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Get Out of Bed!

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So the days are shorter…  But who says we have to hibernate?

January, historically, has been a busy month.  For example, it’s  inauguration day today, and on this day in history, JFK said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country” (1961).  Also on January 20, alone…  Preliminary papers for the Treaty of Versailles were drawn up (1783).  The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was formed (1920).  Fifty two US hostages in Iran were released after being held 444 days (1981).  Tchaikovsky’s ballet Swan Lake prepared to premier in Moscow (1877).  The Lone Ranger premiered on radio in Detroit (1930), and the Roller Coaster was patented (Coney Island, 1885).  That’s ONE DAY in January history.

And January is for hibernation?

I’d say, as a race, we’ve spent little time slowing down even when the days are shorter.  In fact, history shows that we’d rather be proudly occupied than bored and ineffectual.  Why, legend has it that Egyptian pharaohs created mathematics because they had nothing better to do (thanks to all those slaves).

It’s no joke that lack of light affects us, but it’s clear that we are a resourceful race and great fruits have come of the work performed during those seemingly dreary months we call winter.  Here’s the cliche of the week: It is what you make it.

So, get out of bed!  Get off the couch!  Layer up, let go of the cold temperature blues, and get that to-do list going.

No, seriously.  Plan for cozy time by your fireplace with your loved ones (two or four legged – preferably both), a good book or movie, and something warm to drink.  These are ingredients for healing and nurturing that are essential but only necessary AFTER we’ve made our great contributions to the world.

How do you keep yourself focused enough to make your said contribution?  Your brain needs good sleep, my friend!  Darkness signals your body to release melatonin, the hormone that stimulates drowsiness and lowers your core body temperature, thus prepping you for sleep.  So when the days get shorter, we often feel drowsy, and even lethargic earlier than in the summer.  Modern technology such as light, TV, and computers have made melatonin less potent and even erratic.  So to keep melatonin in check, and your whole sleep system on track, here are some sleep hygiene tips (straight from our Thirty Winks Adventure that encourages great sleep):

  • Keep your bedtime and wake time consistent, even on weekends.
  • Keep blue lights out of your bedroom (TV, computers, alarm clocks, blue tooth, etc.  Note: The Kindle is okay however as its screen is ink rather than blue light).
  • Give your eyes a break from electronics by turning off the TV and computers 30-60 minutes before your bedtime.
  • Read in a chair or couch rather than in bed so that the bedroom is only for sleep.
  • Have a “slow down” bedtime ritual to get you ready for sleep; your body will begin to count on it!

These are just a few tips from sleep experts.  To learn more, visit the National Sleep Foundation, or the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Finally, when you have that lethargic melatonin feeling, think of all the greatness that has come from winter gumption over the centuries.  Use that as inspiration to get up and go.  A brisk walk or a little exercise time can stimulate those creative brain waves too, even if it’s only ten minutes.

Let us know what you’re doing to stay active and productive this winter.  And what are your sleep hygiene tips!

Sweet Dreams.

What’s Your Health Dream Today?

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It’s a favorite holiday of ours:  Martin Luther King day.  We celebrate the strength he brought to the civil rights movement, and the charge toward diversity.  Isn’t’ that what health is all about?  Diversity – variety, accepting many different forms, keeping it interesting (after all, familiarity breeds contempt ass they say), being opening minded, being full of wonder and hope.

We also celebrate the most iconic speech and words in history: “I Have a Dream.”

Today, great pundits, poets, and politicians will expound on the wonders and depth of King’s legacy.  For a marvelous spotlight on one such poet and a PATH participant, however, take a look at what sculptor Chris Sharp, a teacher at Burlington High School, has done in honor of Dr. King.  He is featured in today’s Washington Post (photos taken by our resident photographer Karen Pike).  He had a dream to spread King’s image to schools across America and took on a project that literally involved an amazing gesture of courage.

Since we’re in the health business, we’ll narrow our look at King’s message down to one quick thought…  We have a dream that all people will find it second nature to be healthy and strong in their everyday lives.

Taking one step toward that dream today, we’re hoping you’ll contemplate King’s words while enjoying the great outdoors, or (since it’s 8 below where we live) at the very least, think about the concept of civility while you exercise.

To dive right in consider these ideas:

Take a walk to see a sculpture, speaker, or movie about civil rights.  Walk to the library and then read something new and different about civility and non-violent activism.  Then, as you walk home, think about what you’ll do next to help keep your village healthy and strong in its message of compassion.

If you can’t get to an event, library, or destination to immerse yourself, reading about Chris Sharp or other stories in today’s news about MLK, and then maybe take a walk or get on a machine and think about what you would do to bring peace to the valley, dreaming big.  Imagine you have unlimited resources!  What a world it would be, no?

Other ways to be active with what’s left of a gorgeous day today:

  • Cross Country Ski (it’s not so cold when you’re working so hard!)
  • Snowshoe
  • Ice skate – check with a local indoor rink for open skate times.  Some schools have free outdoor rinks too.
  • Hike
  • Bike (if you’re not in the Northeast! Although maybe there are some winter mountain biking events? Could be fun.)
  • Walk
  • Run
  • Mall walk

To subvert any bad weather, you could buy a day pass at a health club and try tennis, swimming, racquetball, track walking, or even a pick-up game of any sport they have open.  Most clubs are no more than $10 for the day.  Here are some options some clubs may have available:

  • Badminton
  • Basketball
  • Pickleball
  • Volleyball
  • Walleyball
  • Water polo
  • Water Volleyball

And the list goes on.  Call around to see what nets or open tournaments they might have going.

Oh, and how about some rock climbing for our friends who are about to start the Trek the Himalayas Adventure?  Indoor rock walls are a big hit.  Google gyms in your area to check to see if they offer beginner help.

Whatever you choose, try choosing a buddy to tag along.  Whether your thoughtful, active afternoon is easy or hard (when it comes to the exercise part), having a buddy to share it with can make the whole experience richer.

Alone or paired up, savor the moments that you enjoy so you’ll be able to look back with glee, and look forward to next year’s exciting and active MLK day!

Let us know what you think about and what you end up doing!

Happy, healthy, active dreaming to you all.

Love Your Lentils this Year

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Many Lentil DaalWhen I went looking for recipes for a New Year’s dinner I learned something very interesting. That there are two foods that are traditionally served as New Year’s Eve dishes because they bring good luck – one is pork (a symbol of prosperity and plenty) and the other is lentils (thought to be considered for their round, coin-like shape to bring financial prosperity in the New Year). Who knew?

For our purposes, we’re going to focus on the Lentil as our Food of the Month. The Lentil (lens culinaris) is a legume. Lentils contain high levels of proteins, including the essential amino acids isoleucine and lysine. This makes them an excellent source of inexpensive protein, and an exceptional diet staple for vegetarians. Apart from a high level of proteins, lentils also contain dietary fiber, folate, vitamin B1 and minerals and like spinach, are they a good source of iron as well.

Lentils are inexpensive and if kept in a sealed container will store for long periods of time. They cannot be eaten raw, but they are easy to cook and are frequently featured in stews, soups and side dish recipes.

So if they’re so great, then why don’t more people cook with them? Maybe it’s because, unfortunately, Lentils are not pretty. While they have a pleasing round shape and come in several sizes and colors, they are just not the most attractive food in the pantry. But if you can get around that then you will be surprising pleased at how they taste – rich, nutty, smooth and satisfying are a few words that come to mind. They absorb other flavors readily and are terrific accompanied by rice to round out your meal.

We’ve found a really nice recipe to introduce you to Lentils, and hopefully this recipe will also bring you prosperity in the New Year!

Lentil Soup
You won’t believe how easy it is to make this hearty and heart-warming lentil soup. Ham is used for flavoring, but you may substitute bacon, if you wish. Recipe may be frozen.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours, 20 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours, 25 minutes

Ingredients:
Ham or bacon pieces to taste
2-1/2 cups or 1 (16-ounce) package dried lentils
6 cups chicken broth
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup grated carrots
4 Tbsp butter or margarine
1 tsp dried thyme, crushed
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
Salt and white pepper to taste

Preparation:

In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, combine ham or bacon pieces, lentils, and chicken broth; bring just to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until lentils are soft.

