🌼 Reset Your Sunday: Lymphatic Health, Watermelon Salad, & My Etsy Finds
Sunday R.E.S.E.T. #24
Hey, you ◡̈
We’re back again with another Sunday R.E.S.E.T. ☕️ Honestly, writing these recaps have become one of my favorite rituals.
I love sitting down, sipping from one of the three beverage options I always seem to have at my side (right now, it’s a smoothie, sparkling water, and some lukewarm coffee), and thinking through what I’ve been loving, learning, and looking forward to lately.
Sending them on Sunday makes me feel like we’re relaxing, sitting down for coffee (um, or smoothie… or sparkling water…) together, and just catching up. I hope it feels that way for you too. :)
✨ This week, the R.E.S.E.T. looks a little somethin’ like this…
👣 Recommending: the holistic health hack I’ve been focusing on lately.
🍉 Eating: This watermelon salad. Like, every single week.
👶🏻 Shopping: A curated list of my favorite etsy finds lately…
💻 Enjoying: My fave YouTube videos to watch in the background while I’m working (seriously, you have to try this)
🏡 Thinking about: Our latest house project (sharing my vision board design for my son’s, wait for it, BIG BOY ROOM. Gosh, designing kids’ rooms is so fun)
Let’s dive in, friends!
A health hack I am recommending is to focus on your lymphatic health— especially through lymphatic massage.
Briefly, your lymphatic system helps with immune function, fluid balance, and detoxification. It does so much for our bodies!
That said, unlike your circulatory system, which has the heart and arteries as a “pump”, the lymphatic system relies on body movement, muscle activity, and a healthy digestive system to keep things flowing. Because of this, it's easier for your lymphatic system to get sluggish or “backed up”, leading to skin issues, swelling, puffiness, and congestion.
Recently, I was feeling super puffy and just kind of … blah. Between the fluid retention of pregnancy and inflammation from a nasty cold, I was feeling noticeably swollen and just uncomfortable.
While I typically try to help my lymphatic system through more affordable techniques (dry brushing, hot/cold therapy, yoga, gua sha, exercise, breathwork, etc.), I happened to have a massage gift card from my 30th birthday (thanks, mom & dad!), so I booked a formal lymphatic massage. And it was magical!
This type of massage is much more gentle than a classic deep tissue massage, and uses strategic, gentle pressure to get the lymphatic system moving, reduce swelling, & support your immune system.
Truthfully, I’ve never invested in this type of massage before because it didn’t feel “worth it” since I prefer more deep tissue massages and I thought the light pressure would be more subtle, gentle, and, well, boring. But, wowza. I was amazed at how much it reduced my swelling! Like, I genuinely noted a major difference the day after. I was noticeably lighter and more comfortable, and I felt like it was the final step in clearing some some lingering congestion I had from the cold. Highly recommend!
That said, I know massages aren’t the most cost-efficient health hack so I wanted to share this youtube account gives some free, self-massage techniques for lymphatic health from a licensed massage therapist (FWIW, this specific one was SO helpful for helping relieve nasal/ear congestion from my head cold.)
Whether it’s a formal massage or just some self-massage, I definitely recommend giving it a shot if you are facing some puffiness, swelling, or fluid retention. It made a big difference for me!
As you guys know, I am passionate about SIMPLE recipes that incorporate beautiful, nourishing whole foods. And with summer and warmer weather finally here, I have been having this refreshing watermelon salad on repeat.
It couldn’t be simpler to throw together, and it’s fresh, light, easy, and full of unique flavors. Catch me whipping this bad boy up for barbecues all summer long!
Simply toss the following ingredients together in a bowl:
5ish cups of cubed watermelon
1 large cucumber, peeled & cut into small chunks
½ cup of crumbled feta cheese
2ish TBSP of finely chopped herbs (I would use either basil or mint)
Generous drizzle of balsamic glaze (different than plain balsamic vinegar!)
Generous drizzle of olive oil
Pinch of flaky sea salt
This dish just… tastes like summer. It couldn’t be simpler, or more delicious. Enjoy!
These are not necessarily things I’m buying, but rather a roundup of things I’ve seen and saved while browsing on etsy lately.
Etsy is forever of my favorite places to shop because there are tons of small businesses, artists, and creatives, and you can find such unique + quality stuff for a great price. I just love it! And, to save ya some time, I did the searching & curating for you ◡̈
Here are some recent etsy finds that have caught my eye: