Ah, summer travel. It's fun and so good for the soul to get out and see new sights.
I've just returned from a three-week trip with my family. The first week was an anniversary celebration (happy 20th anniversary to my husband and me). We camped along the Oregon Coast and northern California. Our teen sons then joined us for the last two weeks. We spent an on-the-go (but in a good way) week at the Sunriver Resort in Bend, Oregon. We then visited friends in Idaho.
Throughout our trip, we got re-acquainted with old friends, swam in lakes, ran in forests and on beaches, kayaked and river rafted on a couple of rivers, explored new towns, bicycled endless paths, and played at water parks. And we worked up an appetite.
Traveling is certainly fun, but poses significant challenges to a person attempting to eat in a healthy fashion. I am one such person.
I get out of my regular routine, and somehow I think the regular laws of nutrition no longer apply. I can eat whatever, whenever, whyever without consequence. Right? Of course not.
While I did indulge in some things I haven't touched pretty much since last year's vacation (pizza, potato chips, candy (and had a headache afterward)), I tried to eat mindfully most of the time. And really, it wasn't that hard. Fortunately or unfortunately, I quickly ran out of excuses of why I couldn't maintain a healthy diet while traveling.
Fruit stands and grocery stores were our friends. Our road trip took us by many, so we'd head in to purchase fruit, nuts, and pre-made salads. We usually had fruit and nuts for breakfast, except for when we were in podunk little towns where it just seemed right to head to the nearest greasy spoon diner for eggs and bacon. Yeah, I said it. The "B" word. Oh my. It's what you do most of the time that will make or break your health. Most of the time I would like to eat bacon, but I think it would be my undoing.
For lunch we often ate salads and fruit. One grocery store yielded individually-wrapped containers of hummus, into which we dipped carrots. It wasn't gourmet, but it was satisfying. It's important to have some protein and/or healthy fat at every meal, which really helps curb cravings. It seems we always had a bag of nuts or seeds to sprinkle on our salads or in our dairy-free coconut yogurt, or just for between-meal munching.
Apparently we're too lazy to cook when on vacation (the campstove was buried in a duffel bag somewhere deep in the trunk of the car), so we frequently ducked in to restaurants. But we're also cheapskates, so going out to eat often just looked like picking up a burrito (or a burrito "bowl" which is burrito fixin's without the tortilla).
Though I couldn't subsist on food from gas stations, I did find at least a couple of less-bad snack options: bananas, apples, nuts, seeds.
The week we spent at a vacation rental home in Sunriver was easy. We had a full kitchen and a trip to the nearby Costco provided us with everything we needed to maintain healthy eating. (They also happened to have chips and other goodies. Remember, it's what you do most of the time that will make or break your health.) We even had smoothies for breakfast, which are somewhat of a staple in our home, back in our real life.
Additionally, we stayed a few nights with friends. They are health-minded as well. One family had a homesteading mindset and supper included offerings from their gorgeous garden. Meals eaten in the company of good friends have unseen health benefits that are very real.
Though it's much harder to eat healthy on vacation, it is not impossible. It took being mindful of the choices before me. Most restaurants have salads or are willing to accommodate your requests to alter an item to make it healthier. Don't be afraid to ask.
With a little thought and planning, you don't need to come completely derailed during your next vacation. A little bit of bacon or pizza eaten in the company of friends might actually be good for you. Maybe.
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Alex is Back from the Brink
I love Costco for many reasons, not the least of which is the social aspect. A couple days ago I met an amazing man at the Vitamix display.
I have a Vitamix blender (powerful thing! you can read about it here) and am already a big fan, so every time the company rep is there whipping up some healthy goodness, I try to make it a point to stop over and "oooh" and "aaah" over how much I love my machine, in hopes it will help sway somebody to buy one.
So the other day there was another customer standing, talking with the Vitamix rep. Evidently this guy was doing the same thing I do, because when I approached, as he nodded to the Vitamix, he looked at me and proclaimed, "This thing changed my life."
