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If you ever eat-out-of-stress, you are not alone. Almost everyone has. However, there are actually beneficial ways to eat when you are stressed that help you to manage it.
If managing your stress is a goal for this year, watch this video and implement the principles...this weekend, even.
I've included some recipes and meal ideas for you.
Let me know what you try and what you enjoy the most.
Too often we've heard "no pain, no gain." But to improve your health, your exercise doesn't have to be painful. You do not have to exercise at high intensity. Nor do you need to exercise for hours at a time.
Watch this "Stepping Out" video to learn the research behind how being active a little here and there can decrease your risk of disease.
How do you add physical activity throughout your day? Post in the comments below.
You aren't alone. But there are tricks to keeping your resolutions...here are three.
1. Get an accountability partner. Not someone who will nag you (or be a watchdog), but someone who will encourage you. And who will show a little tough-love when needed. Who can keep you on track? How can they help you?
2. Reminders. Whether sticky notes on your pantry door or your walking shoes by the front door, we need visual cues when we are making new habits.
3. Focus only on one new habit each week. I was talking with someone last week who is changing their diet and exercise to lower their cholesterol. "Wow, that's a lot to remember and do" was her response after we talked about the changes needed.
"No worries. Take each of the ideas you want to do and focus on one for a week or two before adding the next. You don't have to change everything immediately." The lifestyle change became much more do-able.
Happy and Healthy New Year!
What does that mean for us now?
How do you want to end 2016? I want to end mine with letting go of the junk, celebrating the wins, and preparing to run (maybe not literally) in 2017.
Here are some questions based on my book, Go Forward, to help you end 2016 and begin 2017:
Let me know how you apply these ideas! By the way...next week in Facebook I plan to post a "day of healthy habits" - following throughout the day what I do for health. I challenge you to do the same. I'd love to see your ideas!
What "cultures" - or "habits" - are around Christmas? Well, there's the spend spend spend culture. I'm not into that one. (Yes, we do give gifts...but it is never about amount but about the personal thought and care.)
There's the eat eat eat until you are stuffed and miserable habit. I'm definitely not into that. (Even though at a Christmas party Tuesday night I had a piece of Joy Lamberson's Key Lime Pie and had a sugar rush for hours. And, thank you, Marc Cotton, for giving the recipe to her.)
But there is also the diet-culture. With all of the Christmas parties and family events, people who diet get scared.
Does this sound familiar? It does to me, because I dieted for many years and I dreaded Christmas parties. But now I get excited because I'm an Intuitive Eater. What does that mean for Christmas?
If you want to learn more about Intuitive Eating, check out my video/audio Nourish Your Life HERE and the book Intuitive Eating by Tribole.
Christmas is a time to celebrate the Gift of Jesus and all that He gives us.
Here are some top-of-mind blessings:
What are your top-of-mind blessings this Christmas?
Thank you for allowing me (and my colleagues) to share in your journey. Keep letting me know how we can help.
If you missed being there, here's the video of the Ribbon Cutting! So excited to have these resources ready for you.
Getting ready to launch my YouTube channel with Jack Scalfani...on his Cooking with Jack show.
Click here for the link to the episode. And enjoy some behind the scenes pictures below...
Jack setting up his camera (stating the obvious, huh?)
Checking the lighting (on my channel I'm not quite that sophisticated yet)
Filming is in progress. Notice his great lamp in the back!!!
Great action shot! (Actually I'm tossing away a wrapper into the trash.)
We're having fun!
The end result is YUMMY!
It is Family Health Month. So, I'd thought I'd take us down memory lane.
What are your favorite family memories...specific to exercise and nutrition? Mine are the afternoon and weekend walks with my mother. Our farm was on a dirt/gravel road with very little traffic, so we'd often walk together and talk about whatever my young girl's heart wanted to talk about. (Maybe it was the talking I enjoyed the most, but it is still a great memory.)
We had my "troublesome teenage years" discussions while walking. In fact, I remember exactly where we were walking when she helped me dream about all of the great times to come in college (vs. the usual high school struggles).
