February is Hibernation Month

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So I decided to make February a month of Hibernation. Meaning other than work or the gym, for the most part I am taking a month off from...well....life. I mean, I'm not disappearing or anything, but I'm trying to take this month to work on being healthier, focus on my work, save a little money and rest and relax.

This means no eating out, no going out, minimal consumption of alcohol and processed foods, and doing some detoxing.

So far, I'm doing pretty good! It takes more planning to make/have food available all the time, but it also eliminates any decisions of where to eat or go out. And when people ask, I've been honest and said that I'm hibernating and not eating out this month but they are welcome to come see me at my house! I'm a fun host. (At least I like to think so!)

So what am I going to do with my time instead? I have so many things planned for myself!

  • Clean out my closet
  • Reorganize my closet
  • Rearrange my room
  • Clean and rearrange my office
  • Read (and cut up) my magazines
  • Create new designs for the Etsy and Retail stores
  • Watch all seasons of Parenthood
  • Build a fort in my attic

As for eating, I've really tried to cut out a lot and I've done some food detoxing to eliminate my cravings for sugar and fried foods. After the holidays and eating so much sugar and crap, I craved it ALL THE TIME. And I just had to stop eating it. It's so bad for you and it truly becomes an addiction. I couldn't even eat eggs in the morning without syrup or pancakes. And that's when I knew it needed to stop.

So for the first week, I cut out all processed foods and dairy, and had a protein/green shake for breakfast and lunch, snacked on hummus/veggies and nuts throughout the day, and ate meat and veggies for dinner. Yes, it was tough at first, but now instead of craving sugar, I crave bananas and hummus/veggies.

I used to not really be a huge fan of protein shakes, but I've definitely come around. Here's my favorite recipe:

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Strawberry Banana Green Protein Shake

1/2 Cup Water

4-5 Fresh or Frozen Strawberries

1 Banana

Handful of Greens (I use spinach, but kale would work too!)

1 Scoop of Protein Powder (I use Egg White Strawberry because its dairy free and tastes delicious)

1/2 Cup Original Almond Milk

I usually put the ingredients in the blender in that order and just mix! You can't even taste the spinach, and it keeps me full for a while!  I also use it to take my supplements in the mornings.

You can replace the fruit with just about any fruit: pineapple, mango, peach, blueberry, raspberry, etc. But to keep sugars down, don't include too much! Your shake should still be green. And to cut down on calories or more sugar, you can replace the almond milk with unsweetened almond milk or more water.

You could also use chocolate almond milk, chocolate protein powder and a scoop of peanut butter for a chocolate peanut butter shake.

More to come on my hibernation month! Can't wait to share my new closet, bedroom, and office make-over!

What would you do during your hibernation?

xo, Johnna

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