health – Steph Simply

Berry Immunity Boosting Smoothie aka Stress Less Smoothie

Featured by stephsimply, posted in Recipes

The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.”–William James

The challenge of work-life balance⚖️

It is not uncommon to engage in conversations centering around stress. Attempting to balance the demands of work and life can be challenging. The combination of long work hours, while also juggling the needs of family, make it difficult to have time to do the things that would otherwise relieve stress, such as regular exercise, outings with friends, or even a relaxing soak in the tub.

When stress ramps up, there is a chain-reaction in our bodies. According to Harvard School of Public Health, when stress is high, the body’s demand for oxygen and energy increases, which in turn increases the demand for key nutrients. Simultaneously, stress causes the body to eliminate other vital nutrients. This can take a toll on the body’s immune system.

As the chain reaction of stress continues, hormones become affected. If the stress is acute, the body will secrete adrenaline, which suppresses appetite. However, when the stress becomes more chronic, cortisol levels begin to rise, instigating food cravings. Cortisol tends to create cravings for foods that are typically considered “comfort foods,” full of sugar, salt, and fat. Unfortunately, if cortisol stays elevated, the chain reaction continues to wreak havoc upon our bodies, and this often influences our coping strategies.

The body’s stress response 😰

Chronic high stress time periods, depletes the body of energy and can often reduce time available for decompression. This can inhibit the desire to prepare healthy, nutritious meals. Sometimes, chronic stress causes us to skip meals. The downside to skipping meals is that, as the cortisol levels rise, once there is an opportunity to eat, we tend to reach for those comfort foods that will not replenish the body’s stores of diminished nutrients.

Therefore, how we respond to stress matters. With some situations, we can identify upcoming stressful time periods before they begin, and thus, we can be more proactive. However, that isn’t always the case. Nonetheless, there are a few basic guidelines, according to The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that are worth remembering.

Tips for eating during times of stress 😣

Keep nutrient-dense grab-and-go snacks on hand at all times. Foods like baby carrots, celery sticks, hummus cups, guacamole cups, apples, oranges, bananas, popcorn, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, low-sugar yogurt, low-sugar granola, low-sugar oatmeal packets, whole-grain crackers and so forth.
Eat at regular intervals when possible. This will keep blood sugar stable, and keep the brain, which needs glucose, working at its best.
Eat high-fiber foods. Foods, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, oatmeal, and other whole grains, have been shown to decrease perceived stress levels and increase alertness.
Focus on eating fruits and vegetables, especially leafy greens, whenever possible. These foods are filled with the vitamins and minerals your body needs to neutralize the harmful molecules our bodies produce when under stress.
Foods rich in unsaturated fat also help. Think walnuts, flax seeds, chia seeds, and fish oil to name a few. These foods are associated with increased brain function; however, deficiencies in fatty acids can result in depression and/or anxiety.
Be mindful of caffeine and/or alcohol intake. Both of these can disrupt sleep, which the body desperately needs during times of stress. Additionally, both can increase blood pressure, which can increase feelings of anxiety.
Ensure your body is getting enough quality sleep. Getting enough sleep allows the body to reduce cortisol levels and other stress hormones, increasing the chances of remaining calmer in the face of stress.
Employ constructive coping strategies. Whether it is talking to a trusted friend or therapist, journaling, meditating, asking for help, or going for a walk–developing positive coping skills is a lifetime skill set.

The reality of stress 😩

Stress is reality at different points in our lives. While we cannot control when it will arise, we can control our response to it. It is easy and understandable to seek comfort during times of stress. However, when those sources of comfort become unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as over- or undereating, drinking alcohol in excess, going without sleep, and so forth, we risk using short-sighted solutions that could lead to developing long-term problems, creating even more stress.

Stress less smoothie 🍓

Below is my newest smoothie creation. It is full of nutrient-rich foods that are high in fiber. Some of the ingredients may cause you to raise an eye-brow in wonder, but I promise, it does taste great. That said, feel free to adjust, add to, or eliminate ingredients that don’t suit your palate or dietary needs.

This recipe can be made ahead of time and frozen into individual servings. They will stay fresh in the freezer for up to three months. Then, whenever faced with a stressful day, take one smoothie out the night before, set it in the fridge to thaw, and then it’s grab-and-go convenience for the next workday. Sip on it through a lunch meeting, or if more time is available, pour it into a bowl and sprinkle on favorite fruit and nut/seed toppings, along with a bit of granola.

I can’t promise that this recipe will change the stress around you. However, it does provide a powerful nutritional punch to help stave off the effects of stress, and offers one less thing to worry about. Plus, it feels good knowing that if everything else goes wrong in the day, at least one small part of your day was stress-free.

Cheers to one less thing to stress about!

Berry Stress Less Smoothie

Nutrient dense, stress combating meal replacement

Ingredients:

2 cup spinach, riced cauliflower, or kale (can be frozen)

½ cup strawberries, frozen

½ cup raspberries, frozen

½ cup cherries, frozen

1 apple

½ cup lentils

1 parsnips

2 tablespoon flax, chia seeds, or hemp seeds (or combination of any two)

2 tablespoons goji berries, OR 2 medjool dates, OR 2 prunes, optional

2 tablespoons cocoa or cacao powder, optional

2 scoops protein powder, optional

1 cup beet juice (can use pomegranate or cherry juice or simply use water)

1 cup milk plant or dairy based variation)

½-1 cup of water, if too thick

Directions:

Put all ingredients in high powered blender

Blend until creamy and smooth

Makes 2 large servings

Your Health Journey: It’s more than just taking a pill

Featured by stephsimply, posted in Simple Observations and Musings

“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.”–Jim Rohn

Listen to your Gut-Instincts🙇‍♀️

It’s been a little over a decade since I received the medical diagnosis that dramatically changed my life. I spent years battling upset stomach, gas, bloating, heartburn, and lower belly pain that only got worse with age. Pills had always been the answers. In fact, at one point in my life, I had multiple timers set on my phone to remind me to take prescribed medications before and after eating.

During a vacation near Boone, North Carolina, with my husband and daughter in which we had to plan our days around the timing of my medication, I finally decided I had had enough. Call it “gut-instinct”, but I knew that whatever was going on inside my body, the prescriptions were not the answer.

Finding a Doctor to listen 👂

Fortunately, I had a doctor at the time who took me seriously and listened. Together, we discussed a plan of action. Still, it took several months of waiting for tests and lab work to be completed, and more time waiting for results–the “hurry-up-and-wait” shuffle–as I fondly call it.

I am not sure what I expected the results to be. However, when the letter arrived at my house stating I needed to schedule a follow-up appointment with my doctor (which was already on the books) due to indications of celiac disease and hiatal hernia, I was initially upset due to the dramatic lifestyle changes to manage both.

Change is Not Easy 😬

To state the obvious, change is not easy, so I faced a fair amount of challenges as I adjusted my diet. Ultimately, though, as my symptoms subsided, and, one-by-one, the medications fell by the wayside, my motivation to continue increased. I also came to see that compared to other potential prognosis, changing my diet was a minor task compared to invasive treatments, therapies, and surgeries.

