Last Wednesday I had the honor of interviewing my dear friend and client(since 2012) Abha Sharma of Health Has No Finish Line for my new limited series Wine and Wardrobe with Rayne on IG Live. We talked about closet audits, her favorite stylish pieces and life changing ways to view food and to how stay healthy during the stay home COVID lockdown. The takeaways from this episode was a statement necklace in her color palette is a must have, all the tips and tricks she learned in her continuous style revamps over eight years still holds true, and nutrition experts, like her, have vices too. More chocolate anyone? Watch the show here!
If your eating is off, you’re not alone! Eating too many carbs, lunch while standing and trying to occupy my baby’s attention, and going to the store too many times a week because we don’t know what to cook is the norm. In addition to the Wine and Wardrobe fun first episode, I asked her these questions just for us!:
Rayne: Have you been pigging out like the rest of us?
Abha: Of course! I am human and experience many of the same emotions as others are going through right now; fear, uncertainty, and anxiety are just a few. The other day I noticed I was bloated and did an eating behaviors journal on myself (which is one of the tools my clients learn early on) and noticed I was bingeing on snacks. This was correlated with when I had just watched the news or been on social media! That introspection is so helpful. And being kind to yourself – the biggest advice I can give to those watching.
Rayne: How have our eating habits changed since the Coronavirus?
Abha: We’ve all heard “drinking wine in moderation can be good for your health”. There is definitely a lot more emotional eating. Everyone has been affected by the virus – whether it be actual illness – themselves or a loved one – financial loss, overall adjustment to a newer way of life, disappointment, and all of those emotions I mentioned earlier. For parents, some of them are homeschooling for the first time – AND juggling working from home.
Journaling is so helpful in general, but especially right now. I know that for working parents figuring out WHEN to do this is challenging right now, but if you have to “go to the bathroom” for 5-10 minutes of you time. Take your pen and notebook. Note down how you feel AFTER you snack beyond the point of fullness, and what you felt before and during that.
Rayne: How can we make drinking wine healthier?
Just like that piece of chocolate or cake, look at wine as an indulgence – something you enjoy instead of putting it on a forbidden list. If you put things on a “bad” list – that can lead to feelings of guilt rather than enjoyment when you do partake in them. And that can lead to overeating and binging, and disordered eating.
But really what does that mean? There are many definitions, but one from the USDA is up to seven drinks in a week – so in other words a 5 ounce glass of wine every night (which is a serving) is moderate drinking.
Light to moderate drinking seems to be good for the heart and circulatory system, helping reduce your risk of cardiac arrest and clot-caused stroke by 25 to 40 percent. Why is that? Possibly, alcohol consumption raises HDL (“good”) cholesterol or it could be that moderate drinking reduces stress.
But if you don’t currently drink wine – it doesn’t mean you need to start or replace other foods with it! If you choose to drink, enjoy it. But don’t do it specifically because you’re stressed and cope, to keep other people company, or because of its possible health benefits.
It is helpful to journal – Notice how alcohol affects your thoughts, emotions, assumptions, and general perspective on life.
It is always helpful to analyze your drinking patterns – if you find yourself drinking more than what is considered moderate on a consistent basis, discuss this with your health coach AND doctor. I have a great worksheet that looks into all aspects of your drinking habits that viewers can DM me for if they are interested.
Rayne: How can we improve eating at home so we don’t have to keep going to the store?
Abha: Make a list of “go-to” recipes that use mostly a mix of dry goods (like beans, lentils and grains) and frozen produce. I’ve definitely noticed that the initial WIPEOUT of the frozen section and canned goods section that we saw end of March/Beginning of April has really settled, so you can definitely stock up on those things – a lot of stores are putting limits on quantities, but you should be good for a week’s worth of meals planned out.
Even for breakfast, you could have your overnight oats for all seven mornings if you buy one of those alternamilks in a Tetrapak and use frozen instead of fresh fruit. Afternoon snacks can be a mixed of raw nuts, seeds raisins and some chocolate chips. I also love the Instapot! There are tons of guides on line to freezing certain produce bought fresh.
Rayne: What is a easy recipe we can all grab for people who aren’t into cooking?
Abha: One Pan Soup! Click for ingredients and how to make it.
Contact Abha for a free self discovery call and mention my name for 10% off her program. I am not receiving any affiliate fee. The benefits of working with Abha our life-changing. You won’t regret it.
