Hello everyone,
I've taken an illness-induced hiatus from blogging; it feels a little hypocritical to write a wellness blog when you're taking antibiotics, cough medicine, and asthma medication (also for the cough), so I postponed the inevitable. But here I am, and I confess this "minor cold" has done a number on me. Ultimately, it seems, you can know all there is to know about viruses and infections, and you can eat wholesome foods and do everything in your power to stay healthy, but you can't control what happens to you--and if it's an infection, so be it. Soon it will pass.
On a lighter note, perhaps you will be as intrigued and delighted as I was to learn that nutritionally, dark meat trumps white meat. According to DietsInReview.com, dark meat contains more iron, zinc, thiamine, riboflavin, selenium, and folate. It has more fat and calories too, but consume it in moderation and I'd say it's worth it, especially if you normally douse your white meat in gravy. Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving! A happy and healthy holiday to all.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Monday, November 14, 2011
Giving in to sick
Ironically, after writing my praise-laden post on massages, I came down with a minor cold. From what I could gather online (though admittedly there appears to be no authoritative explanation), it seems that deep-tissue massage can release toxins from deep in the muscle tissue, which, passing through your lymphatic system after a massage, can make you sick. This is a contested point, but it makes sense to me, and this is the second time I've come down with a cold after a massage. I suppose I'd prefer to experience the symptoms of the virus for a few days and then have it exit my system, rather than leaving it embedded in my muscle tissue.
For me, having a cold is a good excuse to slow down and listen to my body. I've been drinking a lot of fluids, eating chicken soup (the healing properties of which are not just an old wives' tale), and getting plenty of rest. I even baked pumpkin chocolate chip muffins and rented a movie, both very restful and comforting!
Based on how quickly this cold seems to be passing, I think this strategy of giving in to a cold and slowing down is a good one, especially since our lives are normally so fast-paced and activity-filled. It's even a pleasure to be sick if you use it as an opportunity to treat your body right.
For me, having a cold is a good excuse to slow down and listen to my body. I've been drinking a lot of fluids, eating chicken soup (the healing properties of which are not just an old wives' tale), and getting plenty of rest. I even baked pumpkin chocolate chip muffins and rented a movie, both very restful and comforting!
Based on how quickly this cold seems to be passing, I think this strategy of giving in to a cold and slowing down is a good one, especially since our lives are normally so fast-paced and activity-filled. It's even a pleasure to be sick if you use it as an opportunity to treat your body right.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Ginger Peach Longevity Tea
Quite simply, I want to recommend this tea. I'd been looking for a way to wean myself off of chai tea lattes when I spotted Ginger Peach Longevity Tea and decided to try it. The ginger is very subtle--I'm not convinced I taste it at all--and the peach is soft and delicious, the black tea exquisite. What also strikes me is the smoothness of the blend. It's perfect in the morning with breakfast; as a black tea it contains more caffeine than most teas, though not as much as coffee. And I like it with a bit of honey (to brighten the flavor and cut any hint of bitterness, particularly if you've over-steeped). Tastes best when it's cooled a bit to a gentle warmth, not steaming hot. It's also supposed to be excellent iced, though I've only tasted it hot. Enjoy!
Friday, November 11, 2011
TGIF, I'm Getting a Massage
Ahhh, Friday.
I'm not much of a party person, but there's something magical about knowing the weekend is arriving. I love sleeping in, leisurely making breakfast and having tea, going for a slow walk around the neighborhood, and most of all, doing anything I want on a whim.
And this evening I'm getting a massage.
Just thinking about getting a massage is calming me down. It's been a busy week at work and more physically demanding than usual (multiple trips to court on Wednesday, standing all day to take inventory of twelve boxes Thursday, assembling several gargantuan binders today, etc.--paralegal stuff). I've also been eeking out every last morsel of strength from my calves as a beginning "barefoot" runner in Vibrams, my minimalist running shoes. So I'm ready to dissolve in a heavenly massage.