I’ve learned much, and continue to learn, along my health journey. Therefore, I share my experience as a point of encouragement when dealing with medical issues.

Photo by Christina Morillo on Pexels.com

Advocate for Yourself 🗣️

First, I encourage you to trust your instincts, and advocate for yourself, especially if you are a person of color, a woman, a person with a higher BMI, or a LGBTQ+ person. Unfortunately, as with any field, there are those medical professionals with internalized biases. While I am confident not all doctors are bad actors, my own personal experience–and that of several others I know–have certainly informed me that if you belong to one of those categories, your complaints may not be given serious and thoughtful consideration. Therefore, you MUST advocate for yourself, even if it means changing doctors or traveling out of the area in which you live.

Not every Health Issue requires a Pill

Secondly, sometimes medication is absolutely necessary; however, prescriptions are not end-all-be-all for every situation. While I did have a doctor who truly listened to me, it still took me advocating for myself and not settling for what he prescribed based upon the medical system in which he worked. I am fortunate that when I questioned the medicine, that this doctor did not take it personally or as an assault on his professional judgment. Nor did he try to use shame, or blame-the-patient tactics, as I had previously experienced. He heard me out, asked numerous questions, and based upon those answers, set up a series of diagnostic tests.

Be Gentle with yourself as you navigate lifestyle changes 😊

Thirdly, be gentle with yourself if you have to make lifestyle changes. Once I received my results, overhauling my diet was scary–do you know how many things have gluten in them and/or cause reflux? I felt a huge amount of internal resistance to those changes in the beginning because it seemed like such an overwhelming task.

Lifestyle changes are not easy, and it takes time to make the adjustments. There are going to be setbacks, slipups, and mistakes along the way. I know; I experienced them. Completely changing the way I ate was a steep learning curve, and it was an eye-opening experience. Nonetheless, at the end of the day, I wanted to feel better and not live my life on a series of timers and pills.

Find your support 👯‍♀️

Enlist support for your changes. Join Facebook communities or other support groups to help you transition and navigate through the changes. Thankfully, I had support in the form of my family and friends. Of course, they did not have to necessarily change the way they ate, but they absolutely made, and still continue to make, accommodations for my dietary needs. This is especially true for when we dine out. I have a limited number of restaurants in which I can safely eat. Therefore, if I can’t eat at a certain location, friends and family will nearly always choose another option, so I can also enjoy the meal with them.

health is a constant series of adjustments along the way 🛣️

Finally, know that your health journey is a continuous process. Because I spent over four decades without a proper diagnosis, I am still encountering health difficulties. One of the biggest obstacles I now face is a result of undiagnosed celiac disease. Celiac causes the villi that make up the lining of the small intestines where nutrients are absorbed to become damaged. Over time, the villi atrophy and flatten due to inflammation from eating products that contain gluten.

Despite overall healthy eating and consistent exercise, until I cleared the gluten in order to reduce the inflammation in my body, I was not able to absorb enough nutrients, specifically calcium, Vitamin D, and Vitamin K. Additionally, due to acid-reflux, I took proton-pump inhibitors for several years, which are also known to deplete magnesium, calcium, and other important minerals.

Thus, I now have osteopenia. As a result I have already had one surgery and may later need another one. However, I am doing all I can to keep that from happening, including completing the prescribed exercises, lifestyle changes, and appropriate supplementation of key nutrients. Additionally, of course, I continue to maintain lifestyle changes with regards to a gluten-free diet, low-acid diet, and I am now more motivated to continue consistent weight-bearing exercise to keep my bones as healthy and strong as I can.

Our health is truly a source of personal wealth. Therefore, learning to advocate our own health needs is critical. To be sure, doctors are highly educated, but that doesn’t mean they are fully educated when it comes to YOUR BODY and YOUR unique HEALTH needs.

IT’s your body. Treat it Well.

Speak up for yourself. Trust your instincts. If you need medication, take it, but don’t overlook lifestyle habits as well. Educate yourself on lifestyle habits that can positively (and negatively) impact your health and make adjustments as needed. Don’t be afraid to ask for support, and forgive yourself if you slip-up along your health journey.

At the end of the day. It is your body. It is the only one you have. Treat it like the sacred, precious gift that it is.

Get More Grounded: The Benefits and Lesson of Tree Pose

Featured by stephsimply, posted in Simple Observations and Musings

“Be like a tree. Stay grounded. Connect with your roots. Turn over a new leaf. Bend before you break. Enjoy your unique natural beauty. Keep growing.”–Joanne Raptis

Photo by SHVETS production on Pexels.com

The magic of Tree Pose 🌳

“Trees sway; get more grounded,” my husband chimed along with the yoga instructor on the DVD as we attempted tree pose on a Monday morning before work, the classic yoga balancing pose that requires standing on one leg.

I appreciate tree pose for many reasons. It strengthens feet, spine, ankles, legs, and core. Further, it opens the hip area, stretches the inner thigh and groin muscles. Plus, it can improve one’s concentration and focus while simultaneously improving alignment of spine and posture. Most of all, it is a pose of balance, which can help in a multitude of ways.

Symbolically, tree pose serves up several lessons. However, one of the more literal lessons of tree pose is that of remaining in the present moment. It’s nearly impossible to balance in tree pose and think into the future or reflect on the past because you end up falling out of the pose. I was reminded of those lessons this past Tuesday, or as I have come to know it as, “Twister (or Tornado) Tuesday.”

Photo by Ralph W. lambrecht on Pexels.com

Shelter in Place 🌪️

As a veteran educator, I have experienced a wide-array of events, including those that require shelter-in-place. In fact, I can still recall the first time I experienced shelter-in-place with students 30+ years ago. I was teaching in a mobile unit at a great distance from the main brick and mortar school building. The students under my care ranged from 5-12 years of age, and they had been identified as “severe behavior handicapped.”

There were twelve students, ten boys and two girls. Since this was the early 1990s, computers and cell phones were not widely available in the classroom setting. This classroom had an intercom type “phone” that only connected from the school office to the classroom. It was through this “phone” that I received the message that the entire school was sheltering in place in the hallways. The school received a call that a tornado had touched down in another part of the county and was heading our way. I was to gather my twelve, not-always-so-compliant students, and move them to the main building as quickly as possible.

By the time I received the “call,” a heavy metal concert of rain and wind had already begun, drumming and shaking the metal building rhymically with tantruming, angry torrents of sideways rain. Quickly, the paraprofessionals and I helped the students into their school-issued red rain parkas, and that is when the resistance began.

“I am not going out in that rain.”

“I don’t like getting wet.”

“No, I won’t!”

“I’m scared!”

Whether it was the determined, I-am-not-kidding look in my eyes, Divine intervention, or a combination of both, the paraprofessionals and I miraculously gathered all of them in a line. Holding hands as one unit, we began fighting our way through the class door that kept trying to swallow us back inside due to the enraged winds. Once outside, raindrops pelted any exposed skin, including the students’ face and heads as their hoods were immediately blown off. We fought our way to the safety of the school while the passion of the rain and winds seemed to increase and determinedly tried to shove us backwards.

