Reclaim & Revolt, Day 4

In case you've missed the posts so far, I'm doing Reclaim & Revolt this year as my January reset. It's a program about intuitive eating, spiritual health, radical self-care, and more.

Day 4 on Reclaim & Revolt is gut health day, and Hannah Syd sent us a gut health primer and some tips for improving digestion. There was also a poop quiz to determine our bowel health! I think my gut health is pretty good most days, but I do get gassy from time to time (don't all vegans?). I can't wait to put some of her tips into action!

My day started with another cold morning run (after a half a Larabar). Four miles in 19 degree weather, which is about 10 degrees warmer than my run on Tuesday. Typically, I would think 19 degrees was insanely cold, but it felt much better than 10. It's all about perspective! I'm sure my northern friends think 10 or 19 is nothing compared to the sub-zero temps they're experiencing now, but 10 is about as cold as it gets down South, and we're big babies about it.

Post-run, I had Lacy's Green Workout Recovery Smoothie with coconut water, kiwi, banana, avocado, hemp seeds, lime, and celery (YES, IN A SMOOTHIE — and it was good). Plus, I added some hemp/pea protein powder.

That smoothie kept me full for quite awhile since it was loaded with fats. But I did finally get hungry for my morning snack just after 11 am. That's when I had some Veggies & Oil-Free Hummus at my desk at work.

Lunch was leftovers from last night's Braised Tempeh with Green Beans in Peanut Sauce over quinoa. I practiced intuitive eating while I ate this, and I actually stopped when I was full! That pretty much never happens since I tend to be a plate cleaner. It took a LOT of willpower for me to leave a few bites, but I'm quite proud. Last night, at dinner, I finished my bowl and felt fine. But I filled up faster at lunch today for some reason.

In the afternoon, I had some Toasted Green Tea from French Truck Coffee (our coffee shop in Crosstown Concourse) and enjoyed it while working from the 7th floor atrium. I love to work for about an hour a day outside the office in one of the building's public spaces — lovely change of scenery (and I get some quiet time since our office is still under construction).

Around 4 pm, I realized I was hungry again! I had some Sprouts brand California Trail Mix in my desk with raw nuts and fruit so I snacked on that.

Dinner was a super-soothing meal of Slow Cooker Lentil Stew (from Lacy's recipes). I rarely use my slow cooker, but it's such a good idea! I love throwing everything in the pot in the morning and having supper ready when I walk in the door. This was especially nice on this cold night. It had kale, carrots, onion, garlic, celery, and herbs. It's amazing the depth of flavor you get from slow-simmering veggies. This needed no seasoning aside from the veggie broth and a touch of salt in the recipe.

By the way, one of Hannah's gut tips today involved not drinking liquids while eating, so I tried that during dinner. It was HARD! And it seems counter-intuitive, but I've always heard that can help with digestion, so I'm giving it a try.

After dinner, my girls and I had our bi-weekly Show Night, when we gather to watch TV. We just started American Horror Story: Cult. They should have put a trigger warning on that first episode! Geez. Anyway, I snacked on a few pistachios that our friend Becca brought for snacks.