Love how you live it

Part of having a delicious life is about loving the skin you’re in. Finding movement that feels right for you can help you love your body that much more. When you take care of your body with vitality-building exercises, you are rewarded with higher energy levels and more positive emotions (not to mention a sexy hot bod).

I work out in the morning because I know there’s no way of getting out of it. At 6:00am, I’m too sleepy to reason with myself. If I make myself just get up and do it, I’m already 10 minutes into the workout by the time I fully wake up, and then I’m not resisting working out.

Sometimes I have an awesome workout. And sometimes I want to die. Most of the times, I like working out. But sometimes, if I’ve stayed up too late the night before (like last night), I really don’t want to get out of bed. I think about hitting the snooze button. But then I get up anyway.

Why? Because the best - and only - way to get in shape is to consistently put one foot in front of another. That means, just show up.

Even if it’s not your best workout day, or if you can only work out for 20 minutes. Or 15. At least you showed up. That’s 15 more minutes than you would have done had you stayed in bed. And once you get into the habit, you won’t think twice about skipping a workout. It will become second nature like brushing your teeth, just another step in your routine.

It takes about 21 days to ingrain a new habit. Once you do something consistently each day for about 3 weeks, it becomes part of your daily routine. If you continue past that time, you’re probably going to keep the habit for quite a while.

I’m 19 days into my new workout routine. I’ve noticed that the shape of my body is starting to change. All of my pants are loose, and most everything else in my wardrobe fits well or is moving to the “too big” side. And while I’m sleepy today, my overall energy has definitely increased over the past few weeks.

I highly recommend trying a new workout routine and committing to it for at least 3 weeks. Try something that challenges you. If you’ve been a runner forever, take up a new cardio sport such as biking or swimming. If you lift weights, try yoga. If you’re a weight lifter, try Tai Chi. Even if you’re in amazing shape, you may be surprised how difficult a new type exercise can be. And, if you’ve been bored with your same old routine, you might find yourself loving working out again.

Something to get you started (if you’re in New York City/Brooklyn):

Free yoga and tai chi classes in Bryant Park
Body Church - free full-body workout Sundays in McCarren Park
Shape Up New York - free fitness classes in New York City
Swimming Pools - free adult lap swim in mornings and evenings throughout the summer

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Want to kick start a new diet or exercise routine? Try my week-long cleanse class - a quick, flexible, easy way to get moving. The class starts May 7, so sign up today!

Last week I did a speech about Earth Day and why you should care about it. I wrote it based on this post - and here’s the video of my speech:
[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=Hc_iSfi4q08]
I hope this inspires you to take action. Let me know what you think of it.

It was quite a while ago that I was experimenting with wheat/dairy free recipes. I have suspected that I might have a sensitivity to both, or at least, as a protein type, it wasn’t as adventageous for me to consume grains or dairy. So I started coming up with recipes that could be made without them.  Continue reading →

Earth Day 2008 - What did you do that was green?

Many people wonder why they should even think about going green. Here are a few reasons why you might consider it: Continue reading →

Spring has sprung. Finally things are starting to bloom, weather is warming up, and it’s time for some spring cleaning. Besides cleaning out old things and clothes from your home that no longer fit or that you enjoy, you can also do a holistic spring cleanse for your body, mind and lifestyle.

A dietary cleanse is a good idea in the spring after a winter of eating heartier foods. It’s a gentle way to start eating lighter and shed any winter weight that may have accumulated over the past few months. And it’s a great way to get ready for the warmer weather in late spring and summer.

You can cleanse for a few days or a couple of weeks, depending on the condition of your health and what works for your lifestyle. There are many different ways to do a food cleanse. Some people will cut back on foods that cause accumulation - dairy, meats, refined carbohydrates - and add in lighter leafy greens, fresh veggies and fruit. Some people go vegetarian for a short while, cutting out all animal products. And some do a juice cleanse and fast.