Other favorite family memories around health relate to food. Birthday parties with the cousins, where my grandmother would make the birthday dinner of favorite foods (mine were sweet potatoes, turnip greens, and her homemade cornbread). Freezing and preserving the garden harvest. (That memory is sweet in retrospect. The work itself was not so wonderful.) And the memory that makes me laugh now is dinners of "liver and greens." Liver is full of nutrients, so we ate it; I actually liked the taste; but in school when I learned the function of the liver ... well, let's just say I find other ways to get those nutrients in as an adult.
Now it is your turn. What are your family memories about health? And more important, what healthy memories are you creating for your children and grand-children? Please share in the comments your answers.
Recently I spoke at the Sertoma Club of Hendersonville, TN. My topic was Making Healthy Habits for Life. If you want to age well, then you'll want to incorporate healthy habits for life, right? But how do you make new habits stick?
September is Healthy Aging Month, so I'd thought I'd share three of the tips from this workshop:
1. Focus on a limited number of new actions. Why? Focus strengthens. Diffusion weakens. Compare a laser and the sun. What 1-3 new healthy activities do you want to be part of your life first? (Remember, as these become easier, you can add in others.)
2. Make a minimal commitment. What is a tiny action you can do everyday no matter what? For example, if your "real" goal is to walk, then your minimal commitment might be to put on your walking shoes and step out the front door every morning. If you still feel like going back to bed instead of walking, maybe you really do need some extra sleep that day. A minimal commitment is less daunting when you are tired, frustrated, or pressed for time. It is easier to get out of bed to put on your shoes than it is to get out of bed to walk 3 miles. The big benefit? It keeps your new goal "top of mind."
What is your minimal commitment?
3. Meditate, think regularly about, the new habits and their benefits. What reminders can you put in place for your new habit?
Let me know how these tips help you! Keep aging well.
Last week I discussed how important relationships are for support, encouragement, and wisdom. In this post I'll pull some quotes from Dr. Norman B. Anderson's book Emotional Longevity: What Really Determines How Long You Live.
In one study "a number of social relationships were measured, including marital status, church attendance, and participation in volunteer activities. Women with smaller social networks had a mortality rate nearly double that of those high in social ties...men low in social ties died at two to three times the rate of men with strong social connections."
Other studies Dr. Anderson referenced showed the following:
Bottom line? Get out there and make some good friends.
Friends: Sheri Traxler, James Cobb, Jennifer McCoy, Patty Whitehead
Relationships. We need each other for practical help: moving, baby sitting, sharing recipes, etc. We need to bounce ideas around and get wisdom from others. And, of course, accountability is an important part of relationships.
Today I want to focus on a critical benefit of relationships: emotional support we receive in crisis. Finding out that you have "something" going on in your life that you did not expect can throw you. Strength comes when people come around you saying...
And then the one that is a living, breathing picture of hope for me personally...
Knowing someone who has "been there" requires that you build a variety of relationships now, invest your life into others' lives, and then not be timid to ask for support when you need it.
Who will you invest in today?
And, if you need support today, who has been there? Reach out to them.
Enjoy mint on your skin to repel insects.
August and September...the last of summer. Time to be outdoors in the evenings and weekends, enjoying the warmth. How to help with the bugs and minor scrapes? Just turn to your herb garden or the herbs already in your kitchen. Thanks to Lisa Bedner for the advice below:
1. Rosemary - Is antibacterial for the skin. Create a strong tea and use as a wash on scrapes. You can also create a poultice (crushed rosemary in warm - not hot oil) and soothe the scrapes. Leave on poultice and cover with cloth or bandage.
2. Mint - Repels insects. Either rub the fresh leaves directly on your skin or infuse oil with crushed mint for 2 weeks. Rub your skin with the oil.
3. Basil - This tip comes from Rosemary Gladstar's book Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide. Basil, mashed or chewed into a poultice, helps to take out the swelling and itching of an insect bite or sting.
For all of these, use fresh if you have it. Dried leaves can be somewhat effective, too.
Keep enjoying the outdoors!