Intriguing, right? Of course I took the bait and asked him about it.
Alex is his name. It turns out, a few years back Alex was incredibly exhausted All. The. Time. and didn't know what was the matter. After several doctor visits and scares about cancer and Hodgkin's Disease, finally the diagnosis came back: sarcoidosis, an autoimmune disease. He also developed a host of other maladies, such as: sleep apnea, thyroid disease, type 2 diabetes, and cirrhosis of the liver.
The doctors put him on Prednisone and gave him two years to live.
Medication and lifestyle caught up with him, and he found himself at 405 pounds and very, very discouraged.
Thank God for the internet (I hope you do), Alex was able to do a ton of research on his own, and he found his way to a website that really resonated with him: www.rawfamily.com, whose tag line is "Green Smoothie Headquarters." And so began Alex's deep dive into health.
He got a Vitamix and started consuming green smoothies every single day.
By the way, here are a couple of his favorites:
1. Blend together:
His transformation is amazing. He now weighs 255 pounds (he's 6'2") and feels great. He's positive, has direction, a sense of humor, a great story to tell, a thankful heart and an enjoyment of life. He's a green smoothie evangelist. I'd listen to what he's preaching, any day.
I was so struck by him and his story and the profound yet simple way he changed his life. He did not see himself as a victim. He did not resign himself to a death sentence in two years. He did not passively do what his doctors said.
Alex grabbed the horns of hope and rode that thing with gusto and determination.
And now he quietly but unabashedly shares his story with, I suspect, anyone who will listen. Especially at the Vitamix display in Costco.
I have a Vitamix blender (powerful thing! you can read about it here) and am already a big fan, so every time the company rep is there whipping up some healthy goodness, I try to make it a point to stop over and "oooh" and "aaah" over how much I love my machine, in hopes it will help sway somebody to buy one.
So the other day there was another customer standing, talking with the Vitamix rep. Evidently this guy was doing the same thing I do, because when I approached, as he nodded to the Vitamix, he looked at me and proclaimed, "This thing changed my life."
Intriguing, right? Of course I took the bait and asked him about it.
Alex is his name. It turns out, a few years back Alex was incredibly exhausted All. The. Time. and didn't know what was the matter. After several doctor visits and scares about cancer and Hodgkin's Disease, finally the diagnosis came back: sarcoidosis, an autoimmune disease. He also developed a host of other maladies, such as: sleep apnea, thyroid disease, type 2 diabetes, and cirrhosis of the liver.The doctors put him on Prednisone and gave him two years to live.
Medication and lifestyle caught up with him, and he found himself at 405 pounds and very, very discouraged.
Thank God for the internet (I hope you do), Alex was able to do a ton of research on his own, and he found his way to a website that really resonated with him: www.rawfamily.com, whose tag line is "Green Smoothie Headquarters." And so began Alex's deep dive into health.
He got a Vitamix and started consuming green smoothies every single day.
By the way, here are a couple of his favorites:
1. Blend together:
- 8 leaves Romaine lettuce
- 2 cups red grapes
- juice of one lemon
- 2 bananas
- one orange (peeled)
- 2 cups water
- 4 cups fresh spinach
- 2 cups water
- half a lime (with rind)
- juice of one lemon
- 2 bananas
- 4 green apples
His transformation is amazing. He now weighs 255 pounds (he's 6'2") and feels great. He's positive, has direction, a sense of humor, a great story to tell, a thankful heart and an enjoyment of life. He's a green smoothie evangelist. I'd listen to what he's preaching, any day.I was so struck by him and his story and the profound yet simple way he changed his life. He did not see himself as a victim. He did not resign himself to a death sentence in two years. He did not passively do what his doctors said.
Alex grabbed the horns of hope and rode that thing with gusto and determination.
And now he quietly but unabashedly shares his story with, I suspect, anyone who will listen. Especially at the Vitamix display in Costco.
