Wine & Wellness Wednesday: Food Combinations (Update, Part 1)

Ok! For #winewellnesswednesday on July 12th, I talked about food combining and trying to apply it to my menu planning and meals.

<insert hysterical laughter here>

What’s the saying? Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans?

</end hysterical laughter>

Ok, so thinking about what to combine and not combine is hard, and takes practice, and OH LOOK SOMETHING SHINY wait was that a potato with my steak?

One of the food combination rules is to have non-starch vegetables or lower-starch grains (such as quinoa) with heavy protein.  Do you know those moments when as soon as you decide (or someone tells you) not to do something, that’s the ONLY thing you want to do? Yes, I had potato of one type or another with steak or chicken several times since 7/12. I started thinking about not only habits and patterns but also cravings, and that’s an entirely separate topic. And then I went on vacation, which can also derail all the best intentions I may have. (Although while on vacation I managed to largely avoid certain vacation patterns, such as having Vanilla Coke! That was a major win!) Also? It’s really hard to stick to some things when really hot and tired and drained from long days in hot weather. Several times I switched up my plans for meals so that I wouldn’t combine protein with starch. For example, I will assemble a sandwich of meat & cheese, but leave off the bread. That was an idea I picked up from a friend and I love it. (To me, the bread just makes a meal too big sometimes. And no, I probably won’t do a breadless grilled cheese sandwich!)

So…next plan is for the next round of menu planning to include some very thoughtful, intentional food combinations and see how we feel and how the recipes work out! Wish me luck! :) 

Cheers! Here’s to your health!

Wine & Wellness Wednesday: Silence

In September of 2016, I did a #winewellnesswednesday topic about stillness. (Text included below.) Silence is a related topic, and yet not entirely the same thing. It is possible to be still without appreciating silence, I think. Earlier this week, while sitting outside and savoring my coffee, I watched hummingbirds and dragonflies and other winged creatures dancing in the yard. I thought to myself, “When you sit in silence and with joy, you can hear the heartbeat of the Earth.” It became a new meditation mantra, as well as a #mondaymeditationminute.

I’ve heard people say that silence can be oppressive, and it can be true; when a considerable quantity of negative energy is present, or when bad news looms, and so on, silence can be overwhelming.

Silence can also be extremely peaceful, and even rejuvenating. I’ll probably change my mind in a day or so, as television makes good background noise when I’m cross stitching, however, for several days we’ve had no radio and no television. Reading, intermittent talking and laughter, working on my computer, enjoying the pleasant morning weather, and generally being quiet have been top of the priority list.

I hear and enjoy things I might not otherwise notice. The thrum of the hummingbird’s wings as it explores the garden. The sound of the rain coming off the roof. The neighbor’s roosters. The ever so slight snores of my sleeping dogs.

It’s been marvelous.

When was the last time you appreciated peaceful silence?

Cheers! Here’s to your health!

 

***

I’ve talked about meditation, but today I want to talk about stillness, about just being present with what you’re doing and settling down for quiet time. I’m not focusing on meditation or mindfulness (both excellent topics), although being still could be considered to be related to both of those. It’s just not being frantically busy. Be still. Sit for a conversation. Stop. Take a breath. Step back from hectic. What are the benefits? You’ll be more focused on where you are and what you’re doing. I had the opportunity today after a long day to have a nice, if brief, conversation over a glass of wine, seated in the back yard, enjoying the gorgeous weather. It was one of those moments I felt very present and blissfully still, even though the dogs were hectic and my friend’s small child was active. It helped me set a tone for the remainder of my day and remind me that small moments mean a lot. Blood pressure down, tiredness level dissipated a bit, and contentment level went way up. (And yes, there will be a future post – or posts! – about the benefits of mindfulness…) :)

Where can you make a moment in your day to be still and be present with yourself or with those around you?

Cheers! Here’s to your health!

Wine & Wellness Wednesday: Water (Again!)

If it seems as though there's a trend to some of the topics I cover on Wine & Wellness Wednesdays, there's a reason for it. Some of the topics are quite important to me! Drinking water is one of those topics. This is a re-post of a re-post :) of one of the very first Wine & Wellness Wednesdays. Our weather (until today!) has been nasty and hot and humid, and one day at work I drank close to 120 ounces of water.