By the time we made it to the school, none of us were dry as the pernicious storm found a way to penetrate even the sturdiest of rain coats. Quickly, we hustled the students to the primary wing of the school, finding a piece of wall away from windows where they could drop to their knees and cover their heads, rivulets of water streaming over all of us, while adrenalin continued to accelerate my heart rate.

Twister Tuesday 🪟

This memory bolted through my mind on “Twister Tuesday” as my classroom, and the surrounding classrooms, were filled with the strident sound of the emergency broadcast system sending an urgent message to seek shelter immediately. Our middle school classrooms are located on the top floor of our school building, and the entire middle school was directed to make their way to the first floor as quickly as possible. In order to do that, we had to run down three flights of stairs in a glass-lined stairwell. As we headed down, the irate storm quickly made its presence known. Like Lyssa, a figure in Greek mythology who is said to drive others mad, the storm insanely clambered and clawed at the windows demanding to get inside, but meeting a wall of resistance.

Once downstairs, it was hot, crowded, and overripe with the odor of sweaty, nervous bodies as we sheltered in place away from doors and windows alongside first and second graders as well as preschoolers from the two- and three- year old classes. At times, there were crescendos of anxious voices of students–or, in the case of some of the little ones–crying. During other moments, there were a few older students who experienced panic attacks, but there were many more who remained calm. There were even those selfless students who chose to hold, cuddle, and comfort younger preschoolers, focusing on the needs of others, rather than themselves.

*_{Middle school students caring for the needs of preschoolers during a shelter in place scenario.}*

And if you Fall . . . Pick yourself 🆙

As I walked among the students, checking on them, assuring some, answering questions of others, my mind echoed with the words from the previous day, “Trees sway; get more grounded.” And so, I ground down into my faith. If the students and staff of my previous school survived that former storm way back in the 90s, surely we would survive this one too. My emotions could sway like the tree on the inside, but the more I swayed, the more I reminded myself to ground down and try to remain balanced in the present moment in order to better focus on those around me.

It wasn’t easy, and I wasn’t perfect. But here’s the thing about tree pose. It’s a great way to practice falling. If you fall out of tree pose, you pick yourself up, and try to return to the pose once more.

Like my beloved tree-pose, Twister Tuesday provided another stretch and realignment personally and professionally as well as to my faith. It challenged my focus and concentration in order to remain balanced. And when I “fell,” forgetting to remain focused on the present moment, all I had to do was “pick myself up” and try to return to it once more. Most of all, that Tuesday served as a powerful reminder of the power of the True Source dwelling within and around us, always available to keep us grounded.

*_{Another middle school student getting grounded in the present moment of another’s need.}*

Springtime Celebration Salad with Walnut Vinaigrette

Featured by stephsimply, posted in Recipes

Featuring asparagus, strawberries, spring mix, and spinach

“Mother Nature’s powers cannot be stuffed into a pill.”–Dr. Micheal Gregor

pill popping 💊

My husband, John, and I can’t help but giggle every time we see commercials touting the benefits of taking a certain brand of daily vitamins. This company claims their product provides vitamins and minerals found in fruits and vegetables that we, the lowly consumer, don’t have time to eat. It especially targets those of us who are older, espousing that by taking these pills, as many as six per day, we will infuse our frail, feeble frames with the vigor and vitality of our former, younger self.

While there is nothing inherently wrong with taking a multivitamin and/or other key supplements, they should never replace our need for daily consumption of fruits and vegetables. According to multiple sources, such as, The Better Health Channel, National Institutes of Health, and Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, regularly consuming fruits and vegetables provides the body with important vitamins, minerals, plant chemicals, and a significant source of fiber. Furthermore, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables have been linked to “lowered blood pressure, reduced risk of heart disease and stroke, prevention of some types of cancers, lowered risk of eye and digestive problems, and have a positive effect on blood sugar . . . .” These are benefits that can’t be bottled into a pill.

Planted in Health 🌱

Of course, I am preaching to the choir, my dear readers. If you are reading this, you are keenly aware of the benefits fruits and veggies offer. And, yet, due to clever and slick marketing tactics, Americans have been spending billions in recent years on vitamins and other supplements according to Northwestern Now and Harvard Medical School. While there are those who do need a few key supplements due to specific health issues, such as those with Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, and ulcerative colitis to name a few, the average healthy adult can get all the vitamins and minerals they need through a well-balanced diet. Besides, there are numerous tasty and simple ways to incorporate fruit and veggies into your diet.

Spring produce 🥬

Spring is the perfect time to take advantage of the fruits and vegetables that come into season early, such as greens, asparagus, and strawberries. Many of these items are often available at local produce stands and markets. Plus, they can also be found, usually at discounted prices when in-season, at local grocery stores. Either way, from now until early June, is the perfect time to grab up these produce deals.

The salad recipe I am sharing with you is one delicious way to incorporate a variety of spring vegetables and at least one fruit into your day. It is a bright and colorful salad, bursting with complimentary flavors and textures, and it can be made as a light main dish or a bright start to a meal. Feel free to play with this recipe by using your favorite dressing, replacing the strawberries with another fruit, changing up the greens and vegetables, or by adding in a favorite protein, bean, or even a grain, such as quinoa.

Make it ahead of time 🥗

I made this salad recipe ahead of time without the fruit and dressing, divided it among Tupperware-type bowls, placed the fruit and poured the dressing into separate, small containers to add to the salad just before eating. This allowed grab-and-go convenience for lunch. In the morning, I popped open my lunch bag, filled it with salad, dressing, sliced fruit, and tossed in a handful of whole grain, gluten-free crackers. As I head out the door, I can rest assured I have packed a nutritionally balanced lunch to fill my afternoon with energy, and I won’t need to worry about spending extra money on overpriced and over-advertised pills.

Celebrate Early Spring produce 🎉

Consider adding this salad into your weekly rotation of spring meals. Serve it as a meal or as a side. Toss it up ahead of time if you like– simply add in the fruit and pour on the dressing just before serving. However and whenever you decide to make it, you are sure to reap the nutritional benefits of delicious spring produce without a pill!

Springtime Celebration Salad with Walnut Vinaigrette,

Featuring: asparagus, strawberries, spring mix, and spinach

Make 2 large meal sized salads or 4 small dinner salads.

Ingredients for dressing:

½ cup water

½ cup balsamic vinegar

¼ cup chopped walnuts

¼ cup raisins or chopped dates

1 clove garlic or 1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

¼ teaspoon dried oregano (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for salad:

10 asparagus spears, roughly cut

10 strawberries, sliced (can substitute chopped apple, blueberries, red grapes, or mandarin orange slices if preferred)

4 tablespoons chopped red onion

6 cups spring greens (I used 50/50 blend of spring mix and spinach)

½ cup (or more, depending on preference) shelled edamame beans, called mukimame or thawed frozen peas

½ cup shredded carrots (optional)

½ cup sliced celery (optional)

2-4 tablespoons raw sunflower seeds (or other favorite nut/seed)

½-1 cup feta or goat cheese (omit if vegan)

Directions for salad dressing:

Combine all ingredients in a high powered blender and blend approximately one minute or until smooth.

Store in a container until needed. Will keep in the refrigerator for two or more weeks.

