Personally, I don't have much of a liking for Valentines day. I think it usually ends in overspending to show your affection when you could just spend time together, or it ends in disappointment. I have found that if I never have any expectations for this day, I am usually pleasantly surprised. Last Valentine's Day Kevin and I took a stab at making fried calamari, which turned out fine, but is not something I would eat now. This year we are going with a group of friends to trivia night at a local brewery, then Kevin and I are going to my place to make cauliflower crust pizza (recipe to come in another post).
This weekend when I visited Spokane, my mom and I tried making cauliflower crust greek pizza that turned out marvelous! The only problem was that it was not a very "nutritarian-friendly" recipe. It included 2 cups of shredded mozzarella and two eggs per 4 servings. So tonight, I am going to try to nutritarian-ify it (I will have whole wheat pitas on standby). For my side of the pizza I will be having greek ingredients, while Kevin will have his side with meat and cheese, but he'll have to have a salad on the side! I'll be posting this recipe in the next few days depending on how things go :)
Valentine's Day should not just focus on others, but also on learning to love yourself. This has been a struggle for me over the years. In the past it has been so easy to find flaws within myself, especially physically. All through high school I never felt like the pretty and skinny girl, but when I look back now at pictures I think: "What the hell was I thinking!? I was in such better shape back then than I am now!" It has made me realize that I need to love who I am right now, and not to focus on my flaws I want to change.
One such "flaw" I've focused on has been my weight. In the past, I have always been focused on that perfect number I thought I wanted to be at, which is frankly exhausting and not a healthy way to think. Then just this morning, I had realized that I hadn't weighed myself since nearly New Years (where I was pretty high after the holidays), so I hopped on and saw that I was six pounds lower than the last time I weighed. It felt good to know that I had been making at least some of the right choices. This number however means less to me than it used to, a more exciting thing that happened this week was that I fit more comfortably into a pair of my skinny jeans, now that's something to celebrate about!
Another thing about loving yourself is to do things for yourself to show how much you do care about your mental and physical health. Here are 10 things I love to do for myself to show that I love me (in no particular order):
1. Spend time stretching and meditating to my favorite music:
I love yoga and pilates while listening to Amos Lee, Ray LaMontagne, and Adele.
2. Set aside time to do my hair so that I feel special and pretty:
I've been trying hair styles from this blog now that my hair is getting longer.
3. Paint my nails so that I feel unique and fun:
I've been trying out new colors to see what I want to use for my wedding day, like this, this, and this one.
4. Remove temptations of things I should do less, like drinking alcohol and eating non-nutritarian foods:
I've been putting wine, beer, and liquor out of site unless it is a special occasion, and have removed most of the processed, unhealthy foods out of the apartment.
5. Treat myself to a hot un-caffinated drink to give myself that fuzzy warm feeling:
Today I am having hot green tea with honey for my slightly sore throat.
6. Exercise my body, cardio and strength:
Yesterday I did ten miles on the exercise bike, and leg and core workouts. Tomorrow it will be power walking uphill with arm and core workouts.
7. Let myself depend on and love others:
I try to ask for help when I need it, which has been hard for me to do in the past. And show Kevin that I love and appreciate him every day.
8. Keep promises to myself:
When I say that I'm going to clean the kitchen or my room, I do it, and I always feel so good when it's done.
9. I complement myself daily:
"Wow Amy, you are so good in the kitchen, I think you could even get a polar bear to eat nutritarian!"
or
"Go you for looking great in those jeans!"
10. I forgive myself:
I forgive my mistakes of the past with school, friends, or boyfriends.
I also forgive myself for the bad food choices I make, and do better the next day.
What do you like to do to show love to yourself?
So excited about that hair styles blog! Going to try out a few myself. :)
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