Friday, May 15, 2015
Me and My Hormones
Today I went on a soul-stirring jog on a local trail. I really needed it, as I'd been feeling a bit on the fragile side emotionally. Hard, sweaty exercise gave me a boost in endorphins that helped to put my moods in perspective. The run gave me peace and stability of mind that nothing else could have done.
Lately I've had a flurry of emotions and, at my own advice, started tracking just when these emotions present themselves. You see, in the six-month group classes that I lead, we've been talking about emotions: emotional eating (see my blog on that topic here), emotional drains, and hormones that can affect our emotions (I don't mean to exclude men, here. This could prove interesting to you, so read on!). The assignment at our last session was to chart emotions, as well as other psychological and physical changes that occur over the course of our monthly cycle.
Here's the feeling I went into the run with: I am watching my teen sons grow up, and that alone has me adrift in the sea of "Now What?" These boys have been my life. I've homeschooled them, nurtured them and held them close, but now it is time to give them room to fly, the opportunity to live their choices. In just a few short years, they'll be off being adults and out of the home.
That thought - them not being here in the day-to-day, is with me every moment. And sometimes those moments end up tearful for me, in the quiet of my bedroom, or while out on a run or on a walk or in the shower. Or now, as I type this.
Other days, the main emotion is one of well-being, that all is right in their world and mine, and that I'm thrilled to see what they end up doing with their beautiful lives.
But wait, I ought to take a look at the calendar. Ah, yes, just as I suspected. I am in the second half of my monthly cycle and, predictably, I am a bit moodier. Here is a great article discussing how mood is affected by our menstrual cycles. And here is another one.
There are four phases of a woman's menstrual cycle (any intrepid guys still reading?), each with its own particulars:
And that's why that jog was so important to me. Exercise, it turns out, helps to balance hormones and mitigate some of the swings. So does eating healthy (read: cut out processed and refined "foods" and sugars; eat real, whole foods; cut back on animal products), avoiding caffeine and alcohol, and managing stress. My main man, Dr. Mark Hyman (one of my faves) had this to say about women and hormones.
We are not victims of PMS, but if we don't take care of ourselves, we will be. A healthy woman simply will not experience that strong tide of issues throughout the month. This is my new testimony. In fact, I wrote a blog about how my monthly cycle changed once I changed my diet. I am happy to report that I am, for the most part, symptom free...
...except for the part about getting teary-eyed at the thought of my kids leaving the nest. But I guess that's to be expected. They are great kids, and I am their mom, after all.
Lately I've had a flurry of emotions and, at my own advice, started tracking just when these emotions present themselves. You see, in the six-month group classes that I lead, we've been talking about emotions: emotional eating (see my blog on that topic here), emotional drains, and hormones that can affect our emotions (I don't mean to exclude men, here. This could prove interesting to you, so read on!). The assignment at our last session was to chart emotions, as well as other psychological and physical changes that occur over the course of our monthly cycle.
Here's the feeling I went into the run with: I am watching my teen sons grow up, and that alone has me adrift in the sea of "Now What?" These boys have been my life. I've homeschooled them, nurtured them and held them close, but now it is time to give them room to fly, the opportunity to live their choices. In just a few short years, they'll be off being adults and out of the home.That thought - them not being here in the day-to-day, is with me every moment. And sometimes those moments end up tearful for me, in the quiet of my bedroom, or while out on a run or on a walk or in the shower. Or now, as I type this.
Other days, the main emotion is one of well-being, that all is right in their world and mine, and that I'm thrilled to see what they end up doing with their beautiful lives.
But wait, I ought to take a look at the calendar. Ah, yes, just as I suspected. I am in the second half of my monthly cycle and, predictably, I am a bit moodier. Here is a great article discussing how mood is affected by our menstrual cycles. And here is another one.
There are four phases of a woman's menstrual cycle (any intrepid guys still reading?), each with its own particulars:
- menstruation. After a few days in to your period, pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) cravings have slowed down, belly-bloat has deflated, and an overall sense of well-being has settled in.