Directions for salad:

Set out shelled edamame (mukimame) beans or peas to thaw

Cut ends of asparagus, rinse, and then rough cut remaining. Lightly steam asparagus on a covered microwave dish, approximately 30-50 seconds. (You want them bright green and crisp.)

Rinse and slice strawberries, set aside.

Chop red onion, set aside.

Arrange greens in a large salad bowl, adding in carrots and celery if using.

Top with asparagus, strawberries, and edamame or peas.

Sprinkle with chopped red onion, sunflower seeds (or nuts), and cheese, if using.

Drizzle with desired amount of dressing and serve.

Serve with whole grain baguette slices or whole grain crackers, if desired.

The Lost Art of Delayed Gratification

Featured by stephsimply, posted in Simple Observations and Musings

“The longer you have to wait for something, the more you will appreciate it when it finally arrives. . . . All good things are worth waiting for . . .”–Susan Gale

Window of opportunity ⏱️

One of the more popular health trends that continues to grab headlines is around time-restricted eating or TRE. It is a form of intermittent fasting in which a person chooses a window of time within a day, typically 6-12 hours, in which they eat. During the time outside of this window, those following a TRE protocol, do not consume any other calories and drink only water, although there are some following a TRE plan that consume unsweetened tea or coffee.

The idea of TRE is to reduce the amount of overall calories consumed in a day and to reduce less-positive habits such as eating late at night or snacking too much early in the day. Besides the obvious benefits of managing body weight, scientific research into TRE continues to show promising results, including reducing insulin resistance, reduction of inflammation and oxidative stress, can alter and improve the composition of the microbiome, and improved sleep to name a few.

Time to Eat 🍱

Time restricted eating is nothing new to me. In fact, my childhood taught this. I grew up with a natural TRE called breakfast, lunch, dinner and no snacking in between. Furthermore, my parents believed that if we didn’t like what was offered at a certain meal; well, we wouldn’t starve because I could eat again at the next meal.

I can recall sitting in elementary school feeling my stomach growl. Sure, I had breakfast, but we ate early in order to make the school bus. I would look at the large classroom clock on the wall, counting down the time until the teacher l lined us up and walked us to lunch. Standing in line waiting for everyone to go to the restroom, wash their hands, and line back up, my mouth would water in anticipation of food. By the time I sat down with the other students who had packed their lunches, I thought I would perish from hunger! But, oh how good that simple food tasted when I could finally take a bite!

By the time I got home from school, my stomach would once more be begging for food, but there was a hard-fast rule. No snacking before dinner because you’ll ruin your appetite. This was made more challenging if my parents had ordered a tray lunch from the school cafeteria, and I didn’t like the food. Still, there was no debating–wait until dinner.

Fortunately, we tended to eat between 5:00 and 6:00 pm, so I didn’t have to wait too long. However, I tended to be persnickety about certain food items, so if the meal consisted of a food (or foods) that I didn’t like, too bad for me–or any of my siblings for that matter–there was always breakfast. We weren’t going to starve–even if we thought we would.

Photo by August de Richelieu on Pexels.com

Delayed Gratification ⌚︎

The beauty of my parent’s rules, whether they intended it or not, was two-fold. First, food tastes better when truly hungry. It felt downright wonderful to have a hearty appetite as I sat down for a meal. The other skill learned was the art of delayed gratification.

Sure, I’ve went through phases, such as camps, overnight stays with friends or family, and later in college and as a young adult, where I ate completely differently than how I was raised–eating at irregular times and noshing on foods I would have never been able to eat at home.

As an adult, I have also likewise gone through similar phases. It is more challenging now to have those structured meal times since food is so widely available at all hours of the day. No wonder TRE is so popular now. It brings back that structure and discipline in which I was raised.

The art of delayed gratification, given the immediacy that technology brings, is perhaps becoming a bit of a lost skill set. The ability to resist an immediate reward for a greater or more favorable reward later requires self-regulation and impulse control, skills that often get lost while scrolling through our various screens. However, delayed gratification is a skill that can be learned at any age, but it is not easy.

Benefits of Delayed Gratification 🎓

Delayed gratification is what some parents try to teach their children by insisting that all homework must be completed before the kids are given permission to choose a more preferred activity. It is what adults practice when saving for an important item, such as buying a new car, house, or even something as simple as setting aside money for rent, groceries, utilities, and other bills. In fact, anytime we choose not to be distracted from our goals or priorities, we are practicing delaying gratification.

Success in any endeavor, from career to finances, to the most mundane such as cleaning house to choosing when and what to eat, requires the ability to resist the temptation to do something easier (the distraction) and instead, complete something harder, such as studying for that next level career exam or simply choosing, as my parents taught me oh-so-long ago, only eat at meal times.

Photo by SevenStorm JUHASZIMRUS on Pexels.com

So how do we get better at delayed gratification? ⤵️

There are multiple books, articles, and youtube videos designed to provide various methods. Some people like big changes all at once, such as TRE, leaning into some variation of: Here’s the rules, the parameters, and the start date. For certain personalities, a total overhaul of their habits works great.

However, I tend to prefer more gentle approaches such as:

Start with one small change (habit) and stack it with an already existing habit, i.e. I already drink coffee in the morning, why not drink 8-12 ounces of water beforehand?
Repeat that change again the next day
Set a goal for continuing that new change/habit for a set amount of days with a planned celebration/reward upon reaching the goal
If you’re really resistant to completing something, set a timer for two minutes. At the end of those two minutes, get started. (It sounds silly, but for some people, it works.)
Try the “if-then” principle: “If I do this,” (clean kitchen, set up budget, exercise . .), “then I can do this” (scroll through social media, read, nap, etc. . .).
Play mind games and daydream (Instead of focusing on what you want to do, daydream about all of the positive feelings you will undergo sticking to and achieving your plan. Likewise, focus on the negative feelings you will experience if you give-in to a distraction.)
Offer forgiveness to yourself when you slip-up (and we all do), but then return to your goal again the next day.

Make Delayed Gratification work for you! 😄

Ultimately, whether you are trying to stick to TRE, save for new tires on your vehicle, or make that next big career step, employing the art of delayed gratification can help you keep your goals at the forefront of your mind. By keeping those goals small and achievable, you can visualize the steps along the path to success (better health, cleaner house, better finances, etc . . .), make peace with your distractions, focus more on your plan/goal, and face challenges (aka distractions) with a bit more self-composure and kindness to self.

Chocolate Cherry Berry Smoothie

Featured by stephsimply, posted in Recipes

“If you’re one of the many people who struggle to eat enough fruits and vegetables each day, adding smoothies to your diet may help.”–WebMD

Why Make a smoothie? 🍓🍒🫐🥬

I love a good smoothie, but I am often questioned about why make a smoothie when I could eat the same foods for your breakfast or lunch? It’s a fair question. Personally, I enjoy eating a good meal. However, if, like me, your morning is busy, the day’s schedule is packed, and even your lunch time is a working lunch, a smoothie might be one way to ensure a healthy dose of nutrition for at least one meal.

