how was your weekend? hopefully good! mine was jam packed and i loved it. saturday was NATIONAL YOGA DAY and i spent the morning at a yoga studio helping set up and giving two mini workshops - one on vinyasa and one on stress relief! you know me... i heart sharing yoga tips for stress relief! it was so much fun and the place was packed out! yogis and sticky mats everywhere! i thrive on energy like that. did you celebrate national yoga day this year? any studios by you do anything special?
sunday i picked up some stuff for our upcoming jaunt to new orleans (YAY!)and finally began to think about what i'd like to pack/bring. this is usually the most trying part of any trip for me because i always wind up bringing close to everything i own. a holdover from my anxious days when i obsessed endlessly about things i may have forgotten (but usually didn't) and things i thought i needed (even though i didn't). so that's the big thing i'm looking forward to this week. much needed quality time with hubby and warm weather. bliss.
i also kicked off my first of (hopefully) many sunday group workouts. i recruited a girlfriend to join me in the park where we ran a mile warm up and then did a mile of training that included everything from walking lunges to traveling push ups to sprints. it was great to get outside, even though it was chilly. and i always adore working out with a friend. we chatted about her upcoming nuptials and torched some calories... awesome. i did miss my hot yoga class, but am totally planning on hitting it up on wednesday after running more last minute travel errands.
i'm finishing up my weekend treating myself to frozen yogurt and catching both football games! bummed the Jets are out, but am pumped for the super bowl. i didn't get to experiment with a lot of raw food this weekend but i did manage to whip up one awesome raw dinner - zucchini pasta and 'peanut sauce' ((totally check out averie's loveveggiesandyoga.com for the awesome recipe!) all raw. all delicious. i finally got my spiralizer and definitely wanted to put it to good use. i've always been the kid that gets something new and breaks it out ASAP. i'm an instant gratification kinda chick. but i will admit... after one botched attempt at the raw peanut sauce i was kind of frustrated, but i figured it out and hubby said it was my best raw dinner yet. so all's well that ends well!
tomorrow i'm back to craziness with yoga classes and clients, fitting in workouts and planning for my trip. hope your weekend was awesome! i think i'm needing some Legs Up The Wall tonight before passing out in bed. Ahhhhh.
PS - anyone check out Bonda Yoga and my upcoming Present Moment Workshop next month?? Feb 21st loves! come join me and get your RELAX on!
Showing posts with label Raw Foodism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Raw Foodism. Show all posts
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Sunday, January 3, 2010
what's with all the raw food and running?
i'm sure at one point you may have wondered that. how did a girl that blogs about adventures with anxiety get so hung up on running, raw food and all the things that go with it? i know sometimes i tend to post a lot about working out, running, bikram yoga and raw/vegan food and there seems like there's no connection. well, i think i'm so into these things because by trying them i've experienced the connection first hand. i never used to care about my health... case in point - i used to smoke to deal with my anxiety because i believed it calmed me down. i found nothing wrong with knocking back cocktails and nursing stomach aches with boatloads of funky colored meds like pepto. but that only masked my issues - never addressed them. and it definitely never helped me understand what i was going through.
enter health obsession. yoga was first for the obvious reason that it connects the mind and body and helps to ease tension and stress in the body. i needed more depth than a basic class at my gym so i went through the certification process and was so empowered by the mental changes i underwent that i jumped into teaching. and while most people find restorative totally bliss-inducing, i sometimes found that my mind needed a more active practice to get me in the moment. here is where bikram and vinyasa and power yoga come in. for me, i tend to gravitate towards toughing it out on the mat because that's when i find i get most lost in the present moment and feel the most connected to myself. don't get me wrong, i often turn to legs up the wall when i need a quick stress reliever, but i need a combo of the two practices to keep me feeling grounded. its not solely for the purposes of sweating. i just find myself connecting more to these practices at this time in my life. so even though i talk a lot about yoga that doesn't sound relaxing... for me it totally is! and stress busting!
running is the same thing. when i first started running i used to imagine my problems and anxieties as little monsters chasing behind me (please don't stop reading, i promise i didn't lose my mind!) and the more i ran the more i left them behind. one of the main reasons i had a lot of anxiety is because i had a ton of pent up energy and it was filtering out in very negative ways. it took me a long time to realize that and learn how to channel it into better things. running does that for me. so while it may, once again, not seem to have a connection to anxiety.... it absolutely does. and even if running isn't your bag, i always recommend clients get some sort of exercise suitable for them... even 30 mins a day works! a walk, run, cardio class, jumping rope, playing ball with your dog... doesn't matter what it is because for each person it's different. anxious people tend to have a lot of energy and they need to release it in ways that positively work for them.