Water. It's your friend!

One of my very first Wine & Wellness Wednesday posts was on the topic of water. (Text included below.) When I reread it, my thought was “Yup! This is still right on.” I still prefer (mostly) room-temperature water, no ice, sometimes with lemon. I still finish my showers with a dash of cold water. And I still highly recommend becoming a water drinker if you aren’t one already. (That one is relative to “there’s no reason to start drinking wine if you don’t drink wine.” It’s from the very first Wine & Wellness Wednesday post!)

***

Water! Let’s talk about water. This is becoming one of my very favorite things. J I’m one of those people who (mostly) likes the taste of water, and it’s one of my favorite beverages. (Although there is definitely some tap water that needs help. Lots of filtering. And lots of lemons.)

I’ve started asking for water with no ice and a few slices of lemon in it when I’m at a restaurant. Think about it: if you drink ice cold water with your meal, you’re chilling down the digestive fire and interfering with your body’s ability to process your meal (according to Ayurvedic medicine). Also, the lemon in your water will help you digest your food better.

There is, again, a fair amount of conflicting information on how much water a person should drink. Eight ounces per 10 pounds of body weight, or eight glasses that are 8 ounces each, or 10 ounce for each 15 pounds of body weight or or…Argh! What to do?

You’ll figure out what’s right for you. Definitely drink when you’re thirsty, and, in hot weather, drink before you’re thirsty. If you feel like having a snack, but maybe it’s not really hunger, you can figure it out by having a glass of water first. Or if you’re bored and feel like eating (or angry, or upset), try having a drink of water first.

One other thing about consuming water that I think is important to mention. In my last Wine & Wellness Wednesday post, I pointed out that if you’re not a wine drinker, you don’t need to start. Well, if you’re not a water drinker, you totally need to start! Water makes up a considerable part of the human body and it’s critical to your health to drink it!

Also! I’ve grown to love having a cold water end to my shower. The cold water chases blood away from the skin, back into the body where it circulates better and supports digestion better, and it helps me cool off after a hot shower. (Although occasionally I’ve gotten the shower too cold and the…we’ll say squeaks…have agitated our dogs!)

Cheers! Here’s to your health!

Wine & Wellness Wednesday: I Am My Own Client, Part 2

In April I talked about the frustration and opportunities I faced when my LDL and blood glucose numbers were up at my annual physical instead of down as I had expected.

http://www.makeonechange.today/new-blog/2017/4/12/wine-wellness-wednesday-i-am-my-own-client

I am definitely my own client, and I know that patience, time, determination, and focusing on sustainable changes all combine to make progress happen. :)

I had blood work again yesterday. LDL is down. Blood glucose is normal.

Progress is good!! It feels even better when I don't feel deprived, and when I acknowledge that there are going to be good and bad days & weeks when I make lots of progress and then when I backtrack a bit.

Positive, sustainable change is possible. :) I am proof!!

Cheers! Here's to your health!

Wine & Wellness Wednesday: Food Combinations for Better Nutrition

A nice steak and baked potato with a side of broccoli or asparagus sounds like a fabulous meal, if you’re a meat-eater and if you like traditional-ish dining.

I’m both, and I do.

When I was going through my health coaching studies, one of the topics that popped up and intrigued me and I kept meaning to go back to it was food combining for better nutrient absorption.

Turns out, according to some studies (and let us not forget that nutrition as a science is still developing), what the body needs to do to digest meat and to digest a potato? Those actions are contradictory. So, no. That delightful meal of a bacon-wrapped steak (yes, I eat bacon) with a baked potato is not an ideal meal for nutrient absorption. (Although it’s delicious. If you’re a meat-eater.)

Also? The rules, such as they are, can be really confusing. One source says…and another says…and another says…ARGH! Maybe I’ll just stick to the steak and potato.

Except…

Except I like trying new things, and I want to get the most out of the meals I eat and enjoy.

I try to plan menus at least a week at a time, and sometimes I’ve even gone so far as to plan four to five weeks at a time. So for the next couple of weeks, I’m planning meals with an eye toward the concept of food combinations (or food synergy). For the record, it’s going to be a little hard to do, at least initially! Tonight we had fantastic chicken and veggie kabobs, but after a very long, very hot day in the greenhouse I really, really wanted carbs so we had rice instead of salad with the kabobs. Oops! Already breaking the rules. ;) I have lots more research to do, but I’m excited about playing with my food and being healthier!!