The key to a balanced and nourishing smoothie is whole food ingredients, with heavy emphasis on fruits and vegetables, in order to get a healthy mix of carbohydrates, protein, and fats. This ensures your smoothie is full of fiber, has a wide variety of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other beneficial nutrients. This is why I advocate for making your own smoothie, rather than buying it, so that you can control the ingredients.

customize your own creation 🍎🥭🍌

Smoothies are customizable; therefore, even though I am sharing my latest smoothie recipe, you can feel free to swap out one whole food ingredient for another. For example, if you need to avoid seeds in your diet, but you want to maintain a dose of healthy fats, swap the seeds for an avocado. (Some grocery stores sell frozen bags of avocado cubes.) If you don’t have one of the fruits on hand the recipe calls for, use what you have on hand. (I do this all of the time.)

Sure, switching one ingredient for another, may somewhat vary the taste, texture, or nutritional content. However, as long as you’re swapping out one fruit for another, one vegetable for another, and so forth, you are still overall increasing the consumption of fruits, vegetables, and other healthy nutrients–which is the goal.

Smoothie benefits✨

Here are the benefits (the pixie dust) of the ingredients in this recipe:

Spinach or cauliflower: These cruciferous vegetables are chock full of essential nutrients that are associated with lowering risk of chronic disease, such as cancer and heart disease.

Cherries: This fruit is full of polyphenol antioxidants which can protect our heart from cell damage and may reduce inflammation.

Blueberries: Full of flavonoids, especially anthocyanins which gives the fruit its gorgeous hue, blueberries are associated with reducing oxidative stress that can lead to inflammation among numerous other benefits.

Banana: In addition to being an excellent source of potassium, bananas, especially when frozen, lend a creamy texture to smoothies.

Prunes: These luscious orbs are full of fiber, potassium, vitamin K, and boron. The latter two ingredients are key to bone building health.

Cinnamon: The National Institutes of Health describes cinnamon as a “multifaceted medicinal plant that is “an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, anticancer, lipid-lowering, and cardiovascular-disease-lowering compound, cinnamon has also been reported to have activities against neurological disorders, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.”

Cocoa powder: This much beloved ingredient is also full of flavonoids, which have been shown to lower blood pressure and increase blood flow to heart and brain.

Protein powder: Obviously, this ingredient increases the protein content of your smoothie, but it affects texture by making it creamier.

Seeds: These tiny, but mighty ingredients, contain alpha linolenic acid (omega-3 fatty acid) which may increase brain function and boost the immune system. In addition, they are full of fiber, protein, and a variety of minerals.

Beet juice: Beets are rich in nitrates that the body converts to nitric oxide which helps with blood flow and lowers blood pressure. Additionally, beets are full of other beneficial nutrients as they are also part of the cruciferous family. ( I rarely include juice in my smoothie recipes, but this is one juice I will add.)

Whole Food ingredients that can even be made ahead of time! 🍍🥝🍑

As you can see from the nutritional deconstruction of this recipe, smoothies made with whole food ingredients can be a healthy part of your daily dietary intake. They can be easily made from frozen fruits and vegetables, so you don’t have to waste what you don’t use.

Furthermore, smoothies can be made ahead of time, such as the night before. They can even be made several days ahead of time and frozen, which is what I often do. Then, it’s simply a matter of removing one from the freezer the night before and placing it in the refrigerator. The next morning, grab the container and go. It can either be sipped on the way to work or saved for later time in the day. All that is required is to give the smoothie container a good shake, and you have a perfectly chilled, thick, and creamy delight that is not only tasty but is also contributing to the body’s overall health and well being.

High Quality Blenders can’t be beat 🍐🍇🍊

One caveat I will mention is that it is worth investing in a quality, high powered blender if you are one who frequently makes smoothies as I do. I actually purchased a certified reconditioned model, directly from the factory. It automatically came with a five-year warranty, and the company’s customer service has been outstanding. This is not only a cost-effective way to get a quality, high-powered blender, but it also promotes sustainability. Win. Win.

From my home to yours, I wish you health, happiness, and peace.

*_{Blend two at a time. Drink one, share one, or freeze for another day!}*

Chocolate Cherry Berry Smoothie

Ingredients:

2 cups frozen spinach or riced cauliflower

1 cup frozen cherries

1 cup blueberries

1 ripe banana, frozen if possible

¼ lemon with its peel (remove seeds)

2-4 prunes (can substitute medjool dates)

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

vanilla protein powder

2-4 tablespoons flax, hemp, or chia seeds

2 cups water OR 1 cup beet juice + 1 cup water (Can substitute pomegranate juice for beet juice.)

Directions:

Place all ingredients in the order listed in a high powered blender and blend from one minute or until smooth and creamy.

Serves 2

Dress up your salad with a creamy BS salad dressing

June 22, 2023June 20, 2023 by stephsimply, posted in Recipes

“You cannot see the lettuce and the dressing without suspecting a salad.”–Arthur Conan Doyle

*This dressing can be served as thick as a dip, as seen here, or thinned out for a more traditional, pour. Either way, it will be bursting with flavor!* 🥗

‘Lettuce’ warm up to salad Greens

Warm weather signals that it is the time for salads filled with wonderfully nutritious greens! Fresh made salads are great any time of the year, but they are especially delicious during spring and summer. While the word salad can encompass those made with chicken, tuna, macaroni, and so on, I am focusing on salads whose bases consist largely of greens and other plants that can either serve as an appetizer or as a meal.

When making a fresh salad, it is easy and convenient to buy those bagged, or plastic containers of prepackaged blends. While I often use them, it can sometimes be more cost effective to purchase a variety of leafy greens, veg, and other ingredients to make your own personalized mix. During the warmer months, this is especially ideal when you can shop at local farmers’ markets and produce stands.

Lettuce is a popular base for salads, and there are several main types from which to choose including colorful leaf lettuce varieties; butterhead varieties, including bibb and Boston; crisphead, popularly known as iceberg; and, romaine, king of the Caesar salad. Kale, spinach, and arugula are also popular ingredients for salads, either as a solo base or part of a mix of greens. Other colorful and flavorful additions worth considering include radicchio (which is fun to pronounce), escarole, Belgian endive, and frisee as well as mustard greens, watercress, and mesclun–popularly known as spring mix.

Mix those Greens

Personally, when it comes to making a salad, I enjoy mixing up textures, colors, and flavors, such as tossing leaf lettuce with some spinach and arugula, or mixing romaine lettuce with kale and radicchio. If I am mixing a salad with stronger flavors of arugula or kale, I typically keep the rest of the ingredients simple. In fact, I’d probably add in a fruit (tomato, chopped apple, or dried cranberries) and top it off with lighter dressing, such as a vinaigrette.

Other times, I appreciate the simplicity of filling my bowl with only one type of leafy green; then I’ll mix in a variety of color, texture, and flavor from other fruits and vegetables. With this kind of salad, I might add chopped broccoli or cabbage, then toss in some mandarin orange sections or tomato, and top it off with a hearty, creamy nut-based dressing, such as the one below. Then again, I’ve been known to put a large amount of one green as a base in a big bowl, such as spinach or kale, sprinkle it with some lemon juice or vinegar, then top it off with warm and savory toppings, such as brown rice, beans, and sauteed onions and peppers.

