You know that thing about the power of positive thinking? I tend to find it a little reductive and airy-fairy; I'm someone who needs a little cynicism and darkness for the same reason cake and cookie recipes need salt, so people who are just nonstop wall-to-wall relentlessly happy get right under my skin and make me wonder what they're hiding. But at the same time ... I have to admit that they kind of have a point.
Not so much with the "everything's going to be just wonderful!" garbage. Because it isn't. Life is kind of a jerk sometimes and there's just no getting around that. But in the small day-to-day moments a little thought readjustment can go a long way.
Think about how you talk to or about yourself. Do you often find yourself saying things like "oh, I'd never be able to do that" or "I'm really bad at this" before you even try something? And if you do, do you ever give yourself a chance to prove yourself wrong?
Today's exercise: choose a goal that you've had for a while that you just haven't been able to reach, and then think about how you've talked about it to yourself or others. Be honest. Are you trying to lose weight but also saying that you don't have the willpower? Are you trying to learn a foreign language while talking about how you're probably too old to really do it? Are you vying for a coveted position and telling everyone that your fellow candidates are way better than you? What purpose does that possibly serve? Self-deprecation has its place, but save it for after the goal is attained for pete's sake! My rule of thumb is that self-deprecation after the fact can be charming but self-deprecation before anything even happens is nothing but you roadblocking yourself. Also? Stop worrying if people think you're arrogant. Simply stating that you think you can do something is miles away from arrogance and any grown adult who doesn't recognize that is riddled with issues that you don't need to be dealing with anyway.
Inject some hope and light into your everyday language! Instead of "I can't" say "I'm going to try." Instead of "I don't" go for "I haven't yet." Instead of "it probably won't happen" try describing yourself as "cautiously optimistic." I think you'll be amazed at what you can do.
Feel-Good Friday tomorrow! It's going to be excellent. See you then.
- Sarah
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
It's Snacky
I did a few plays with a guy who referred to low-quality things as being "snacky" - I'm not sure as to the origins of that usage and I'll admit to having adopted it for myself because it's pretty fun to say, but I also don't know if it's terribly accurate because snacks? Are awesome, done correctly.
Here's the thing - it's really easy to eat something tasty but nutritionally-flimsy and call it a snack, but that is not a snack. That is a treat. And treats are wonderful but they're not going to adequately bridge the gap between mealtimes, which is the purpose of a snack. Let me get a little deeper with that: snacks are for keeping your metabolism functioning at optimal levels between full meals, so what you want in a snack is relatively even amounts of protein, (good) carbs, and (healthy) fats. And that's really easy to do! An apple with some peanut butter and maybe a few crackers if you, like me, need bread to function. A cup of yogurt topped with a handful of nuts. A boiled egg and half an avocado, sliced or mashed, on toast. Any well-constructed trail mix. The possibilities are really literally endless.
As to when you need a snack? Generally mid-afternoon and possibly a couple hours after dinner if you eat early. Basically when you're hungry, but also look at the intervals at which you're eating your full meals - most people maintain optimal metabolic levels by eating every two and a half to three hours, so if you eat breakfast around nine and lunch at noon then you probably don't need a mid-morning snack, but if lunch is at noon and dinner is at eight then you might throw in two snacks in between to keep yourself going. They don't have to be big, either, especially if you tend to eat big meals, but just a little well-balanced something is going to help you out immensely. Good metabolism = healthy you = happy you. We haven't even scratched the surface yet of all the ways adjusting your eating habits can help you out in other areas of your life. But we'll get a little closer every Wednesday!
More immediately, tomorrow we're getting into your head. It should be fun!
Have a beautiful day.
- Sarah
Here's the thing - it's really easy to eat something tasty but nutritionally-flimsy and call it a snack, but that is not a snack. That is a treat. And treats are wonderful but they're not going to adequately bridge the gap between mealtimes, which is the purpose of a snack. Let me get a little deeper with that: snacks are for keeping your metabolism functioning at optimal levels between full meals, so what you want in a snack is relatively even amounts of protein, (good) carbs, and (healthy) fats. And that's really easy to do! An apple with some peanut butter and maybe a few crackers if you, like me, need bread to function. A cup of yogurt topped with a handful of nuts. A boiled egg and half an avocado, sliced or mashed, on toast. Any well-constructed trail mix. The possibilities are really literally endless.
As to when you need a snack? Generally mid-afternoon and possibly a couple hours after dinner if you eat early. Basically when you're hungry, but also look at the intervals at which you're eating your full meals - most people maintain optimal metabolic levels by eating every two and a half to three hours, so if you eat breakfast around nine and lunch at noon then you probably don't need a mid-morning snack, but if lunch is at noon and dinner is at eight then you might throw in two snacks in between to keep yourself going. They don't have to be big, either, especially if you tend to eat big meals, but just a little well-balanced something is going to help you out immensely. Good metabolism = healthy you = happy you. We haven't even scratched the surface yet of all the ways adjusting your eating habits can help you out in other areas of your life. But we'll get a little closer every Wednesday!
More immediately, tomorrow we're getting into your head. It should be fun!
Have a beautiful day.
- Sarah
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Eight Glasses?
When someone tells me that they feel weirdly tired or excessively hungry or just kind of out of sorts, the first thing I ask them is how much water they've been drinking lately. Then they look at me like I have an asparagus fern growing out of my head, and I don't really blame them but seriously! Drinking more water will cure a lot of what ails you!
Dehydration doesn't always register as thirst - in fact, by the time you feel thirsty chances are good you're already pretty far down the dehydration road. Before that it tends to register as fatigue or hunger or a dull but stubborn headache, or quite possibly something else entirely for you what with the fact that we're all different and whatnot. So next time you feel inexplicably weird try drinking a large glass of water and see if that doesn't help! If nothing else, drinking more water keeps your skin nice and helps with a lot of your important bodily processes (dang, I really know how to make it sound exciting, no?).
As for staving off that inexplicable weirdness? There are a lot of different rules of thumb regarding how much water we all need, and honestly I don't know if you can get too hard-and-fast about it given how many different factors contribute to our hydration levels, but I think the best one might be the simplest (apologies in advance to those of you with delicate sensibilities): as long as your pee is clear you're fine. What I recommend is getting yourself a good-size water bottle and carrying it around with you all day, drinking from it when it feels correct and necessary. It won't take too long to get a feel for how much water you generally need.
"But I don't like water!" My knee-jerk response to that is that I don't like waking up at 6:30 am but I do it because my livelihood depends on it. My friendlier and possibly more constructive response is that there are plenty of things you can do to make it more tolerable: add sliced citrus fruit or cucumber or a drop or two of essential oil (make sure it's made to be ingested, for pete's sake!), or even one of those weird little flavor packet thingies if that's what it takes to get and keep you hydrated. Just figure out what you need to do and then do it and go on with your bad non-thirsty self!
Foodie Wednesday tomorrow! Are you excited? I sure am.
- Sarah
Dehydration doesn't always register as thirst - in fact, by the time you feel thirsty chances are good you're already pretty far down the dehydration road. Before that it tends to register as fatigue or hunger or a dull but stubborn headache, or quite possibly something else entirely for you what with the fact that we're all different and whatnot. So next time you feel inexplicably weird try drinking a large glass of water and see if that doesn't help! If nothing else, drinking more water keeps your skin nice and helps with a lot of your important bodily processes (dang, I really know how to make it sound exciting, no?).
As for staving off that inexplicable weirdness? There are a lot of different rules of thumb regarding how much water we all need, and honestly I don't know if you can get too hard-and-fast about it given how many different factors contribute to our hydration levels, but I think the best one might be the simplest (apologies in advance to those of you with delicate sensibilities): as long as your pee is clear you're fine. What I recommend is getting yourself a good-size water bottle and carrying it around with you all day, drinking from it when it feels correct and necessary. It won't take too long to get a feel for how much water you generally need.
"But I don't like water!" My knee-jerk response to that is that I don't like waking up at 6:30 am but I do it because my livelihood depends on it. My friendlier and possibly more constructive response is that there are plenty of things you can do to make it more tolerable: add sliced citrus fruit or cucumber or a drop or two of essential oil (make sure it's made to be ingested, for pete's sake!), or even one of those weird little flavor packet thingies if that's what it takes to get and keep you hydrated. Just figure out what you need to do and then do it and go on with your bad non-thirsty self!
Foodie Wednesday tomorrow! Are you excited? I sure am.
- Sarah
Monday, September 16, 2013
Do Whatcha Like
Are you stuck in a rut, workout-wise? Do you feel like what you're doing just isn't working? There are a lot of factors that can contribute to that, and I'll be covering more of them on future Mondays, but today I want to look at some fundamentals.