Cheers! Here’s to your health!

Wine & Wellness Wednesday: Microbursts Matter

Microbursts matter.

No, I’m not talking about weather.

I could talk about weather. I could talk a whole LOT about weather; we’ve had some today and recently. Today’s weather was stormy, rainy, and noisy. There may have actually been some microbursts during today’s weather, as we had the potential for tornados.

What I’m talking about is microbursts of exercise.

Huh? Shouldn’t we target exercising at least 10 minutes a day, preferably 30 minutes or more?

Well…in a word…yes.

However, what if you aren’t accustomed to exercise? Ten minutes can seem like an impossible amount of time. Even five minutes can seem like an eternity.

What about one minute?

What about two minutes?

What about working up to three, then four, then five minutes of sustained activity?

What about one minute of exercise, multiple times throughout a day, to accommodate whatever else is going on with your body or your life? Chronic pain, or illness, or insanely busy schedules can all interfere with getting longer periods of exercise.

I frequently tell people that my brand of health coaching isn’t all “EAT MORE KALE AND RUN FIVE MILES A DAY.” ;) I’ve had multiple health issues and surgeries over the years, and sometimes a minute of exercise felt like a major accomplishment.

That’s ok.

That’s more than ok.

That’s amazing!

Some days, a minute of exercise is all you need, because the next day it might be two minutes.

Cheers! Here’s to your health!

Wine & Wellness Wednesday: Don't Shop Hungry!

Don’t go grocery-shopping hungry. Everyone knows it. Everyone, on occasion, will still end up having to do it. It happens! Last Sunday we ended up grabbing sandwiches prior to a grocery store run, simply so we wouldn’t shop hungry. It (mostly) worked to alleviate the issue of grabbing junk food. Apparently, when hungry, the body gravitates toward the highest-calorie stuff it can find, even when the mind knows that stuff isn’t the best.

It also applies to shopping in general. If you go shopping while hungry, you could end up spending more money on stuff you might not actually need than you would if you went shopping without being hungry.

I’d suggest it also applies to shopping while bored, whether for food, books, clothes, or whatever. :) “Oh, this will be interesting and get me out of the boredom.” “This looks tasty and will satisfy my raging hunger.” “This looks like a fun gadget that will make me forget I’m hungry.”

Naaaaaaaaah…not really!

My strategies (and they mostly work) for not grabbing too many groceries I don’t need are to not go shopping hungry, to have a menu plan that I worked on in advance, and to have a grocery list that supports the menu plan.

I will, on occasion, write something on the list that wouldn’t be considered health food. :) I like having a supply of dark chocolate in the house. So on the list it goes, and that’s all I’ll get. If I didn’t put “one bag Dove dark chocolate” on the list, I might grab two or three bags of chocolates instead of just one, or I might grab a king-sized 3 Musketeers bar, which is definitely not in the category of good-for-me dark chocolate. Or, in this really hot weather, I’ll put chocolate ice cream on the list. (Definitely check the ingredients on your ice cream; I like the ones that have only five or six ingredients, such as Häagen Dazs!)

I like some of the tips I read in one of the articles linked below. Grab a bottle of water and take a sip when you’re thinking of picking up something unhealthy. Only focus on that night’s meal, if you’re shopping last minute for dinner. Only carry a basket instead of pushing a shopping cart. All good ideas!

What are your strategies to avoid over-shopping when hungry, whether it’s grocery shopping or other shopping? (Go ahead! Say it! “Don’t go shopping hungry!”) :)

Cheers! Here’s to your health!

Wine & Wellness Wednesday: Spinach!

Just like Popeye the Sailor Man, if you eat spinach you’ll get healthy & strong!! :)

Well…maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much!!

I’ve become so obsessed with spinach that this spring I decided to try growing some. So far, it’s doing pretty well, although in Iowa we’ve recently had extremely hot weather very early, so I’ve put my spinach in a shadier, cooler spot to try and extend its growing season. (Spinach doesn’t love super hot weather.) I’ve eaten some of the spinach from my little garden and it’s pretty tasty. We really enjoy the spinach that comes from our CSA box (community-supported agriculture), and frequently buy it from the farmers market as well.

