Rituals help develop meaningful, long-lasting habits. They promote positive behaviours that quickly become automated habits. Our future is not shaped by big decisions or events, but by our daily habits – it’s what you do repeatedly  that define who you become and they give us a sense of control.

Here, I share my daily health rituals to help keep my body at optimum levels of nutrition.

1. Warm lemon, water, ginger and cayenne pepper drink

Every day I start my morning with this drink. This traditional drink is known to kick-start your digestive system, adding Vitamin C and antioxidants to your diet. The ginger is warming and can be known to soothe nausea, and cayenne pepper gets rid of the toxins in your body, along with adding other vital nutrients. Please note, just keep it to a small squeeze of lemon and either drink it through a straw or follow up with a glass of water as the acid from the lemon can break down the enamel on your teeth.

2. A double shot of Nutrient Rescue

Nutrient Rescue produces freeze dried fruit and vegetable powders. Only the most nutritious New Zealand grown fruit and vegetables have been selected and then harvested at their absolute peak, then they’ve simply removed the water and preserved as many of those precious nutrients as possible. A daily Green & Red Double Shot is an easy and cost-effective way to increase your daily intake of nutrient-dense fruit and vegetables. I take a double shot every single day, ideally first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. To take a look at and give them a go, head on over to www.nutrientrescue.nz and use the code WICK01 to enjoy a 15% discount on your first and subsequent orders which will be applied automatically at checkout.

3. Three brazil nuts

Brazil nuts are nutritional powerhouses, providing healthy fats, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. They’re particularly high in selenium. Selenium is a mineral that acts as a protective antioxidant and it supports immunity. You only need one to three Brazil nuts a day to get all the selenium you require, because we only need this mineral in very small amounts.

4. A sprinkling of LSA on my breakfast or salads

A combination of ground linseed, sunflower seeds and almonds (I also add pumpkin seeds). The major nutritional benefits of LSA include the extra dietary fibre, minerals and essential fatty acids. You can put it into baking, smoothies, or just sprinkle it on your breakfast or on top of salads.

5. Lunch

I’ll always have a healthy lunch and my main goal is to make sure it’s nutritionally balanced with good amounts of protein, healthy fats, and fibre (as many veggies as possible) and slow release carbohydrates (which could come in the form of leafy green veggies). This stabilises my blood sugar levels and stops me having cravings in the afternoon. For a delicious lunch idea, check out this Savoury Vegetable Loaf to serve with salad or the various different salads in the Recipe Section. 

6. A snack in the afternoon

It’s a fine balance between overeating and under-eating. Ideally we should be eating every 3-4 hours, but not snacking all the time as we need to give our bodies the chance to break down and digest the food already in our system. In the afternoon, I’ll always have a snack, ensuring it’s healthy, which might be some carrots and hummus, grainy crackers and hummus, grainy crackers and cheese, some nuts, blueberries and yoghurt, just so it keeps those hunger pangs at bay, and so I don’t overeat in the evening.

7. Drink ample amounts of water

Water is involved in many processes in our body, including digestion, absorption, transportation, dissolving nutrients, temperature regulation and getting rid of waste products. Your body depends on water to survive. Every cell, tissue, and organ in your body needs water to work properly. I don’t go anywhere without my water bottle. If I’m in the car, it’s with me, if I’m at my desk it’s with me, if I’m around the house, it’s with me. So, if you’re not someone who drinks much water, make a concerted effort to include more in your diet.

8. Finish eating by 7.30pm

Ideally, it’s a great habit to get into not eating two hours before bedtime. This allows your body time to digest your food so you’re not going to bed on a full stomach. My cut off eating window is 7.30pm and following that, I only have a herbal tea. This also sets me up for my intermittent fasting routine of either fasting for 12-18 hours depending where I'm at in my cycle as it's important to vary our fasting lengths. Find out more about intermittent fasting in midlife HERE. 

So there you have it, my daily health rituals.

Remember, I’ve been doing this for a while so if these are new to you, I recommend you just choose one or two and give them a try, and then start introducing something else. If you try and introduce too many of them at once, it can be tricky to maintain and that could leave you feeling overwhelmed, frustrated and guilty that you haven’t managed to maintain them. Here’s to new beginnings and flourishing daily habits!

What do you think you’ll start with?