First of all, there's a misconception that cardio is the biggest fat-burner. Not necessarily! An elevated heart rate does burn fat but not as effectively as increased muscle mass, and most of what we think of as cardio exercise doesn't build muscle. Your body will thank you in a lot of other ways if you're on the treadmill or whatever three to five days a week, but if that's all you're doing and you're not seeing the results you want consider adding some kind of strength building exercise on one or two other days. And when I say "strength building" I don't mean lifting weights, unless that's what really works for you. Lifting is great, but lots of other activities build strength as well - really, just find something you like to do that makes your muscles feel sore and incorporate it into your weekly regimen.
So, staying with the notion of "what really works for you" - I have a theory, possibly crackpot, based on what I've observed in myself and my friends and clients that if there was a sport or activity you did when you were young it essentially "trained" your muscles to process information a certain way. This can show itself in reflexive movements (I can always tell who's a rower by what happens when I put them on the pilates Reformer in a certain position) and it can also shows up in how a person's body responds to their workout routine. I was a dancer from age 7 through college, and the few years that I was neither dancing nor doing pilates were the most out-of-shape years of my life despite the fact that I was either in the gym or running at least three days a week; pilates uses the muscles very similarly to classical dance, and once I got back into a regular pilates practice I was back in shape very quickly. On the other hand, friends and clients of mine who played football or soccer have used pilates to supplement their workouts but they've needed to find regular regimens similar to whatever they did to prepare for their seasons starting in order to really see results.
It's all anecdotal evidence, really, and it's my way of offering you a jumping-off point for finding your ideal workout. Because seriously the most important thing is to find something you enjoy! If you don't like it you won't stick with it and then you definitely won't get in shape. So if you enjoyed playing a certain sport when you were a kid, find an adult league nearby, and be willing to consider a similar sport if the exact one isn't available (kickball instead of soccer, softball instead of baseball, rugby instead of football, etc.). If you swam, get a membership at a gym with a pool, dancers can seek out yoga or pilates or even adult dance classes, former equestrians can literally get back on that horse! Just find something that you'll look forward to doing on a regular basis, and your body will reward you handsomely.
And hey, if for some reason you're having trouble thinking of something to try, feel free to contact me! I'm always happy to help with questions like this.
As for tomorrow? Well, I hope you're thirsty (actually I really hope you aren't, but we'll get to that tomorrow)! See you then, and I hope your week has started well.
- Sarah
First of all, there's a misconception that cardio is the biggest fat-burner. Not necessarily! An elevated heart rate does burn fat but not as effectively as increased muscle mass, and most of what we think of as cardio exercise doesn't build muscle. Your body will thank you in a lot of other ways if you're on the treadmill or whatever three to five days a week, but if that's all you're doing and you're not seeing the results you want consider adding some kind of strength building exercise on one or two other days. And when I say "strength building" I don't mean lifting weights, unless that's what really works for you. Lifting is great, but lots of other activities build strength as well - really, just find something you like to do that makes your muscles feel sore and incorporate it into your weekly regimen.
So, staying with the notion of "what really works for you" - I have a theory, possibly crackpot, based on what I've observed in myself and my friends and clients that if there was a sport or activity you did when you were young it essentially "trained" your muscles to process information a certain way. This can show itself in reflexive movements (I can always tell who's a rower by what happens when I put them on the pilates Reformer in a certain position) and it can also shows up in how a person's body responds to their workout routine. I was a dancer from age 7 through college, and the few years that I was neither dancing nor doing pilates were the most out-of-shape years of my life despite the fact that I was either in the gym or running at least three days a week; pilates uses the muscles very similarly to classical dance, and once I got back into a regular pilates practice I was back in shape very quickly. On the other hand, friends and clients of mine who played football or soccer have used pilates to supplement their workouts but they've needed to find regular regimens similar to whatever they did to prepare for their seasons starting in order to really see results.
It's all anecdotal evidence, really, and it's my way of offering you a jumping-off point for finding your ideal workout. Because seriously the most important thing is to find something you enjoy! If you don't like it you won't stick with it and then you definitely won't get in shape. So if you enjoyed playing a certain sport when you were a kid, find an adult league nearby, and be willing to consider a similar sport if the exact one isn't available (kickball instead of soccer, softball instead of baseball, rugby instead of football, etc.). If you swam, get a membership at a gym with a pool, dancers can seek out yoga or pilates or even adult dance classes, former equestrians can literally get back on that horse! Just find something that you'll look forward to doing on a regular basis, and your body will reward you handsomely.
And hey, if for some reason you're having trouble thinking of something to try, feel free to contact me! I'm always happy to help with questions like this.
As for tomorrow? Well, I hope you're thirsty (actually I really hope you aren't, but we'll get to that tomorrow)! See you then, and I hope your week has started well.
- Sarah
Friday, September 13, 2013
Feel-Good Friday! So what if it's the 13th!
Today's Feel-Good Friday is all about sharing the love and pointing you toward some other blogs and posts that I think you might enjoy.
First up is Oh Noa. Most of the time her writing is straight-up goofy, silly fun but every now and then she goes ahead and drops some cold hard TRUTH that's exactly what I've wanted to say but she says it better (fair warning: she is really profane. Doesn't bother me, but it might bother you):
Next, Thug Kitchen! Excellent vegan recipes with the bonus of a pretty original writing voice. Again, pretty profane, but the photos are gorgeous and the recipes, as I said, are really good even if you're not vegan.
And last but most certainly not least, Heal Yourself, Skeletor. This is one of the most insane things I've ever seen (stills from He-Man cartoons captioned with positive affirmations), but it's also weirdly helpful, perhaps because it's so ridiculous.
And along the lines of sharing the love, here's what you can do for me today: find a way to put a little good out into the world, whether that's paying for the person behind you in the coffee line or helping your neighbor weed their garden or doing something for a loved one that you've been putting off for some reason. Do it selflessly, with no expectations of anything in return, and you might be surprised at what happens next.
Have a beautiful weekend, and I'll see you Monday to talk about fitness!
- Sarah
First up is Oh Noa. Most of the time her writing is straight-up goofy, silly fun but every now and then she goes ahead and drops some cold hard TRUTH that's exactly what I've wanted to say but she says it better (fair warning: she is really profane. Doesn't bother me, but it might bother you):
Next, Thug Kitchen! Excellent vegan recipes with the bonus of a pretty original writing voice. Again, pretty profane, but the photos are gorgeous and the recipes, as I said, are really good even if you're not vegan.
And last but most certainly not least, Heal Yourself, Skeletor. This is one of the most insane things I've ever seen (stills from He-Man cartoons captioned with positive affirmations), but it's also weirdly helpful, perhaps because it's so ridiculous.
And along the lines of sharing the love, here's what you can do for me today: find a way to put a little good out into the world, whether that's paying for the person behind you in the coffee line or helping your neighbor weed their garden or doing something for a loved one that you've been putting off for some reason. Do it selflessly, with no expectations of anything in return, and you might be surprised at what happens next.
Have a beautiful weekend, and I'll see you Monday to talk about fitness!
- Sarah
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Out Of the Closet
You know that one piece of clothing? Yes you do - the one that lurks in your closet or drawer until you notice it and think "why don't I ever wear that?" so you put it on and about half an hour after you leave your house you remember exactly why you never wear it. The waist is a little too small or the armholes feel weird around your shoulders or there's just something wrong with it somehow and wearing it makes you uncomfortable and crabby.
Go find it right now and put it in your donation or consignment pile (you do have one, right? Start one if you don't and let Nightmare Garment be the inaugural item). I'm serious, if you hate wearing it there is no reason in the entire world for you to keep it.
"But it was expensive!" Except that you're not wearing it, so you're still not getting any value out of it. Whereas if you take it down to the consignment shop you can make a little money on it and also not have that "damn, I spent a lot on that thing, I really ought to wear it" feeling every time you see it.
Sentimental value? Nope. Because regardless of how you feel about whoever gave it to you, wearing it makes you miserable and do you really want to associate that feeling with someone you love? Moreover, do you think they want you to feel like that when you wear something they gave you? I'm pretty sure that if they really love you they don't want that at all, and walking around all day feeling like a cat wearing a bowtie is not a good way to honor your loved ones. If you're really worried about it, call up the person who gave it to you and ask permission to send it out into the world. Chances are good they don't even remember giving it to you. Take a picture of it if you really need to remember it and then send it on its way.
But if you just can't, for whatever reason, get rid of it? Find something else to do with it, whether that's framing it as artwork or turning it into a quilt or a pillow . It is simply not functioning as clothing for you anymore, so it doesn't need to take up closet or drawer space. Things that take up physical space take up mental space as well, and as you clear those spaces in your home you'll also clear space in your mind, thus freeing up mental energy for more interesting and rewarding purposes. Give it a try today, see where it takes you!
