Since I had my baby, I haven’t quite felt like myself. I can’t say it’s been “bad”, I think it’s just been a lot longer of a process than I anticipated. All that being said, we’ve started building solid routines, and are finally starting to feel more settled into our new life here. I keep forgetting at this time last year, we were just starting to slowly move our things in. It’s taken us a minute to get situated, but I do feel more at home now that we are on to 100% completing each space. It’s starting to feel like home.

We started off the new year sicker than I’ve ever felt, ever! Which took over the whole house and lagged on for weeks and weeks. Not the ideal way to start a new year lol. Now that I can feel spring around the corner, I wanted to take a moment to do sort of a Spring wellness audit of my own habits. Track what’s working for me + tweak where I can make improvements. There are always going to be stressors in life, I think it comes down to how we manage them. For me, that means carving out intentional time for myself. That could look like anything from taking a long bath, to reading a book in bed, meditating, doing a face mask, taking my dog on the trails, etc. just depends what I have time for.

MY WELLNESS AUDIT:

SLEEP
First things first, I looked at my sleep and my habits around it – what time was I heading to bed, how was I allowing myself to wind-down before bed? ie; no electronics, dim lights, hot bath. Creating consistent habits around sleep is crucial for concentration, healthy energy levels, skin health and overall wellbeing. Setting up your environment to support good sleep is key. For example, I love to use a non-toxic pillow spray, use table lamps for dim, cozy lighting and a neatly made bed all contribute to a good nights rest. Doesnt always happen, but I aim for around 8-9 hours each night.

SUPPLEMENTS
Next, I looked at my supplements. I’m pretty new to the supplement world, and tbh up until a few years ago I could barely stomach taking pills at all! That is, until I started learning about the benefits of taking them. Now that I’m in my mid-thirties, it’s super important that on top of a healthy diet, I take vitamins + supplements that support good health & help fill in any nutritional gaps that my diet might miss.

WHAT I CURRENTLY TAKE:
+ Ritual daily vitamin
+ Ritual 3-in-1 synbiotic+
+ Ritual essential protein powder
+ Karen for Good Health Phytoplankton

MIND
Going to get a little ‘woo-woo’ on you, for a minute. I’m big into mindset & working on the mind, so I looked at things like; how I’m consuming social media, who’s stories am I consuming? how much time am I spending each day online? as well as experimenting with tools like meditation, cold therapy etc.

MOVEMENT
The last thing I took note of in my audit, was movement – I need to do at least one movement per day. I normally take the boys out for a brisk walk around the neighbourhood every morning to set the tone for the day, which I count as one round. But, I like to try to get in a little something else in the day if I can. Usually a short + spicy pilate or flow to round out the afternoon. Sometimes my schedule won’t allow for anything in the afternoons, so I’m looking at potentially getting up earlier to fit in my movement + meditation first thing. This is HUGE for me, bc I’ve always been more of night owl than a morning person. I want to be a morning person, bc I see how incredibly valuable those morning hours can be.

I am a HUGE planner & work around my week from my day-planner. Everything gets noted, including all of these points; sleep, supplements, mind + movement. I want to hold myself accountable and see how good I feel if I stick to the plan and hold true to my boundaries around them. Circling back to supplements..

I’ve been interested in incorporating more supplements into my daily routine. Anything I can add that will help enhance my overall health & optimize wellness, I’m open to trying. Recently I was introduced to Canadian brand, Karen For Good Health and have learned so much about their range of phytoplankton supplements, it deserves more details below. I feel like if more people knew about the benefits of phytoplankton, it would be the next ‘it’ wellness trend. Mark my words!

FIRST OF ALL, WHAT’S PHYTOPLANKTON?
Phytoplankton is a rich source of over 75 essential vitamins & minerals including antioxidants, zeaxanthin (important nutrient for eye health), beta-carotene (essential for healthy skin, immune system & eyes), and SOD (Superoxide Dismutase). Besides the vitamins + minerals present in Karen Phytoplankton, the supplement has PLENTY of other benefits, here are just a few:

+ rich in omega-3 fatty acids
+ rich in essential amino acids
+ is a complete protein
+ is an excellent source of chlorophyll, the main producer of most of the oxygen we breathe
+ is easily absorbed by the body
+ grown from seed and made into a compressed tablet for easy delivery
+ benefits the immune system
+ improves cellular function
+ helps detoxify the body for optimal health
+ clean
+ vegan
+ allergen free

The bio-availability of Phytoplankton is also very high, meaning that your body absorbs Karen for Good Health and more efficiently uses the nutrients.

Karen For Good Health has 3 products currently available online: Karen Daily, Karen Ageless & Karen Optimum.

Daily is specially formulated to provide these nutrients in a concentrated form, making it an easy and convenient way to support overall health and wellness. Karen For Good Health is backed by science, the world leaders in research & development, Health Canada approved & now available at Costco!!! Not only is that super convenient, but it also means we can take advantage of the cost savings here, too. If you’re into savings, you also have the option to sign up for their subscription bundle here, to get your supplements delivered right to your door. For online subscriptions, customers can try Karen for Good Health for less than a dollar a day, with a money-back guarantee and free shipping on all orders.

Another phytoplankton strain they offer worth noting is called ‘Ageless’. It is registered with Health Canada to maintain immune function and helps in the development and maintenance of bones, cartilage, teeth & gums, wound healing, collagen formation and protect cells from oxidative stress and free radical damage. 

I could seriously go on & on about these!! But I’ll leave it at that!