Music to Move to

I have what some of my friends refer to as a mainstream taste in music. I generally like the music that’s not considered very cool. This has been a difficult endeavor in my family because we like cool music. My parents went and saw David Bowie and Nine Inch Nails one year for New Years Eve while I was probably at home listening to Belinda Carlisle. If I have ever known of any obscure retro bands it’s because my sister put them on a mix for me or my father mentioned them in conversation and I wanted to impress him. Normally I spend my afternoons listening to Frank Sinatra and pretending he’s singing to me or rocking out to The Commodores and dancing like Britney Spears. I still love her by the way. I don’t really love concerts because I figure it’s easier to dance if I am at home listening to a CD and I love a good cheesy catchy beat so sometimes, alternative music isn’t poppy enough for me. I have a special play list on my I-pod called Marcel (it’s all music my BF would like) and it’s used for situations when we may have guests and I don’t want to embarrass myself by accidentally playing Paris Hiltons latest tune. I once made my BFF listen to Ashlee Simpson for an entire night and surprisingly we are still friends.

That being said, I secretly think my music taste is awesome and I dream about the totally cool mixes I would make for people I love. I especially love the mixes I make for myself to work out to.

Some days it's stretching or jogging and then I love a mellow, folky mix. Other days I am running or weight training and I need a fast paced mix to rock out to. I also really love walking and running to This American Life podcast. If you haven't tried it, I highly recommend. I have found that when I use music to inspire me, my workouts are better. This week I encourage everyone to get out your CD's, walk-mans or i-pods and find the music that helps motivate you.

“All I have to say about these songs is that I love them, and want to sing along to them, and force other people to listen to them, and get cross when these other people don’t like them as much as I do.”

And with those wise words from Nick Hornby, I present to you my current favorite exercise playlist. Feel free to listen, ignore, laugh, or like me, Love. But whatever you do, let this update be motivation for you to find what your own music to move to is, and then… move to it!

• Somebody to Love, Justin Bieber and Usher
• Rude Boy, Rhianna
• Lady (you bring me up), The Commodores
• California Gurls, Katy Perry
• Juan Loco, Rodrigo and Gabriela
• Knock you Down, Keri Hilson, Kanye West & Ne-Yo
• Fighter, Christina Aguilera
• I'm Gonna Be, The Proclaimers
• Single Ladies, Put a ring on it
• The Sweet Escape, Gwen Stefani
• Donde Quiero Estar, Julieta Venegas
• PYT, Michael Jackson
• You belong with me, Taylor Swift
• All of me, Michael Buble'
• Somebody Loved, The Weepies
• Have a little faith in me, John Hiatt
• Long time nothing new, Pete Yorn
• Imagine, Jack Johnson

Summer Seasoning

Today, for one moment, the earth’s axis was tilted as much towards the sun as it will be all year. Summer solstice marks the longest day and the shortest night of the year, the day when summer begins.

I had the pleasure of sitting outside in the sun today for about 30 minutes while Coco ran around the dog park and there was something special about the sun today. There was wind, yes (it’s San Francisco) and I was bundled up, but I tilted my head and closed my eyes and felt that the sun was there just for me, just for that moment.

In Latin, the solstice is called Sol Sistere, which means, sun that stands still.

Usually you will hear of parties and BBQ’s and giant celebrations for the solstice. It used to be an even more exciting event because it signified all those yummy summer fruits and vegetables were finally here. Now because we have imported peaches all year round, we forget that they are seasonal.

Today while I was enjoying that glorious moment of stillness I started musing about seasonal foods. When we eat foods that are seasonal we are nourishing our bodies with the food that was made from the same sun that nourishes us. Ok, I know that food grown in Spain is being grown with the same sun. There is only one. But when I think about the dirt and the land and the water and the air and all the other factors that go into the farming of a sweet pepper or a tomato, it just kind of makes me smile to think I could be eating a tomato that was hydrated with the same water I drink. Or I could be savoring a plum grown in the same air that I breathe. I wonder which vegetables were being given life by the still sun as it nourished me today? I bet those are some damn fine vegetables.

