I Went All the Way to Spain and All I Got You Was this Fall Reset
Much better than a t-shirt, I promise.
Friends,
I’m writing this on the tail end of my “re-entry phase” after spending a month on the road, working on two different story angles in Portugal and Spain.
That’s 30 days of operating on Central European Time, and let me tell you, last week… my body didn’t let me forget it.
Every night, my dear, sweet amiga Spanish Abbey💃 would wake me up at exactly 1:05 a.m. with firm instructions, “VAMOS.” (I swear to God she even stomped in my ear with those special flamenco shoes.) I’d ignore her, but she’d come back ~ at 2, 3, and 3:30. And each time, I’d reply using my best Castilian accent, “Cálmate, guapa. Es hora de dormir. “(Calm down, b!$%^ beautiful. It’s time to sleep.)
As one can imagine, being awakened nightly by one’s Spanish alter ego, all dressed up and ready to 💃, does not help with daytime productivity.
I was a wreck, feeling like I had a weeklong case of the Mondays.
Which obviously makes sense. At least that’s what my alien team told me when I asked how long my jet lag would last. They referred me to the Sleep Foundation, who said, “When returning from Spain to the US, travelers usually cross 6-8 time zones, which means the body may take about 6-8 days to fully adjust, though many people start feeling better after 3-5 days.”
Well, the good news is they were right. It’s been 8 days, and I’m back, baby.
And even though my husband editor says, “Stop writing about your trip, your people don’t want to hear it again…” I still have things to share.
So in an effort to keep my editor quiet happy, this newsletter is a compromise.
I’m not going to tell you more about my trip…
Rather, I’m going to talk about the magical thing that happens when one travels. (As in anywhere - around the world or across the street to Velma’s for bridge club.)
It turns out that breaking away from our homes & daily routines exposes us to new ways of living, eating, thinking, and relating to people.
We see that it’s not our way or the highway, but that the world is actually full of highways.
At least that’s what happened to me on my trip. By visiting different cities, meeting many people, and having all sorts of amazing experiences, I got ideas for reshaping how I live. I didn’t just observe new eating routines, I lived them.
I observed new ways to do things to be more balanced and productive. I took note of colors and design styles. I analyzed European fashion, studying Spanish women (who always look stylish) like a middle school girl studies the cool older high school girls.
And I realized something.
Regardless of where we live or where we travel, we’re all looking for new ways to be better each day.
That’s how we make sense of this crazy world, and that’s how we grow.
And because of that, the rest of this newsletter contains links and ideas I picked up either on my trip or because of my trip… that can help with a life reset. (Big or small.)
Are you ready to roll?
💃 VAMOS 💃
THE FALL RESET
ORGANIZING MY HOME, BIZ, & LIFE: I came back from Europe realizing I need systems - for packing, my business, home, and healthy eating. What luck that I found a podcast covering almost all of those topics. Listen as entrepreneur Jenna Kutcher shares the systems she uses to create order in her life. (THIS IS GOOD!)
JOIN ME IN CLEAN-VEMBER? I’m not going to lie. I had a bit of wine last month. (I was trying to assimilate…wine at lunch is normal in Spain and Portugal. Right?) Therefore, Saturday marks the start of Clean-Vember, where I’ll put the brakes on 🍷 and replace it with water, non-alcoholic wine, and mocktails with health benefits—like Hi-Yo. I bought these glasses to make hydration more fun. I’m also looking to feature mocktail recipes — send yours, please!
CLEAN EATING What struck me most in Portugal and Spain was their Mediterrenean diet that focuses on fresh food prepared simply, with high quality ingredients. Fresh seafood with good olive oil and salt, so many fruits and vegetables, and simple dinners. I wish my friend Rodrigo had a YouTube channel (I’d link it here) because I think the way he and his wife/my pal Rocio eat could be my food bible - breakfast is fresh mango/melon/berries (whatever’s in season) with Greek yogurt and seeds and honey. Lunches are salads with lettuce, heirloom tomatoes, olives, tuna and/or salmon, white asparagus, olive oil. Dinners are all clean food prepared simply with high quality olive oil and delicious cheese and olives to accompany.
ADDING DIFFERENT KINDS OF MOVEMENT In addition to adding more steps to my day (I walked everywhere in Europe and loved it.), I’m trying this new (to me) Tibetan exercise sequence that I swear is going to be mainstream soon. You just watch. (Here’s a 20 minute sequence of the “Five Movements” aka The Fountain of Youth, if you’d rather follow that.)
SPEAKING OF THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH AND INNER PEACE I’m watching the 7 secrets of longevity from Tibetan monks, also looking into gifting wellness products for Christmas, and though not scientifically backed I think this treat could enhance my quality of life and bring world peace if shared globally. Plus, here are some microhabits to look younger. Yes, please.
MORE SAUNA (Not to be confused with More Cowbell) Have you noticed the buzz about the benefits of infrared sauna time? We’ve had one for a few years (and I love it), and I'm upping my days from 3 to 5 as we head into the winter. The life-changing benefits to infrared sauna use are crazy… improved heart health, pain relief, muscle recovery, relaxation and stress reduction, and enhanced sleep quality.
MORE Z’S: My sleep has been really messed up since I got back, so I’m pulling out all the stops to get more of it. One of the main ways is through sleep meditations like this one. And, I found something new that’s really helping with my sleep. It’s a handheld device called the Moonbird, which is actually a breathing coach to help you practice slow, deep breathing to reduce anxiety, manage stress, and improve sleep quality. I was skeptical at first, but it really works! If you’d like to try Moonbird, I have a code! Use ABBEY35974 for a $10 discount.
SCALING BACK ON