Some of the benefits you can get from it may include:

• Increased energy
• Clearer skin and shiny eyes
• Losing a habit like caffeine addiction
• Fresher breath
• Better sleep
• Weight loss

Interested in trying out a cleanse this spring? I will be holding a cleanse class starting May 7, 2008.

Details:

Teleclass – Wednesday, May 7, 8 pm - call in number to be announced when you sign up
Cleanse Days – Saturday, May 10 – Friday, May 16
Cost – Intro teleclass is free - but you must Contact me though this site to participate. Cleanse class is $50 for menus, shopping lists, and full week of support

To join the class, please sign up here

Every day I wake up more sore. Back, arms calves, hamstrings. Everything aches. But it’s all good.

I’ve been doing the P90X workout for about five days. Started on Monday, and plan on doing each and every work out religiously through the end. I like a good workout. I’m not afraid of sweat, fatigue, or muscle aches. It’s been a while since I did a hard core workout. The last time I was working this hard was when I was training with Traditional Tribal Fitness outside in the park. This P90X workout is not unlike Kiki’s own tribal invention of using your own body mass to strength train every part of your body. But this time, I’m doing it in my own living room.

I have to admit that the informercial totally sold me. Yes, I am a marketer as well as a health coach, but I still bought into it. I know from my own experience that hard workouts work and the before and after shots and success stories sealed it. The women all slimmed down without looking bulky after all of the ab work, pull ups and jumping.

I will write more about my progress as I get further into the workout schedule.

Indian curries are delicious one-pot meals that contain many healing herbs and spices, too. This one has fresh ginger (good for digestion, circulation), garlic (antibacterial, antiviral), and chilies (fights inflammation, congestion). The apple may seem like a strange ingredient, but it adds a nice sweetness to balance out the savory spice of the dish. I made this curry the other day and it turned out completely delicious. You have to try it.

Note: it was called cauliflower curry, but I renamed it because, really, you could use different vegetables. I would recommend adding in one cruciferous veggie though (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussel sprouts, kale) because these veggies have particularly high amounts of cancer deterring phytonutrients.

Ingredients

• 1/2 head cauliflower
• 2 medium potatoes cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 large apple, peeled, cored and sliced
• 4-5 large cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 two-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
• 2 hot fresh chili peppers, (like jalapeno or serrano) seeded and sliced, or one large dried pepper, crushed
• 2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil or ghee (clarified butter)
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1/2 cup water or stock
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 16-oz can chick peas or 1 bag frozen shelled soybeans (edamame)
• 1 10-oz package of frozen spinach, drained
• Ground black pepper to taste

Boil cauliflower in water for 5 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon, rinse with cold water and transfer into a bowl.

Boil potatoes for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water, and transfer to bowl containing cauliflower.

Place apple, garlic, ginger and chili peppers in a food processor and process until minced.

Heat oil or ghee in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and minced apple mixture and cook until starting to soften. Add curry powder and flour, and saute 3-5 minutes.

Add coconut milk, water (or stock) and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Then add cauliflower, potatoes and chick peas or soy beans, cover, lower heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes.

Stir in, cover and cook for a few minutes until hot. Season to taste with more salt if desired and black pepper. Serve over hot rice and enjoy!

I suffered from insomnia the other night, but I didn’t bother taking anything for it. I slept as much as I could and hoped for the best during the day. I was a little sleepy, but I didn’t bother tanking up on coffee either. I knew it would be worse the next day if I did - I would probably have some kind of rebound effect like a headache, more insomnia, or who knows what else.

Now there’s a new supplement on the market that promises to have you wake up on time. Made from guarana extract, B vitamins, and riboflavin and niacin, with a special coating that acts as a time release mechanism, Wake Up on Time supposedly has you do just that.

Maybe it does work, maybe it doesn’t. And yes, very few of us don’t get enough sleep, go to bed too late, drink too much coffee for us to fall asleep at a reasonable hour. But wouldn’t it make more sense to try to get back into balance instead of taking pills to sleep and pills to wake up?  True health does not come in a bottle. It comes from developing healthy habits and making a commitment to taking care of yourself over the long term.