New York is an optimal place to live if you love getting massages. You can find plenty of cheap hole-in-the-walls (holes-in-the-wall?) on Yelp, or you can do what I did as a college freshman between essays and logic problems and before the days of Yelp: sniff out massage parlors. You need a kind of sixth sense to do this, and I had an uncanny ability to almost literally sense which corner to round next in order to arrive at a Chinese massage place.
ANYWAY, massage has numerous health benefits that are increasingly well documented scientifically. The Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles found that a single massage session literally causes biological changes, imparting significant decreases in the stress hormone cortisol, decreases in arginine vasopressin, a hormone that can amplify cortisol levels, and increases in lymphocytes, white blood cells that are part of the immune system.
I particularly enjoy deep-tissue massage, which is useful for athletes, anyone with tense or injured muscles, and those recovering from surgery. It alleviates chronic pain by loosening tight tissue clusters, it breaks up scar tissue, "facilitates the movement of toxins from the muscles and helps stretch tight or twisted muscle mass," and even lowers blood pressure, according to Livestrong. All of this is very relaxing and feels delicious.
So "clean bathroom" and "stop at drug store" just got bumped from the to-do list to another day--tonight I'm getting a massage!
I'm not much of a party person, but there's something magical about knowing the weekend is arriving. I love sleeping in, leisurely making breakfast and having tea, going for a slow walk around the neighborhood, and most of all, doing anything I want on a whim.
And this evening I'm getting a massage.
Just thinking about getting a massage is calming me down. It's been a busy week at work and more physically demanding than usual (multiple trips to court on Wednesday, standing all day to take inventory of twelve boxes Thursday, assembling several gargantuan binders today, etc.--paralegal stuff). I've also been eeking out every last morsel of strength from my calves as a beginning "barefoot" runner in Vibrams, my minimalist running shoes. So I'm ready to dissolve in a heavenly massage.
New York is an optimal place to live if you love getting massages. You can find plenty of cheap hole-in-the-walls (holes-in-the-wall?) on Yelp, or you can do what I did as a college freshman between essays and logic problems and before the days of Yelp: sniff out massage parlors. You need a kind of sixth sense to do this, and I had an uncanny ability to almost literally sense which corner to round next in order to arrive at a Chinese massage place.
ANYWAY, massage has numerous health benefits that are increasingly well documented scientifically. The Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles found that a single massage session literally causes biological changes, imparting significant decreases in the stress hormone cortisol, decreases in arginine vasopressin, a hormone that can amplify cortisol levels, and increases in lymphocytes, white blood cells that are part of the immune system.
I particularly enjoy deep-tissue massage, which is useful for athletes, anyone with tense or injured muscles, and those recovering from surgery. It alleviates chronic pain by loosening tight tissue clusters, it breaks up scar tissue, "facilitates the movement of toxins from the muscles and helps stretch tight or twisted muscle mass," and even lowers blood pressure, according to Livestrong. All of this is very relaxing and feels delicious.
So "clean bathroom" and "stop at drug store" just got bumped from the to-do list to another day--tonight I'm getting a massage!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Orgain: Healthiest Drink Ever?
Along with water and liquefied egg whites, Orgain is in the running for Healthiest Drink Ever. And the crazy thing? It's delicious. This morning I sampled "Creamy Chocolate Fudge," and I loved it. With a mere 13 grams of sugar, it's pretty tasty and chocolaty.A doctor recommended this to me as a fantastic post-run drink. The makers of Orgain don't specify anywhere on the box or website that the drink contains electrolytes, which I usually need after a workout, but that appears to be the only thing it lacks. The drink is entirely organic, not too sugary or sweet, and low in fat; it's jam-packed with protein (16 grams) and abundant in nutrients, including a vitamin blend, an organic veggie blend (trust me, you don't taste it), an organic fruit blend, and an antioxidant blend. One "Orgain" allegedly contains the equivalent of ten fruit and vegetable servings, but I have to wonder whether that's even possible. Wouldn't the drink then contain far more calories, and wouldn't it provide 100% of the vitamins you need in a day? (Most of the vitamins in "Nutrition Facts" are listed at a mere 25%, which of course isn't bad.)
