Archive for September, 2009
Although it begins with Labor Day, today it’s official: Summer is over. In New York, this means I must pack away all my whites (tear) and polish up my boots. The leaves are starting to fall, and the sunsets come on much sooner than they did a month ago. But the most difficult transition of all (I find) are the dark and chilly mornings. I know it’s fall when I begin to have difficulties getting out of bed each morning!
In the middle of June I have no problem jumping out of bed at 6am. After all, the sun is already up - it’s easy! (and suddenly I’m a morning person?) But as each morning grows darker and darker (and less cheerful) the snooze button becomes a little more appealing. Somehow my six-minute walk to the gym feels like 30. And, I’m tired…(aren’t I?) Then, sadly, I leave myself with juuust enough time to run out the door in a frazzled state. Those are the mornings I try to avoid. I know there’s a better way to start my day.
I think it’s important to pause and collect your thoughts each morning before facing the world. Appreciate the calmness. The first hours of the day are yours to own: go to the gym, watch the news, catch up on a small project, or time to be at peace and mentally prepare for the day to come. While it’s tempting (and oh-so easy) to hit the snooze button just once more, those precious minutes add up and are worth so much more when you’re actually up. I find that 20 minutes is better spent waking up slowly and feeling relaxed, calm and alert (mental prep!), since we all know what the outside world is like (especially in Manhattan).
So, how do I get my days started? Here are a few pointers for getting your day started on the right foot:
Wake up naturally
If you must have coffee, see if you can hold off - try to jump start your body and mind naturally. I’ve prefer to stick to tea, but before any of that I like to heat up some water on the stove and add a little lemon for a soothing drink that wakes my senses and helps my body flush out toxins (I prefer using fresh lemon but organic concentrate also does the job). Allowing your senses to wake up gently is much easier on the body, especially first thing in the morning.
Eat your breakfast
I know we hear this all the time, but breakfast is such an important meal of the day. It gets our brain as well as our metabolism revved up for the day to come. My favorite picks are oatmeal (try a quick recipe from rolled oats), smoothies (try my recent fav, or a fiber-packed mix). Fresh vegetable juice matched with some fiber, like a Larabar, is great. And fresh fruit with any whole-grain cereal that isn’t packed with sugar (or high fructose corn syrup) make a great combo. Remember: balanced meals here (good fats, good carbs, and a bit of protein).
Breathe
Take a few moments each morning when you get up to breathe steadily and center your thoughts. No matter where you are: home on your couch or on the road. Deep breaths.
Stretch your limbs and wake your body slowly and calmly to get your blood flowing. Whether you’re headed to the gym or to the shower, take a few moments to connect with your body. Use your breath to awaken your senses and ready your mind for the day.
Get plenty of sleep
I definitely need my beauty rest. We all do. I am not the type that can function off five or six hours of sleep (though sometimes I test my limit). Seven is preferred, eight is great, but if I’m really ahead of my game, I’ll sneak in ten hours (and on a week night, too!). But this is rare. Be sure you’re getting enough sleep and getting to bed at a decent hour - and know what works for you. If you’re a zombie morning after morning, try going to be just a half hour earlier. Sacrificing 30 minutes in the evening for a refreshing morning is well worth it. Sufficient sleep can help you to stay alert and energized throughout the day while helping to reduce stress.
Start small. Next thing you know, you’ll be a grade-A morning person (what? that just sounds obnoxious). But you can do it. Set the alarm 15 minutes earlier and refuse to hit snooze. Use that time to spend a few moments alone with the fresh new day.
I know, some mornings are tougher than others, like when its the mid March and the snow is still falling (moving about in the middle of winter in New York City is a blast). But as long as I make time for ME each morning, I can get my day started in the right direction (no matter which side of the bed I wake up on).
September 22nd, 2009
I sometimes look at smoothies the same way I look at soup: it may look appealing (and healthy), but exactly what’s in there? It seems that just about anything can find its way into a blended mix, and unfortunately, that is often the case. While many juice shops are smartening up and keeping the list of ingredients short and sweet (naturally), there are those lurking that use sugary mixes, funny additives, and ingredients that are less than healthy. No, all smoothies are not created equally.
But there is hope. Find a good smoothie, and it’s a great way to fill up key vitamins and minerals while enjoying a tasty treat. So what do I do? I’ll seek out a reputable juice bar (I love my nearby Juice Generation) or I’ll simply make my own.