Remove 2 cups of cooked lentils and place into food processor or blender bowl; let cool 5 minutes (if you do not let cool slightly before processing, mixture will explode out of container and make a mess in your kitchen). After cooling, whirl until pureed. Stir pureed lentils into soup mixture.

In a medium frying pan over medium-high heat, sauté onion and carrots in butter or margarine until limp, but do not brown; add to lentils. Add thyme, nutmeg, salt, and white pepper. Simmer another 30 minutes. Remove from heat and serve.

Yield: 6 servings

Source: What’s Cooking America by Linda Stradley and Andra Cook (Falcon Pub)

Baby I’m Cold Inside

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A storm is a-raging here in the Northeast and it made us think about the “COLD,” or always being cold.  There are a few of us who are hot boxes (my teenagers with their rampant hormones for one, and my friend Mary who is in a perpetual hot flash – oh cruel Mother Nature).  Then there are those of us who just can’t get warm.

It’s not unusual to be cold like us, Tom Jones.  It’s rather a common complaint, beyond the standard weather induced chill.  We decided to do a little research.  Why are some of us coldblooded, so to speak?

Possible causes:

  • Hypothyroidism — Even though your thyroid may be acting in the ‘normal’ range, a person can still have symptoms related to this condition.  Fatigue, weight gain, and feeling cold are a few.
  • Anemia — Whether it’s an iron deficiency or pernicious anemia, which is a B12 deficiency that makes iron more difficult to absorb, lack of iron makes us restless and chilled.
  • Allergies — Both to food or the environment.
  • Candida  — Fungus inside us, eww! Oh just kidding, we all have it.  Sometimes the bad fungus gets the upper hand and the symptoms can be fatigue, itching, and you guessed it, feeling cold
  • Parasites — Certain bugs we pick up can feed on the nutrition in our cells and cause mal-absorption of key minerals such as iron, thereby mimicking anemia, for example.
  • Low blood sugar — Calories create heat (hence the term “burning” calories).  Just eating food causes a caloric burn which can raise body temperature.
  • Low vitamin-D — Any vitamin or mineral deficiency can change the way the blood moves through your body which can change it’s ability to regulate temperature.  Vitamin D just happens to be easiest to lose during the winter in the Northern US.
  • Circadian Rhythms — When our bodies are most sleepy, our core temperature usually drops.  If you’re supposed to be asleep, your sleep hormones will kick in and help lower your core temp.  This happens more easily in the winter when the days are shorter and there’s less light.
  • Reynaud’s disease — This is a diagnosed condition related to circulation that makes the hands and feet turn cold very easily.  They also turn color when cold.

What to do about it, besides cozying up under a blanket with a good book?

Some of the causes listed require a good primary health care provider to help you regulate your body temperature.  Besides professional advice?  We can provide the following well reasoned anecdotes from our very active (and health science credentialed) staff:

We know from exercise science and sleep experts that exercise raises body temperature.  So it stands to reason, and we’ve actually felt it, that exercise in the morning will help keep your heater running much of the day.  Be sure to follow up with a good hot shower to get rid of the bone chilling sweat!

Eat healthy veggies, and a variety, so that you’ll get the full spectrum of vitamins and minerals to warm your core.

Keep your sleep cycles on track to stay alert and warm when necessary, cool and sleepy when you’re supposed to be sawing zzzzz’s!  By “on track” we simply mean get your 7-8 hours a night and keep your sleep schedule consistent, as much as possible (go to sleep and wake at the same time each day, even on weekends).

Finally, be prepared.  Gear up.  Layers matter.  Layers that insulate but also help wick away moisture are best for when your temperature fluctuates.

And, a nice fire, a hot cup of tea, a cozy fleece ANYTHING, and a buddy (be it two or four legged, or both), can always take off the edge!

Check out the following science journals for more details:

http://www.scienceline.org/2006/08/ask-zielinska-cold/

http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/75/2/447

Let us know how you are staying warm this winter!