Too hot for a hike?
Can't get outside for a walk early morning when it is cool enough? If you are exercising later in the day, when the temps are well into the 90's...try Indoor Intervals.
Set out your hand weights, a chair, and turn on your tunes. Lace up your walking shoes and let's go.
Repeat. If you feel light-headed at anytime, slow it down. And even though you are exercising inside, remember to stay hydrated.
An 18 minute quick workout when your schedule needs it.
Have a great rest of the summer!
Summertime! It is time to play outside. But outside is not very climate controlled and you sweat out water and electrolytes. How to put them back in? Read on...
1. Water. Water. Water. Being active and playing outside for an hour or two in the heat? If you are healthy and have been eating a balanced diet (including at least 8 cups of water each day), then plain water is your best hydration drink for that hour of playing in the sun.
2. Natural electrolyte drinks. Staying out longer than a couple of hours? Intensely exercising for an hour? Diluted vegetable juices - half water and half vegetable juice, especially one high in celery juice. If you have a juicer, create your own vegetable juice with greens, celery, carrot, and a little apple or pineapple to sweeten it. If you prefer a powdered vegetable juice mix, make it with a little extra water. (If you are playing intensely for many hours, commercial electrolyte drinks are beneficial, too.)
3. Just Eat It. Eat your water. Eat your electrolytes. Watermelon and other melons. Salads (without the heavy dressings that are harder to digest in the heat). Celery.
4. Drink fluids at room temperature. Remember those ice cream headaches? If you come in from the heat to a very cold room and drink an iced drink, it may feel good for a few minutes. But you may constrict your blood vessels and give yourself a terrible headache later. (Of course, we are talking about preventing over-heating, not dealing with heat exhaustion. That's a medical issue to handle specifically.)
5. Hydrate regularly: before, during, and after. Don't gulp down 3 cups of water right before a run. That is a set up for stomach cramps. What's best? Consistently hydrating both in small doses throughout your play and hydrating afterwards for recovery.
Stay hydrated everyday, because you never know...an opportunity to go outside and play could show up anytime. Have a fun and safe summer.
This week is National Men's Health Week. The focus this year includes, of course, an encouragement to get your annual physical and PSA reading. However, the folks at the Center for Disease Control (CDC) are also reminding men to get enough sleep (no less than 7 hours each night) and to increase their cardiovascular fitness levels.
I can think of no better "cardiovascular fitness" example to men than the Man, Jesus Christ. So for this week's blog, I'm sharing an excerpt from my book Go Forward: 28 Days to Eat, Move, and Enjoy Life God's Way about the Extreme Fitness of Jesus. Read Matthew 15 for the full story.
"To better understand the fitness level of Jesus, explore His journeys. Find a map of Palestine during the time of Christ, in the back of your Bible or on the Internet. Follow along Jesus’ route in Matthew 15:21 and 29.
Let’s pick up the story in Matthew 15:21. We find Jesus teaching in Gennesaret, which is located near the northwest corner of the Sea of Galilee. He leaves Gennesaret and travels northward to Tyre and Sidon. Between these two regions wind 35-50 rough mountainous miles. Jesus either covers the distance in a day, or He sleeps outside overnight, likely in the mountains. Either option is physically demanding. After healing a Canaanite woman’s daughter in the area of Tyre and Sidon, He turns around and walks back over the mountains to the Sea of Galilee, this time skirting the sea on the east side through the region of Decapolis (Mark 7:31)."
In a short time frame, Jesus walked 70-100 miles...an ultra-marathon. (Oh, and at the end of that, He had enough stamina to hold the anointing for healing a multitude.) "In addition, Jesus worked as a carpenter; this was a very physical profession, especially with the use of only hand tools."
So, men, take your cue this week and take care of your fitness and health.
A friend, who is feeding her family with intention, recently shared she is trying to eat a rainbow. What an important concept. I teach how to "Eat a Rainbow" in my Nourish Your Life workshop, which is now (finally) available on video and audio here.
What she said inspired me to share a "Purple" recipe...plus fresh blackberries are coming in season, so it is an excuse to make this snack/dessert.
