(w)healthy wednesdays

Good Morning to you, my wonderful reader!

I'm glad to introduce you to my new blog subject: (w)healthy wednesdays! As the title suggests, health is the core of these posts and I wanted to add a little w to it, since I think health is our wealth. My journey has been quite a colourful one, especially because I've been such an all or nothing girl. Health to me is not just a diet or dress size, but my approach to it is more holistic. I don't count calories or deny myself every bit of fun and if you're a follower of my Instagram feed, you'll see that I'll take the freedom of going with the moment at times. But I think we have been blessed with such magnificent bodies that taking care of it should be common sense. Personally I didn't understand that until I learned to value myself from the inside out. I think that everything we believe on the inside naturally reflects on the outside and the way we treat ourselves exposes those beliefs. Because of our societies obsession on appearance, health is often linked with looking a certain way and that being the sole motivation for making any changes. I honestly don't think that those kind of exterior motivators can build a wholesome foundation for big lifestyle changes and quite frankly, they rarely fuel enough to make those changes permanent (unless you're incredibly self-disciplined or somewhat obsessed). Being healthy is not some quick fix, super diet, loose 10kg in a week kind of foolishness. I don't have all the answers, I'm not a "professional" and I don't want to make it seem like I am. I just want to invite you to be part of my journey of pursuing health and share about what has worked for me, what makes me passionate about this subject and why I think we all should highly value it.

My posts are going to vary from my thoughts on nutrition to stress and everything in between, also working through it on a deeper lever than just the general how-tos. I eat a gluten and dairy free diet (which I am going to go into further detail in upcoming posts) because that's what works best for me right now. So today I wanted to share my favourite breakfast recipe. I'm not a chef, which you'll come to notice, and I promise you that all the recipe's I'll share are going to be simple enough for anyone to prepare, with this one falling perfectly into that category.

In english this is called overnight-oats but the Finnish translation works better with my recipe, which is fresh-porridge (tuorepuuro), because instead of letting it soak overnight I make it in the morning and let it prepare for however long it takes me to get ready. My mother taught me this trick long before all the raw-food hype, because she never liked the traditional cooked oat porridge, and I've been a fan ever since (thanks Mami:)). The best part of it is, that you can spice it up exactly the way you like. Fresh berries, fruit, seeds, nuts, cocoa nibs and powders all work great and the list of add-ons is endless. The oats and chia seeds create the perfect base, but if your not a fan of chia seeds or don't have them at hand, you can make this with just oats as well. In upcoming posts I'm also going to explain more about subjects like super foods, why I eat them and if they're even necessary.

This is the version I'm currently obsessing about:

0,5 dl (1/4 cup) Oats

2 Tbsp Chia Seeds

1 Tbsp Rice Protein Powder (chocolate flavoured)

1 Tbsp Bee Pollen

1,5 dl (2/3 cup) milk (I use rice, oat or almond milk)

Mix all the dry ingredients in the cup, pour the milk and let the oats and chia seeds absorb the fluid until it's the consistency you like (for me 15min does the trick). Enjoy!

I hope you'll find (w)healthy wednesdays just as exciting as I feel about writing them! If you're left with any questions or thoughts you want to share, feel free to comment below :)

xxx

Music Monday

Valentines Day came and went, bringing me a lot of thoughts to ponder on. In Finland Valentines Day is not really celebrated as the day of lovers but of friends and even the name of the day is Friendship Day. Our Valentines Day was different this year due to sudden changes of plans. Flowers, gifts and special date arrangements are all wonderful and I'm definitely one who loves to be spoiled with my husband pursuing me. Having a break from the ordinary is something we all need from time to time, but yesterday led me to meditate on what love is really about.
I stumbled upon this quote: "How do you love when love is not returned? Real love doesn't look for a return. It loves for the sheer sake of loving…" We all have the need to be loved and being in relationships where those needs are never met isn't healthy, but the essence of love is exactly this; to lay ones life for another. The past years in our marriage I've began to realise that instead of making sure that my needs are met, I've shifted the focus on making sure that I'm loving my husband well. Obviously I still communicate my needs clearly, but whether those needs are met or not, there's never an excuse for me to turn off my love for him. I'm lucky to have a man with the greatest and sweetest heart I know and loving him is my privilege. Getting to the point of loving for the sheer sake of loving and really not expecting anything in return is something I'm still learning, but the shift it brings to a relationship is very real. As I've stated before, love is the most powerful force in this world, but to get to dive into it and experience it in all it's fullness requires sacrifice and vulnerability. Sacrifice in letting go of selfishness and vulnerability in opening up to other person and giving the greatest gift, love, even with the risk of not getting it in return. But the reward far overweighs the cost.

I think I could go on forever with this subject and I know I'll never stop writing about it, but to get you to hear todays song I'll have stop at some point. :) Todays pick is old school and goes well with the subject. Aaliyah had the chance to only put out two albums, but both of them have been on a constant rotation on my playlists. I love this song because of it's simplicity and her silky smooth vocals. It really is the perfect love song for any date night. And now it's finally time for you to get to enjoy it as well!



xxx

Spring Will Come

Picking out this outfit I felt like I wanted to rebel. Rebel against the endlessly grey weather with its "freezing drizzle" (that was the name for the day on my weather app when we took these pics), rebel against the all black outfits I've slid into and make a declaration: Spring will come. For now it's only in my heart, but soon I'll be hearing those birds sing and feel the sun on my skin. As I was walking against an insanely strong wind that numbed my face and limbs, I had a moment of realisation. Surviving these cold and dark winter months with a joyful and positive attitude makes me strong. For those of you who have always lived in a sunshine state this might sound foreign, but the concept in general is that when things that keep you in your comfort zone are taken away, you have to learn new ways of living and it's exactly those moments and seasons that build us up like no other. The past fall and winter have been very challenging. A lot of some previously self-evident comforts have been pulled away and at times I've felt on the edge of things. But in the midst of it all I've had the chance to learn…learn how to stand still when the storms are raging. How to abide in peace when nothing seems to go as planned. How to rejoice even before the tide turns. 

We are often taught to avoid pain, risks and anything that might shake our serenity. Obviously there's no point in throwing yourself under a bus (please never do that), but there are seasons in our lives where if we want to go further and grow, we have to walk towards the pain and make choices that won't have a guaranteed happy ending. I've learned that when I'm feeling pain, instead of numbing it with a busy schedule or mindless TV, it usually is an opportunity for me to develop. The most painful and scariest things in my life have turned into the most fruitful, if I've allowed myself to walk through the process. My attitude is what defines wether these seasons of adversities become a discouragement, slowing me down or a new strength, releasing new life inside of me. We can read countless stories of successful people who had to walk through fire to get to where they are now. I don't think that's a coincidence. It's those very moments that prepared them for what was ahead. 

If you feel like you're walking through fire at the moment, don't give up. This is your moment to dig a deeper well and learn to live from the inside out. This problem in front of you is basically your next upgrade. Don't let the way things seem pull you under, but make your declaration, whatever that looks like for you, that spring will come. 

xxx

Photos by Adriana Dobrin

Dress: H&M

Down Jacket: Lindex

Beanie: Carhartt

Shoes: Ralph Lauren

Crossbody: Kipling