A goal is the purpose toward which our action is directed. Without a goal, our behaviors are left undefined. For example, deciding to run a marathon creates the motivation to taylor your running and training around making that achievement.

A resolution involves making a change; usually around something we should be doing anyway…like eating less and exercising more.

I’m not much of a resolution maker. I understand that I am human and I will make less than ideal choices along my journey. Like the wine I had last night that I knew would impact my run this morning. I am , however, very goal driven. Having a goal makes me focus on effective and productive behavior. I may stray from that goal, but I will always come back and make the necessary adjustments either to my behavior or to the goal itself.

Here are some of the goals I set for myself for 2012….

1. To run 1000 miles by year end.

This is in response to a less than focused running year in 2011. I had injuries, sicknesses, and personal events that gave me the excuses I needed to stray from training for way too long. Therefore, I told everyone my goal and why.  That action will keep me from backing out.

2. To post a new newsletter and blog post for each month of the year.

Hmmmmmm……. since it is 10 pm on January 31st, I’m not thinking that I have done all that well with that one.

3. To finally loose that last 15 lbs that has been residing in a few places I would rather that it didn’t.

Did you read number two?

What I love about goals versus resolutions, is that I do not feel like a failure in week three of January when I have not yet gotten the ball rolling on all my goals. I can focus on one or two of them for awhile and then add another goal to the mix.

First and foremost, I write them down. Usually, I write them in more than one place. I keep them on my phone, on the refrigerator or the bathroom mirror, and on my computer or iPad. I keep them visible, which keeps me focused.

I can revise my goals. I can break my goals into smaller pieces that may seem less daunting. For example, I will be running 2.5 miles per day to meet my 1000 goal by year end. Sounds more manageable, right? I can break the goal down into weekly or monthly goals as well. I can look ahead and know that in certain months the weather is hot and rainy and might not run as often and set lower goals for those months while setting higher goals for the cooler, dryer months.

I like my goals to be measurable and specific. Resolutions are always about being “better” which is very hard to quantify and really hard to know when you have reached your destination. There is a chance to celebrate when a milestone is reached and that keeps me motivated to continue.

I like my goals to be possible but a challenge as well. I might be a little disappointed if i do not reach my goal or 1000 miles,  but I will be thrilled if I accumulate 900 miles by year end, or if I lose only 5 lbs. The point is that because I will have changed behaviors in the right direction to even come close to those goals, I have won! I can also evaluate how to be even better for the following year by looking at the obstacles I did not overcome and understanding why.

If you have failed to meet your New Year’s Resolutions as we roll into February, don’t fret or belittle yourself. Know that any month is a great month to set some clear, specific, realistic, achievable and motivating goals. Get more accomplished for yourself in 2012 by setting some goals today.

Live well. Be well.

Cheryl

What could cause all this chaos and all this peace and acceptance? We have been blessed with a very special addition to our family. A baby boy (10 months old) has been placed in our home for adoption. He comes to us from foster care and has had a less that smooth beginning to life. This is a prayer answered for our family. We have been working towards this addition for quite awhile. We are over the moon in love and in joy.

It is, of course, ironic that I teach and coach for balance, and I now find myself so far out of balance and scrambling to acquire the skills to regain that balance. Multi-tasking is out. Working at home is out. Even managing to get myself breakfast is somedays totally out. I new my life would change. I was ready and open for that change. But, wow, what a change.

The most amazing part, is that all this chaos is not causing me stress. Not long drawn out health impacting stress. (However, my immune system did take a dive from sleep deprivation.) All I need to do is look at my son (OMG, I have a son!) and everything falls into place and perspective. The urgent and important are getting taken care of and the rest….well, we’ll see.

This brings me to gratitude. The peace with my chaos is gratitude. My house went from comfortable chic to baby clutter in three days. I let it go. My time went from mine to his instantly. I let it go. I went from scheduling self-care to scheduling child-care. I let it go. I let IT happen. I have stayed present in the moment of each smile, laugh, cry, drool, crawl, bottle, and game of peek-a-boo. I will figure all the rest out, but each of these moments will not repeat themselves in the same way. They will not wait for me to finish a blog post or mix up my perfect green smoothie or train for the next race.