Mindful eating is not difficult. It’s just a matter of practice.

But first, you need to see what being mindful is like.

Most of the time, we are walking around thinking about other things, multitasking, in a sort of half-in, half-out state of consciousness. We’re here physically, but we’re not here mentally. So, we have to learn to train our minds to be here now.

One of the easiest and most accessible - yet at times maddeningly difficult - ways to fall into mindfulness is to start by following your breath.

Get into a comfortable position. Sitting upright in a chair with your feet flat on the floor works well. Remove as many distractions from your area as possible - turn off electronics, mute the phone, make sure you will not be disturbed for a few minutes.

Then, all you need to do is pay attention to your breath. Notice how it flows into your lungs on the inhale. Pay attention to the natural pause that you have when your lungs are inflated. Then, you slowly exhale until your lungs are empty. You pause again at the bottom of the exhale. And then your automatically start again.

Your mind, like a dog, has probably already wandered off on many different tangents. It’s ok. Just bring your mind back to your breath. Each time it wanders, bring it back. It will wander. That’s its nature. Be patient with yourself.  Meditation is called a practice because you have to keep practicing it.

Try to practice for 10 minutes per day if possible - take 5 minutes in the morning and 5  minutes at the end of the day. Notice how you feel before and after your practice. What has changed? What hasn’t? What do you now see that you didn’t before?

Are you a mindless eater? Are you sure you’re not? Maybe you won’t admit it. Even if you don’t think you do on a regular basis, chances are you’ve eaten mindlessly before. Most people have.

If you’ve ever eaten anything in front of your TV, in a movie theater, in a car, in front of your computer, while walking down the street, or while reading a book, newspaper or magazine, you’ve consumed some food without realizing it. According to Brian Wansink’s Mindless Eating, our minds make more than 200 food-related decisions each day, but many of them are without real thought.

How do we change our habits of mindless eating? It takes some practice. This habit of mindless eating is ingrained in us from many different sources. Eating on the go, working too much, social eating, and eating while doing other activities contributes to mindless eating patterns.

In New York City, there’s an event every year called Change Your Mind Day. It was originally started by Tricycle, a buddhist magazine, in 1993 as a day of free meditation lessons to teach people how to become mindful, or to “change their minds,” through meditation.

Many people believe that the purpose of meditation is to become enlightened. While it may be an eventual outcome of regular practice, the real purpose of meditation is to take you into stillness so that you can reconnect with who you really are. It allows you to come back to the present moment, to really live in the here and now – the place where we all exist, yet never seem to live in.

When you end up in the now, you naturally start to relax as you let go of memories of the past and worries about the future. You realize that here and now is really the only place you can be. You can’t live in the past because it’s long gone. You can’t live in the future because it’s always fleetingly ahead of where you are – you can reach for it, and it still doesn’t arrive.

What happens when we apply the idea of here and now to eating? Here you are, in front of the piece of cake. You have the memory of cake in the past, and attachment to this memory may be driving you to eat it – you are living in the past. You project into the future what it feels like to eat cake – the sugar high you may get, the taste of the rich, creamy frosting smothering the moist, soft chocolate cake, the texture of the deliciously sweet dessert.

But then, try changing your mind. Live in the present moment for a bit. Here you are in front of the cake. Your awareness goes to your stomach. How does it feel? Are you full? Are you hungry? If you are hungry, ask your stomach what it really wants. If you listen, you may be surprised at what it will tell you.

Depending on what you ate previously, it could be craving a number of different things. Perhaps it will tell you it wants something light, springy and green, like salad, or maybe it craves something more heavy, solid and grounding, like steak.

If you slow down the mind, and start to live in the present, you will learn how to listen to your body and understand what it really needs and wants. Then you will be able to change your mind. Instead of reacting to cravings caused by past memories or anticipated future events, you will find what you truly want in the present.

Next post will go more into detail about how to start practicing mindfulness…