Would appreciate any insights or thoughts. In the mean time, I'll keep enjoying these!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
cookies
I love milk and cookies. I also love tea and cookies. Basically, I just love cookies. But they have to be the right kind of cookies. If chocolate chip, for example, they should be moist and chewy and preferably warm.
Today when I walked into the office, there were Girl Scouts in the lobby selling cookies. Now, I became a Scout at age 10 exclusively to have privileged access to these cookies. Other aspects of Scouting, like organized friendship, freaked me out a little. But the cookies made everything worthwhile. I even managed to convince my parents one year that we needed to buy 9 or 10 boxes of cookies to freeze so that we would have a store to last us the year.
So you can imagine my dilemma when I weigh my commitment to health against my love of cookies. What's a girl to do?
The answer, I think, is simple, and it's one you've heard before: Moderation. Balance. For me, that meant buying one box of Thin Mints, which thus far I've refrained from opening. Perhaps unusually, I like merely being able to see the box on my desk while I work. It's as though my mind registers sweet indulgence and joy merely by seeing the box, so it's not even necessary (yet) to rip it open.
This method of moderation and delayed gratification has served me well over time; it also accords with the "French" method (as popularized by Americans) of eating slowly, consuming small portions, and cherishing one's food. But if you're someone who has trouble stopping after two or three cookies, perhaps your best bet is not to buy the box at all and then hope to snag a cookie or two from a co-worker who couldn't resist opening his own box immediately.
Delayed gratification is a great tool for maximizing happiness in general. For example, if you take a vacation after a six months or a year of thinking about it and looking forward to it, you're likely to enjoy it more than if you'd only planned it four weeks prior to departure.
Bear in mind that, generally speaking, a treat like cookies is more likely to detract from than to contribute to overall happiness because the pleasure it provides is fleeting, while the injury to your health, if you frequently indulge cravings, is long-lasting. But do what works for you, sustaining peak happiness without undermining your health.
My ideal scenario? running 10 to 15 miles a day and eating twenty-five cookies.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Tips for Dealing with Hypoglycemia (healthy for anyone!)
Here's the thing with hypoglycemics. We're closeted! At least, the women seem to be, because what sexy, classy lady wants to be seen wolfing down a slice of pizza before she's even finished paying for it, much less sat down?
Either we're closeted or there are only two hypoglycemics in total, my mother and me. And the two of us have done a very good job of upholding the diagnosis--sweating, fainting, and eating enough for the population of a small state.
Whatever. If there are any hypoglycemics out there reading this, or if you don't know what the hell hypoglycemia is but you have a rough time with hunger--rougher than most--I have a few tips that I can share with you, wrought from my personal experience as well as my mother's.
1. First and rather obviously (if you've read any article about healthful eating published since the seventeenth century): Eat smallish meals throughout the day. But take care that your days don't turn into carbohydrate fests, with cereal in the morning, then a bagel, then a sandwich, then pretzels, lasagna for dinner, etc. Snacks like hummus, almonds, apples, bananas, and yogurt work well. Try not to go more than 2.5 hours or so without putting something in your stomach.
2. As a general rule, try not to consume any carbohydrates unless you're also consuming protein and/or fat. For example, pita bread with hummus is preferable to pita alone; similarly, a banana topped with a slab of almond butter will hold you longer than a banana alone. Your blood sugar level will stay more consistent if you aren't eating carbohydrates by themselves. (Carbohydrates are essentially sugars, and once they're fully digested, your body incorporates them as such, so your blood sugar level spikes...and then drops. When you feel gross, your blood sugar is too low.)
3. Speaking of sugar, consume as little of it as possible. Natural sweeteners like honey, Stevia, and sugar are always preferable to artificial ones, but you still should not be consuming much of them. There are infinite ways to reduce your sugar intake; one that I particularly like since I eat yogurt almost every day is to mix in as little as the fruit/syrupy stuff as possible. Better yet, eat plain, unsweetened yogurt if you can tolerate it.
4. In general, protein is great. Many Americans over-emphasize it, but for hypoglycemics, protein sources are especially helpful because they keep us full for a while and don't mess with our blood sugar levels. (Caveat: don't eat too much red meat or too many fatty protein sources.) I eat Greek yogurt every day instead of regular yogurt because it has a ton of protein and is especially creamy/delicious, even at 0% fat.