and finally the raw food. i'm not just into raw food. i'm into health food. i've been veggie for quite a few years so i didn't just jump into raw/vegan food. it's been a natural and slow transition. and it's one that i don't know will always work for me. but after experimenting with numerous dietary lifestyle changes, raw/vegan made me feel the best. energetic, alert, grounded, strong and best of all it helped alleviate unnecessary stomach aches caused by excesses of caffeine and processed food. stomach aches, as you know, were my biggest anxious trigger so every time i self-induced one by eating food i knew i shouldn't , it was like causing me to have a panic attack on the button. NO FUN. so there is a connection to raw/vegan food for me and anxiety. and even if raw food sounds as appealing as a root canal to you, health food shouldn't. the more toxic food we put in our bodies the more toxic we feel. i've had clients feel better just by cutting out (ok, or cutting down) sugar and caffeine, because what do they do? cause excesses of energy that cause shakiness, racing thoughts and racing hearts... very common symptoms of anxiety. so someone would drink a cup of coffee, experience these symptoms, and ultimately give himself or herself a panic attack. for coffee? no thanks!
and ultimately my obsession with health also runs a bit deeper. while my anxieties didn't center on this, a lot of people's anxieties do - being sick. two stressors happen here: 1) people get anxious about needles, doc visits, hospitals, vomiting, diarrhea, etc; and 2) illness, mysterious symptoms, death, heart attack, etc.
so keeping healthy helps to alleviate some of these stressors. if you amp up your health habits and get sick less, there's less doc visits, meds, shots and all those other unpleasant symptoms that go along with being sick. and also, being healthy helps get rid of some feelings like headaches, fatigue, and nausea which some people could be causing by lifestyle choices and misinterpret as something else.... much like i misinterpreted the effects my food choices were having on me. i thought i was having panic attacks when it was more like caffeine overload.
this is really just from my point of view of what has worked for me, people i know and clients. there isn't just one cure-all for anxiety because most people need different things in their lives to cope and heal. but i like to offer things that work for me so you can know about them and maybe they'll work for you and maybe they won't. and from there you can keep the change or tweak it to help you. so if sometimes it seems like i go off on tangents about all sorts of things that don't seem related to anxiety.... they are.
i'd love to hear about the things that work for you!
enter health obsession. yoga was first for the obvious reason that it connects the mind and body and helps to ease tension and stress in the body. i needed more depth than a basic class at my gym so i went through the certification process and was so empowered by the mental changes i underwent that i jumped into teaching. and while most people find restorative totally bliss-inducing, i sometimes found that my mind needed a more active practice to get me in the moment. here is where bikram and vinyasa and power yoga come in. for me, i tend to gravitate towards toughing it out on the mat because that's when i find i get most lost in the present moment and feel the most connected to myself. don't get me wrong, i often turn to legs up the wall when i need a quick stress reliever, but i need a combo of the two practices to keep me feeling grounded. its not solely for the purposes of sweating. i just find myself connecting more to these practices at this time in my life. so even though i talk a lot about yoga that doesn't sound relaxing... for me it totally is! and stress busting!
running is the same thing. when i first started running i used to imagine my problems and anxieties as little monsters chasing behind me (please don't stop reading, i promise i didn't lose my mind!) and the more i ran the more i left them behind. one of the main reasons i had a lot of anxiety is because i had a ton of pent up energy and it was filtering out in very negative ways. it took me a long time to realize that and learn how to channel it into better things. running does that for me. so while it may, once again, not seem to have a connection to anxiety.... it absolutely does. and even if running isn't your bag, i always recommend clients get some sort of exercise suitable for them... even 30 mins a day works! a walk, run, cardio class, jumping rope, playing ball with your dog... doesn't matter what it is because for each person it's different. anxious people tend to have a lot of energy and they need to release it in ways that positively work for them.
and finally the raw food. i'm not just into raw food. i'm into health food. i've been veggie for quite a few years so i didn't just jump into raw/vegan food. it's been a natural and slow transition. and it's one that i don't know will always work for me. but after experimenting with numerous dietary lifestyle changes, raw/vegan made me feel the best. energetic, alert, grounded, strong and best of all it helped alleviate unnecessary stomach aches caused by excesses of caffeine and processed food. stomach aches, as you know, were my biggest anxious trigger so every time i self-induced one by eating food i knew i shouldn't , it was like causing me to have a panic attack on the button. NO FUN. so there is a connection to raw/vegan food for me and anxiety. and even if raw food sounds as appealing as a root canal to you, health food shouldn't. the more toxic food we put in our bodies the more toxic we feel. i've had clients feel better just by cutting out (ok, or cutting down) sugar and caffeine, because what do they do? cause excesses of energy that cause shakiness, racing thoughts and racing hearts... very common symptoms of anxiety. so someone would drink a cup of coffee, experience these symptoms, and ultimately give himself or herself a panic attack. for coffee? no thanks!