Stretch and Strengthen Back

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Above all…  Protect your back when doing chores.  In the Northeast, we’re dealing with snow.  Raking is always a back tenser, and lifting anything, whether at home or work, can be a tricky, potentially back tweaking act.

There are many variations of our favorite back pleaser but all-in-all we call it the “Superhero” and it looks like this:

Now you know why it’s named as such!

For beginners, lay flat on your stomach, arms overhead and legs straight behind you.

CAUTION: if you’ve had any complications with your back, start slowly.

True beginners should just lift one arm off the ground at a time — one then the other.  Lift then lower and alternate arms for 20-40 reps.  Do the same with the legs.  Here’s a nice progression as you get stronger:

  • First level, alternate arms, then legs.
  • Second level, do 10-20 reps on one arm, then switch to the other.  Same with the legs.
  • Third level: raise one arm and the opposite leg at the same time, alternate sides
  • Fourth: Stay on one side for 10-20 reps, then do the other side.
  • Finally, instead of laying flat, raise up to all fours (hands and knees) and begin the progression again from there:

For increased balance work, you can then move to a stability ball, laying on it on your stomach, and start the progression over again.  Be sure your balance is strong enough to keep you steady on the ball before you lift your limbs.

Okay, be a superhero for your back and you’ll feel strong for life.

Let us know how it goes for you.

Pick Up Your Feet!

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Try this…  Get up, take off your shoes, walk down the hall, and come back.  But wait, as you walk, pay attention to your stride.  How do you step?

Watching a CBS news story on running last fall, I realized that good (safe) runners make an effort to pick up their knees and then gently place their forefoot back on the ground directly in front of and underneath their bodies in motion.  They don’t stride way out ahead or scuff their heels underneath, but rather they make a perfect rotation of the hip and knee joint, almost like peddling a bicycle without being on it.  The very next day, after I saw the news, I encountered a runner in town doing exactly that, lifting his knees, gently setting down, pushing off , and kicking backward (like scraping gum off the bottom of his foot), all the while rhythmically pumping his arms.  It all happens fast but is wonderfully fluid.  No pounding — just whirl, pump, chug, and glide.

That week I saw another runner do the same, and then another.  Once you notice or are taught a new spec of knowledge, whatever it may be, suddenly it seems to be everywhere, rushing to greet you like a new BFF.  Is it the “Universe” talking to you?  Maybe.  Me, I usually listen, and then research, and then discuss.  The knees-up-foot scraping-running-style is no exception.  When it comes to biomechanics, listening in order to save our joints for quality of life is enormously important.

What I’ve learned over the last year is that the best way to get your body to comply with this running style almost automatically is to run barefoot (or with minimal shoe protection).  You heard me, BARE FOOT.  Since winter is upon us now, this may not be the best time to try it, but let it be known, barefoot running is no longer considered a fad.  It is a reawakening and there is much to be learned about its merits.  We won’t go into the concept too deeply right now, but suffice it to say, how we walk and run without shoes is how we ought to do so at all times

I was reminded of this twice in that BFF week.  Once at a high school—it’s clear that teenagers are supreme scuffers.  Second, when I realized I TOO scuff along the road, walking or running, all day long.  Horrors!  It’s lazy and it breeds an Eeyore-like air in my gait, leading to an attitude of overall malaise or lack of confidence.  Plus, I decided it’s got to be unattractive.

So when next I went for my meager morning run (that week it was at a 15-minute-mile pace with Harry the corgi – who does not scuff, but is a very busy sniffer), I decided to, yes indeed, take notice of my knees.  I finally realized why my teenagers like to say, “You don’t run, Gillian, you scoot.”  They’re right (little buggers).  I scuffle along practically dragging my body through space, making my legs do as little work as possible.  This is my default stride.  Ugh.  Even Harry was pleading, “pick up your feet!”

So I did.