And naturally, being of a curious disposition, I went looking for information on the health benefits of spinach. I knew, vaguely, that spinach is good for me. The specifics border on overwhelming, and of course some of the claims are going to be hard for science to confirm. (Are you paying attention? There won’t be a quiz later. Ha!) Spinach is a good source of the following nutrients: iron, vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, folic acid, vitamin B2, manganese, and magnesium. It also contains high levels of chlorophyll, thanks to those lovely, dark-green leaves, along with beta carotene and lutein. Phytochemicals such as beta carotene are believed to have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. Spinach is also full of fiber and water, so it’s good for the digestive system. (One drawback to spinach is the oxalate content, which is a problem for people who have or have had kidney stones.)

I’m one of those people who likes spinach both cooked and fresh. I love it in salads, and sometimes I use only spinach in a salad instead of lettuce or a mix. I also love throwing it into cooked dishes, whether the instructions say to do so or not. For example, if we are traveling and have a hotel room with a microwave, I’ll make and freeze scrambled egg muffins. Basically, I sauté together a little bit of ham, onion, red bell pepper, and spinach, throw that mix into greased muffin tins, add beaten egg and cheese, and bake them in the oven. Voila! Breakfast we can take on the road, easily reheat, and it’s good for us.

Do you like spinach? If you do, what’s your favorite spinach recipe? If you don’t, try it sometime mixed into a salad; you may find your tastes have changed and you like it now. :) (Also, the BBC Good Food link has recipes!)

Cheers! Here’s to your health!

Wine & Wellness Wednesday: Personal Progress

Last Saturday, I bought three pairs of shorts/capris and they were all a size smaller than I’ve been wearing, and it felt fantastic! It’s one thing to see numbers decreasing on the scale regularly, and it’s another thing entirely to actually feel as though I’m losing weight by wearing different clothes. I wore one of my favorite t-shirts and it felt too big, and that hasn’t been true in years. Then I went to an orthopedic surgeon about the pain I’m having in my knee and was reminded that although I’m making progress, the arthritis in both knees and lack of cartilage means I have done damage and I have a long way to go.

But there’s that whole “I’m making progress” thing. :)

So when someone asks me, “What are you doing to lose weight?” I don’t have a quick or easy answer. Part of it, to be sure, is working part-time in a greenhouse where it’s hot and where I do a lot of walking. But there’s more to it than that. I exercise daily. I’ve cut way, way back on junk food; we eat so little fast food like Arby’s or McDonald’s that when we have occasionally eaten Arby’s it has lost its appeal. (Also? For long road trips, I’m going prepared with my own sandwiches from now on.) Chocolate (usually dark!) is a more occasional than regular treat. I drink more water or juice or tea or coffee than Coke or Pepsi. I watch portion control and try to eat less at meals. Between meals I’ll snack more on fruit or granola bars than candy bars or chips. I park farther away when I have to walk places, even when my knee is really grumpy about it. (Although hopefully a cortisone shot I received recently will help the knee be less grumpy for a while!) I focus on my philosophy of making positive, sustainable changes, and doing them one at a time so I don’t get discouraged. (Honestly? Sometimes even I get discouraged. I’m only human!)

So there’s what’s up in my corner of the world! Progress? Definitely? More to do? Absolutely! Cheers! Here’s to your health!

Wine & Wellness Wednesday: Coloring Books Are Good for You!

I recently decided I wanted to start a new routine to prepare for bedtime and sleep, and I thought I’d see if coloring in a coloring book helped my brain wind down. (Coloring instead of looking at a screen right before bed, in addition to occasional short periods of yoga as part of my bedtime routine as well.) It’s only been a few days, but I’m already enjoying it tremendously and it may be helping me sleep better. Hopefully, possibly. :) One of the other things that I enjoy is occasionally coloring a postcard and sending a handwritten note to a friend. So coloring has several places where it fits into my life!

And of course I did what I do, which is to say I went looking for information about whether coloring books are good for health and yay! They are!

