Yoga

12 Days

Monday, April 9th, 2012

 

12 days until my wedding day! Just 12 days. After a 16-month engagement it’s hard to believe my wedding day is actually almost here.

 

During the last few months, adding new posts on this site has been irregular at best and lately nonexistent. In between clients and my other health coaching commitments, my days have been packed with wedding planning, especially during the last few weeks when we officially hit the homestretch. From start to the almost-finish, I’ve honestly had a blast and I know many brides might not say the same about their own experience. Mainstream media tells us that planning a wedding includes smiles, laughter and love accompanied by anxiety, tears and arguments.

 

When Ryan and I decided to celebrate this milestone in our lives with our friends and relatives, I made a resolution to myself that I was not going to let this major event consume my life. We would keep logistics as simple as possible, keep stress to a minimum and remember everyday what we were actually doing, which was making a commitment in front of our family and friends to spend the rest of our lives together. A wedding should be beautiful and magical, and I’m sure mine will be, but to me, the marriage is more important. Among other things, a wedding is a celebration, a dance party and a happy occasion so it should be fun from the early planning stages through the last dance.

 

This doesn’t mean I never felt stressed or anxious while planning my wedding. I might be a health coach, but I’m still human. I just tried to keep things in check as often as possible and to the best of my ability. I’m naturally an anxious person and I think these 5 things have helped me keep my cool these last 16 months.

 

1. Limiting/Avoiding caffeine and sugar – It doesn’t matter if it’s tea instead of coffee, or sucanat instead of raw white sugar – my body is sensitive to all of it and any food that makes my body perk up unnaturally always makes me more anxious.

 

2. Being realistic about what I can accomplish each day – I set realistic goals every morning of what I want to complete. I love making lists, but what I love even more is crossing items off of my to-do lists!

 

3. Exercise most days of the week – This is a great outlet for me for any stress I’m feeling. A Bikram yoga studio near my house offers a great deal for first-time students and I’ve been able to go to a class 2 or 3 times a week for a very reasonable price. The heat totally clears my head because all I can focus on is my breathing and keeping sweat out of my eyes. My body is exhausted but relaxed after each class. On days that I can’t find time for a 90-minute yoga class, I make sure to get to the gym for a good cardio workout, stretching and occasional weight lifting.

 

4. Following a sensible diet – I’m not spending as much time as usual creating new recipes, but I am making sure that what I am eating is still clean, whole and delicious food.

 

5. Having a good support system – My mom and I have worked together side by side from day 1 of planning. I have also leaned on my sisters, cousin and girlfriends for good ol’ fashioned venting as well as guidance and advice for many things ranging from wedding bands, tuxedos and hairstyles.

 

So what does a soon-to-be bride eat? Usually a big bowl of greens, vegetables and beans topped with a homemade sauce, hummus or avocado. My family fondly nicknames these bowls of wholesome goodness “bachelorette bowls”. Like I said, simple but clean and naturally delicious food.

 

 

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce (compliments of http://www.myrakornfeld.com/)

Ingredients:

2 heads garlic

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil plus a teaspoon for the garlic

4 roasted red ball peppers or 2 cups roasted peppers from a jar

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

3/4 teaspoon

salt

black pepper

cayenne

 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375  degrees. Peel away the excess paper on the garlic. Cut the top fifth off the heads and place garlic on top of a piece of foil. Drizzle about a teaspoon of oil and a pinch of salt over the exposed area. Cover with foil and bake for about 40 minutes, until softened. Let cool a few minutes. Squeeze the garlic into a blender jar.

Add the peppers to the garlic along with 1/4 cup of the olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and a pinch cayenne.

Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust salt if necessary.

Place in a small pot and heat just until warm.

Delicious on top of greens and other steamed veggies.