Knees up, spring in my step, wheeling my hips around, an immediate transformation occurred…

My shoulders went back, my head lifted, and there I was, looking out and about, soaking in the scenery.  What a difference.  Rather than hunching over, eyes bearing down on the pavement, all the while muttering, “this is hard, and why did I have that extra helping at dinner last night,” I was surveying the world in my own little movie.  Harry was happy too, prancing just a little prettier, as if to say, “look at us.  Aren’t we magnificent?”

Okay, so maybe we weren’t magnificent.  I’ll even concede that I might have looked a tad silly.  But here’s the deal…  As my friend and colleague Patty likes to say…  Behavior breeds behavior.  The ripple effect of perky knees made all else perky.  Even if for just a moment, and even if only in my mind, it was long enough to put a smile on my face and get my tired body back home.  Better yet, because I ended with a smile, I found myself looking forward to the next run.  There’s that old cliché, “sometimes you have to fake it to make it.”

I am a convert to this cliché’s wisdom.

Oh, and by the way, the “make it” part of this turns out to be that I burned more calories with the knee lift (higher heart rate, great effort in muscle contractions).  I was sore in my calves, hips and behind, and, again, I can’t stress this enough, I was sunnier.  And for the serious number people out there, my 15-minute mile became a 13-minute mile.  None of the run, however, felt any harder than any other day.  How about that?

How about you now?

If you do try lifting your knees in a very crowded place, I suggest a caveat or two:  1) too high and you might get some funny stares, and 2) avoid making eye contact with people when you have a goofy grin on your face.  Just kidding.  The point is, you may feel awkward at first but that’s the “fake it” part.  Set it aside to experience the good (the “make it”).

So pick up your knees this week, even if it’s just enough to keep your heels from scuffing.  Boots make this harder than usual so it will be a special challenge this winter.  Seriously, try it, though!  I’m not talking bandleader high knees.  Just pick up and gently step down on your forefoot.  Lead with your hips, shoulders back, chest up, and the rest will follow.  Go just a short distance at a time and watch what happens to your posture.

Let us know how it feels.

For more on the barefoot running phenomenon, check out the carefully researched best seller, Born To Run by Chris McDougal.

And “Wired” magazine’s article on Vibram shoes with tips to get started.  Beginners take note:  start very small and go slowly to build up strength in your feet.  This website page has a brief getting started sidebar.

And Vibram’s FiveFinger shoes — these can still be worn in winter with a good pair of toe socks (I wear Vibram’s Trek one size up with Injinji’s thickest toe sock and it’s a blast kicking through the Vermont snow, feeling like a little kid!)

Strength Through Push ups — The Greatest By Far

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You can spend lots of money on exercise machines and equipment and pills throughout your life.

I can guarantee that all of them combined will not be as useful as the totally free and utterly doable PUSH UP!

I put it in caps because it really is the granddaddy of them all.  I’ve been putting off placing it in our Monday file because I was anticipating groans and the “Really?” comments.  I get caught up in that kind of thinking too.  Shouldn’t we use some new fangled, fancy thing to get strong?  It can’t be that easy, and besides, doesn’t it get old?  Maybe.

Today I looked at our exercise library (and my happily sore chest muscles) and decided to get over it, for the love of our wallets.  In searching for a good photo to post I also realized we have over 100 different variations of the everyday, seemingly mundane Push up in our coffers!  No joke.  Strike the mundane from that sentence and let’s start with the basics…

The Perfect Push up:

  • Place your hands a little wider than shoulder width apart.
  • Your feet should be shoulder width apart as well.
  • Beginners can lower one or both knees to the floor – Mimi demonstrates here:

  • Intermediate and Advanced exercisers should create a nice straight line from the shoulders to the ankles.
  • Inhale and lower your body slowly toward the floor maintaining that straight line.
  • Intermediates can place a target under the chest to lower toward like Kriss is doing here (later she used the 5 lb sugar as a shoulder press weight in our Green Odyssey Adventure – she is a rock!):

  • Advanced should lower as far as they can (Chris does the absolute most perfect push up in all the land, by the way).  Observe perfection:

  • Pause at the bottom for 1-2 seconds.
  • Exhale and push up, back to start.

