Sh*t that Feels Good.

2023 Vol. 01

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Hello and welcome 2023, and to everyone who signed up for this newsletter in the last few days, Hi Hi! Your presence is so welcome. I have to assume that a lot of you are probably doing Dry January and popped on over here thinking the Sober Glow must have tons of resources for us curious non-drinkers & readers.

And the answer to that is both yes and no.

Yes, in that I have been living an alcohol-free lifestyle for over seven years, and I love to resource anyone who is interested in doing the same. And the way in which I do that here in this subscription (both free and paid) newsletter is by sharing my story, sharing the stories of this community, answering your questions, creating spaces to meet each other live (over zoom, but hopefully, IRL too), offering classes to get out of your head and into your body and of course giving comfort and/or advice when needed.

Also no. I pretty much talked for six years straight, strictly on and around the choice to live alcohol-free. I did so much talking that I talked myself out a bit. And with that, burned it all down. And by burn, I mean I archived all my old IG posts (circa 10/2021) knowing only two things at the time. One, I needed a breather, and two, I wanted to get off socials and have more of an intimate space where I shared about ALL THE THINGS THAT FEEL GOOD to me, and not just about the lack of alcohol in my life.

Enter The Feel Good Studio, which was announced in July 2022.

Why “Feel Good”? Well, when it comes down to the bare bones of life, my number one priority is to feel good. The roots of feeling good will always be choosing this AF life, but there is so much more after that choice. And the way we can feel good is by feeling it ALL. I am not a proponent of ignoring all other feelings. In fact, quite the opposite. I believe we must feel deeply into all of them in order to recognize and choose what it is we want to bring into our physical, mental, and emotional landscape. We have to honor and take care of all aspects of ourselves in order to clear out the gunk and get down to the basic level of being able to walk around in our skin with the utmost clarity and ease.

So before I get into the meat of today’s Sh*t that Feel Goods email, here are a few quick links for anyone new here:

I am also a Registered Nurse, wellness advocate, and big cheerleader for keeping things simple, and all this bleeds into everything I do.

How to share your story with the Feel Good Community.

The ultimate Quit-Lit(+) book list.

QUICK COMMUNITY REMINDER:

For the paid subscribers of the Feel Good Studio. Every Saturday this month, we will be hosting Happy Hour! For the first 30min, I will be answering questions that come in from the community (this will be recorded and posted) then the second half will be a community check-in and chat, which will not be recorded. A link will be sent out Friday evening. If you would like me to answer any questions, please:

1. Post them at the bottom of this email

2. Email me directly

3. DM me in IG

4. Post in the App on chats - I will have a thread there

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SH*T THAT FEELS GOOD VOL. 01

*All pictures are via Pinterest or my own. PS I am bringing Pinterest back into my life because I love the sh*t out of it. Give me Pinterest over IG, TikTok, twitter twat, and so on.

Currently reading:

Stress Less, Accomplish More. Meditation for Extraordinary Performance by Emily Fletcher. Yes, still reading it. I started it before our book club pick and am now picking it up again to finish.

*Quick note on meditation. I will die on this cross, so forgive me if you have heard me bang on about the difference between mindfulness and meditation a million times. Most things promoted online are mindfulness, and they are wonderful. However, true deep rest (meditation) is done on your own. It’s quiet, it’s not following along with someone guiding you. It’s not controlling or stopping or refusing thoughts (which is impossible). It’s the most loving, sweet, healing, quiet time away from the outside world. Seriously, if someone said, “please go to your room, shut your eyes, get warm and cozy in the most comfortable position and you don’t have to worry about anything, or do anything, or listen to anyone, or any of the other ten thousand things you have to do and think about in a day…. all you have to do is nothing. Wouldn’t we all be running to do this?” When I learned TM (transcendental meditation), I felt like I was finally home and had all my questions about true meditation answered. It was a homecoming for me, and I really want to share that feeling with everyone who will allow me. In Emily’s book, she goes into detail on mindfulness - meditation - manifestation, which altogether make up her version of Vedic mediation, called Ziva. Or the Z technique.

If meditation were a winter outfit:

Next up on the nightstand:

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport. I can’t believe I haven’t read this book yet.

and

Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May.

**We may do another book club on Wintering or some version of a book club.

Many of you know my husband is a voracious reader. In 2020 he picked up and hasn’t put down. At the end of each year, he releases his entire reading list, and then he categorizes them into genres and his favorites. I asked him if I could share with you guys his 2022 full reading list and thoughts on the top ten. However, when I checked in with him to get the list, he was on his fourth page without an end in sight. Given that he is seemingly writing a novel himself, I will share his list at another time this month.

