Easy, fast, healthy lunch idea & some updates

• 0 • Live Well, Recipes

This lunch took 10 minutes to make.

Store-bought fat free organic polenta, jarred marinara sauce (Engine 2 makes an oil free, low sodium tomato basil sauce if you’re looking for a healthy option) and some freshly washed baby spinach and blueberries. I didn’t even use salad dressing; just combined it on the fork with polenta and sauce.

It’s worth noting that if you give a four year old the option to use tongs, they’re much more likely to get interested in a new food! My 4 year old devoured the polenta with gusto. Participating in preparation didn’t work with my five year old, but that’s a 50% success rate, and if you’re a parent who has tried to get young kids to eat something new, you’re probably (sadly) as impressed as I was.

Some Personal Updates

Meditation: I’m still using the guided meditation app Headspace and loving it.

Organization: My running drawers have REMAINED ORGANIZED using the KonMari folding method. I am shocked to report this, but they look so good that I can’t bring myself to just throw running gear in there. The cleanliness has begotten more cleanliness. I love running upstairs in a rush to get to spin class and finding exactly what I need the second I open the drawer. It’s been THREE MONTHS and my drawers still look perfect!

Missed workouts: I was supposed to go to the pool yesterday, but the babysitter who was scheduled had a persistent cough so I sent her home because I was too worried about the kids getting sick. Then I couldn’t go this morning, because one of the kids left the dome light on in my car overnight and my car wouldn’t start, leading us to realize that it needed the battery replaced so I had to take it to the shop instead of swimming or going to spin.

It reminded me how precarious our schedules are sometimes. Even when you schedule it in or “make it a priority” sometimes you just have too many priorities. My kids’ health is a priority. Transportation is a priority. Don’t forget to make sleep a priority!

Sure, sometimes we miss a day for less legitimate reasons. But it’s important to take a deep breath when things don’t go as planned, and remember that while consistency is key, us non-professional athletes are pretty lucky because our training can come second, third or fourth. We can put our families or work or friends first, and still make it. Part of the fun of getting across that finish line is knowing that we did it in spite of everything else in our lives.

So I’m doing yesterday’s swim workout this afternoon when the sitter comes, and I don’t get to spin until Thursday or Friday. I’ll make the lasagna before she gets here and ask her to put it in the oven, and things will be fine.

 

 

 

Headspace: a meditation app & RR Podcast 209

• 1 • Live Well, Mindfulness, Uncategorized

I recently listened to Rich Roll Podcast 209, with Dr. Rhonda Patrick on longevity, epigenetics and microbiome health. Loved it; great show if you’re looking for an episode to listen to. They dive into some really interesting things about gene expression, telomere length and longevity, circadian rhythm, and the importance of microbiome health to immune health. Fascinating stuff.

Some take aways from this podcast episode:

Eat your fiber; it feeds your healthy gut bacteria. If you take a probiotic but don’t feed your body fiber, it’s like planting a seed but not watering the garden. Consider a Vitamin D3 supplement if you live north of the 30 degree latitude marker, because for months out of the year you won’t receive enough UVB rays for your body to convert sunlight to Vitamin D3. It’s important for circadian rhythm and sleep health to be exposed to a lot of light during the day; SAD is a real phenomenon. Take antibiotics only when needed for health, and avoid them in your food supply.

Meditation: One of the things they discussed in the podcast episode was meditation, and the evidence that supports it as a good practice for health and longevity.

Dr. Patrick expressed an interest in meditation because there’s evidence to support how healthy it is, but she doesn’t currently practice it.  My curiosity is piqued when someone with a Ph.D. in biomedical science says that they want to take up meditation because of the scientific literature. This isn’t an enthusiastic practitioner who might be succeptible to confirmation bias because they love their meditation practice; this is someone with a lot of scientific savvy saying they don’t do it, but they’d like to. Compelling.

Dr. Patrick said that there’s evidence that people’s gene expression actually changes with meditation, which is… well, amazing. Pyschology Today, Huffington Post and Scientific American have all written articles on the topic.

Change your gene expression? That’s powerful stuff. (Not change your genetic makeup itself… just ones are turned on or off ie “expressed”, so no… it won’t allow you to mutate into one of the X-Men.)

I think I’d like my genes to express themselves better. (There’s a denim joke in here somewhere.)

Headspace: A Meditation and Mindfulness App

 

In the podcast, Rich Roll recommended the mindfulness app Headspace, which offers guided meditation practices and more right on your computer or mobile device.

The first ten sessions of 10 minutes each are free, then it requires a subscription which ranges from $7.99 per month if you commit to a year up to $12.95 if you go month-to-month.

I mentioned the app at a Wellness Retreat today, and several other people attending gave it a thumbs up, including Cory Halaby, the yoga instructor and certified wellness coach who first got me interested in mindfulness last year.

My first 10 minutes

I downloaded the app, found it easy to navigate, and did my first 10 minutes of guided meditation on Friday. I decided to do it in the 10 minutes before I needed to leave for preschool pick-up, that way I just stopped my regular morning activities ten minutes sooner than normal instead of interrupting something. It also meant I would pick up the kids in a more relaxed and peaceful state.

It went shockingly well. I enjoy guided meditation, since it’s easier for beginners. I felt more relaxed, and was much more productive than normal all afternoon. I felt more focused, aware and motivated.

I also felt skeptical and mildly suspicious that the placebo effect was kicking in, and I just finally had had enough of the clutter.

But for a 10 minute investment that absolutely left me feeling calmer on my way to reunite with my preschoolers, does it really matter if the benefits actually extended to my afternoon cleaning session?

I’m not sure it does.

 

We’ll see how things are going after the 100 minutes of free meditation (if I manage to stick with it…).

There are just so many articles online about how meditation can positively impact your brain, health, sleep, emotions… I like evidence. I like what shaping my habits based on evidence does for my overall health, mood and quality of life.

I’ve got to try this.

Ommm?

PS – if you find this information useful, you can support Rich Roll by making your next Amazon purchase through the affiliate link at the bottom of his website where it says “Shop at Amazon”. Since he provides me with hours of fascinating information for free, I thought I’d boost my karma by sharing the way you can help support his podcast. 

PPS – I don’t actually believe in karma, I just shared that link because it felt like the right thing to do.

Matcha Tea 

• 4 • Live Well

First off; I need to work on my blog photography skills. But that’s another day.

Second… this is what matcha tea looks like when a mortal brews it; there’s no cute foam if you use water and a whisk. You’ve got to vitamix it if you want foam, and if I’m going to make a drink in the vitamix, it’s going to have cacao in it. Let’s be honest.

That said, I’ve started sipping this earthy green beverage with more regularity after reading Dr. Greger’s new book, How Not to Die.

Benefits of matcha: Matcha is a powder made of ground green tea leaves, and it has all the antioxidants of green tea and then some because you’re consuming the whole leaf. It’s a little higher in caffeine, too, so I reserve it for mid-morning at the latest. (I’m really sensitive to caffeine.) Tea has phytonutrients not found in other plants, and tea consumption has been linked to lower rates of cancers, lower blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol, and lower risk of stroke and cognitive decline. It even reduces your risk of drying from pneumonia. (Greger, Michael, and Gene Stone. How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease. 385. Print.)

Buy Japanese matcha: Dr. Greger points out in a recent video from NutritionFacts.org that there are some lead contamination concerns with green tea leaves sourced from China. Buying tea from a Japanese source is safer.  http://nutritionfacts.org/video/lead-contamination-of-tea/

Taste: If you like drinking unsweetened green tea already, matcha should be a relatively easy taste to acquire. However… it’s pretty grassy. It tells you something when the back of the package uses the phrase “vegetal sweetness”. I recommend starting with a small amount of powder and working your way up.

I like sipping matcha mid-morning when I’ve already had my two cups of coffee for the day but still crave the feeling of a warm mug in my hands. It tastes like you’re drinking something good for you, and that’s part of the appeal for me. It’s nice to sip something that’s not too sweet, that tastes like wellness in a cup. It makes me feel warm and energized and proactive… even if it’s just some ground tea leaves.

I’m also convinced that it’s going to make my skin glow.