I have found such gratitude for my husband, mother, friends, and all who have celebrated right along with us. I have such gratitude for each morning smile, each night feeding, each smelly diaper, and even the smeared spoonful of beets. I am so grateful for the abundance of love that surrounds me and is flowing from me at every moment.

I have been a student of gratitude for some time. I have used gratitude to turn around my attitude in many a situation, but the addition of my son has made me hyper aware of all that was already there.

The holiday season is normally a time of reflection on our blessings, our accomplished goals and our less than successful attempts at change or new projects. We spend a few moments around Thanksgiving giving thanks to our family and friends and feeling grateful for our abundance.

The richness of our lives can be intensified with a daily focus on gratitude. By opening our eyes and looking through a new lens, we can see all the amazing blessings that already exist in our lives. My challenge to myself, and to you as well, is to infuse gratitude into the minutia  of life. Next time you brush your teeth, make a cup of tea, sweep the floor, or fill the gas tank, be grateful for the journey. Enjoy the house when its dirty as well as clean. Love your day just as much when its full as when its restful. Live the journey. Love your life and it will love you back.

Many blessings!

Cheryl

Raise your hand if you heard that steel cut oatmeal is “better” for you?

Yup. I’ve heard that too, so let’s talk this out. I happen to like both rolled oats and steel cut oats. When making oatmeal as a porridge, I use both interchangeably. Steel cut oats are chewy and rolled oats are creamy so it may depend on your texture preference. Also, you will need 20-30 minutes to cook steel cut oats, while rolled oats cook up much quicker. However, when baking, rolled oats are, in my opinion, better. (Of course, I have never actually baked with steel cut oats. I’m just making a blanket judgement.)

Nutritionally,  let’s see how they stack up. They are both made from the whole grain and contain all original parts except for the outer hull. Steel cut oats are the groat, chopped into several pieces by steel blades. Rolled oats are steamed, pressed and toasted, so there is an extra processing step.

Both varieties of oats are a great source of  fiber, protein, calcium, and B vitamins. They are also both low in calories and contain no sodium. Steel cut oats may have more fiber due to less processing but not by much.  All oats lower cholesterol, reduce one’s risk of heart disease and prevent type II diabetes. Interesting enough, steel cut oats have a lower glycemic index than instant oatmeal (Rolled oats chopped) 42 versus 66 which causes less of a spike in insulin.

My favorite oatmeal breakfast consists of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free rolled oats cooked with water, some Chinese Five Spice, and dried cherries. Once removed from the stove. I add a handful of walnuts and a splash of almond milk. Yum!

What’s your opinion? Which oat variety is preferred by you? How do you make them? Give us your oatmeal story……

Here it is…..

My “Cheryl’s Split Pea Soup Burger Sandwich!”

Start with two slices of Udi’s Gluten Free whole grain bread lightly toasted. Layer a smear of hummus, a leftover split pea burger, slices of avocado, and spinach. Mush down to a bitable level and munch away!

A very satisfying lunch!

Live well. Be well.

Cheryl

Okay, I have been hankering some split pea soup recently. It is one of my comfort favorite comfort foods. The problem is that its 93 degrees here in Miami so I’m thinking that hot soup will be a hard sell for dinner to my adored esposo (husband for you non-Miamians.)  Then, Bam! Just like an Emeril moment, I knew what to do. Burgers, I’d make split pea burgers with all the normal soup flavors!

Start with one 12 oz package of split peas. Place in a pot with water and bring to a boil. simmer for about 30 minutes, until peas are soft. Drain and add to a large mixing bowl.

Cooked Split Pea

Chop one half of a large onion and mince two cloves garlic. Place in a small sauté pan with some hot vegetable broth and simmer until clear and fragrant, from 3-5 minutes. Add to the pea mixture in the bowl, and add some more vegetable broth in the sauté pan.