and ultimately my obsession with health also runs a bit deeper. while my anxieties didn't center on this, a lot of people's anxieties do - being sick. two stressors happen here: 1) people get anxious about needles, doc visits, hospitals, vomiting, diarrhea, etc; and 2) illness, mysterious symptoms, death, heart attack, etc.
so keeping healthy helps to alleviate some of these stressors. if you amp up your health habits and get sick less, there's less doc visits, meds, shots and all those other unpleasant symptoms that go along with being sick. and also, being healthy helps get rid of some feelings like headaches, fatigue, and nausea which some people could be causing by lifestyle choices and misinterpret as something else.... much like i misinterpreted the effects my food choices were having on me. i thought i was having panic attacks when it was more like caffeine overload.
this is really just from my point of view of what has worked for me, people i know and clients. there isn't just one cure-all for anxiety because most people need different things in their lives to cope and heal. but i like to offer things that work for me so you can know about them and maybe they'll work for you and maybe they won't. and from there you can keep the change or tweak it to help you. so if sometimes it seems like i go off on tangents about all sorts of things that don't seem related to anxiety.... they are.
i'd love to hear about the things that work for you!
Friday, January 1, 2010
greeting 2010 with open arms
happy new year loves!
now i know that every new day offers us the opportunity for growth and movement within our journey, but there is just something so magical to me about new years eve. something special about watching that sparkling ball fall in beloved times square. something inspiring about knowing that i'm going to wake up to a whole new year. a year filled with promise and adventure, personal growth and fresh aspirations. just writing about it makes me smile!
yesterday i spent a lot of time pondering my 2009 journey and today i'd like to spend time creating my 2010 journey.
here are some of my goals & aspirations:
* complete a 10k
*train for disney half marathon for jan 2011
*do something physically challenging everyday to remind myself that i'm capable of anything
*experiment a lot more with raw foodism, hopefully being 65-75% raw by next year
*commit more time to growing friendships and appreciate all the people i'm blessed with having in my life
*put together a fundraising walk for Discover & Recover
*stay true to my perception of yoga and my practice
*share yoga with everyone i can!!
*make more time for personal reflection time: journaling, collages, blogging, reading, getting inspired
*reminding myself daily to release self doubt, grudges, judgement and negativity
*start a morning gratitude ritual
*keep space in my life on and off the mat- be wary of over scheduling and over stressing.
*strive to be the best me i can be for everyone around me
*travel to another country
*travel as much as i can
ok so after listing that all out i feel like maybe one year isn't enough! some of these are 'outside' goals like running accomplishments and taking as many yoga classes as i can and booking lots of fun trips. and i definitely made sure to have 'inside' goals like letting go of my grudges, working on being a positive force for those around me and keeping my anxiety and stress in check (a constant for me).
i'm sure this list will change as the year progresses - which is cool because i totally obtain the right to change my mind at any given time (haha) ! - but that's what makes it fun. it's the adventure of it all. and hey, maybe that's a goal too. APPRECIATE THE ADVENTURE OF IT ALL. i've spent waaaay to much of my life stressing it away. i was doom 'n gloom girl more often than i care to admit. every day i break free a little more and i'm so thankful for that.... and yoga (which who knows where i'd be had this gift not come into my life).
what are some of your aspirations and intentions for 2010? how will you appreciate your adventure?
and, in the spirit of goals and aspirations, i'd like to do one right now - gratitude!
i love all of you! i thank you for sharing in my journey, i thank you for supporting me, i thank you for feedback and just being YOU! THANK YOU!
peace+love
now i know that every new day offers us the opportunity for growth and movement within our journey, but there is just something so magical to me about new years eve. something special about watching that sparkling ball fall in beloved times square. something inspiring about knowing that i'm going to wake up to a whole new year. a year filled with promise and adventure, personal growth and fresh aspirations. just writing about it makes me smile!
yesterday i spent a lot of time pondering my 2009 journey and today i'd like to spend time creating my 2010 journey.
here are some of my goals & aspirations:
* complete a 10k
*train for disney half marathon for jan 2011
*do something physically challenging everyday to remind myself that i'm capable of anything
*experiment a lot more with raw foodism, hopefully being 65-75% raw by next year
*commit more time to growing friendships and appreciate all the people i'm blessed with having in my life
*put together a fundraising walk for Discover & Recover
*stay true to my perception of yoga and my practice
*share yoga with everyone i can!!