 


 

Mini Banana Muffins (sugar free)

Ingredients:

2 cups almond flour

3 very ripe bananas

2 eggs

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease mini muffin pan

Combine all ingredients and use electric mixer to blend thoroughly

Use large spoon to fill each muffin space ¾ of the way full

Bake for 30 minutes until tops are brown and firm

Cool before removing

 

Simple steamed veggies

 

Fresh vegetable juice

 

Life will be back to normal in May. Until then, wishing you all a wonderful start to Spring! Thanks for your patience and love.

Posted in Baking, Caffeine, Cooking Basics, Health Coaching, Self Care, Spring, Stress, Sugar, Yoga | No Comments »

My not-so-secret tips for a good night’s sleep

Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011

sleep


Sleep – something we’ve been doing since the day we were born and yet can be a struggle for so many of us. In theory, we should be pros by now, know exactly what to do to catch those 8 hours of zzzz’s. Clearly this isn’t the case or the “sleep aid” industry wouldn’t exist.


Getting enough sleep is important for our health. Research suggests that sleep is just as important for maintaining good health as diet and exercise.


Obviously sleep contributes to tiredness, mood disturbances and productivity but it can also affect our weight. Research indicates that two hormones play a big role in the connection between sleep and weight – leptin and ghrelin. Leptin sends signals to the brain to indicate when we are full. Ghrelin simulates our appetite. When we don’t get enough sleep, the production of leptin goes down, so we don’t feel satisfied after eating, AND our ghrelin levels increase so our appetite is stimulated. Not exactly ideal for our waistline.


What we eat and drink in addition to how we spend our time when we’re awake can have a big impact on how well we sleep.


I used to have a lot of difficulty falling asleep AND staying asleep. I admit that my sleep today isn’t perfect, but overall it’s significantly better than it used to be a few years ago. If you’re having difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep here is what helped me the most and hopefully will help you too.


Turn Out the Lights – This might seem obvious, but light confuses our body’s biochemical clock so even though it might be late into the evening, light causes our body to believe it’s earlier in the day than it actually is. Even the light from your digital alarm clock, DVD player and other bedroom gizmos can have an impact. Personally, I sleep with an eye mask to guarantee total black out and it has made a huge difference in the amount and quality of my sleep.


Wind Down Before Crawling Into Bed – Get off the phone, step away from the computer and turn off the TV. I spend so much time constantly on the move so my body needs to be still and my brain needs to wind down before it is capable of sleep. I like to read a book or do some light stretching before bedtime. When I have a really stressful day, breathing exercises help a lot too.


Ditch the Caffeine and Sugar – We are all different and unique so we react to these stimulants differently. For me, any caffeine or sugar during the day will have an impact, but my fiancé can have an espresso at dinner and fall asleep shortly after. If you’re having sleep challenges, try cutting the caffeine and sugar out completely for at least a week and see if you notice a difference.


Keep a Paper and a Pen Nearby – May be it’s just me but bedtime is the first time all day that I can relax. So what happens? My mind starts running and thinking about everything I have do the following day. Or I start mentally packing for an upcoming trip. Or making my grocery list. You get the idea. Now I keep a to-do list handy at all times. When something pops into my head I write it down and feel assured that I won’t forget. My mind is now quiet when I crawl under the covers.


Crank Up the AC – I know I sleep better when the room is cool. It’s that simple. I’m not talking freezing temperatures in the bedroom 24/7, but if my bedroom is even a few degrees too warm then I won’t sleep well. An hour before bedtime I turn up the AC and let the room cool down so that it’s a comfortable temperature when I’m ready for sleep.


Exercise – We know exercise is great for your health for many reasons. Improving sleep is absolutely one of them.


So there you have it. My not-so-secret strategies to getting a good night sleep!

Posted in Caffeine, Desserts, Health Coaching, Self Care, Stress, Sugar, Yoga | No Comments »

Life happens. And sometimes it gets in the way of blogging.