Feel Good Listens:

*My Breathwork teacher David Elliot

*I was gifted a Jui Jitsu pink belt program for Christmas. Given I don’t know anything about Jui Jitsu, I started doing some research. Loved this one with Royce Gracie. PS, I watched a couple of fights on youtube. Jiu Jitsu is no joke. I’m a little hesitant.

*I love no-bullshit, science-based/evidence-based best practices and the people who live by them.

*Last spring, I became privy to Jessica Kraus from @houseinhabit. I am obsessed, and though I don’t agree with everything she says and writes about. I absolutely love following her. She is the type of woman I am completely intrigued by. She makes me think. She questions everything. She has balls of steel. And she doesn’t give AF. She’s not for everyone, but who is?

• Joe and I recently went to the Joan Didion exhibit at the Hammer Museum here in Westwood. I know a little about Joan, but not a lot. Mostly what I learned in her Netflix documentary. Here is an article, her first to be published in Vogue. A great lesson to be had. VOGUE ARTICLE.

• Build or Break Habits Using Science-Based Tools by Andrew Huberman

• Why New Year Resolutions are Unsustainable.

• For my Dry January folks, or anyone who has not made the correlation between the habit of drinking and the habit of not drinking yet. Read Atomic Habits by James Clear! It’s the best (non) quit-lit book out there.

• What is Dry January? - from a scientific viewpoint (you know I love this).

• And another research study on short-term abstinence.

• Ok, more candy-type reads: This, and this.

Ok, not a read, but a great watch for people curious about how questioning their own drinking can truly lead to great change in their lives. Another fight I will always and forever fight - YOU DON’T HAVE TO HAVE A PROBLEM WITH DRINKING FOR DRINKING TO BE A PROBLEM! YOU CAN QUIT ANYTIME FOR ANY REASON.

Here’s my hot take on Dry January and anyone who is considering trying it out. Wonderful! You have my full support. Even just considering it is a step forward for some. I am not one who likes to yell about how people are doing it wrong or not giving respect and kissing rings of the OG sober social media influencers, being a “sober tourist,” or not quitting the traditional way. These are examples of things that DON’T feel good to me. They are not welcoming, and they give this community a bad rep. Personally, I have been on the receiving end of this. It’s not fun to be newly sober and to have strangers yell at you about not doing it the right way, their way.

I am all for anyone and everyone who wants to give it a go for whatever reason they see fit.

Of course, there are jackasses who do DJ just to make fun of it. I am not talking about those people. I am talking about any person who truly wants to see if they can benefit from taking a break. So whether you make it the whole month or you just take a few days off more than usual, I am over here cheering you on.

If you are someone who has been alcohol-free for some time now, may I invite you to be welcoming and supportive to anyone who is curious about doing the same for themselves. Even if they want to quit for different reasons or they go about it in a way that is different than your way.

Ok, I am slowly stepping off my soapbox.

Magnesium (great overview). Such an important mineral and yet so overlooked. But which one should you be taking? How much? And what route?

Make sure you know which Magnesium you want/need.

• A simple run-down of the types of magnesium and the benefits of each (there are multiple types)

• For constipation - Magnesium Citrate (go slow when introducing this)

• For sleep - 145mg Magnesium Threonate or 200mg Magnesium Bisglycinate (glycinate), as per Andrew Huberman

• I take this one pre-bed. Throw in a shot of tart cherry juice for taste and added sleep benefits.

• If you don’t want to drink magnesium, try this capsule or this spray or take a bath and soak with this.

• And while we are on the topic of sleep - check out my favorite herbalist, RR, talking all things herbal sleep remedies.

I decided to hold myself accountable via IG stories and share my movement journey again for the year 2023. I hesitated because I truly am trying to move away from the app. But in the words of a friend, “there is nothing like outing yourself in front of thousands of people who will call you out if you don’t do what you said you would do.”

In December, the Feel Good Studio community did a 31-day movement challenge together. Any type of movement every day, 20 minutes minimum. Each day we had a check-in via the substack APP chat. Ladies from all over would check in after completing their movement of choice. We even got some great photos which was the sweetest part. Here’s what some people had to say about it!