*make more time for personal reflection time: journaling, collages, blogging, reading, getting inspired
*reminding myself daily to release self doubt, grudges, judgement and negativity
*start a morning gratitude ritual
*keep space in my life on and off the mat- be wary of over scheduling and over stressing.
*strive to be the best me i can be for everyone around me
*travel to another country
*travel as much as i can
ok so after listing that all out i feel like maybe one year isn't enough! some of these are 'outside' goals like running accomplishments and taking as many yoga classes as i can and booking lots of fun trips. and i definitely made sure to have 'inside' goals like letting go of my grudges, working on being a positive force for those around me and keeping my anxiety and stress in check (a constant for me).
i'm sure this list will change as the year progresses - which is cool because i totally obtain the right to change my mind at any given time (haha) ! - but that's what makes it fun. it's the adventure of it all. and hey, maybe that's a goal too. APPRECIATE THE ADVENTURE OF IT ALL. i've spent waaaay to much of my life stressing it away. i was doom 'n gloom girl more often than i care to admit. every day i break free a little more and i'm so thankful for that.... and yoga (which who knows where i'd be had this gift not come into my life).
what are some of your aspirations and intentions for 2010? how will you appreciate your adventure?
and, in the spirit of goals and aspirations, i'd like to do one right now - gratitude!
i love all of you! i thank you for sharing in my journey, i thank you for supporting me, i thank you for feedback and just being YOU! THANK YOU!
peace+love
Sunday, December 27, 2009
baby's first christmas
after a crazy couple of days i have finally been able to sit down at my computer and catch my breath! the days leading up to christmas were a blur of teaching yoga, taking yoga, running around for last minute gifts, snow storm prepping and gym time. i was definitely looking forward to some holiday down time, but my soon-to-be-born nephew wasn't! we got the "i'm going into labor" text early christmas eve AM and by 5pm my very first nephew was here to say hello! my husband and i raced eagerly to visit baby and family at the hospital where i was a mess of emotions. crying, laughing, excited... mom and baby looked fabulous!
the rest of the days were a mixture of relaxing, visiting family, excited phone calls and nephew cuddling - i'm so in love with that kid!
i hope everyone had wonderful holidays! i get back to teaching tomorrow and i am very much looking forward to it. i was only able to fit in one run since christmas eve but it was 3.5 miles in rain and frigid wind so i feel that i've earned my quality couch time. NY's been giving me some rough weather and my legs were aching so i just had to get out there.
on a fun note, some things i got to do this weekend:
* snuggle my nephew
* spend quality time with my parents
* make raw choc coconut crinkle cookies (and my husband totally digs them!)
* a crazy run in the pouring rain where my hubby and i got lost half way through
* have cocktails by the fireplace
* watch a marathon of A Christmas Story
* go out to dinner at one of my fave restaurants
i hope your week brings you many more days of fun (and relaxing!!)
the rest of the days were a mixture of relaxing, visiting family, excited phone calls and nephew cuddling - i'm so in love with that kid!
i hope everyone had wonderful holidays! i get back to teaching tomorrow and i am very much looking forward to it. i was only able to fit in one run since christmas eve but it was 3.5 miles in rain and frigid wind so i feel that i've earned my quality couch time. NY's been giving me some rough weather and my legs were aching so i just had to get out there.
on a fun note, some things i got to do this weekend:
* snuggle my nephew
* spend quality time with my parents
* make raw choc coconut crinkle cookies (and my husband totally digs them!)
* a crazy run in the pouring rain where my hubby and i got lost half way through
* have cocktails by the fireplace
* watch a marathon of A Christmas Story
* go out to dinner at one of my fave restaurants
i hope your week brings you many more days of fun (and relaxing!!)
Sunday, October 18, 2009
relaxation on rainy days
a chilly, rainy sunday practically begs for heaps of time spent relaxing.
on my agenda today:
*morning spent preparing a breakfast of raw "oatmeal" and hot coffee
*a rainy run with my pup
*a seriously warm bath with ginger (to help draw out toxins)
*quality time on my couch catching the giants game
*loads of burning candles
*book reading
*wine sipping
*blog reading
how are you going to exercise your relaxivist rights today?
image: delany blog
Friday, February 6, 2009
Ready for Raw
I've recently become interested (read obsessed) with the idea of raw foodism. The health benefits seem neverending and since I haven't eaten meat in years I'm halfway there. I've always been interested in food and how it effects the body... I think most people with anxiety should be aware of it. Food can increase anxiety and anxiety-like symptoms and when you're already dealing with so much - why add fuel to the fire.