Coloring can be meditative and calming. Granted, some of the coloring books I own have pictures with excruciatingly tiny spaces to color, and while I enjoy them I wouldn’t call those specific pictures meditative. Focusing all of your energy on coloring specific spaces and not letting your mind wander off to the things that might be bothering you? It can be very relaxing. It can also be a very mindful activity, when you focus on it instead of thinking about everything else.

Coloring uses areas of your brain that enhance focus, problem solving, and organizational skills. Along that train of thought, if you focus on coloring for a time, while you’re struggling to figure something out, you might clear your mind enough for a solution to occur to you! 

Coloring can help decrease anxiety levels. It isn’t the same as art therapy, however, focusing on the activity and being mindful of just what you’re coloring can be a good relief when you’re feeling anxious.

Coloring before bed instead of looking at a device such as your iPhone cuts down on blue light exposure and may help you sleep better!

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to color before I sleep. :) Cheers! Here’s to your health!

 

 

Wine & Wellness Wednesday: Writer’s Block

Ok! I’ll admit it. My brain has overloaded or shorted out or my mind is backed up on the server but the network is down. Whatever you want to call it, I have writer’s block. :) So I’m in need of ideas or inspirations or questions or whatever! What are you curious about? What do you want to know more about? What would you like to hear (read) my opinions on? :) Chime in & let me know! I can’t wait to learn what my audience is curious about and get more ideas on health topics for Wine & Wellness Wednesdays. Cheers!

Wine & Wellness Wednesday: Health Benefits of Herbs & Spices

It may have already become obvious but just in case, here’s a thing about me: I love to cook. I love playing with recipes, and I love preparing (and eating) good food. Even better is when that good food is good for us!

I started writing #winewellnesswednesday posts about the health benefits of some of my favorite ingredients, such as ginger and colorful bell peppers. I then thought I’d do some research on health benefits of herbs & spices, because I enjoy using those in my cooking as well. I found something of an overwhelming amount of information! For this week I’m going to narrow it down to herbs & spices that are believed to combat inflammation, because it is something that many of us deal with regularly, and reducing it will help improve health in multiple ways.

Cinnamon contains antioxidants, which can help reduce inflammation. Turmeric contains curcumin, another antioxidant. Ginger can reduce inflammation as well. Cloves, rosemary, sage, and oregano are more spices and herbs that can be beneficial in fighting against inflammation.

So what can you do? Fortunately, whether you love to cook or don’t, it’s easy to add herbs & spices to your menu! Add cinnamon and clove to oatmeal; add oregano to pasta sauces (and it’s probably already in those recipes); toss some ginger in when making a stir fry out of colorful veggies! Cheers! :) Here's to your health...

Wine & Wellness Wednesday: Red Bell Peppers

Not long ago, I did a #winewellnesswednesday post about the benefits of ginger, one of my favorite ingredients. :) I’ve been making a lot of recipes recently with red bell peppers, so I thought (of course) about the health benefits! :)

Bell peppers, whether green, red, yellow, orange, or purple, have multiple benefits. They’re low in calories (and delicious!) and fabulous fresh or cooked. They’re also loaded with vitamins A & C, as well as antioxidants that science says are good for you. Even though bell peppers are sweet, not hot, they still contain capsaicin, which has anti-inflammatory properties (among others).

So the next time you’re throwing together a chili, or spaghetti sauce, or a stir fry, or a salad, consider adding some red bell peppers into the mix.

Cheers! Your health will thank you!

For example, here’s a quick recipe from one of my all-time favorite cookbooks. Bell pepper spaghetti: 1 bell pepper, seeded and sliced into thin strips; 1 (or more!) clove garlic, minced; 1 T olive oil; 1 t dry or 1 T fresh thyme; cooked (gluten-free!) pasta; freshly-grated Parmesan cheese. Saute the pepper, thyme, and garlic in olive oil until the peppers are cooked to your liking. Toss with cooked pasta and top with the Parmesan. Enjoy!

Wine & Wellness Wednesday: Time & Patience

Sometimes the most important thing we can do for ourselves is to just give ourselves time and patience.

Time to make changes.

Time (and patience) to heal.

Time to backslide after improving.

Patience. Time.

It’s hard. It’s incredibly hard. If you’ve been ill for any reason, that recovery period seems endless and frustrating. The moments when you think you’re completely back to normal and then more symptoms appear again, or you get so incredibly tired that you can’t imagine staying awake for one more moment, never mind trying to go to work or even do the dishes or take a shower.

