Summertime! My favorite time of year. I still remember being a kid on the last day of school and having the whole summer stretched out in front of me. What a glorious feeling of freedom! I’ve come a long way since those days of grade school and summer vacation. Now as a mother of two and the owner of Provenance Meals, I’m constantly balancing the responsibilities of work with the pull of summertime fun.

Provenance Meals makes clean eating easy for busy New Yorkers by delivering prepared meals that are 100% gluten-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free. My emphasis on a nutrient-dense diet is alway a priority in the way I feed my customers as well as my own family. When life gets a bit harried, or my diet hasn’t been as clean as I know it could be, resetting my body with whole foods and a short detox program is my go-to reboot. Yet in the whirlwind of running a business and raising my kids, I sometimes forget that nourishment in other areas of life is as important, if not more, than the vitamins and minerals going into my body.

But what does this concept of “life nourishment” actually mean? For me, beyond the basics of healthy movement and a good night’s sleep, it means to focus on community and personal enrichment.

In the modern world of technology, where community can mean hanging out with people all over the globe, the internet has also become a source of disconnect. Here are my 3 suggestions to nourish your life.

Find your tribe. Ask yourself what inspires or interests you and get involved. Find Meetups in your area, help out at your children’s school, take a regular fitness class, or grow veggies in a community garden. Over time, you’ll see familiar faces, find common goals, and cultivate a community of like-minded folks.
Prioritize relationships. It’s too easy to be too busy in this life. But positive relationships and social interactions are the foundation for happiness and when we neglect those relationships, our wellness is affected. Some things I do as a mom, a wife, friend, and employer is to have dinner with the family at least 3 times per week, exercise with a girlfriend, schedule face-to face meetings for work, and always look forward to date night with the hubs. Put it on the calendar and don’t flake!
Keep learning. While summer vacation was fantastic as a kid, now I love learning throughout the entire year. To me, learning is growing. Have a goal, whether it’s organizing your finances, decluttering your home or learning a new skill. When I am focused on learning, I find the distractions of social media and email much less interesting.

The internet has provided important social benefits, but it’s also made it easy to withdraw into our own worlds. Community, social interaction and learning is as important as a nutrient-dense diet. Feed yourself a steady diet of life nourishment as well as nutrient-dense meals to feed the whole you!