Not only can plant-forward salad be part of a quick and easy lunch or dinner option, but they are also a great way to boost intake of vital nutrients. In fact, The U.S. Department Agriculture states that traditional salad greens, especially those dark leafy types, including kale and spinach, are rich in vitamins A, C, E, and K. Toss in some mustard greens, chopped up broccoli, or bok choy for an excellent source of B-vitamins. All those dark, leafy greens and vegetables contain high levels of fiber, iron, magnesium, potassium, and calcium without adding large amounts of sodium, carbohydrates, or cholesterol. And if that’s not enough food for thought, green vegetables are chock-full of carotenoids-antioxidants that protect cells and ward off early-stages of cancer.

Customizable Salad Dressing Fit for a King

Of course, to make a salad even more delectable, it requires a good dressing. A quality dressing can make a salad taste next-level. Unfortunately, so many readily available dressings are full of ingredients that are unpronounceable, and often overflowing with too much sodium, sugar, or unhealthy oil variations. Furthermore, commercial dressings often aren’t budget friendly when you consider the cost per ounce, and they aren’t customized to your personal taste preference. Therefore, it makes sense (and cents) to make your own dressing.

I recently ran across a simple formula for making homemade salad dressings by Sergei Boutenko, a self-proclaimed health nut, that made perfect sense to me. Boutenko suggests considering five tastes (think *BS salad dressing: 1B + 4Ss)–bitter, sweet, salty, sour, spicy–when making homemade salad dressing, which I did when creating this recipe. This recipe is also customizable, for example you can trade out balsamic vinegar for apple cider vinegar; or, swap out the raisins for dates or even figs.

I chose not to include any oil, and instead use almond butter as a fat to create that desired creamy dressing mouth feel. Additionally, I used a few of my favorite spices/seasonings. Again, each ingredient is customizable, including changing the spices. Additionally, you could trade out almond butter for peanut butter or tahini, and depending on if you’re a garlic fan or not, you can use a little or a lot. Want the dressing thicker or thinner, add more or less water. You get the idea.

*Customize your own salad dressing following the BS rules.* 😉

The point is to take advantage of the warm weather’s harvest to create your own individualized, delicious way to enjoy the salad days of summer. Serve up forkfuls of those dark leafy salad greens as well as any other added veg or fruit you want to toss in. Then, dress up those delectable greens with a dressing suited perfectly to your taste preference–and pocket that extra change you saved. Your body and your wallet will thank you.

From my home to yours, here’s to eating healthy!

Creamy (and customizable) BS Salad Dressing

Ingredients

½ – 1 cup water (depending upon how thick or thin you like dressing)

⅓ cup balsamic vinegar (sour)

¼ cup almond butter

¼ cup raisins or dates (sweet)

1 teaspoon soy sauce or liquid aminos (salty)

1-3 teaspoons minced garlic, depending upon taste preference (bitter)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon onion powder

¼ teaspoon black pepper (spicy)

Directions

Blend all ingredients in a food processor or high powered blender.

Store leftovers in a tightly closed container for up to weeks in the refrigerator.

*Notes: Remember each ingredient can be changed out for equivalent ingredient, choose your favorite flavor of vinegar, use your favorite nut butter and/or dried fruit, and change any of the seasonings as well as their amounts to make your own *BS salad dressing (see reference in article).

Move into Health, Part 10: Create a fitness plan that meets you where you are

Featured by stephsimply, posted in Simple Observations and Musings

I came across a quote only days after my recent ACDF surgery by Oprah Winfrey that read, “Challenges are gifts that force us to search for a new center of gravity. Don’t fight them. Just find a new way to stand.” It accurately summed up what I have been trying to do as I recover. Find new ways to stand, sit, sleep, work, walk, etc. . . Of course, I am blessed that my surgery did not require more than one night’s stay in the hospital, and wasn’t more serious. Nonetheless, surgery is no joke and recovery is for real.

My movement was limited for days following surgery. I had to learn to turn at the waist, rather than use my neck. Additionally, I had to focus on using my stomach muscles to get in and out of bed to avoid straining my neck. And, all forms of exercise, except for walking, was eliminated per staunch medical advice that my family took to heart with frequent reminders. (They didn’t need to worry, I truly wasn’t feeling like doing much during those first few days.)

Walking, I was told by the release nurse, was to be completed every hour, even if it meant only completing one lap around the dining room table before I sat back down. However, I was encouraged, once I got past what the nurse called the “recliner days”–days when swelling and inflammation (aka pain) was at the highest level–to try to walk 10-15 minutes each hour. I had just completed a half-marathon, albeit slowly, only weeks earlier, and now this was my new fitness plan. What a shift!

So why was walking so important, even on those days when I didn’t feel like moving? Well, it turns out there are numerous valid reasons according to my doctor and as described in countless studies out of the Mayo Clinic, University of Wisconsin, and in a 2020 US News and World Report article. Here are a few of the reasons cited:

Prevention of post-surgery complications
Enhances blood flow throughout the body
Increases the flow of oxygen throughout the body
Accelerates wound healing
Strengthens muscles and bones
Improves digestion (aka ability to poop) and the function of urinary tract while reducing bloating and gas
Reduces risk for blood clots, infections, and lung issues, such as pneumonia
Boosts mood and self-esteem

Why do I share all of this? To make the point that my old fitness plan was, and currently is, no longer appropriate for me. I had to adopt a fitness plan that meets my body’s needs where it is. Therefore, my current movement plan consists of short segments of walking completed throughout the day as I remain home recovering, which complies with medical advice from my doctor and best meets the needs of my body.

*Gentle walking on my driveway or in my house is part of the slow and steady recovery plan*.

At the time of writing this, I am entering my third week of recovery. After my two-week, post-operative appointment, I now have permission to begin to gently explore a few strengthening exercises and stretches that can be completed without forward bending. Additionally, I can begin to explore my neck range of motion with a few doctor approved neck stretches and strengthening exercises, but nothing more. Slow and steady helps me find my new center of gravity.

Due to this experience, I want to continue to encourage you, Dear Reader, to carefully plan how you will enter, or reenter, your own exercise/movement plan this spring. Create a plan that meets your needs, and commit to doing it–even if you don’t “feel like it.” Personally speaking, I could feel angry and convince myself that if I can’t exercise the way I once did, then I won’t do anything at all. After all, it would be easy for me to sit around all day and use my surgery as an excuse to do nothing. Conversely, I could try to push too hard with the delusion that, “The staff doesn’t really know ME,” and begin overdoing it with images of former, younger me dancing in my head

Instead, I have accepted the reality of my situation, rather than reject the medical advice I have been given. They are the professionals, not me. I have to meet my body where it’s at when it comes to fitness. Sure, I have dreams of hiking again, walking (or jogging) the entire bike path of Ritter Park, and even practicing yoga with regularity, but none of those will ever happen if I don’t recover first. And my first step in recovery is walking, so my body can focus on the miraculous work of healing.

*Welcome walking into your life! You might be surprised by the benefits!*

Therefore, no matter where you are, what shape you are in, or any other personal obstacles that you may be facing unbeknownst to me, I still encourage you to never give up on regularly incorporating movement into your day. Avoid the temptation to make excuses for yourself, but at the same time, don’t start off with a complicated plan. Talk to your health care provider, and then start.