Be patient.

Take the time.

After it’s over, your physical and mental health will get back to normal. Hopefully. Eventually.

Cheers! Here’s to your health. :)

Wine & Wellness Wednesday: I Am My Own Client

So about two weeks ago I had the usual annual physical, weight, height, BP, what hurts, is everything normal, and so on, and so forth, and the expected needle stick for a blood draw, which left me sporting a colorful, misshapen bruise in my elbow for a week.

One of the things I’ve been grateful for has been that in spite of being overweight (although not as much as I was!) my numbers have been pretty good.

Until now.

In spite of my scale and the doctor’s scale agreeing that I’ve lost weight… (Yay!)

In spite of giving up fast food almost entirely and most junk food almost entirely…

In spite of exercising daily…

LDL and glucose are up.

Ok…now what…

I grumbled and growled about it for a couple of days and then I started thinking. I looked back at the past year and I could see where things might have happened that would contribute to those two numbers being out of whack.

And then I thought to myself, “What would I say to a client?” I answered myself, “Figure out the first thing you can do, and start there.” And I’m looking at it as an intriguing challenge, because one of the biggest factors I can change is my diet, and that is also going to be a lot of fun in a lot of ways. Why? I LOVE to cook. I LOVE trying new recipes! So figuring out different proteins and ways to incorporate more colorful veggies into my menus? Changing the fats I use for cooking? Absolutely! I’m all over it! Changing up and increasing exercise? Totally! (Although…the 4+ miles I walked at work recently is probably also helpful!) Planning on the numbers being lower and not needing medication the next time I get blood drawn? Absolutely.

Being a health coach doesn’t mean I have all the answers. It means I have the tools to find the answers and hold myself accountable (in a positive way) to figuring it out and making positive, sustainable changes. I also have a support network, and that’s huge. :)

So here I go into new territory! Who’s coming along for the ride?

Cheers! Here’s to your health!

Wine & Wellness Wednesday: Music!

Music on my mind! As we have lots of good music to look forward to soon (Stacey Kent in Minneapolis and a new Cheshire Moon CD, just to name a few), I have music on my mind. :) So I dug up an old post from 2016...enjoy!

Wine & Wellness Wednesday 01/13/16: Music

It’s #winewellnesswednesday, and this week as we’ve recently discovered some wonderful new music (thank you, Rhiannon Giddens), I thought about looking into how music impacts health. (There are very few things a glass of wine and some kickin’ music won’t fix!)

I think it’s a pretty good bet that at one point or another, that perfect song has popped up on the radio, or in an iTunes playlist, or made an appearance out of nowhere as an earworm, and you’ve found your mood improving, your toes tapping, and the corners of your mouth lifting up in a smile.

Go on, admit it. You dance when no one’s looking, and you don’t want to admit it’s to <insert goofy song name here.> ;)

Did you know?? Here’s some fantastic news for you: music is GOOD FOR YOU. (It’s also calorie-free! How’s that for a great deal?)

Music helps me concentrate. It helps me calm down or get revved up, depending on the day/time/mood/circumstances. It can get me moving, which gets my pulse going, which gets the juices flowing, which can end up as great mental or physical exercise. Alternately, I have also noticed on occasion that my blood pressure drops and my pulse goes back to a calmer pace, depending on the music.

That has to be a good thing, right? Right! (Check the comments for some links with additional info.)

Cheers! Here’s to your health!

Wine & Wellness Wednesday: Ginger

I was thinking recently about the healthy properties of some of my favorite foodstuffs. (Yes, you guess correctly that future Wine & Wellness Wednesday topics will include some of those foodstuffs!) Ginger has long been one of my favorite flavors, and I’ve known for a long time that it can also be good for me. (Ginger ale for an upset stomach, anyone?) Ginger is rumored to be good for indigestion, IBS, pain relief, toothaches, and even for treating burns.

Also? It’s delicious, whether in ginger ale, or sliced into oatmeal when cooking, or candied and covered in dark chocolate, or used as an ingredient in spiced apple cider or any of dozens of recipes. :) 

Whether you’re cooking with it or carefully ingesting it in powdered form as a capsule, enjoy ginger and its benefits!