- follicular. Estrogen is rising and a calm prevails as a woman's body prepares to release that one hopeful egg.
- ovulation. During this juncture our bodies are all about fertilization. This is a time when women's libido increases and the body prepares the egg to meet visiting swimmers. Women generally feel at their best, sexy, and more aroused. (Men: Do I have your attention?)
- luteal. The progesterone has peaked in anticipation of pregnancy, and if there is none, the levels fall again. The body can react to this in various ways: a dip in mood, food cravings, bloating, and breast tenderness can occur. (Note to men still reading: This is the part of a woman's cycle that all the PMS jokes are made from. Tread lightly.)
And that's why that jog was so important to me. Exercise, it turns out, helps to balance hormones and mitigate some of the swings. So does eating healthy (read: cut out processed and refined "foods" and sugars; eat real, whole foods; cut back on animal products), avoiding caffeine and alcohol, and managing stress. My main man, Dr. Mark Hyman (one of my faves) had this to say about women and hormones.We are not victims of PMS, but if we don't take care of ourselves, we will be. A healthy woman simply will not experience that strong tide of issues throughout the month. This is my new testimony. In fact, I wrote a blog about how my monthly cycle changed once I changed my diet. I am happy to report that I am, for the most part, symptom free...
...except for the part about getting teary-eyed at the thought of my kids leaving the nest. But I guess that's to be expected. They are great kids, and I am their mom, after all.
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
The Great Granola Grab
My stupid computer. Yeah, I'll blame it on the computer. It certainly wasn't my fault.
I'm talking about my descent into outright emotional eating a few days ago.
It happened so fast. I had been using the computer to work on a project for Holistic Health Kick. I'd labored hard and was trying to meet a deadline. And then it happened: my screen froze. Nothing on the screen would move. I shut the thing off and rebooted it... still stuck.
So to deal with it - and this makes no sense now as I write this - I went straight into the kitchen and pulled out the pan of fresh [super high calorie] granola I'd just made. I was shoving handful after handful into my mouth. Yeah, that oughtta fix things.
But then one of my teen sons snapped me back into reality when he said, "Mom, what are you doing?"
What am I doing? Silly question. Wasn't it clear that I was trying to numb the anger and frustration I was feeling at that moment? I should have replied in honesty, "Well, son, I'm using food as a drug to deaden the strong emotions I'm experiencing." 'Cause that's what I was doing.
What is emotional eating? It's a familiar term predominantly thought of as using food as a means of coping with emotions. But that would imply that all emotional eating is detrimental or undesirable.
A more accurate definition may be one that simply links food and emotions together. It is not wrong to cook a lovely dinner for your spouse. It's not wrong to celebrate birthdays with a cake. It is not wrong to enjoy food.
The issue, then, is not that food and emotions should always be separated, but that when you're using food as a drug, you're using it to alter your emotions, numbing yourself to the realities of life around you.
Of course, attempts at numbing could involve alcohol, shopping, internet gaming or internet surfing, or sex, drugs, rock and roll, or _________________ (fill in the blank).
My drug of choice was handful after handful of great gobs of that granola I'd just made. The sweetness in it raised my mood almost instantly, so I continued to shove it into my mouth; that is, until my son brought me back into reality.
"Oh wait," I remembered, "You're a health coach. Get it together, girl. What can you do instead?"
I tried calling a friend. She wasn't available, so I left a voice mail and then went for a walk. By the time I returned home, the urge to deaden my feelings of anger had subsided, as had my desire to numb them with food.
None of that fixed my blank-ety-blank-blank computer (hey, this is a family show). I was still left with the stuck screen. Food will never fix the issue. The issue could be relational in nature, or financial, or physical. There is not enough food in the world to fix our problems. Sometimes we just have to walk straight through the fire, so to speak. Be mad. Be sad. Feel frustrated.