Start where you are. If you don’t regularly move, then begin, like me, with short walks around your home, or up and down your driveway or sidewalk. Do that 3-4 times per week. The following week, add one more lap, or add five more minutes to your walk, and complete it 3-4 times per week. Gradually, you will build up your time and the distance covered. By keeping this up over several weeks, you will create the habit of moving. Your body, lungs, and heart will be stronger, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you find you are reaping other unexpected benefits!

Think about this, my friends, if walking is scientifically established as one of the best tools for recovery after surgery, what can it do for you? Don’t beat yourself up because you are no longer what you once were, you didn’t exercise over winter due to the cold weather, you’ve never really tried to exercise previously, or you’re somewhere in between, like me. Start where you are at, and move one step at a time. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is fitness, but you have to take the first step, and spring is a great time to start.

Here we go my friend, take my hand, let’s find that new center of gravity, and cross this bridge together, one healing step at a time.

*Open the door to spring, and find your new center of gravity one small step at a time!*

Move Into Health, Part 9: The Long Game

March 16, 2023March 14, 2023 by stephsimply, posted in Herald-Dispatch Articles

“ . . . To me, old age is always 15 years older than I am.”–Francis Bacon

I recently ran across an inspirational story that was being shared across a multitude of media outlets. Jean Bailey, a 102-year old resident and fitness coach of Elk Ridge Senior Living in Omaha, Nebraska, has been leading fitness classes there, four times a week, for the past three years.

Bailey’s classes consist of exercises that go through a wide range of motion, designed to get every part of the body moving, including activities such as overhead reach, arm circles, neck rotations, and seated toes touches to name a few. Her classes last about 30 minutes. Bailey realizes that, like her, many of her fellow exercisers have mobility limitations or their bodies are different from day to day; however, she believes that everyone, including herself, can benefit from doing what they can do.

102 year old Jean Bailey leading an exercise class at Elk Ridge Senior Living in Omaha, Nebraska.

Bailey is redefining what it means to age. She proudly proclaimed in a recent interview, “If you don’t keep your mind and body busy, then why are you here?” Friendships have blossomed and flourished since she first began leading the classes during the pandemic when Bailey invited her neighbors to bring chairs into the hall and exercise with her at a socially safe distance.

Since COVID restrictions were lifted, Bailey has also been known to treat fellow exercisers with baked goods after class, especially in honor of someone’s birthday. This is because, as Bailey points out, birthdays at their age are noteworthy. When asked if she’ll ever quit, she replied, “When I get old, I’ll quit!”

Jean Bailey, 102, leads an exercise class for women at the senior living home where she lives in Omaha.

Everyone puts in top effort, as Bailey expects. https://t.co/yZ42gguUMa pic.twitter.com/wYmRJil5oD
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 8, 2023

I share this story as part of the 9th installment of the “Move Into Health” series. Bailey’s story serves as a direct contrast to those limiting beliefs, which can easily entrap any one of us, regarding adopting or changing certain healthy lifestyle habits as we age. However, even though our bodies change with age, according to numerous scientific studies, there is very little difference between an 18-year old brain and a 100-year old brain from a cerebrovascular perspective; thus establishing, we are never too old to mentally adopt new habits or overcome poor habits that may have crept in over the years.

Bailey is most likely an example of what scientists call SuperAgers, those living into their eighth decade, and beyond, who possess cognitive function similar to that of a middle-aged adult. In fact, neuroscientists at Northwestern University in Chicago have identified four specific habits of SuperAgers. Adopting these four SuperAgers’ healthy habits may help slow down the aging process within the brain (and the body), potentially staving off Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia, while boosting overall health; thereby, spending less time at the doctor’s office and more time doing the things you love.

Photo by Wellness Gallery Catalyst Foundation on Pexels.com

The four habits of SuperAgers are listed below. While I am not a proponent of changing everything all at once, I do sincerely believe that taking small steps towards any of these habits can have a positive impact upon personal health.

Daily Movement/Activity. You know the old adage, “Move it or lose it.” Incorporating daily movement increases oxygen and blood flow–both of which benefit the brain. Regular bouts of exercise, even as few as twice per week, strengthen not only the heart and lungs but can also strengthen muscles required for stability to avoid falling, help maintain a healthy weight, and reduce the risk for Alzheimer’s disease. As an added bonus, exercise can reduce the symptoms of depression and anxiety and lower your risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and even some cancers.

Photo by Tirachard Kumtanom on Pexels.com

Challenge yourself. Adopt habits of reading, puzzle solving, and learning. Experiencing the mild to moderate stress that often accompanies learning a new skill is good for creating and/or maintaining healthy neural pathways. Take classes, learn a new language, or choose any number of activities that get you out of your comfort zone. Mental challenges are good for you and your brain.

Get social. Meeting regularly with friends, engaging with others via group settings, or partaking in family gatherings allow for the maintenance of healthy social relationships. In fact, autopsies of SuperAgers reveals that the attention area of their brain has four to five times the amount of neurons responsible for social processing and awareness, when compared to others who lived into their 80s or later.

Photo by Kampus Production on Pexels.com

Drink, but in moderation. Moderate drinkers are less likely to develop memory issues, including Alzheimer’s disease. However, too much alcohol creates the opposite effect on memory as well as increased belly fat (the most dangerous type), increased blood pressure, and numerous other health conditions.

Two other beneficial habits worth considering that are also associated with aging well:

Adopt a MIND diet. MIND, in addition to being a huge buzz word in current medical research for the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive delays, is an acronym for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. It is a plant-based diet that combines the Mediterranean Diet and the DASH Diets. The MIND diet encourages the daily consumption of plenty of fruits (specifically berries), and vegetables (especially leafy greens), whole grains, legumes, nuts, as well as limited amounts of poultry, fish, and olive oil. Not only are these foods good for overall brain health and cognitive function, but they also reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, two actions strongly associated with chronic health illnesses and disease.

Quit smoking. While I cannot pretend to know how hard it is to stop this habit, I do remember a nurse telling my mother-in-law during an emergency room visit that within 24 hours of quitting smoking, she would begin to reduce her risk of a heart-attack by 50% or more. It still took her several more years before she quit; however, I will forever admire the way in which she finally gave up the habit at age 71. Although health issues related to a lifetime of smoking remained with her until the end, because she did quit, she added years to her life.

Who among us will be the next SuperAger? No one can know for sure. To be certain, any one of us could follow all the so-called rules, and still develop Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, or other detrimental condition. Nonetheless, watching Jean Bailey lead her exercise classes on Youtube and Twitter videos certainly persuades me to keep moving into my own health, and her story further motivates me to continue to share this valuable information. Adopting any or all of these healthy habits can’t hurt any of us, and they just might add a bit more quality to the quantity of years we have remaining. Here’s to your health!