Wednesday, February 16th, 2011

IMG_3454

 

So you’ve probably noticed there have been fewer-than-usual posts on this blog lately. The thing is, I’m a person that thrives on routine. What’s not to love – it’s reliable and dependable, but the last handful of weeks have been anything but that. First, I had finals for grad school and anyone who has been a student before knows what finals week feels like. Enough said. My 20-year old brother had major surgery and then developed complications, requiring a second emergency surgery and 18 days in the hospital. Talk about stress! While he was in the hospital, I finished finals and my fiancé and I drove to my parents’ house in New York (11 hours from Asheville) to return furniture that I borrowed, give my brother a hug and to celebrate our recent engagement. Oh and did I mention that I am in the process of moving from Asheville, North Carolina to Cincinnati, Ohio? Yea. I’d say my plate has been pretty full lately, but I bet yours is too.


Clients usually tell me that when life gets crazy that’s when they get out of their health-promoting routines like exercising and eating home-cooked meals. Call me crazy, but I find that when life gets nutty these are some of the things that help keep me sane because they are familiar, comfortable and accessible anywhere. With all of the changes going on in my life, like moving to a brand new city, keeping some sense of normalcy and routine makes change feel a little less intimidating and overwhelming. Besides, when we are stressed our immune system is weakened and healthy self-care habits like exercise and a healthy diet are essential to staying well. I can’t think of a more inconvenient time to get the sniffles or the flu then when your plate is packed to the max.


Right now I’m loving hot yoga, especially with the brutal chilly temps that New York has been seeing over the last two weeks, although it looks like it might start feeling more spring-like very soon. Hot yoga is my perfect anecdote for stress and all the sweating forces me to focus on my breathing, which helps to quiet my mind during the 90 minutes of class. What helps you keep it together when life gets ultra-busy?

Posted in Health Coaching, Yoga | 1 Comment »

Turns out Bikram Yoga ain’t so scary after all!

Thursday, February 3rd, 2011

 

Picture from http://yogasuper.blogspot.com

 

Today I tried Bikram Yoga for the first time in my life. It was awesome. I have to confess that I have been thinking about trying a class for over a year and I don’t have a very good reason why it took me so long to follow through.

 

I admit that I was nervous about the temperature. I have taken Hot Yoga classes before and loved every class, but the idea of the higher temperature in Bikram intimidated me. The room is 105 degrees for Bikram Yoga, but I was surprised that it was a humid heat (actually, just like Hot Yoga), which felt much more comfortable to me than practicing poses in a dry sauna-like heat (which is what I was expecting). Practicing yoga at this temperature is great for your body because the heat (from bikramyoga.com):

* keeps the body from overheating.

* protects the muscles to allow for deeper stretching.

* detoxifies the body.

* thins the blood to clear the circulatory system.

* increases heart rate for a better cardiovascular workout

* improves strength by putting muscle tissue in optimal state for reorganization.

* reorganizes the lipids in the muscular structure.

 

Just like in Hot Yoga, the heat in Bikram yoga allowed me to get into poses that I either do not usually do well or typically with more difficulty. I notice a big difference in my flexibility in Bikram and Hot Yoga than compared “regular” yoga.

 

I love to sweat and I can honestly say that I have never been so sweaty in my entire life as I was at the end of class today. I looked like I had gone swimming with my clothes on! I felt incredible and energized, and very grateful that a shower was a 15-minute drive away.

 

A constant struggle of mine during my yoga practice is quieting my mind. It just keeps on going and going and going and going. I’ve noticed that in both Bikram and Hot Yoga, I have to focus so much on my breathing that my mind actually gets quiet faster and stays silent longer than in a “normal” yoga class. This is my favorite thing about Bikram and Hot Yoga. Yes, definitely my favorite.

 

So I think it’s fair to say that my Birkam intimidation is completely in the past and that feels pretty darn good. May be there’s a photography class you’ve been thinking about taking or a career change you’ve been meaning to explore further. In one way or another, I hope you find my little story to be inspiring and may be even give you that little push you need to stop planning and start doing. Trying new things can be scary, but most of the time I think it’s because we build it up in our heads, and once we actually experience it for ourselves, it just feels so right.

Posted in Yoga | No Comments »