There are many reasons why people emotional eat: boredom, loneliness, sadness, anger, guilt, grief, to please someone, to fill space when changing tasks, to avoid doing something unpleasant... When the desire to eat though you're not actually physically hungry strikes, pause, and ask yourself, "What am I really hungry for?" If you're hungry for love or peace or acceptance or answers to the big questions or a solution as to why your computer screen suddenly froze, it won't be found in your pantry or refrigerator. It ain't in there.
Ask yourself how you could deal with the issues instead. Can you call a friend to talk about it? Can you go on a walk to sort things out in your head? Can you journal your feelings? Can you get sweaty in a tough workout? Can you take some deep breaths before you do something you'll regret? In taking time to be present with your issues, you may even find yourself coming to a solution or peace of mind.
My computer is still stuck. But the emotion surrounding it has subsided.
Life goes on. I am temporarily using a different computer.
I'm talking about my descent into outright emotional eating a few days ago.
It happened so fast. I had been using the computer to work on a project for Holistic Health Kick. I'd labored hard and was trying to meet a deadline. And then it happened: my screen froze. Nothing on the screen would move. I shut the thing off and rebooted it... still stuck.
So to deal with it - and this makes no sense now as I write this - I went straight into the kitchen and pulled out the pan of fresh [super high calorie] granola I'd just made. I was shoving handful after handful into my mouth. Yeah, that oughtta fix things.
But then one of my teen sons snapped me back into reality when he said, "Mom, what are you doing?"
What am I doing? Silly question. Wasn't it clear that I was trying to numb the anger and frustration I was feeling at that moment? I should have replied in honesty, "Well, son, I'm using food as a drug to deaden the strong emotions I'm experiencing." 'Cause that's what I was doing.
What is emotional eating? It's a familiar term predominantly thought of as using food as a means of coping with emotions. But that would imply that all emotional eating is detrimental or undesirable.
A more accurate definition may be one that simply links food and emotions together. It is not wrong to cook a lovely dinner for your spouse. It's not wrong to celebrate birthdays with a cake. It is not wrong to enjoy food.
The issue, then, is not that food and emotions should always be separated, but that when you're using food as a drug, you're using it to alter your emotions, numbing yourself to the realities of life around you.
Of course, attempts at numbing could involve alcohol, shopping, internet gaming or internet surfing, or sex, drugs, rock and roll, or _________________ (fill in the blank).
My drug of choice was handful after handful of great gobs of that granola I'd just made. The sweetness in it raised my mood almost instantly, so I continued to shove it into my mouth; that is, until my son brought me back into reality.
"Oh wait," I remembered, "You're a health coach. Get it together, girl. What can you do instead?"
I tried calling a friend. She wasn't available, so I left a voice mail and then went for a walk. By the time I returned home, the urge to deaden my feelings of anger had subsided, as had my desire to numb them with food.
None of that fixed my blank-ety-blank-blank computer (hey, this is a family show). I was still left with the stuck screen. Food will never fix the issue. The issue could be relational in nature, or financial, or physical. There is not enough food in the world to fix our problems. Sometimes we just have to walk straight through the fire, so to speak. Be mad. Be sad. Feel frustrated.
There are many reasons why people emotional eat: boredom, loneliness, sadness, anger, guilt, grief, to please someone, to fill space when changing tasks, to avoid doing something unpleasant... When the desire to eat though you're not actually physically hungry strikes, pause, and ask yourself, "What am I really hungry for?" If you're hungry for love or peace or acceptance or answers to the big questions or a solution as to why your computer screen suddenly froze, it won't be found in your pantry or refrigerator. It ain't in there.
Ask yourself how you could deal with the issues instead. Can you call a friend to talk about it? Can you go on a walk to sort things out in your head? Can you journal your feelings? Can you get sweaty in a tough workout? Can you take some deep breaths before you do something you'll regret? In taking time to be present with your issues, you may even find yourself coming to a solution or peace of mind.
My computer is still stuck. But the emotion surrounding it has subsided.
Life goes on. I am temporarily using a different computer.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)