Peel and chop 2-3 carrots into small cubed sized pieces and add to the same sauté pan. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, add the carrots to the pea mixture as well. Again, add some some broth to the pan.

Chopped Carrot

Chop one russet potato into small cubes. Sauté until soft, about 5 minutes as well. You can cook the carrots and potatoes together saving some time. I was using a really small sauté pan and did not want to dirty anymore pans! When the potatoes are done, Add them to the pea mixture. Add two teaspoons cumin, one teaspoon salt, and 1-2 teaspoons thyme. Add 1/4 cup ground flaxseed, 1/2 cup rolled oatmeal, and 1/2 cup oat flour.

Pea Mixture

Cover two cookie pans with parchment paper. With slightly wet hands, take about 1/2 cup of the mixture at a time and form a patty. Place them on your parchment paper. The mixture will be sticky so the wet hands allows easier handling. The parchment paper keeps the burgers from sticking. You could certainly fry these burgers as well.

Split Pea Soup Burgers Ready for the Oven

Bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes. Flip the burgers over with a spatula and bake until browned, another 15-20 minutes. Serve as the entree with a great sauce or salsa on top. Place them in some crusty burger buns and layer with lettuce and tomato. Throw them on top of a salad. Whatever you do, get creative and have fun!

Split Pea Soup Burgers

Synergy is an important concept when we discuss wellness. Whether the subject is nutrition, exercise, or emotional wellness, a state of wellness cannot be obtained without the cooperation of multiple parts.

Let’s take nutrition first. This is an area of our lives that most individuals seeking wellness begin first. The way we eat in this culture has changed dramatically in the last 50-80 years. In the 1950′s there was a push to identify and improve life through chemicals. Since then, we as a species have done an amazing job breaking substances down into their individual pieces. Then, we put things back together in combinations that we think are useful such as “protein” bars or other convenience foods. The problem with this process is the loss of synergy.

Nature is pretty smart. In fact, much smarter than we are. When we eat a fruit or vegetable in its whole form, we get synergy. All the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, etc. work together and have an additive effect on our health. For example, most fruits contain potassium and magnesium, folate, and fiber. The folate helps lower homocysteine levels in the blood, the potassium and magnesium lower blood pressure, and the fiber helps to lower cholesterol. All of these actions together lower our risk for heart attacks and increase our cardiac health. So, if we eat an orange, we get the full benefit nature intended, but if we drink orange juice, we get only part of the part of the deal.  Hence, the effect on our health is negligible. That’s the power of synergy.

The same is true of oatmeal. Oatmeal is touted in the media as a great source of dietary fiber. This is true, but it is not just this fiber which lowers our risk for heart attacks and strokes. Oats contain a laundry list of other compounds including beta-glucan, a beneficial amino acid, magnesium, folic acid, tocotreinols, and a phytochemical so far only identified in oats only – avenanthramides. The protective effect of oats is from all these parts working together, not just the fiber.

Exercise is also synergistic. Our bodies were designed to move, and move frequently. The most recent research that I heard on the nightly news, said “that more than 6 hours of sitting daily can lower your longevity even if you exercise.” Wow! While that is definitely an powerful  statement, it is also important to think about how we move and why.

There are three types of exercise: aerobic, resistance, and flexibility. Aerobic exercise benefits our cardiovascular system. We are better able to use oxygen for energy, if we use our body aerobically on a regular basis. It strengthens our heart, our lungs, and our blood flow.

Resistance or strength training exercise builds our skeletal and muscular systems. This is especially important as we age. Resistance training helps offset the natural occurrence of bone and muscle loss as we age. The biggest issue for seniors is a loss of power. Power is what enables us to get up from a sitting position, climb stairs, or even get in and out of the car.  Resistance exercise keeps our power going.

Finally, flexibilty exercise or stretching keeps our joints moving with a full range of motion. Reaching, bending, tying our shoes all requires flexibility. A regular stretching routine keeps us limber with good coordination. Just participating in aerobic exercise will not guarantee a state of wellness.

