.  Let’s learn from each other.

 

Lots of love, xo

Hello Blog World, I Am Here: An Introduction

Musically speaking, the 90’s were quite the years for me. Throughout childhood and straight in to adolescence, all I ever wanted to listen to was the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears. Growing up alongside a budding DJ, I heard many other artists on our stereo system – the one that lived in the middle of the living room providing music to probably the entire neighborhood (that’s how loud it was.) However, the honest truth is that I barely understood the lyrics of any of the songs. My English was poor if not nonexistent. Yet, the universal language spoke to me. I mean, who could possibly be blind to the beautiful abs of Peter Andre and his Mysterious Girl when they came on TV.

As crazy as it may, it was this kind of thing that made me want to move from the tropical paradise that is Sri Lanka to the snow and ice in New York. Thanks to my poor English skills at the time, little did I realize, the gorgeous boy was in fact singing about an exotic girl and her tropical scent. I was so blind I didn’t even see the beach and the water fall that was in the background.

From the art of music to the art of cuisine, I was a complete “kalu sudda”, a white washed kid. For example, when the breakfast table  was made in the morning, with freshly made string hoppers, pol sambola, a dish made with scraped coconut and spices, with potato and fish curry on the side, I would make a face and say “this again?” and demand for scrambled eggs and sausages.

It took three years in the United States, an overly expensive education and a couple more years walking on the streets of Manhattan to truly get over my infatuation with the western world. Don’t get me wrong, I am still in love with the city that Sinatra so elegantly sang of. However, I finally managed to fall in love with the great tropics, the mysteries of the Far East and my own culture that is filled with so many great ancient secrets. I suppose distance surely does make the heart grow fonder.

What’s more, after journeying back and forth between the worlds of Western and Eastern cultures, with the intentions of ambition and soul searching (ambition in New York and uncovering meditation secrets in Sri Lanka), I realized that true inner peace is unrelated and independent of physical locations. Instead, contentment and joy lies in understanding your core values, striking a balance between ambition and spirituality, and continually working on mind, body, and psychological wellness.

So today, with this first post on a brand new blog, ETC by Nori, I want to introduce myself to you and the blogosphere.  Call me Nori, a woman from Sri Lanka who came to the United States as a teenager to attend college and reach the highest of the highs in New York City. But decided to paddle the other direction by renouncing worldly materials and went back home to meditate and understand the universal truth. The intention was enlightenment. Quite frankly, I don’t know what I attained at the end of my years in Sri Lanka.  What I did understand is that there is no one way to achieve bliss. And it is always an ongoing journey. One that requires consistently working on personal qualities, and holistic habits.

This blog is dedicated just for that. To inspire and cultivate holistic habits that leads you to living life fully, with a joyful heart and a playful spirit. Whether you are a hustler or a soul searcher, let this be your new destination to find tips, tools and inspiration to a true holistic, happy life. Well, it is my only hope that I can bring to you posts filled with love, and also fun. I hope ETC by Nori will be able to be a part of your life surrounded with beauty, serenity and peace…

As a final note, since it is what I began with, and in true spirit of reminiscing in the 90’s music, here’s some beautiful scenery and some abs for you…

 

With love, 

PS: Don’t leave me hanging! Introductions are more fun when there is two-way communication. Please leave a comment to say hi!  – xo