5. Don't make carrots a staple. They have a ton of sugar, and they turn to sugar faster than most candies do. Other, non-carbohydrate vegetables (think broccoli and cauliflower) are usually preferable.
6. Whole wheat and whole grains are in, plain white flour is out. If you're buying a loaf of bread or making pasta, go for the varieties with the highest concentrations of whole wheat over regular flour. In you body, white flour turns to sugar immediately, whereas whole wheat does so much more slowly and provides fuel for your body for a longer period of time. It also has a much higher nutritional content. In general, if something has a lot of fiber, it's probably good for hypoglycemics (and, of course, is healthier for everyone).
7. Always carry food with you. Apples, bananas, and nut butter sandwiches on 100% whole wheat bread are very portable, as is yogurt unless you live in a hot climate. Power bars (a term I use liberally) can serve very well, but make sure you choose ones without too much sugar. They should be high in protein and fiber without having tons of fat, sugar, or calories. A tough combination to find, but when you do, and if it's tasty, you've struck gold.
8. Unless you have a very weak immune system, don't drink a ton of orange juice--too much sugar. In general, drink water or unsweetened tea and avoid sugary drinks.
9. Sprinkle cinnamon on your coffee or dessert! Among other surprisingly beneficial properties, cinnamon is supposed to help regulate blood sugar levels. And I think the same is true of lemon juice, but I'll have to look into it.
Any more tips would be welcome!
Either we're closeted or there are only two hypoglycemics in total, my mother and me. And the two of us have done a very good job of upholding the diagnosis--sweating, fainting, and eating enough for the population of a small state.
Whatever. If there are any hypoglycemics out there reading this, or if you don't know what the hell hypoglycemia is but you have a rough time with hunger--rougher than most--I have a few tips that I can share with you, wrought from my personal experience as well as my mother's.
1. First and rather obviously (if you've read any article about healthful eating published since the seventeenth century): Eat smallish meals throughout the day. But take care that your days don't turn into carbohydrate fests, with cereal in the morning, then a bagel, then a sandwich, then pretzels, lasagna for dinner, etc. Snacks like hummus, almonds, apples, bananas, and yogurt work well. Try not to go more than 2.5 hours or so without putting something in your stomach.
2. As a general rule, try not to consume any carbohydrates unless you're also consuming protein and/or fat. For example, pita bread with hummus is preferable to pita alone; similarly, a banana topped with a slab of almond butter will hold you longer than a banana alone. Your blood sugar level will stay more consistent if you aren't eating carbohydrates by themselves. (Carbohydrates are essentially sugars, and once they're fully digested, your body incorporates them as such, so your blood sugar level spikes...and then drops. When you feel gross, your blood sugar is too low.)
3. Speaking of sugar, consume as little of it as possible. Natural sweeteners like honey, Stevia, and sugar are always preferable to artificial ones, but you still should not be consuming much of them. There are infinite ways to reduce your sugar intake; one that I particularly like since I eat yogurt almost every day is to mix in as little as the fruit/syrupy stuff as possible. Better yet, eat plain, unsweetened yogurt if you can tolerate it.
4. In general, protein is great. Many Americans over-emphasize it, but for hypoglycemics, protein sources are especially helpful because they keep us full for a while and don't mess with our blood sugar levels. (Caveat: don't eat too much red meat or too many fatty protein sources.) I eat Greek yogurt every day instead of regular yogurt because it has a ton of protein and is especially creamy/delicious, even at 0% fat.
5. Don't make carrots a staple. They have a ton of sugar, and they turn to sugar faster than most candies do. Other, non-carbohydrate vegetables (think broccoli and cauliflower) are usually preferable.
6. Whole wheat and whole grains are in, plain white flour is out. If you're buying a loaf of bread or making pasta, go for the varieties with the highest concentrations of whole wheat over regular flour. In you body, white flour turns to sugar immediately, whereas whole wheat does so much more slowly and provides fuel for your body for a longer period of time. It also has a much higher nutritional content. In general, if something has a lot of fiber, it's probably good for hypoglycemics (and, of course, is healthier for everyone).