Another Feel-Good Friday tomorrow! We'll cap off what I hope has been, for you, an excellent week and head into our weekend with some fun and frivolity. See you then!
- Sarah
Go find it right now and put it in your donation or consignment pile (you do have one, right? Start one if you don't and let Nightmare Garment be the inaugural item). I'm serious, if you hate wearing it there is no reason in the entire world for you to keep it.
"But it was expensive!" Except that you're not wearing it, so you're still not getting any value out of it. Whereas if you take it down to the consignment shop you can make a little money on it and also not have that "damn, I spent a lot on that thing, I really ought to wear it" feeling every time you see it.
Sentimental value? Nope. Because regardless of how you feel about whoever gave it to you, wearing it makes you miserable and do you really want to associate that feeling with someone you love? Moreover, do you think they want you to feel like that when you wear something they gave you? I'm pretty sure that if they really love you they don't want that at all, and walking around all day feeling like a cat wearing a bowtie is not a good way to honor your loved ones. If you're really worried about it, call up the person who gave it to you and ask permission to send it out into the world. Chances are good they don't even remember giving it to you. Take a picture of it if you really need to remember it and then send it on its way.
But if you just can't, for whatever reason, get rid of it? Find something else to do with it, whether that's framing it as artwork or turning it into a quilt or a pillow . It is simply not functioning as clothing for you anymore, so it doesn't need to take up closet or drawer space. Things that take up physical space take up mental space as well, and as you clear those spaces in your home you'll also clear space in your mind, thus freeing up mental energy for more interesting and rewarding purposes. Give it a try today, see where it takes you!
Another Feel-Good Friday tomorrow! We'll cap off what I hope has been, for you, an excellent week and head into our weekend with some fun and frivolity. See you then!
- Sarah
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Talkin' Turkey (or beef, or tofu, or eggs, or ...)
No recipes today - we're spending this Foodie Wednesday talking about the importance of protein! Exciting!
If you're a sentient human being you need protein just to maintain a reasonable quality of life - without it, your hair falls out and your body eats its own muscles in order to get enough energy and that's just unpleasant. And if you're following any sort of exercise program you need protein even more, because protein is what builds and repairs muscle tissue not to mention gives you the energy to exercise in the first place. Muscle tissue burns calories, so the more muscle you have the more calories you're burning, so by properly fueling your body you're creating this lovely positive cycle wherein your protein intake helps with your weight loss and you're just nonstop winning (at least in the muscle-building/weight loss regard). I work with so many people who would be so much happier with their workout results if they'd just let themselves take in more protein. Cut your calories elsewhere!
So how much do you need, really? I should probably warn you, there's math involved.
Tomorrow we're back on the situation-improvement train, and that train is making a stop in your closet. As for whether it's for boarding or disembarking, you'll just have to find out then.
Have a beautiful day!
- Sarah
If you're a sentient human being you need protein just to maintain a reasonable quality of life - without it, your hair falls out and your body eats its own muscles in order to get enough energy and that's just unpleasant. And if you're following any sort of exercise program you need protein even more, because protein is what builds and repairs muscle tissue not to mention gives you the energy to exercise in the first place. Muscle tissue burns calories, so the more muscle you have the more calories you're burning, so by properly fueling your body you're creating this lovely positive cycle wherein your protein intake helps with your weight loss and you're just nonstop winning (at least in the muscle-building/weight loss regard). I work with so many people who would be so much happier with their workout results if they'd just let themselves take in more protein. Cut your calories elsewhere!
So how much do you need, really? I should probably warn you, there's math involved.
- If you are sedentary, uninterested in gaining muscle mass, and pretty generally healthy you need about .36 grams of protein for every pound of body weight.
- If you are active (either as an athlete or as someone who's trying to lose weight), it's anywhere between .8 and 2 grams per pound - you'll want to play around with it to find your best level, but start on the low end and increase until you start seeing your desired results.
- Recommended intake for those who are injured is pretty similar to the recommendations for athletes, about .7 grams per pound of body weight, which makes sense since a body that's repairing an injury and a body that's building muscle mass are both in an anabolic state of tissue repair.
- For the elderly, a baseline amount of .5-.6 grams per pound is recommended, of course increasing with the individual's activity level. Interestingly, I had a very difficult time finding an actual definition of "elderly," so I can't help you there.
Tomorrow we're back on the situation-improvement train, and that train is making a stop in your closet. As for whether it's for boarding or disembarking, you'll just have to find out then.
Have a beautiful day!
- Sarah
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