All three types of exercise are needed to keep our bodies running strong, and they work together. For example, I love to run, and for a long time that is all I did. I added yoga to my weekly routine because I realized I had reached a plateau in my running and had lost flexibility. After just a few months of practicing yoga, my running improved. My core had gotten stronger which impacted my posture and my running form. Good form in running equals better performance. The additive effect of both types of exercise have increased my overall physical health which is, once again, synergy.

The final consideration in wellness is one’s emotional health. One could eat a perfectly nutritious diet and be well balanced in their exercise routine, but still be lacking wellness. Our emotional health is impacted by many variables. The relationships (or lack of) in our lives, our sense of purpose, our career, and our environment all contribute to our overall health and longevity. Ultimately, the stress that bad relationships or a unwanted job can cause can undo the good of a healthy diet. Stress causes a hormonal response in our body which can raise blood pressure and increase the risk for heart attacks and strokes.

When considering the next great supplement, take the time to discover the source. A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes will provide a nutrient dense supply for your body to nourish, energize, repair and protect your health. Create time to move your body. Join a yoga studio, take zumba classes, or join a running club. You can even make exercise a social event and invite your friends or family to join you. Those supportive relationships will keep your motivation fresh and fun.

Want to talk to someone who has been through it? Call me for a free consultation. A health coach can be your ally in a journey to good health and a sustainable lifestyle.

Be sure to reserve seating at 305-421-9421.
Start Time: 07:00pm
Date: 2011-08-24

Green Onion Dressing

Since I bought my Vitamix, I have made many new salad dressings. Some great, and some that were left for me to eat. Today’s mixture is a keeper. In fact, my husband said, “write it down.” So here I am!

I am always buying green onions and forgetting to use them. I find them pushed to the back of the crisper behind my cucumbers and peppers, starting to wilt, or even worse, starting to slime. Eeuuwww. Gross, I know.

But now, wilted green onions no more! Just a few minutes with a blender and they are transformed. If you do not have a Vitamix then chop your ingredients first or use a food processor. The Vitamix is able to “liquify” most ingredients so no chopping is necessary.

Start with Two green onions rinsed and trimmed. Slice them into three inch pieces and add to the blender. Add the juice of one large lemon. Add one garlic clove. Add 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar and 1/2 cup water. Take a handful of flat leaf parsley (or your favorite herb) and slice into three inch pieces; stems and all. Lastly, add three healthy tablespoons of tahini and salt to taste. Blend. Serve.

This will keep up to a week in the fridge and could be used on salads, on asparagus or broccoli, or as a dip. Make this with dill or basil for a different flavor. Personally, I don’t have a lot of use for measurements unless I’m baking, so the measurements are all approximate. Adjust for your taste and enjoy!

Live well. Be well.

Cheryl

When I started running two years ago, I began my breathing education. As I expanded my distance goals and worked to improve my speed, I realized that I needed to learn to breathe. Imagine, learning to complete an involuntary process. Seems silly, but there are actually many techniques to breathing in running. The biggest lesson being that I needed to learn to breathe through my nose and into my belly.

The lungs are our primary energy source. When we breathe through our nostrils we actually extract more energy producing oxygen than mouth breathing. Up to 20% more. That is substantial to the runner….and  everyone else!

The nostril is perfectly designed to breathe. Brilliant, right?

Nose breathing allows the air we breathe to pass through and over cilia (small hairs) which filter particulates keeping us safe and clean from harmful objects or organisms. Nose breathing also allows the air to be warmed up so that it is less shocking to our bodies. When we breathe with our mouths, the breaths tend to be more shallow.

Nose breathing during exercise is not easy. Try it next time you run or jog. Trust me, within a few minutes you will be feeling like you are suffocating. Slow down. Focus on the breathing. It gets better with practice. Unless, of course, you get a “runny” nose like I do when you run. The more I heat up, the more my nose will run. Fun, huh? Well as I said, it is a skill and I just “blow and keep going.”

Try reading Body, Mind and Sport by John Douillard for more information.

Happy Breathing!