Photo by Jessica Lewis Creative on Pexels.com

Unwrap your best holiday health: Ways to keep moving from Thanksgiving through those New Year’s Celebration

November 17, 2022November 16, 2022 by stephsimply, posted in Simple Observations and Musings

“Take care of your body. It’s the one place you have to live.”–Jim Rohn

This is my fifth installment of celebrating and encouraging movement for everyone. If you’ve read my previous pieces, you already know that my goal is fairly simple. I want to encourage everyone to move more in whatever manner works best for you, your body, and your schedule. I do not believe in one-size fits all when it comes to fitness and health goals. Instead, I am writing to explore techniques, habits, and motivations for incorporating more movement into life, even during the upcoming holiday season.

Why should you consider maintaining your movement/exercise routine during the weeks of Thanksgiving through the New Year celebration? There are many possible reasons, but only you can decide your why(s). Personally, it allows me to feel as if I have accomplished one positive thing for the day. If everything else derails throughout the day, at least I exercised–even if it had to be for a reduced amount of time. However, there are so many more valid reasons.

Increased movement and exercise is one positive way to combat the stress that often accompanies this season. Although stress isn’t a disease, per se, it is the body’s physical, mental, and emotional responses to external events, especially change, which often occur from Thanksgiving through the New Year celebrations. High levels of holiday stress can detrimentally impact mental health. However, being physically active throughout the holidays is a proven technique to significantly reduce stress levels.

Along the same lines, exercise during the holiday season can provide structure to your schedule. If you have already committed to moving more throughout your day/week, and you have already been consistently applying it, then continuing to follow through with that plan builds at least a sense of familiarity and comfort. Even if you have to reduce your time and/or days for physical activity, there is at least that semblance of reassurance that you are choosing to still take care of yourself, which can increase the likelihood of making another healthier choice throughout your day/week.

As counterintuitive as it may seem, exercise gives you more energy during the holidays. Harvard Health explains it this way. Increased movement and exercise increases oxygen circulation, which in turn, allows your body to energy more efficiently and therefore function better. Furthermore, exercise increases cellular level changes, including augmenting the production of mitochondria inside your muscle cells. Having more mitochondria translates to your body possessing an adequate energy supply. Plus, exercise boosts the production of the feel-good hormones that likewise make you feel more energetic.

Exercise and increased movement is a proven way to combat anxiety and depression, often associated with the holiday season. Let’s be honest, for many people, the holidays often serve as a reminder of loved ones and traditions lost to the past. For others, the increased requirements for more socialization, or so-called holiday-expectations, can trigger the desire to curl up in a fetal position and hide until the season is over. Furthermore, increased levels of darkness often precipitate seasonal affective disorders (SAD), a form of depression that affects approximately 10 million people annually. Physical activity is a proven method for reducing symptoms by releasing endorphins that increase positive feelings.

Physical activity can reduce increased sedentary behavior associated with late fall and winter months. Colder and/or inclement weather can reduce motivation to get outside and move. It’s only natural to want to stay in and watch sporting events, stream series, or watch old movies while noshing your way through comfort food snacks and often calorie laden beverages. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with these behaviors, too much inactivity is not beneficial to the body, mind, and even spirit. A commitment to physical activity, even if it is laps around your house on commercial breaks during sporting events or between streaming episodes will go a long way promoting your overall well-being.

In spite of all of these benefits, it can still feel challenging to maintain that fitness plan or movement goals you have established for yourself in previous months. However, there are ways that can help you overcome obstacles. The key is finding the ones that work for you as no one method/approach works for everyone.

Walk, march, or even jog around the neighborhood, if weather permits, or inside your house. Even walking, marching, or jogging in place is beneficial! If you don’t have time for your usual amount of time, such as 20 or 30 minutes, break it up into smaller time periods spread throughout the day. If that isn’t possible, even one shorter burst of activity is better than none!

Consider exercising with an app, DVD, or streaming platform. There are numerous apps and platforms that are free or reasonably priced. In fact, you can even look up “holiday themed workouts” on Youtube lasting anywhere from 10-30+ minutes!

Inexpensive, portable exercise equipment are the perfect solution when traveling.

Invest in personal, home exercise equipment for use during inclement weather, traveling, or when short on time. Resistance bands and tubing, jump ropes, and exercise mats are inexpensive, and easy to transport when traveling and/or visiting family/friends. The bands/tubing come in different sizes and resistant levels and require little training. In fact, most come with a workout plan or can be found online.

Think outside the box, but keep it simple:

Wake up 15-20 minutes earlier for a short movement period.
Be mindful of the number of steps you take throughout the day, and challenge yourself to complete more than the day before.
Wear exercise shoes when shopping and add power walk breaks in between stores or consider more frequent walks to your parked car after a store visit to stow away bags.
Rethink your lunchtime, if your job allows, and use it as an opportunity for a short walk.
Challenge a fitness buddy to hold each other accountable to a realistic daily or weekly goal.
Complete bodyweight exercises throughout the day, such as push-ups against desk, body weight squats and lunges, chair tricep dips, twists, stretch, and so forth. You might get a whole body workout by the day’s end!
Set realistic expectations and plan accordingly. Consider reducing time/numbers of days per week, and then make a commitment to those.
Make movement part of the family/friend traditions if possible. A family walk or dance session after a big holiday meal can not only improve digestion, but take the edge of any accumulated stress.
Make a holiday playlist. It doesn’t have to be holiday music. Instead, create a special playlist that motivates you when your energy is low.
Make sleep a priority too. A well rested body moves with greater ease.
Hydrate consistently. (Think of all the added sodium in those holiday treats.)

The holidays do not have to derail your exercise/movement routine. There’s only one you and one body in which you live. Therefore, think of physical activity during the holidays as the one gift you can give to yourself. With a bit of flexibility, creative thinking, and determined mindset, you can continue to unwrap better health, one step, or choice of movement, at a time.

The challenge of work-life balance⚖️

The body’s stress response 😰

Tips for eating during times of stress 😣

The reality of stress 😩

Stress less smoothie 🍓

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Listen to your Gut-Instincts🙇‍♀️

Finding a Doctor to listen 👂

Change is Not Easy 😬

Advocate for Yourself 🗣️

Not every Health Issue requires a Pill

Be Gentle with yourself as you navigate lifestyle changes 😊

Find your support 👯‍♀️

health is a constant series of adjustments along the way 🛣️

IT’s your body. Treat it Well.

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The magic of Tree Pose 🌳

Shelter in Place 🌪️

Twister Tuesday 🪟

And if you Fall . . . Pick yourself 🆙

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pill popping 💊

Planted in Health 🌱

Spring produce 🥬

Make it ahead of time 🥗

Celebrate Early Spring produce 🎉

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Window of opportunity ⏱️

Time to Eat 🍱

Delayed Gratification ⌚︎

Benefits of Delayed Gratification 🎓

So how do we get better at delayed gratification? ⤵️

Make Delayed Gratification work for you! 😄

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Why Make a smoothie? 🍓🍒🫐🥬

customize your own creation 🍎🥭🍌

Smoothie benefits✨

Whole Food ingredients that can even be made ahead of time! 🍍🥝🍑

High Quality Blenders can’t be beat 🍐🍇🍊

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‘Lettuce’ warm up to salad Greens

Mix those Greens

Customizable Salad Dressing Fit for a King

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