Enjoy!
Mix the yogurt, minced lemon verbena, and ginger. "Marinate" in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Top with blackberries and lemon verbena leaf (or lemon slice). Makes 2 servings.
Get out there and enjoy being active this summer. Hike. Play catch and throw frisbee with your kids. Dig in the dirt. I encourage you every year to do that. But playing catch comes with a catch. The possibility of stings and bites. Yuck.
When Lisa Bedner of Pipssisewa Herbs taught me about Plantain being good to draw out the toxins from a bee-sting or insect-bite, I thought "I need some of that. But, I'll have to plant some." (If you are familiar with Plantain, I am sure you are laughing.)
Every picture I saw when I researched the plant had roundish-oval shaped leaves. No Plantain in my yard. Then Jeremy Lekich of Nashville Foodscapes (www.nashvillefoodscapes.com) gave an edible plant walk at the Middle TN Urban Gardening Festival last weekend. I learned that Plantain comes in two varieties: Plantago major (the round one) and Plantago lanceolata (lance-leaf). Guess what? I have more than enough lance-leaf. In fact, in my front yard and around my HVAC I have plenty to share, in case you don't have either variety.
Unfortunately, I got to use it the day after Jeremy taught. I got two spider bites, which normally would stay red for a couple of days and itch. I chewed Plantain into a poultice (side note - it tastes like grass), applied it, and let dry. There was no itching and by the next day the redness was gone.
Oh, if you want some from around my HVAC, come transplant it quick. I'm clearing that out before Covenant Heating and Cooling comes out next week for my spring maintenance. (Gotta protect the air-conditioning system for when I go in from the summer play.)
Scullcap for muscle strains and pains and bruises
I write "novice" because "beginner" is even too advanced for me right now. When I went to Pipsissewa Herbs to talk with Lisa Bedner (both an R.N. and a Certified Professional Medical Herbalist), I was immersed in herbal information and hands-on instruction for two days. Thank you, Lisa.
As I grow some of these herbs, I'll share my experience with you. Many of the herbs you may already be growing. Mint or oregano, anyone? Hopefully these posts will inspire you grow a few herbs for your own in-your-backyard-medicine-cabinet.
Here are my first ideas for you: When you are out this spring and summer hiking, working in your yard, and cycling with your kids, your muscles may get a little sore. Two herbs that help muscle soreness are scullcap and valerian root. You can find both of these in capsule form at your local vitamin store, however...
I learned from Lisa Bedner that scullcap loses 90% of its effectiveness when it is dried. To get the full power of scullcap, use the fresh leaves to make a tea or tincture. It is an easy herb to grow and it is beautiful, too. It grows well in a pot, only get a foot high, likes part sun and tolerates shade, too. So if your lifestyle is prone to muscle soreness, strains and pains, start container growing some scullcap soon.
Oh, an added bonus: both scullcap and valerian root mildly relax your muscles to help you sleep better, too.
Happy, Healthy Gardening.
It is that time of year...time to get out your seed packets and your garden planning notebook. (By the way, I love this new planning notebook, Week-by-Week Vegetable Gardener's Handbook, that White Harvest Seed introduced to me.)
In the book Week-by-Week Vegetable Gardener's Handbook by Ron and Jennifer Kujawski, I found an answer to one of my "Reader Questions." Kim Hulett, this post is for you and for anyone else with shady yards. Here are their tips based on hours of sunlight received:
Happy planting (and eating)! (By the way, for those who like charts and "when to do what" tips to help plan the garden, this book is a treasure.)
In this FREE guide learn how to:
· Stop the fad diet roller-coaster
· Exercise in your lifestyle
And Get Results that Last!
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ViREO Life is a health and wellness practice, incorporating physical activity, exercise, nutrition, and behavior science services. The text, photos, video and other media presented in this site and the social media connected to this site are for information purposes only. None of the above information sources are intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. This information is not to be used to diagnose or treat a health problem without consulting a qualified health care professional. If you have any questions or concerns, please consult your health care provider.
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