Cheers! Here’s to your health!

Wine & Wellness Wednesday: Get Good Sleep!

A little over a year ago, I wrote a post about celebrating World Sleep Day. :) Today I was reminded just how very, very important it is to get a good night's sleep, not only for the reasons listed below but also because it helps prevent me from snacking too much and for all the wrong reasons. Monday night I didn't sleep enough and I didn't sleep at all well. Tuesday was awful; I snacked too much, and I snacked badly (M&Ms and mini Rolos). Tuesday night I slept earlier and much, much better, and today's snacking was greatly reduced from the previous day. Not only did I realize it midway through the day, even though the same snack options were available, I was much less inclined to succumb to the temptation.

Get a good night's sleep...for lots of reasons!!

Cheers! Here's to your health!

(Original post: 3/16/16)

Sleep! Yes! There’s a day to celebrate everything, or so it seems, and so of course there’s World Sleep Day. (Although if you ask our dogs I’m sure they’d say every day should be World Sleep Day!) And thank you to my husband for pointing World Sleep Day out to me! :) This year’s World Sleep Day is this Friday. You can even take a pledge to go to sleep 30 minutes earlier than normal! (As a side note, I didn’t have a Wine & Wellness Wednesday last week as we were on vacation…and yes, lots of sleeping made for a great vacation!)

Sleep! It’s important for your health. (It’s super frustrating to suffer from insomnia, on top of the health issues that can result.) Getting the right amount of sleep helps with focus, learning, weight loss, and safety (particularly behind the wheel), just to name a few benefits.

What interferes with getting a good night’s sleep? I’m going to differ somewhat from most references and say it is different for everyone. Some people may be able to drink a caffeinated beverage right before bed and sleep really well; some people may have caffeine at 2:00 p.m. and not sleep until 3 a.m.  You may be one of those who can’t eat anything too late in the day or you won’t sleep well, or you may be able to eat and fall asleep immediately. One thing that helps me sleep better is trying to cut back on screen time near bedtime, particularly using the iPhone or iPad. Although for me, it may also be wise to cut back on TV time as well. Sometimes I have the craziest, most realistic dreams inspired by whatever we watched before bedtime! And when I remember my dreams very clearly, I haven’t always slept well. Where I will agree with most references is that it’s important to have a routine, and have the same routine on weekends and weekdays. Try to get to sleep at the same time every day. Find a relaxing activity to help your brain wind down. If you find yourself awake and thinking about work, get up and write everything down; dumping it on a piece of paper and getting it out of your brain can help clear your mind and let you relax into sleep. Figure out what works for you. Your health depends on it!

Cheers! Here’s to your health!

Wine & Wellness Wednesday: Gardening!

Gardening. It’s good for you.

What’s that? You don’t want to become a master gardener, or a landscaper, or whatever? You’re intimidated by the thought of tilling the soil and toiling over the beans? No problem!

Start small. Recently, I talked about building healthy habits. Some of you know I work part-time for a garden center, and this is the season of preparing the greenhouse for spring. So we’ve been filling pots, and planting, and planting, and planting some more. It’s fabulous, particularly because I love getting dirt under my fingernails and seeing the potential in those tiny, tiny plants, knowing they’ll grow up into beautiful things. It’s also relaxing for me, and encourages me to start thinking creatively about my own garden and what I want to do this season.

All of this, naturally, started me thinking about whether gardening could be good for overall health, not just as exercise. Yes!! Relaxation, creative thinking, exercise, and, if you’re growing vegetables, better food! (If someone in your household doesn’t love vegetables, gardening at home may even give you ways to encourage picky eaters to try something they’ve grown themselves!)

Start small. Get a small flowerpot with drainage holes and a tray to catch any excess water. Get some good potting soil. Several plants that are relatively easy to start from seed are green beans or sunflowers. Follow the instructions on the seed packet. Set the pot in a sunny spot and watch magic happen. (Don’t forget to water it occasionally!) Depending on what you planted, when the danger of frost is over and if you have yard space, take it outside and transplant it! It’s that simple. And it can be very rewarding.

Get your hands dirty with gardening this summer. :) It’s good for you!

Cheers! Here’s to your health!