7. Always carry food with you. Apples, bananas, and nut butter sandwiches on 100% whole wheat bread are very portable, as is yogurt unless you live in a hot climate. Power bars (a term I use liberally) can serve very well, but make sure you choose ones without too much sugar. They should be high in protein and fiber without having tons of fat, sugar, or calories. A tough combination to find, but when you do, and if it's tasty, you've struck gold.
8. Unless you have a very weak immune system, don't drink a ton of orange juice--too much sugar. In general, drink water or unsweetened tea and avoid sugary drinks.
9. Sprinkle cinnamon on your coffee or dessert! Among other surprisingly beneficial properties, cinnamon is supposed to help regulate blood sugar levels. And I think the same is true of lemon juice, but I'll have to look into it.
Any more tips would be welcome!
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Golf ball foot massage
The newest addition to my workspace is a pink golf ball. I'm waiting for someone to spot it underneath my desk and raise an eyebrow.
My feet are very sore. Not so much NOW as when I find myself on minute 7 of running in my Vibrams. You see, I'm slowly building up the muscles in my feet as my body re-learns the gait I was born with and subsequently overrode by donning sneakers.
So I've procured a pink golf ball, source undisclosed, and am periodically standing up, pawing it with one foot, then the other, and sitting back down. Chuck regrets that this exercise is not billable, but our clients should be advised to check that it hasn't found its way onto the bill under an ambiguous description ("research re: physiological conditions surrounding defendant's ambulatory patterns")
If you, too, want to join the ranks of elite pink-golf-ball-rolling witch foot doctors, here is exactly one tip for effectively massaging the feet:
-Place the ball on the floor and roll the bottom of your foot on it until you feel a tight or painful spot; then apply more pressure by leaning your body weight into it, but keep the foot muscles relaxed.
I couldn't find any others online, nor could I come up with any. Just roll the damn golf ball.
:-)
My feet are very sore. Not so much NOW as when I find myself on minute 7 of running in my Vibrams. You see, I'm slowly building up the muscles in my feet as my body re-learns the gait I was born with and subsequently overrode by donning sneakers.
So I've procured a pink golf ball, source undisclosed, and am periodically standing up, pawing it with one foot, then the other, and sitting back down. Chuck regrets that this exercise is not billable, but our clients should be advised to check that it hasn't found its way onto the bill under an ambiguous description ("research re: physiological conditions surrounding defendant's ambulatory patterns")
If you, too, want to join the ranks of elite pink-golf-ball-rolling witch foot doctors, here is exactly one tip for effectively massaging the feet:
-Place the ball on the floor and roll the bottom of your foot on it until you feel a tight or painful spot; then apply more pressure by leaning your body weight into it, but keep the foot muscles relaxed.
I couldn't find any others online, nor could I come up with any. Just roll the damn golf ball.
:-)
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Thought processes and depression/anxiety prevention
Found an interesting distillation of thought tendencies that provoke depressive and anxious feelings: "Depression is thought to involve an inflexible ruminative engagement with high-intensity negative emotional information and anxiety is thought to involve an inflexible avoidant disengagement (distraction) from low-intensity negative information, the current findings suggest that flexibility may be one key to emotional well-being." In other words, according to the Psychology Today article, incoming high-intensity negative emotional information, such as a notice that a person may soon lose her job, requires her to be mentally distract-able (for instance, to be able to start thinking about her upcoming plans with friends) if she is to avert depressive symptoms. As "distraction" wards off depression, so does "reappraisal" ward off anxiety; if you are late to work, for example, rather than worrying about it, you might reappraise the situation by recalling that you're usually on time or early, so it's not a big deal that you're late today.
Fascinating stuff! Yesterday, when I realized my wrist was still bothering me from using crutches a week ago, I almost panicked (another injury! nooo!). Maybe today I'll handle it better if I notice a twinge.
Fascinating stuff! Yesterday, when I realized my wrist was still bothering me from using crutches a week ago, I almost panicked (another injury! nooo!). Maybe today I'll handle it better if I notice a twinge.
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