Forest bathing during the fall is my favourite activity/self-care practice – which is why my phone is full of pictures of trees and leaves lately (not to mention I’m still in study mode, and walking is my only escape outside). I visited my ND this week (remember: you cannot serve from an empty vessel), and realized that although I go for these instagrammable-walks, I’m just not as active as I used to be – and it’s catching up with me. And the thing is, I know what my body needs (running and HIIT) – but keeping a routine is tough for me. So, here’s to making more of an effort to do what my body needs (paleo+hummus, exercise, quiet time, meditative walks) and letting go what doesn’t serve me anymore. After all, autumn (and the TCM element of the large intestine) is all about letting go – it’s time to embrace it.

Here’s what I’m loving this week

Busy-Bragging is Ruining Your Period / If you have yet to check it out, read my latest article about stress and it’s awful effects on your period – and what you can do to change it up. Not to mention I have a fun little quiz at the bottom of the post!

Wellness Guide for the 20-something / I’m reaching the end-point of my 20s, but have adopted some wellness techniques that keep me going. In my 20s I: identified my food sensitivities – which helped clear up my skin and improve my digestion, introduced yoga and running into my routine (which really helped my anxiety), and I discovered my ferritin was low so I began to supplement with iron – and then included probiotics and a multi.

Natural Cycles / A new period tracker app that has you input your temperature each morning to help determine their natural fertility cycle. This is a non-hormonal option, which can help revolutionize they way we approach fertility.

Decreasing Breast Cancer Risk / You don’t need to buy a pink product to help decrease your risk of breast cancer. These are 6 great and effective ways to not only decrease your risk, but help improve your health overall! How many of these are you doing?

7-Day Mental Detox / My agenda is my lifesaver. While I love Google Calendar, there’s something about writing everything down that makes me remember it better. I’ve noticed that I’ve also begun to write down major things that I’ve accomplished each day to help jog my memory (am I getting to that age?).

Liver Qi Stagnation / Are you at risk for liver qi stagnation (which DOES contribute to your period symptoms)? Take my quiz to find out!