• “Thank you for this challenge. It was a great way to end the year. xoxo” - MP

• “A wonderful way to end the year” - TD

• “I have shifted to an attitude of having the privilege of moving my body and it’s made a huge difference” - S

• “Movement is so important for me and I appreciate the community here!” - KP

• “Looking forward to reclaiming me” - K

• “This is such a great community! Grateful for y’all” - SR

• “Thank you for the challenge Mia, loved being a part of it and seeing everyone’s posts, pretty awesome” - J

• “Y’all this is so great to see and read! What a powerful group of women! I’m impressed” - SR

• “I look forward to chilly walks in the dark everyday now” - AR

• “I resigned to missing one day but then I saw your check in post and thought UGH yes this is true! So I had 5 in me. I would never had done that had I not seen that reminder. Thanks Mia!” - S

• “Before this challenge I would have easily talked myself out of doing anything” - S

• “MVMNT feels more like self-love” - A

• “Great way to start the day” - TD

• “Loving the focus on “feeling good” - ZW

The thing is, we all know that we should be moving our bodies. And as we age, having flexibility and strength need to be the main priority. I found that with having to change how I work out, I needed to include accountability as well. Because change is hard AF. This is where IG, hiring a trainer, and adding in challenges with tFGS has been a game changer for me. And I hope that I am able to convey this in the best way with my public accountability and consistency.

NOURISH YOURSELF WELL!

Let’s talk about a very sexy food category - Fiber. Hey look, if you wanna feel good, fiber is a great way to start. Proper elimination is imperative, and fiber is key to making that happen.

Are you getting enough of it? More than likely, probably not. And it’s not just you. Most Americans don’t eat enough. According to Dr. Mark Hyman -

“You need fiber to keep healthy from top to bottom, as well as to provide food for the healthy bacteria that work within you to promote health.
Today, the average American eats about 8 grams of fiber a day. But the average hunter and gatherers ate 100 grams from all manner of roots, berries, leaves and plant foods. And the fiber is what helped those ancestors of ours stay healthy. Just take a look at all the good things that fiber can do for your body.
In fact, fiber can actually prevent obesity and all the chronic disease of aging. This is because fiber slows the rate at which food enters your bloodstream and increases the speed at which food exits your body through the digestive tract. That keeps your blood sugar and cholesterol in ideal balance — and quickly eliminates toxins from your gut and reduces your appetite.
You should shoot to get 30 to 50 grams of fiber into your diet every day. The type of fiber you choose is important, too.
You’ll find soluble fiber in fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, and most whole grains. The bacteria in your gut metabolizes the soluble fiber in these foods, and that’s when the benefits start.
Soluble fiber can help lower cholesterol, blood sugar, and insulin, prevent cancer, balance hormone levels, remove excess estrogen and reduce the risk of breast cancer, make vitamins and minerals, provide food for the colon cells, and more. So it’s easy to see just how crucial soluble fiber is to good health!”

Insoluble Fiber vs Soluble Fiber

Insoluble - Roughage. Does not dissolve in water. Bulking fiber absorbs things through the digestive tract. Feeling full, good for constipation, helpful elimination.
Soluble - Dissolves in water, gel - emollient, slippery and slimy, good for gut health, moisturizing through the whole tract.

Excellent prebiotic fibers - chia seeds, flax seeds, acacia fiber, inulin fiber, psyllium husk.

Mia’s fiber & protein packed AM smoothie:

• 2-3 TBSP chia seeds (10-15g fiber, 4-6g protein)

• 2 TBSP flaxseed meal (5g fiber, 4g protein)

• 2 scoops Naked Pea protein powder (27g protein)

• 1/2 sweet potato (roughly 4g fiber)

• 1/3 cup organic frozen berries (2-4g fiber)

• 1 scoop Amazing Grass (3g fiber)

• 1 scoop maca (1g fiber)

• 1 scoop cacao (2g fiber)

• 4 ice cubes + water (you can also use a milk of your choice)

That’s a whopping 27-34g of fiber in one single meal!

** When starting to increase fiber in your diet, GO SLOW. If you add too much, too soon, you will probably have some abdominal upset. There is nothing worse than a rock-hard bloated belly doing the opposite of what you intended it to do.

**Also, I am a huge fan of chia seeds and will put them in everything. However, not everyone gets on well with chia seeds. So again, test them out slowly.

I am a big fan of Dr. Will Bulsiewicz. Here is his book: Fiber Fueled

And here he is giving TONS of info on two episodes of the RR podcast: