There's been some recent press around Health Coaches, so much so that the director of my school, the Institute of Integrative Nutrition has decided to change our title from Health Counselors to Health Coaches. This has created a great deal of discussion among my classmates. I'm taking it all in, but I'm not yet sure it makes much difference to me. Essentially, because whether my title is "coach" or "counselor" I still provide the same service for my clients. However, I thought you might be interested to see and read some of what is being said about health coaches/counselors:
• Dr. Mehmet Oz speaks on CNN about the need for health coaches in America http://media.integrativenutrition.com/uploads/marketing/media/oz_clip.mov
• ABC News reports on health coaching - what it is and how it can help you: http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=9493792.
• Dr. Andrew Weil's Self Healing magazine reports: "When athletes want a competitive edge, they hire a private coach to monitor their progress. When it comes to your health, using this mindset could also be beneficial. Health coaches are increasingly being hired by corporations to help employees stay healthy and by individuals seeking to improve well-being. For some, these coaches offer assistance in managing dietary constraints (due to conditions such as celiac disease or diabetes), and for others, they might focus on teaching stress-reduction methods. In some ways, the health coach picks up where your physician left off, helping you implement wellness strategies suggested after a check-up or diagnosis." In the article, Integrative Nutrition graduate Christi Collins recommends finding a coach who has received training from a reputable program, and whose personality resonates with your own.
• CBS News reports: "Congress will miss the boat if it ends up perpetuating a system that reacts to illness rather than preventing it. Chronic diseases such as obesity, hypertension, and diabetes wreck our quality of life and cost a fortune. In recent years, a new and intriguing concept has emerged in the prevention and treatment of chronic illness: the health coach."
• NY Times article on coaches: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/22/business/yourmoney/22food.html?_r=3&scp=1&sq=nutrition%20coach&st=cse.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
How I Keep My Hubby Happy
I bought my husband a present a few months ago. I didn't expect him to use it and, so far, he hasn't. It was on of those presents that I knew I'd be the one using even though he'd be the one enjoying it. Weekend mornings since, he's gotten a certain glint in his eye hoping I'll use the present and I try to, because it's nice to give him a Saturday morning treat. The present I gave him and use myself is....
a copy of the "Babycakes" cookbook. (if you were thinking otherwise, please, keep it PG as my son would say, my kids might read this post).
Babycakes is a bakery in NYC and West Hollywood specializing in vegan, mostly gluten-free and mostly sugar-free items. As Hank's diet is wheat and sugar-free he sometimes feels a tad deprived when it comes to deserts. For years he's looked at every brownie baked in this house and asked, "Is it wheat-free and sugar-free?" As many times he asked that so hopefully, I have ruefully replied, "In your dreams." When I found the Babycakes cookbook, I knew his dream was about to come true.
However, I haven't yet baked the Babycakes brownies. This is because, I haven't yet gotten past the recipe for scones. I've made them probably a dozen times by now, and if you've read any of my other recipes, you already know that I've changed the recipe and made it mine. The original is excellent and if you want to try it that way, you'll have to get the book. But, if you want to try it my way, just see below.
Not-Just-For-Hank Scones:
2 cups spelt or whole wheat flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup agave nectar
1 T vanilla extract
1/4 cup hot water
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup raisins or chocolate chips
Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Then mix the coconut oil, agave nectar, vanilla and hot water. The hot water will soften the coconut oil - use a fork to mix it - there may be small chunks of it even after mixing. Don't worry about them! You can wash your hands well and mix the batter with your hands a bit if it's too stiff. Mix in the coconut and raisins or chocolate chips.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop by 1/3 cupfuls onto the parchment paper. You should have 6 scones. Bake for 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven, turning the baking sheet after 8 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
BTW, if it takes you more than five minutes to make the batter, it's taken too long. That's one of the wonderful things about this recipe - it's delicious and it takes next to no time!
And, if you're wondering about the ingredients: spelt is a form of wheat, so those with wheat sensitivities should avoid it, unless you're like Hank and know you can tolerate it (it also has gluten so if you're avoiding gluten, try Bob's Red Mill Gluten-free baking mix with a bit of xanthum gum mixed into it). Even if you can eat wheat, try spelt for a change as it's more nutrient dense than most other wheats. Although coconut oil is a saturated fat, many believe it is very healthy both because of the health of the people that eat it traditionally and due to research on it. Agave nectar is my sweetener of choice because I've found I don't get the blood sugar spikes I get when eating other sweeteners (such as sugar, honey, or maple syrup). And when I don't get the spikes, I also don't walk around craving sugar the rest of the day as I do when I eat other added sugars.
Enjoy!
a copy of the "Babycakes" cookbook. (if you were thinking otherwise, please, keep it PG as my son would say, my kids might read this post).
Babycakes is a bakery in NYC and West Hollywood specializing in vegan, mostly gluten-free and mostly sugar-free items. As Hank's diet is wheat and sugar-free he sometimes feels a tad deprived when it comes to deserts. For years he's looked at every brownie baked in this house and asked, "Is it wheat-free and sugar-free?" As many times he asked that so hopefully, I have ruefully replied, "In your dreams." When I found the Babycakes cookbook, I knew his dream was about to come true.
However, I haven't yet baked the Babycakes brownies. This is because, I haven't yet gotten past the recipe for scones. I've made them probably a dozen times by now, and if you've read any of my other recipes, you already know that I've changed the recipe and made it mine. The original is excellent and if you want to try it that way, you'll have to get the book. But, if you want to try it my way, just see below.
Not-Just-For-Hank Scones:
2 cups spelt or whole wheat flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup agave nectar
1 T vanilla extract
1/4 cup hot water
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup raisins or chocolate chips
Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Then mix the coconut oil, agave nectar, vanilla and hot water. The hot water will soften the coconut oil - use a fork to mix it - there may be small chunks of it even after mixing. Don't worry about them! You can wash your hands well and mix the batter with your hands a bit if it's too stiff. Mix in the coconut and raisins or chocolate chips.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop by 1/3 cupfuls onto the parchment paper. You should have 6 scones. Bake for 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven, turning the baking sheet after 8 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
BTW, if it takes you more than five minutes to make the batter, it's taken too long. That's one of the wonderful things about this recipe - it's delicious and it takes next to no time!
And, if you're wondering about the ingredients: spelt is a form of wheat, so those with wheat sensitivities should avoid it, unless you're like Hank and know you can tolerate it (it also has gluten so if you're avoiding gluten, try Bob's Red Mill Gluten-free baking mix with a bit of xanthum gum mixed into it). Even if you can eat wheat, try spelt for a change as it's more nutrient dense than most other wheats. Although coconut oil is a saturated fat, many believe it is very healthy both because of the health of the people that eat it traditionally and due to research on it. Agave nectar is my sweetener of choice because I've found I don't get the blood sugar spikes I get when eating other sweeteners (such as sugar, honey, or maple syrup). And when I don't get the spikes, I also don't walk around craving sugar the rest of the day as I do when I eat other added sugars.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
It's No Wonder We're All Confused
First, some housekeeping (as I write that, I know my loving husband would love to hear me say that about the housekeeping in our home!): as of yesterday, I am certified by the Institute of Integrative Nutrition as a Health Counselor!
Even more housekeeping (sorry, Hank, still this kind, not the mopping floors kind): Congratulations to Sandy for winning the Michael Pollan book "Food Rules" in the raffle.
And now, without any further ado, today's post:
The amount of conflicting, confusing, sometimes over-simplified, sometimes overly-complicated diet and nutrition news we Americans get is startling. And it's constantly changing.
The US Department of Agriculture and the US Department of Health and Human Services revise their guidelines every five years BUT their guidelines differ from those of the FDA! For example, according to the USDA a serving of pasta is 1/2 cup cooked. However, according to the FDA, which is the agency responsible for food labeling, a serving of cooked pasta equals one cup.
To make matters even worse, a typical restaurant serving of pasta is 3 cups!
Most people never check in with these government agencies anyway (and, believe me, I'm not advocating that you do so). We get most of our food views, especially when it comes to portion sizes from package sizes in supermarkets and all the many other places food is sold, advertising, cookbooks, and restaurants.
If over-eating is an issue for you, either for weight or digestion issues, I ask you to consider the following:
The USDA recommends 6 servings (or 6 oz.) of grains a day for the average adult (2000 calorie diet). As I wrote above, a serving equals 1/2 cup of cooked pasta or the same amount of rice. A typical bagel is 5-6 ounces, which is the equivalent of 5-6 slices of bread, 6 slices (of thin) bread being the daily allowance. One bagel is really the equivalent of 2 1/2 English muffins. A typical bran muffin is the equivalent of 6-7 waffles or 6-7 cups of bran flakes. Kind of gives you pause, doesn't it. (And, I'm not even getting started here on what that typical bagel or bran muffin is made with!)
In the 1975 edition of the classic cookbook "The Joy of Cooking", the brownie recipe made 30 brownies. The 1990 edition had the exact same recipe, but now the instructions had the brownies cut into only 16 pieces! Likewise, in 1984, on the Nestle's Semi-Sweet morsel package, the recipe for chocolate chip cookies yielded 100 cookies. In 1987, the same recipe was said to make 60 cookies. Whenever portion sizes are bigger, people eat more.
When Hershey's first marketed their candy bars in 1908, they were sold only in the 1/2 oz. size. This is now the Halloween fun size. Now, you can buy a Hershey's candy bar in a 7 ounce size.
Which brings up this staggering statistic, Americans eat, on average, 156 pounds of added sugar a year, which adds up to 5000 pounds of added sugar over a lifetime.
How much we eat has been skyrocketing over the past twenty years. Of course, as we eat more, obesity rates have skyrocketed right along with it. If you're confused about not just what to eat, but how much, it's for good reason.
Even more housekeeping (sorry, Hank, still this kind, not the mopping floors kind): Congratulations to Sandy for winning the Michael Pollan book "Food Rules" in the raffle.
And now, without any further ado, today's post:
The amount of conflicting, confusing, sometimes over-simplified, sometimes overly-complicated diet and nutrition news we Americans get is startling. And it's constantly changing.
The US Department of Agriculture and the US Department of Health and Human Services revise their guidelines every five years BUT their guidelines differ from those of the FDA! For example, according to the USDA a serving of pasta is 1/2 cup cooked. However, according to the FDA, which is the agency responsible for food labeling, a serving of cooked pasta equals one cup.
To make matters even worse, a typical restaurant serving of pasta is 3 cups!
Most people never check in with these government agencies anyway (and, believe me, I'm not advocating that you do so). We get most of our food views, especially when it comes to portion sizes from package sizes in supermarkets and all the many other places food is sold, advertising, cookbooks, and restaurants.
If over-eating is an issue for you, either for weight or digestion issues, I ask you to consider the following:
The USDA recommends 6 servings (or 6 oz.) of grains a day for the average adult (2000 calorie diet). As I wrote above, a serving equals 1/2 cup of cooked pasta or the same amount of rice. A typical bagel is 5-6 ounces, which is the equivalent of 5-6 slices of bread, 6 slices (of thin) bread being the daily allowance. One bagel is really the equivalent of 2 1/2 English muffins. A typical bran muffin is the equivalent of 6-7 waffles or 6-7 cups of bran flakes. Kind of gives you pause, doesn't it. (And, I'm not even getting started here on what that typical bagel or bran muffin is made with!)
In the 1975 edition of the classic cookbook "The Joy of Cooking", the brownie recipe made 30 brownies. The 1990 edition had the exact same recipe, but now the instructions had the brownies cut into only 16 pieces! Likewise, in 1984, on the Nestle's Semi-Sweet morsel package, the recipe for chocolate chip cookies yielded 100 cookies. In 1987, the same recipe was said to make 60 cookies. Whenever portion sizes are bigger, people eat more.
When Hershey's first marketed their candy bars in 1908, they were sold only in the 1/2 oz. size. This is now the Halloween fun size. Now, you can buy a Hershey's candy bar in a 7 ounce size.
Which brings up this staggering statistic, Americans eat, on average, 156 pounds of added sugar a year, which adds up to 5000 pounds of added sugar over a lifetime.
How much we eat has been skyrocketing over the past twenty years. Of course, as we eat more, obesity rates have skyrocketed right along with it. If you're confused about not just what to eat, but how much, it's for good reason.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
I'm Getting the Message aka Dry Basements and Dog Food
Our basement was dry for years. Then, one day, just hours after an appraiser came to see the house because we were refinancing the mortgage and asked the fateful question, "No sump pump in the basement?" and I confidently replied, "Nope, we don't need one, we've never had a drop of water in it," the water came. First a drip which I wiped up with a towel. Then a puddle which I mopped. In a couple of hours, I had parked my then-small kids in front of the t.v. as I ran up and down the basement steps carrying everything I could to higher ground, the phone cradled against my shoulder as I hysterically asked my husband what the heck I was supposed to do.
That was the first of many cardio workouts running boxes, containers, lamps, the drum set, even the marimba up from the basement whenever we had a big rain or a big winter thaw. We tried numerous solutions through the years: retrenching drains around the house, putting gutters on the roof. After a while, a bad weather report alone would cause us to lose sleep. We knew what was coming.
I knew the solution, it was a drain around the inside perimeter of the basement and a sump pump but this required every last little thing being taken out of the basement, including the built in shelves that ran the length of an entire wall, which had already been rebuilt once. Which was worse, the periodic storm-induced frenzies or one long siege of work?
In the fall of 2008 we got so much water that it kept coming in for a solid week. Hank and I finally looked at each other and realized that the universe had been giving us messages about dealing with the basement for a long, long time. First it whispered, then it spoke, and finally, it was hitting us upside the head. Time to fix the problem.
So we did. The company we hired to do the work - not the shlepping everything up and out of the basement, that pleasure was all ours - the jack hammering, the installing the sump pump, etc. had recommended a "triple-safe sump pump". I was skeptical. What were the odds that the electricity would go out at the same time we'd need the sump pump? Hank wanted to be ready for anything. Indeed, I think he was ready to hire a watchman to sit in the basement 24/7 just watching for water. So, triple-safe we became.
The crew finished their work as the ice-storm of '09 began. I was worried about them driving through the ice as they left, they assured me their truck, laden with concrete, was heavy enough to get through anything. Eight hours later our power went out, and our triple-safe sump pump, with it's battery backup was the only sound I heard. Except for maybe a soft voice, laughingly saying, "Glad you finally listened." We were without power for 5 1/2 days and we had one of the few houses around that came through the storm with a dry basement.
So, now I listen and I finally get to write about dog food. All the while, you might be wondering what any of this has to do with health. I'll get to the dog food in a moment. For now, the connection, which is simple - everything's connected. Hank and I got rid of a continuing source of stress when we solved the problem of our wet basement. We don't worry storms the way we used to. We relax during vacations knowing that when we get home and open the basement door, all will be well. Any time you reduce stress, you increase health. We also have less mold in the house because the basement is dry.
Now for the connection between dog food and human health (no, I'm not suggesting you eat it!). For those of us that love our dogs, having them in our lives is a pleasure, indeed they're family members that we love - so, when they're healthy, we're calmer and healthier, too.
Finally, finally I get to my point. Yesterday, Trish, a school friend of mine, unrequested, sent me a link to the company where she buys her dog's organic dog food. I was prepared to let it slide, thinking the pet store food we buy Mobley is good enough. Last night, I opened an issue of Oprah magazine to find a small bit on pet cancer and the stat that 50% of dogs over age 10 develop cancer, and that the chemicals in most dog foods may be a cause. Then, this morning, Hank handed me an article his friend and coworker Kathryn gave him for me about the food supply, including how some Chinese companies are using melamine in pet food. I think the universe is whispering to me again. This time I'm not waiting for it to smack me upside the head! I'll be shopping for organic food for Mobley.
This is long enough, so I'll let you go with one last thought. If our pets' food supply is tainted, if organic food is safer for our pets, what of our own food supply. There's been too much in the news for any of you to miss any of this, and one day when I really want to wade through the evidence, I'll post about that. For now, I humbly suggest if you haven't already thought about it, this is a good time to start.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Breakfast Two Ways
Where have I been? Working. I'm finding out that it's true what they (whoever they are) say: when you work at home, there's no quitting time! But, I'm not complaining, just explaining that when I'm not here (blogging), I'm still here (probably at the computer, but writing other things).
In any event, I'm thinking breakfast these days, and I'm thinking whole grains, too. We all know the importance of eating whole grains, right. But do you actually check the labels of what you buy to see if the claims the manufacturer puts on the box ("Heart Healthy" or "Whole-Grain Goodness") really mean anything?
For example, here's the ingredient list for Cheerios:
Whole Grain Oats
Modified Corn Starch
Sugar
Salt
Trisodium Phosphate
Calcium carbonate
Monoglycerides
Annatto
Tocepherols
Wheat starch
That's a goodly amount of ingredients. How many of them are a heart-healthy whole-grain? One (the oats).
What percentage of the total are the oats. I dunno, Do you?
When was your Cheerios made? Another good guess, but most packaged foods are made to be able to sit on store shelves for six months. Personally, I like my food to be younger than that.
If you want to know, really know, what you're eating and to eat healthfully, there's no two ways about it, you have to spend some time in the kitchen. Knowing we're all busy, here are two recipes that I make at the same time because I'm lazy and that's a great way to save time in the kitchen, leaving me more time to do what I love most, watch "House, M.D" and spend way too much time online reading and responding to what my fellow student write.
BTW, don't let either recipe fool you: they're not just for breakfast. The Breakfast Bars make a great snack bar and the muesli has been known to be eaten by my kids as an afternoon snack (and by me as dessert). I hope you enjoy them both.
Breakfast Bars
6 C. oats
3 C. whole wheat or other whole flour (I like spelt)
1 T. salt
1 C. canola oil
1 1/2 C. raisins
1 1/2 C. chopped walnuts
1 C. unsweetened coconut
1 C. pumpkin seeds
1 C. grain sweetened chocolate chips
2/3 C. agave nectar or 1 C. maple syrup
2 C. apple cider or orange juice
1 C. water
Mix dry ingredients, add wet ingredients. Bake in a greased 9.3 x 13.5 inch pan in a 375 degree oven for about 45 minutes (until golden brown). Cool and cut into any size bar you like. They'll keep in the 'fridge for a week or more.
Muesli
2 C. oats and then don't even bother measuring the rest: any combination of the dry ingredients above (except the flour) so that you end up with about 3 to 3 1/2 cups of dry ingredients all together. I also like adding sesame seeds and cacao nibs (my daughter says cacao nibs are an "acquired taste" and that they have "everything that chocolate has except everything that makes chocolate truly delicious" which means you may not want to add them if you're not an adventurous eater. I happen to like them and they're currently in vogue as a "super food"). Mix the dry ingredients, pour enough apple cider over it to soak the whole mix and store in the fridge, covered, for up to four days. I've also made it with soy mild, and assume it will work with cow's milk, but haven't tried. If you spend more than five minutes making this, including clean-up, you spent too much time - you're wasting precious time you could be ogling Hugh Laurie, or doing whatever else it is you enjoy.
With both recipes, as with all my recipes, please play - add or subtract ingredients according to your preferences and what's in your cupboard.
And, if you want to know why cacao nibs are a super food, you'll have to comment!
In any event, I'm thinking breakfast these days, and I'm thinking whole grains, too. We all know the importance of eating whole grains, right. But do you actually check the labels of what you buy to see if the claims the manufacturer puts on the box ("Heart Healthy" or "Whole-Grain Goodness") really mean anything?
For example, here's the ingredient list for Cheerios:
Whole Grain Oats
Modified Corn Starch
Sugar
Salt
Trisodium Phosphate
Calcium carbonate
Monoglycerides
Annatto
Tocepherols
Wheat starch
That's a goodly amount of ingredients. How many of them are a heart-healthy whole-grain? One (the oats).
What percentage of the total are the oats. I dunno, Do you?
When was your Cheerios made? Another good guess, but most packaged foods are made to be able to sit on store shelves for six months. Personally, I like my food to be younger than that.
If you want to know, really know, what you're eating and to eat healthfully, there's no two ways about it, you have to spend some time in the kitchen. Knowing we're all busy, here are two recipes that I make at the same time because I'm lazy and that's a great way to save time in the kitchen, leaving me more time to do what I love most, watch "House, M.D" and spend way too much time online reading and responding to what my fellow student write.
BTW, don't let either recipe fool you: they're not just for breakfast. The Breakfast Bars make a great snack bar and the muesli has been known to be eaten by my kids as an afternoon snack (and by me as dessert). I hope you enjoy them both.
Breakfast Bars
6 C. oats
3 C. whole wheat or other whole flour (I like spelt)
1 T. salt
1 C. canola oil
1 1/2 C. raisins
1 1/2 C. chopped walnuts
1 C. unsweetened coconut
1 C. pumpkin seeds
1 C. grain sweetened chocolate chips
2/3 C. agave nectar or 1 C. maple syrup
2 C. apple cider or orange juice
1 C. water
Mix dry ingredients, add wet ingredients. Bake in a greased 9.3 x 13.5 inch pan in a 375 degree oven for about 45 minutes (until golden brown). Cool and cut into any size bar you like. They'll keep in the 'fridge for a week or more.
Muesli
2 C. oats and then don't even bother measuring the rest: any combination of the dry ingredients above (except the flour) so that you end up with about 3 to 3 1/2 cups of dry ingredients all together. I also like adding sesame seeds and cacao nibs (my daughter says cacao nibs are an "acquired taste" and that they have "everything that chocolate has except everything that makes chocolate truly delicious" which means you may not want to add them if you're not an adventurous eater. I happen to like them and they're currently in vogue as a "super food"). Mix the dry ingredients, pour enough apple cider over it to soak the whole mix and store in the fridge, covered, for up to four days. I've also made it with soy mild, and assume it will work with cow's milk, but haven't tried. If you spend more than five minutes making this, including clean-up, you spent too much time - you're wasting precious time you could be ogling Hugh Laurie, or doing whatever else it is you enjoy.
With both recipes, as with all my recipes, please play - add or subtract ingredients according to your preferences and what's in your cupboard.
And, if you want to know why cacao nibs are a super food, you'll have to comment!
Friday, February 5, 2010
Free Soup!
I'm sorry for all the years I bought prepared broth. What a waste of money and resources. I no longer do so because there's an outrageously easy way to make your own. It's totally free, environmentally friendly and it takes next to no time or effort.
When I prepared vegetables now, most of what I don't use go into a plastic bag that I store in my freezer. Carrot tops and bottoms? In the bag. If I peeled carrots (which I don't because I want to eat the nutrient-rich skin) the peels would go in as well. Celery tops, bottom, and leaves - in the bag. Ditto tops and bottoms of onions - but not too much of the skin as they turn the broth a deep brown - however, this is not a problem if you don't mind the color. Tomatoes, zucchini, greens - if I've ever seen it in a soup, I throw it in the bag. Even the ends of fresh ginger because I've come to love the taste of ginger in soup.
Every so often, when my bag of scraps is full and I'm going to be home for a bit, I throw the scraps in a soup pot, fill the pot with water and gently boil it all for 20 minutes or so. Afterwards, I strain the broth, let it cool and refreeze it in containers. I now have broth as a base for other soups - lentil, split pea, etc. Or, I use the broth to cook grains in to boost both their nutritional value and their flavor. I also have plain old broth for when I feel like a simple bowl of soup.
You can season the broth in the initial cooking phase or when you use it to make other dishes.
The environmental benefits? By not buying prepared broth, I'm not adding to the waste stream by having cans or aseptic packs to dispose of. As for the cooked vegetables that remain after I strain the broth - I add them to my composter so they'll help grow more vegetables.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Learning to Breathe
I dragged myself through my days for years. My energy was low practically my whole life. At times I dragged myself to yet another doctor to ask if there wasn't anything to be done. The doctors, all good physicians, would order this test or that, or a whole battery of tests. They'd ask good questions. Nothing changed.
A few years ago I hit a crisis point. I realized I had every reason in the world to be happy, but I wasn't. And, I was chronically exhausted. Something had to be done.
I also realized that the clock was ticking. It's always ticking and I knew that if I didn't get my act together, my time would run down before I'd accomplished what I meant to in this life. This was back in the days when Elizabeth Gilbert's phenomenal book, "Eat, Pray, Love" was just out. I'm not ashamed to say that I am one of a legion of women whose life was changed by that book. Reading it, I remembered that I'd always meant to learn to meditate. Then one day, as I waited for my younger son and his friends to finish their lattes and brownies at our local coffee shop, I found the brochure of a meditation teacher who taught barely five minutes from my home.
Even I, who hated leaving home after dark for any reason (if for no other reason than it cut into my Spider Solitaire time), knew that I couldn't use the excuse of having no energy to avoid a five minute drive to a place where I could sit and learn to meditate over the course of six classes.
This, by the way, is not a post on the health benefits of meditation. That will come later. This post is about something much, much more basic. Something we all do. This post is about learning to breathe.
Can you believe that? Learning to breathe? Don't leave me yet. I realize that if you're reading this, you're breathing as you do so. However, there's breathing and there's breathing and once I learned how to breathe properly, I immediately began to have more energy. Let me write that again for emphasis, once I learned how to breather properly, I immediately began to have more energy! I couldn't make this stuff up but am going to teach it here, for all of you, who are most of us, who actually need a lesson.
Put one hand on your stomach and one hand on your chest. Breathe naturally - like you always do. Which hand moves? If it's the hand on your stomach (because your stomach inflates when you breathe), you're good to go. You're taking in big deep breaths that bring oxygen deep into your body. However, if only the hand on your chest moves, you're not breathing deeply enough. If that's the case, how do you learn to breathe more deeply? Simply by reminding yourself and repeating the process whenever you think of it. After a week or so of practice, you should be breathing deep into your belly without conscious thought. By the way, if you watch babies breathe, this is their natural way of doing so.
Not only did my energy increase when I learned to breathe, but I also became more relaxed. You may notice that when you're nervous or upset, your breathing becomes more shallow. I'm sure you've all heard to take three deep breaths when you're feeling so. It makes sense that if you continually take deep breaths, it will help you feel calmer all the time.
Sometimes the simplest solution works the best! Keep breathing...and let me know what changes you notice!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
No Excuses
Often what's standing in the way of good health is nothing more than our thoughts and habits. Recent reports have cited that chronic disease in Americans is due to lifestyle anywhere between 51% to 80% of the time. Which means we have no one to blame but ourselves. Perhaps that's harsh - we have a broken food system, and lots of societal pressures to not take care of ourselves. But, in the end, we're all responsible for ourselves and the state of our health.
We have many reasons for not taking better care of ourselves. I know - I used to be the poster child for this, spreading my excuses wherever I went, trading them with friends like my brother used to trade baseball cards.
Here are some of the reasons I'd trot out for anyone willing to listen:
- I need sugar to keep me going in the afternoon.
- I'm too busy to exercise.
- Without all this coffee, I won't make it through the day.
- I'm too busy to cook.
- I don't have the luxury of sleeping the hours I need.
- It's in my genes.
- Of course, I'm stressed - I have kids.
- I can't lose weight because I'm menopausal.
- I get too hungry if I eat less.
- I'm addicted to sugar.
and my all time favorite:
- This is just the way I am.
There's more but you get the point. Do you recognize any of your own reasons for not being healthier in the list? Do you have anything else holding you back?
The amazing thing is that we believe these words. How do we know our thoughts are right? We give them power by repeating them and acting on them - which leads to our not taking the actions that would disprove them. I like an analogy that Dr. Wayne Dyer uses, which he credits Abraham Maslow for teaching him: the past is like the wake left by a boat. It doesn't propel the boat. However, many of us assume the wake (how we've always done things) is what pushes us forward. We can keep looking back, using the same, old excuses, assuming we have to live as we always have, or we can turn our eyes and thoughts forward and both think and try new things. If this idea resonates with you and you want to read more about it, I recommended Dyer's book "Excuses Begone!".
Or, you can remember Henry Ford's (which I thank my darling husband for teaching me), "Whether you think you can, or think you can't, you're right!"
We have many reasons for not taking better care of ourselves. I know - I used to be the poster child for this, spreading my excuses wherever I went, trading them with friends like my brother used to trade baseball cards.
Here are some of the reasons I'd trot out for anyone willing to listen:
- I need sugar to keep me going in the afternoon.
- I'm too busy to exercise.
- Without all this coffee, I won't make it through the day.
- I'm too busy to cook.
- I don't have the luxury of sleeping the hours I need.
- It's in my genes.
- Of course, I'm stressed - I have kids.
- I can't lose weight because I'm menopausal.
- I get too hungry if I eat less.
- I'm addicted to sugar.
and my all time favorite:
- This is just the way I am.
There's more but you get the point. Do you recognize any of your own reasons for not being healthier in the list? Do you have anything else holding you back?
The amazing thing is that we believe these words. How do we know our thoughts are right? We give them power by repeating them and acting on them - which leads to our not taking the actions that would disprove them. I like an analogy that Dr. Wayne Dyer uses, which he credits Abraham Maslow for teaching him: the past is like the wake left by a boat. It doesn't propel the boat. However, many of us assume the wake (how we've always done things) is what pushes us forward. We can keep looking back, using the same, old excuses, assuming we have to live as we always have, or we can turn our eyes and thoughts forward and both think and try new things. If this idea resonates with you and you want to read more about it, I recommended Dyer's book "Excuses Begone!".
Or, you can remember Henry Ford's (which I thank my darling husband for teaching me), "Whether you think you can, or think you can't, you're right!"
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