Repeat 10-20 times (10-20 reps).  Rest 30 seconds and do another set.  Work up to higher reps with less rest between sets.  When you get stronger, we’ll bring some variations to your repertoire.  Each of our Adventure programs bring you through just such a push up odyssey!  Come join us!

You can do push ups while traveling or for your normal weekly routine.  There are star athletes who report doing hundreds of push ups every other day.  On the off day they do hundreds of sit-ups.  Add in lunges and pull ups and you’ve got yourself a free and simple total body workout — no gym required.  Ba-da-bing!

To Resolute or Not to Resolute

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Happy New Year!

Tonight you’ll be enjoying the end of year festivities, we hope.  Tomorrow, you’ll be planning for what comes next in 2011.

Will you set resolutions, or are you one of those in the room who says, “I don’t do resolutions”?

No matter how you frame it, I bet you’re thinking about how you might make 2011 better, or at least as good as, 2010.  Who can help it?  You may not want to couch your reflection in terms of resolutions, maybe because, like so many of us, you feel like it’s a set up for failure.  A glass half empty view of the world might make one think as such.  Honestly, though… isn’t goal-setting a really meaningful act?  And isn’t the first of the year a great time to make a commitment?

For those who are disillusioned with their past history in resolutions, here’s a strategy or two that could bring new success to the forefront:

First answer the question:  “what is most important to you, and what do you want to see happen?”

Then ask the question again.

And again, and again.  Seriously.  What do you WANT?  What is most important to you in this moment?

I mean it.  No, I REALLY mean it.  What do you REALLY want?

What’s MOST important to you?

Am I annoying you yet?

Here’s the point…

If the first thing you said was “I want to lose weight,” I’d say, “So do I.  What else?”

You’d say, “no really, I just want to lose weight.”  Then I’d kick you out of my New Year’s Eve party.  Why?  Because you didn’t answer the other half of the question:  “what’s most important to you?”

Is weight loss really the most important thing?  Most people have to answer: “Of course not.”  A very rare few will answer yes and really mean it because they are dealing with a serious weight issue that is life threatening, BUT EVEN THEN…  What is most important to those rare few?  To live.

That’s the point.  To live is most important, first and foremost.  To live well, you’ll want to be a good friend, lover, parent, son or daughter.  Next, you’ll want to be good at the work you do best, to contribute to society at your best.  Finally, you’ll want to be healthy.  How, I ask, can you be healthy without the first two?  So IS losing weight MOST IMPORTANT?  I should think not.

I know, I know, you’re still annoyed.  You think I’m pious and you wish I’d shut up and your pants are tight from the eggnog and the cheese platter.  Mine are too but I’m trying to pace myself.  Actually, I’m trying to savor what’s in front of me:  family, great food and beverage, my dogs, my strengths (good health, optimism, integrity, compassion), and my work.  So my pants are little tight. So YOUR pants are tight.  Are we good?  Are we safe?

Ask yourself why are those pants tight.  Were you sitting on your duff doing nothing all year?  Again, I think not.  My story for you is that you’ve been every bit as busy as I.  Life is chaotic.  Keeping up with it takes great resources and energy.  Life is also marvelous.  Enjoying it sometimes takes a little bit of room in your waistline!

A little holiday paunch may have developed but you really have to ask WHY before you brow beat yourself into “Just Do It.”  No wonder people shun resolutions.  They can make us feel inadequate and defeatist.

Take back the Resolutions, I say!  WHAT DO YOU WANT?  I’m begging you, take a moment to answer honestly.  What is MOST important to you this year.  Really.  Build a comfortable but reaching goal based on what’s important to you and what you really want.  From there, here are some great ways to encourage you to succeed:

  • Give yourself a reasonable benchmark (or two or three).
  • Put your support people in place to help you (especially when facing difficult times).
  • Make a plan to create supportive environments for your success.
  • Be inspired by role models who have done what you hope to accomplish.
  • Put a plan (or two) in place for when you might stray off your path.
  • Finally, plan to celebrate your successes, along the way, and when you reach the top!