I’ve got no evidence to back up that optimistic belief… but when there are no negative side effects, why not give it a go?

Ok, vegetal sweetness, that’s why not.

But seriously. It’s not bad.

 

Sur-thrival: You Should Try It

• 0 • Live Well

Sur-thrival: to focus equally on surviving and thriving.

When Greg goes away on business, I enter a new philosophical mindset I’ve dubbed “Sur-thrival”.

I like Greg. A lot. The kids and I are not fans of him leaving on business trips. As a defensive mechanism, I kick into high gear when he’s gone.

I survive. I make simple meals with what’s left in the fridge. We eat a lot of burritos. I get a babysitter to make sure I can get a run in or go to spin class. I start dinner earlier than I would if Greg were coming home. I let the laundry wait until after the kids are in bed, because I’ll be home alone and can fold it then.

Bring on the pizza, oatmeal and burritos!

We thrive. I pack our days with awesome activities to distract all of us from missing Greg. The kids and I do craft projects together. I say yes to the glitter glue. I plan a trip to the museum after school. I clean up from dinner before they go to bed and enjoy a quiet evening of reading or blogging. I try a little harder to take time for myself, and to plan fun things for them.

When Greg left recently, my 5 year old looked at me and said “We’re going to have extra fun, right?” He’s noticed that I kick it into high gear when Dad’s gone.

But do we really need a reason to take it a bit easier, and plan a bit more fun?

The days and weeks can slip away from us if we never sit down and plan a fun outing, or think about an activity we’d enjoy doing and make it happen. Sometimes, to have time for that, we need to take it a little easier on ourselves in another category of our lives.

Life is crazy. Having fun is…fun.

So find a couple corners to cut, and pick a couple things you love doing. Go browse through a real, brick-and-mortar bookstore. Call a friend and go see a movie. Go see a movie by yourself. Go for a hike. Order your groceries online and use the extra hour to lie on the couch reading and listening to the rain.

Purposefully plan to do something you love. Actively find some ways to make your life easier.

Thrive 🙂

 

This is why I exercise

• 0 • Live Well, Motivation

Look at that photo.

Happy kids, working together. My 3 year old is picking out a favorite vegetable to dip into hummus (snap peas!) while my 5 year old holds the bag open (I forgot my re-usables, sigh).

It’s amazing… and it takes some calm, patient parenting to facilitate this type of peaceful and purposeful scene in the grocery store.

Which brings me to why I exercise.

I exercise so I can be a happier, more patient and more peaceful parent.

That’s the real reason, the most important reason.

I went to spin class this morning, and I spent 50 minutes sweating it out with an elevated heart rate, and when I left I felt fantastic.

It was a mood that lasted through lunch and all afternoon.

I’ll be honest; I haven’t exercised all that much the past few weeks. The holidays are busy, we spent time in Maine with family, the kids have been home from preschool on break, my college babysitters are away for break, you know… the standard litany of excuses.

Today’s noticeable mood shift reminded me why it’s so important for me not to let the days tick by without breaking a sweat.

I was a ROCK star today at the grocery store. I was in a great mood. I took extra time to let them pick things out and get them themselves. I stopped and explained things like the names of all the different kinds of mushrooms, and how I can tell time on the Whole Foods clock even though it doesn’t have numbers. I gave them little missions and let them go down aisles one at a time to retrieve things and bring them back. I let them show me the way to the next items. I did all the things I wish I always did, but that you can’t quite manage if you’re not in a good mood.

I felt so chill after my work-out that I didn’t care that we spent almost an hour at the grocery store just picking out two days worth of groceries. I mean, what was the rush? We didn’t have plans. That realization doesn’t come naturally to me.

They loved this grocery trip. I loved it.

It doesn’t happen every day, and I don’t think it would have happened today if I hadn’t gone to spin class.

Exercise boosts me up a level from wherever I was at. If it was a good day, it becomes a great day. If it was a horrible day, it suddenly feels survivable.

When I exercise, I increase my chances of saying “yes” to that cooking or art project or being patient enough to settle sibling disputes without sounding snippy.

And that means everything to me, because these guys mean everything.