Four Things: Feb 17 2025 Edition

We’ve had some positive feedback on our Four Things posts! Thank you for following along to see what we’ve been READING, LOVING, PRACTICING, and COOKING! Whether it’s a new book, a wellness habit, or a favorite meal, we hope you find something here that inspires you.

Today’s edition is by Angela.

What I’m Reading

I am currently reading Weyward by Emilia Hart. “Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Emilia Hart’s Weyward is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world.” There’s empowerment, connection, and a bit of witchcraft. The downside is I have lost some sleep on this one only because I have been reading late into the night because I can’t put it down! And if we were to judge a book by its cover, how about this one? Isn’t it so pretty??

What I’m Loving

I’ve been feeling a bit overwhelmed and overbooked lately, and the stress definitely affects my mental health. So one thing I am LOVING lately is this notepad from Amazon that I keep on my desk to help me prioritize my day. It has been a great addition and it is very satisfying to cross things off my to-do list. I’m still using my daily planner for scheduling my time, but this notepad is replacing my clutter of multiple sticky notes and notepads on my desk.

What I’m Practicing

Right after I turned 50, I invested in myself and hired an online fitness and nutrition coach. I wrote about it here. I am still using the coach, but want to share more specifically about food tracking, because I think it has been the biggest part of my weight loss journey, which is why I still practice food tracking today. I am currently using the Macro Sync app but have also used My Fitness Pal in the past. It may seem tedious, but by tracking my food daily, I’m able to stay within my calories and protein intake calculated by my coach. And once I started seeing results, I was motivated to continue. Each app has pre-loaded, searchable food items that make tracking easier, and there’s even a feature to scan UPC codes to auto-load nutrition data (My Fitness Pal has a bigger scannable database from my experience, but I’m currently using Macro Sync because it integrates with my online coaching app). Plus, the more I track, the more of my usual meals and recipes I have entered in my app, which makes it easier to copy from day to day. By implementing this daily practice in my everyday health journey, I’ve learned a lot about foods and how they affect my health goals. And the longer I’ve been doing it, the less I have to actually track since I’m more in tune with my body and the consequences of what I put into it.

what i’m COOKING

Speaking of tracking food, the simpler the recipe, the easier to track. So when I find a recipe with minimal ingredients, it becomes part of a regular rotation for me. This 3-ingredient, protein pancake recipe is one I’ve shared previously on IG and am still making regularly for breakfast. It has a fluffy, souffle-like texture, and at 30g of protein, it easily meets my protein goal per meal.

And that’s my four things for this week. Stay healthy!