Balanced Life Leslie

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Balanced Life Leslie

I'm Leslie - a certified holistic health and wellness coach and Reiki practitioner.

Leslie McDonald is a certified health and wellness coach through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and Reiki practitioner who works with individuals eager to improve their relationship with food, fitness and body image. She approaches health and wellness holistically, analyzing factors such as relationships, career and physical activity to help clients improve all aspects of life while encou

raging them to make better food choices. Her goal as a health and wellness coach is to show others that a happier and healthier life is attainable.

08/19/2020

Pumps are working to extract milk from the breast just like a baby would during nursing. Below are some of my tricks to get the most out of each pumping session!

* start the pump on let down mode (Medela) or with short sucking motions to stimulate the let down of milk. Then, after 2 minutes, switch to long and slow pulls which mimics baby gulping the milk.
* double pump
* pump until there are no more milk droplets being pulled out, then hit the let down button again to stimulate another letdown (you might also get one on your own at the 20 and 30 minute mark, but you can also trigger it w/the pump).
* to stimulate a let down, increase oxytocin levels but looking at pictures of your baby.
* apply warmth to breast to stimulate let down (take a hot shower, apply a warm compress, use breast massager)
* do not set your suction on the highest level! Set it for the highest COMFORT level.
* replace pump parts frequently (4-6 weeks for duckbill membrane, 6 months for breast shield)
* have the correct fl**ge size
* early morning between 2-7am will produce they highest amount of milk output.
* to increase supply, power pump once a day for a week (pump for 20 min, rest for 10 min, pump for 10 min, rest for 10 min, pump for 10 min, rest for 10 min = 1 hour total). This mimics cluster feeding.
* breast milk from the same day can be combined, just make sure you cool your most recent pump before adding it to another.
* have a pump cart or setup with all your supplies, snacks and water nearby.
* pump for a minimum of 15 minutes, and sometimes go for 25-30 minutes (I have a 2nd or 3rd letdown around 30 minutes).
* have 2-3 sets of parts so you aren’t constantly washing and drying the same set.
* if you are breastfeeding, use a Haakaa (silicone pump) on your non-feeding side to catch any milk from a let down so it’s not wasted during a leak.
* do hand compressions on your breast while you pump (massage all around to empty all the milk ducts and prevent clogs)
* take sunflower lecithin daily to prevent clogs (or alleviate them) and make fatty milk less sticky!
* do not stare at the bottles! Cover them to prevent wanting to look! Just relax!

09/11/2019

I was born and raised in this city that never sleeps. My parents were married at the top of those looming towers. My first day of high school - in art class - drawing pinecones - wearing a lime green color, v-neck shirt and high top black converse shoes. It’s the little things you don’t think of that define your life. It was the loss of my innocence. It was the first time I saw my city break and my world crumble. As I watched the towers fall from the roof of the building where I grew up, I felt the tears in my eyes, I felt the worry around me. I felt myself be surrounded by strangers and family. I saw my city, my home, my entire world come together. United under hardship and pain and sadness we came together. We respected one another. We shared a moment. We shared a lifetime. You never think about what moments in your life will matter, but we knew this one did. When I graduated High School we were known as the 9/11 class. The new students coming into a new world, not just in those hallways, but in the city itself. The world changed that day. The city changed that day. I changed that day. Today we never forget. ||
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#911

09/09/2019

What’s your favorite comfort food? For me it’s always been pasta and meat sauce. There’s just something about it that reminds me of home and family. So I recreated this dish to be paleo friendly featuring fettuccine, grass-fed meat (can be bison, beef, lamb or turkey - whatever you prefer), arrabbiata sauce, bone broth, mirepoix, avocado oil and meat & potatoes blend!
The full recipe for this pasta bolognese can be found in my new “Meal Prep Made Easy” e-book. It’s super easy to make and takes no time at all! Trust me, the pasta takes 90 seconds to cook, so there’s no excuse to not add this to your meal prep menu to help you save you tons of time in the kitchen! Check out today’s story and swipe up to purchase!
what’s your comfort food? |
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09/04/2019

There’s a lot of things o wish I had done differently, but then I wouldn’t be where I am today. I would tell myself that it gets better! Just give it time! How about you? -
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09/03/2019

It’s okay to be a beginner.
It’s okay to feel uncomfortable.
It’s okay to question what you’re doing.
It’s okay to grow and be different than you once were.
But it’s not okay to tell yourself you suck.
It’s not okay to not try.
It’s not okay to give up.
It’s not okay to apologize for not being as good as everyone around you or as good as you once were.
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07/19/2019

What are you going to do to make the rest of this year spectacular? -
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07/18/2019

“This doesn’t seem like a Friday.” -
“It’s not - it’s Thursday. Yesterday was Wednesday so that’s how I know.”
🖤
Name that TV show! -
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07/17/2019

Scallops have never been my favorite, but they’re one of Ryan’s so I continue to make them and hope that one day I’ll actually enjoy eating them! But for everyone who does love scallops, what’s better than wrapping them in bacon, which is my love language!
Whole30 Bacon Wrapped Scallops
Scallops
Bacon
seafood blend
Directions
On my blog (link in stories)! ||
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07/15/2019

Summer is heating up in NYC so meal prep is all about quick and easy meals so I can spend less time in my kitchen with the oven on. But the food still must get cooked and a few hours in a hot kitchen means I get to spend the rest of the week doing anything else, but cook. That’s why I meal prep!
This weeks meal prep includes:
• one skillet chicken & apple sausage with peppers, onions & bone broth
• smashed potatoes seasoned with avocado oil & meat & potatoes blend
• oven roasted pork seasoned with new bae seasoning, garlic & herb blend, pink Himalayan salt and breakfast blend
• egg cups wrapped in prosciutto
• bacon wrapped scallops
• roasted butternut squash seasoned with super gyro blend
• fettuccine and beef bolognese
• roasted Brussels sprouts seasoned with ghee and seafood blend
What’s on your meal prep menu this week? ||
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07/12/2019

You don’t need permission to do whatever you want! -
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New York, NY

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http://www.balancedlife-leslie.com/

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