These great steps come to us from two fantastic resources, both big parts of PATH:

Intrinsic Coaching — created by Dr. Christina Marshal and delivered by PATH with our partner Progress Coaching)

And

PATH Peer Coaching Course — written and designed by Dr. Judd Allen

Revel in what’s gone well this past year, savor what’s in front of you, and then, with a joyous heart, plan for 2011 so that great moments will happen no matter else comes your way.

From all of us at PATH, we wish you the happiest new year, may each day be healthy, safe and abundantly joyful, and may all your health dreams come true.  We’ll be there to support you along that way.

Party Season Get Real Strategy

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Given what we wrote on Wednesday, today’s post may be a non-issue but take a look at our strategy anyhow.  We love handy hints and we believe repetition makes a lasting impression (even when your mind is at its dullest – or especially then.  That’s an old Oscar Wilde saying).

So…  It’s the party season.  It may be the season to be jolly, but that doesn’t mean you have to eat until it ouches (as my mother likes to say).

Before you head to a party, eat a snack of protein and whole grains so that you have energy and you don’t feel a desperate need to gorge at the hors d’oeuvres table.  I know, I know.  The silly emails say eat all you want, it’s the holidays for crying out loud!

Ok, but If I arrive hungry, all I can do is stare at that darn food table and wait for the person talking to me to shut up so I can beeline for cheese.  It’s an attractive look too, at a party, me shoveling large slabs of brie and crackers in my face.  The key operative is shoveling, and the word slab matters too.  Honestly, I just wait for the over-eater sirens to go off, “Whoa, girl, save some for others”; or worse, the bell will ring and as a referee raises my arm shouting, “da Neeeew Wir-old Champeeen Holiday Eatahhh!”

I’m not trying to be the wellness police here.  I’m just talking about self-respecting balance.  That darn thing again.  There’s SO MUCH cheer to go around that there’s no point in desperation.  That’s all.  Pace yourself and parcel out the joy so you can have a little bit of everything — including great conversation and laughter — without hating yourself later.  Joy is looking in the mirror and being able to say, “I did my best, I was at my best.”

By the way, are there any hors d’oeuvres that DON’T have garlic in them?  If so, it should be a requirement that everyone take one treat on entry to any party — even playing field.

Some examples of healthy snacks to take the edge off before you party on:

  • Wheat toast with peanut butter, cottage cheese, or
  • A small salad with tuna
  • A slice of turkey rolled up in a whole wheat pita or romaine lettuce
  • Hummus and multi-grain pita chips
  • Low fat yogurt with a handful of granola

You get the picture.

For those of us who’d like to refresh our breath after the garlic, here’s a pretty dish you can add to the food table:

Cucumber Cups (Makes 48)

Ingredients

  • 2 seedless cucumbers (each 9 1/2 inches long), washed
  • 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
  • Garnish:  Clover sprouts or parsley

Directions:

  • Slice cucumbers in half lengthwise; trim ends. Cut each half into 3/4-inch pieces.
  • Scoop out the center of each piece of cucumber with a melon baller, and fill with about 1/2 teaspoon cottage cheese. Garnish with clover sprouts, and serve.

Let’s know how your partying goes!  Happy, Healthy Holidays.

Quit Mocking Me! Are You Mocking Me?

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Today I got two silly holiday mass emails.

You know them both.  The first was about the wine in a recipe.  The quick and dirty, to all our Julia Child fans, is that you’re supposed to test the wine periodically to see if it’s worthy of being put in the batter.  By the time the batter is ready for the wine, you’re sauced and ordering out for cake.

The second is the one that beats up we poor, starving health educators who are promoting ways to stay fit and trim over the holidays.  You know, it says things like, “run if you see carrots,” and “drink all the eggnog in town as it only comes once a year.”

It’s a great idea to address the balance issue here.  Oh don’t groan.  Give me a chance.

I went with the “reckless abandon” strategy the week of Thanksgiving, and I have to admit I regretted it (never mind that I’ve been working this strategy for some time now).  My stress reduction skills were in top form and my mental health was superb throughout, right up until my pants didn’t fit Monday morning.  A meltdown ensued.