Example: I used to be a HUGE coffee addict. For the holidays I would inevitably get Starbucks and D&D gift cards attached to my presents and stuffed inside birthday cards every year. It was a much loved gift and I still remain infamous for going through $65 worth of Starbucks giftcards in a week and a half (my family loves to tease me mercilessly for that one!). However, there was one day at work when I went through 3 venti caps and by the time I dialed into my end of the day conference call I was talking at warp speed and my breath was so rapid it seemed as if I'd fit in a few laps around the building before taking the call. I did a little research and was able to make the connection between my massive coffee intake and my panicked feelings. The coffee mimicked the effects of anxiety on my body - rapid breathing, heart pounding, excess of energy, jumpy, disconnected thoughts.... and I was voluntarily doing this to myself everyday! Needless to say, Starbucks gift cards now go unused - unless of course I indulge in a grande green tea.
And coffee isn't the only thing that does this to me... or to other people. Gallons of soda, tons of sweets or multitudes of sugary juices and sports drink also mimic the effects of anxiety. So, my interest in raw food is not only for my physical health, but also my mental health. It supposedly helps you dsetox and clear your mind. It makes your body strong and resiliant.. what's not to love!?
So I'm destined to hit the food store sometime in the next few days and I've been spending lots of time researching some things I can make. I've already tried strawberry and orange smoothies and I made raw cookies that looked like snowballs. So perfect seeing as I'm still slipping and sliding on ice patches every time I step outside my door (I'm beginning to doubt Spring will ever come!). My husband scoffed at them - but then his scoffing turned to scarfing and he downed half of them.
I need to stock up on TONS of fresh veggies and fruits seeing as they make up 90% of the diet. The rest is beans, tofu, soy stuff..... and I'm finding that the key to this lifestyle (hate the word 'diet') is creativity. Eating the same salad every night sounds near torturous, so it's crucial to spice it up.
So wish me luck - I think this is going to be terrific for my husband and I. As a longtime health nut he's totally game. And I'm pretty excited about detoxing my body and enjoying wholesome, natural foods the way they were meant to be enjoyed.
If you want to check it out, here's some sites I've been logging lots of time on:
http://kimberlysnyder.net/
http://rawfoodrightnow.blogspot.com/
http://www.welikeitraw.com/rawfood/2005/05/raw_food_blog_r.html
Example: I used to be a HUGE coffee addict. For the holidays I would inevitably get Starbucks and D&D gift cards attached to my presents and stuffed inside birthday cards every year. It was a much loved gift and I still remain infamous for going through $65 worth of Starbucks giftcards in a week and a half (my family loves to tease me mercilessly for that one!). However, there was one day at work when I went through 3 venti caps and by the time I dialed into my end of the day conference call I was talking at warp speed and my breath was so rapid it seemed as if I'd fit in a few laps around the building before taking the call. I did a little research and was able to make the connection between my massive coffee intake and my panicked feelings. The coffee mimicked the effects of anxiety on my body - rapid breathing, heart pounding, excess of energy, jumpy, disconnected thoughts.... and I was voluntarily doing this to myself everyday! Needless to say, Starbucks gift cards now go unused - unless of course I indulge in a grande green tea.
And coffee isn't the only thing that does this to me... or to other people. Gallons of soda, tons of sweets or multitudes of sugary juices and sports drink also mimic the effects of anxiety. So, my interest in raw food is not only for my physical health, but also my mental health. It supposedly helps you dsetox and clear your mind. It makes your body strong and resiliant.. what's not to love!?
So I'm destined to hit the food store sometime in the next few days and I've been spending lots of time researching some things I can make. I've already tried strawberry and orange smoothies and I made raw cookies that looked like snowballs. So perfect seeing as I'm still slipping and sliding on ice patches every time I step outside my door (I'm beginning to doubt Spring will ever come!). My husband scoffed at them - but then his scoffing turned to scarfing and he downed half of them.
I need to stock up on TONS of fresh veggies and fruits seeing as they make up 90% of the diet. The rest is beans, tofu, soy stuff..... and I'm finding that the key to this lifestyle (hate the word 'diet') is creativity. Eating the same salad every night sounds near torturous, so it's crucial to spice it up.
So wish me luck - I think this is going to be terrific for my husband and I. As a longtime health nut he's totally game. And I'm pretty excited about detoxing my body and enjoying wholesome, natural foods the way they were meant to be enjoyed.
If you want to check it out, here's some sites I've been logging lots of time on:
http://kimberlysnyder.net/
http://rawfoodrightnow.blogspot.com/
http://www.welikeitraw.com/rawfood/2005/05/raw_food_blog_r.html
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