My recent obsession has been a mix of banana, almond butter, flax seed and cacao nibs for an energizing jump-start in the morning. Bananas and almond butter go great together, that’s a no-brainer, but the last two ingredients really give this mix a powerful potency.
Flax seeds, which come from flax (a plant), have a nutty flavor and are very easy to incorporate meals (and well worth it). These seeds are high in omega-3 fatty acids (good fat), protein, and help to stabilize blood-sugar levels. Flax seeds are also a great source for fiber, which gives a major boost to your digestive system. Ground flax seed also go great in yogurt, oatmeal, and other mixes.
Cacao nibs are ground up cacao beans, straight from the pod, and provide a wonderfully rich and natural flavor. This unsweetened form of chocolate has been spared the normal process of added sugar, preservatives, and anything else you might find in the average bar of chocolate. In its pure form, cacao is chock full of antioxidants and essential minerals like magnesium, which combats cramping, hypertension, heart disease, diabetes and joint problems. No need to feel guilty with this chocolate.
So make a run by your local health food store and get busy blending!
Ingredients
3 Medium-sized ripe bananas
1 Cup almond milk (unsweetened)
2 Tablespoons almond butter
1 - 2 Tablespoons ground flax seed
1 Tablespoon cacao nibs
5 Ice cubes
Instructions
Add the ingredients into a blender by the order of the list, and mix on medium/high for about one-minute. Many blenders today have settings specific to smoothies, and if this is the case for yours, use what you feel is appropriate.
And that’s it! In less than five minutes you’ll have a quality breakfast ready, and enough for two servings. So if you’re not sharing, store it in the fridge for tomorrow morning, or, cut the recipe in half and enjoy the single serving.
When you start your morning with a balanced meal, it’s bound to make a difference throughout the rest of your day. This smoothie provides your body with a wonderful mix of potassium, fiber, protein, good fat, magnesium (just to name a few) and best of all it contains NO sugar and is gluten-free. This isn’t your local Jamba Juice smoothie with hidden sugars and powdery mixes (because those blends won’t provide you with much else aside from calories).
Know what goes into your meals and into your body (remember: it’s all connected). It’s the quality ingredients in this smoothie that will help keep your body satisfied until lunch time without compromising your energy or your taste buds.
September 9th, 2009
There’s a lot to be said on the topic of “normal eating.” So much, in fact, that the New York Times recently made note of PsychCentral’s piece, by Margarita Tartakovsky, called What is Normal Eating? That’s a tricky one, because (after all) we all want to be normal, right? So what does it take, and what do I have to start (or stop) eating? I guess it depends on who you’re asking.
Trying to define what’s normal in the ways of eating isn’t as easy as it sounds. It’s really quite complicated. As we all very well know, “normal” is subjective: what is normal to me may certainly not be normal to you. My normal lunch of quinoa, veggies and chickpeas is definitely not normal to a few others (who look at me with furrowed brows). Just the same, my own personal guidelines for staying whole and healthy are likely different from someone else’s, but that doesn’t mean one is better than the other (sound familiar? it’s a very simple lesson, really).
The real concern here is that, what works for another won’t necessarily work for you. And there are a lot of “others” out there, so imagine how many standards of normal there must be (a lot). That’s a lot of different dietary guidelines the USDA has to come up with. Why do we rely on experts to tell us what to eat then? I think part of it is because we’ve all been trained to listen to others on how to eat (the doctors, the dietitians, the BOOKS), and in doing so we fail to listen to our bodies. With so many contrasting ideas and directions on how we should all be eating, it’s important to know how to eat for YOU. Your own personal dietary guideline. We eat normal by another’s standard and wonder why it makes us go insane (I had many moments of insanity during my own search).
I am not going to say: stop reading advice on health or nutrition, or that nutrition experts just make the whole “eating healthy” thing more confusing. (Not that I’m an expert, but I wouldn’t necessarily be helping myself, either). Instead, educate yourself on what’s out there. Understand what your tools are. I think the most important tool is your body, and learning to listen to it. Really listening to it. Keep a food journal if you have to. Make notes on how you feel after you eat this, or that. Listen to the feedback. Make the connection. It takes practice and it doesn’t happen over night, but it’s important we understand that what we eat affects our bodies and our well-being.
So forget normal and eat what you like. And by that I mean: eat what fuels you. Because as long as YOU are feeling whole and healthy (and not your taste buds, not your appetite), you’re on the right track (however normal or not that may be).
September 2nd, 2009