But here’s the thing…  Dr. David Katz (one of the truly great wellness experts out there, director of the Yale University Dept. of Integrative Medicine) once addressed the Hedonic ideal to our PATH work unit and I loved him for it.

At a dinner, one of our crew said to him, “I must just be a gosh darned hedonistic glutton because I just keep eating and drinking as if there’s no tomorrow.  As if I’m not 30 lbs overweight and miserable.”

He replied, as any self-respecting Yale MD might, “You’re not.  That’s not the definition of ‘hedonistic.’”

He indulged us, “If you truly were a hedonist, you wouldn’t even bother to say this to me.  If you were hedonistic, you simply wouldn’t care.  I can hear in your voice that you do care.  Therefore, you are trying to change, however slight.  In this moment, you’re doing your best to hold back for the greater good of your health, simply be telling me this, even if only in some small way.  Cherish that care and concern.  It’s the foot in the door.  It’s a stronghold toward what you really want.”

These weren’t his exact words, but close.  It made us all feel good, really good.  It was one of those moments of great hope.  A little twinkle that we’ll be just fine.  We’ll get it right in time.  His thought also gave us a lovely glimpse into the idea that success is what you make it; it is yours first and foremost. We all can be “successful” at this diet or that for a period of time.  What we need for lifelong success is to be and do what is most important to us; that which expresses our values in action.  So the question he was really asking is, “in this moment, what matters most?”

For me, “silly” is good, great even, and “caution-to-the-wind” has its place.  Everything in moderation, including, at times, “moderation” itself, right?  Hmmm.  There’s just so much more to the holidays (and life) than an excessive bowl of gravy or, on the other extreme, the food and lazy police.  For example, that lobster I just HAD to have because we were in Maine last week, wasn’t even close to the thing I liked best about dinner that evening.  It was good, don’t get me wrong, but the conversation was exceptional — completely taking the wind out of a desperate craving, fueled by “When In Rome…”  The next day, the Mainers asked me how my lobster was, the one I’d made such a big deal about, and I’d almost forgotten about it.

These “drink-all-the-wine-as-you-make-the-recipe” funnies, and the “run-far-and-fast-from-carrots” soliloquies have their place in the “lighten up” motivational market.  I’m all for it.  Better that than droning on about diet deprivation pointers (all of which we’ve probable heard a million times before).

I just worry about the real struggles people have at this time of year, be they food, drink, or loneliness woes (or all of the above).  Do these funnies fuel the woes or ease them?  I guess it’s different for everyone.  The bottom line in their intent is to provide respite from guilt.  And I’m down with that.  AS LONG AS there are good resources (and support people) in place to do the heavy lifting when funny wears off, lonely creeps in, and pants continue to fight back.

By the way, I like carrots — especially with good dip.

The way I see it…  No one is truly hedonistic.  On the contrary, we are much more likely to be guilt-ridden slaves to an endless bible of health “ought’s.”  That’s why the funnies are so funny.  “A little flour…  A little wine…”  I’m laughing.  I’m laughing better, though (and not taking the joke too literally, or personally), when I’m not laughing alone.

I’m thinking what matters most for me these next few weeks is twofold: 1) exercise – dag-nab-it, there’s no getting past the fact that I feel SOOO much better when I do it (any of it in any way, shape, or form); and 2) looking for what nourishes my soul.  There go those clichés again.  Pump the heart literally and emotionally.  The undeniable, simple truth is when my soul is fed, I forget that the eggnog is still half full.

I’m looking to revel in traditions and the company I keep.  If there’s a good snack along the way, I’m hoping to savor, savor, savor.  And it’s not rocket science to know a little bit goes a long way when your heart is full.

Let us know what fills you up this holiday season.

Good luck on your Holiday PATH!

P.S.  Also for nourishment, you’ll find me hanging out under the $.99 smushed bunch of mistletoe I picked up at Ace Hardware and put up with a pushpin and fishing line (gawd, all it needs is some duct tape and, “When in Vermont…”).  Either that or you might catch a wisp of me in your peripheral vision running from the Martha Stewart police!

Juuuuussssst hear those sleigh bells jing-a-ling, ring-ting-ting-a-ling…