in praise of slowness

My healthy habit this week is to slow down and eat with awareness.

To eat more slowly, I am putting my utensil down between bites and taking  a breath. I want to relax during my meal and enjoy my food. I try to notice whether I am  chewing my food thoroughly.

I struggle with eliminating distractions. I want to listen to a program or watch a video while I eat. I notice I don’t always chew my food completely before swallowing. I race as if someone will steal my plate!

Give slow eating a try and join the conversation over at 50Fit.

In a world where we want it NOW, here’s a delightful TED talk in praise of slowness:

learning to change

How are you doing on New Year’s resolutions? It might be more effective to start smaller and go longer. I’ve tried the “whole life renovation” method and my results have been pretty inconsistent. So I am starting smaller. And yes, it’s still January. So start. Don’t wait until next year.

1. Pick something you’ve been meaning to do. And just for kicks, pick something you can complete in less than 5 minutes. For me, drink more water.

2. Make it stupid-small and very very specific. You’d think “drink more water” is specific enough, but it doesn’t tell me how. It works if I’m standing in front of a water bubbler all day. So I modified it to “fill my water bottle”.

3. Hook it to an existing habit. When am I always in the kitchen, near the bottles and the water? When I make my morning coffee. Bingo. This will work.

I thought about this while out for a run. How about take some spring water up to my office? That doesn’t work if I leave the house. I want to make sure I drink the water, not just carry it into my office. So I stuck with the original formulation. And to be on the safe side, I made a Post-It note to remind me. I think I’ll put it on my coffee can.

This week’s micro-habit: when I make my morning coffee, fill my water bottle.

FullSizeRender

What micro-habit can you choose that improves your health? Carry on the conversation over at 50 Fit.

21DSD mind games: quieting the alarm

How does your thinking affect your choices?

Easy Lean

mind games: when I think about eliminating foods from my menu, it triggers “scarcity brain” – I feel the urge to eat more of the Yes foods than I probably need and in the past, I’ve overdone it when trying out new ingredients (everything swimming in coconut milk; all almonds all the time).

This 21DSD, I’m trying something different. I will focus on the positive – the abundance of healthy, nutritious, delicious foods that are always available to me. I want to reframe my thinking so I keep my brain’s alarm system from ringing: I’m not eliminating food, I’m choosing better food. I’m not losing weight; I’m improving my health.

Science is showing us that our brains change according what we focus on – and that we can guard against the brain’s natural bias towards the negative, by choosing our thoughts. Eating is one of the most intimate acts of…

View original post 46 more words

21DSD T-6 Sugar, it’s not me, it’s you.

pure paleo 30

Bacon, Avocado & Olives

As 2014 winds down, I am reflecting on my intentions for 2015. I’ve declared that I’m done struggling with food cravings. After all my holiday treats, I feel a little gross. Starting 5 January, I am leading a 21-day Sugar Detox with a group of friends who want to kick sugar cravings to the curb. Easily. With kindness. With nourishment. This week is “Prep Week.” I’m looking at recipes and planning my “re-entry” from the holidays. I want to make this as easy as possible. And preparation leads to success.

Find Out More Here!

If you’re not entirely sure whether you need a sugar detox, take a moment to answer the following questions from Diane Sanfilippo’s book, The 21-Day Sugar Detox:

  1. Do you crave sugar all day, every day—or even a few times a week? I’m talking about candy, sweets, chocolate, or lots of fruit.
  2. Do you crave carbohydrates? These include…

View original post 150 more words

rowing sprint intervals 1:3

Fire breathers:

  • 10 rounds on the C2 rower of:
  • Pull a sub-1:25/500-m pace for as long as possible
  • Rest 3 minutes

Scale pace as needed so that first interval can be maintained for approximately 1 minute.

Scaling for the rest of us

Pack
7-10 rounds
Pull a sub-1:45/500-meter pace for as long as possible. Rest 3:00.

Pups
5-7 x 1:00 sprints
Pull as close to sub-2:00/500-meter pace as possible. Rest 3:00.

Note: warm up first!

21DSD – T-7 One week away from Day 1 (Monday, 5 January)

I’m thinking about ways I can make this program easier: I will succeed at three week sugar-free me.  I’ve joined the official program at the basic level, so I can have access to the 21DSD forum. Join Here!

Identify your why

  • why are you doing this? What do you want to get out of it?
  • what are you willing to put into it?
  • how do you plan to stay on track? do you have a reminder system? A buddy?  Come join us at 50 Fit.

Learn from the past

  • What have you tried in the past?
  • What worked? What didn’t?
  • Think about how you can apply what you’ve learned. Write some notes to yourself.

Read the instructions in 21DSD

  • choose your level (keeping in mind the phrase, “don’t be a hero”)
  • look at the yes/no lists for your level
  • do you need an energy modification?

Plan for your success

  • when you are most successful, do you follow a meal plan? or do you like to play the “What’s for dinner” guessing game?
  • when do you usually shop for food? How often?
  • do you like to cook? When are you going to prepare your meals?

Look ahead! 

  • What can you do this week to make next week easier?
  • Can you use next weekend to prepare some meals in advance?
  • Decide if you want some more support.  You can join the program here:

Click Here!

stop lying to yourself. it’s not too late to make a difference.

We lie to ourselves when we say, “it’s too late for me.”  This story seduces us into inaction. THIS interesting story suggests that regret begins to set in around age 50.  But if you want to make a difference, our age is our advantage.  In this powerful new Tedx Talk, heart doctor Jonathan Sackner-Bernstein shows how our brain power increases after age 50 and why we primed for our most successful years yet.

Skills + experience + wisdom = success. 

faster results, less time

I had a great time coaching at CrossFit Scheveningen today – showing the athletes Tension Release Exercises™ – a wonderful way to help your muscles recover more quickly after a workout.

Today I tried a 2k “burst” session instead of a steady row.

  • 60 seconds warm up
  • 30 seconds hard
  • 60 seconds recovery

Repeat 30:60 intervals until done. Cool down for a minute if you’ve finished on a burst interval.

2k-erg