This week and for the rest of the summer I invite you to try eating seasonally. Eating seasonally doesn’t mean you have to spend your paycheck on organic watermelons from the ferry building farmers market. There are local farmers markets where you can pick up some really good deals. This website local harvest, lets you search for markets in your zip code and then gives you a little description about it. I quite like the one here at UCSF on Wednesdays.

Something to think about is if you are buying from a farmers market you probably don’t need to buy 10 of something. The taste of a freshly picked peach is so exquisite you will probably find that you only need one or maybe two. J

Even if you can’t get to a farmers market, try to eat seasonally and pay attention to how it makes your body feel. There is something light and perfect about a tomato and basil salad, or grilled summer squash or prosciutto and melon or a big slice of watermelon. These are the foods to help remind us that it’s summer and that this is all just a big cycle. We are part of the life on earth and instead of always fueling our bodies with artificial ingredients, why not try giving it what Mother Nature intended.

Be Good to your Body, it’s where you Live

Don't give up

I just got home from the orthopedic doctor and I am typing this wellness update with one hand. I was given the unfortunate diagnosis of wrist tendonitis. Tendonitis is doctor speak for, “There is nothing I can do. Get ready to ingest your weights worth of ibuprofen because this ain’t getting better any time soon.”

If that’s not clinical enough for you, tendonitis is the inflammation of the tendon/s in a joint and it is usually caused by overuse. It is also extremely painful and super slow to heal. I am sure many of you will be able to commiserate with me. It’s pretty common to get it in the wrist, elbow (tennis elbow), ankle or knee.

Because it is also so very painful I am unable to perform the most basic of wrist movements. This has obviously given me a new perspective on my health. Having an injury is terrible and it can become an excuse to get down, apathetic and even depressed. My entire exercise routine is out. I can’t do push-ups or sun salutations or even basic bicep curls. I can’t lift weights for my clients and I can barely tie my own shoelaces.

So basically, these are my options:

• Give up
• Don’t give up

Here is my case for Give up:

“My wrist really hurts and I hate this. I hate change. It took me so long to get that exercise routine that I love into my daily ritual and now I have to give it up. I don’t like any of the other kinds of exercise. I don’t have time to hire a trainer or watch a new DVD or learn something new. I am scared, really scared of trying a new exercise. What if I get hurt again? What if it’s my other wrist? What if I try a new exercise and I am really bad at it or it’s too hard? I would rather just stay at home and feel sorry for myself and eat ice cream and be miserable because having an injury is sucky times 100 and I am over it.”

Here is my case for Don’t give up:

“Wait a minute I almost forgot that I exercise for many reasons and wanting to have sculpted arms is only a very small one. I would miss the energy I get from brisk walks or the burn I feel from squats. This is a perfect opportunity to try something new. Maybe I should take that dance class, no need to put weight on my hands there. Perhaps I need to slow down and listen to my body more and work on adapting my movements to help my wrist heal, instead of yelling at it for being sore. I move so fast and I am constantly on the go, it’s no wonder I hurt myself. If my body has to induce pain in order for me to slow down, ask for help and take care of my body than I had better listen to it. Maybe it’s time to add exercises into my life that are healing, not hurting”

I am not saying that it isn't awful to have an injury. It is. That’s why you should say my trusty give up speech (or one of your own) out loud should you ever be unfortunate to have something keeping you from moving. And then when that’s good and out of your system I would like you to say your reasons to not give up. Feel free to use mine or write one of your own. Make sure to say it out loud. Then, I recommend you take a nice long look at your super speed life style, move a step back, smell some roses, take a deep breath and find something you can do that doesn’t involve you elbow, ankle, shoulder or whatever. Then, you should do it.

Oh, and don’t forget to ice it too.

Be Good to your Body, it’s where you Live

Everything is Amazing

About a month ago a friend of mine forwarded me a video clip of a comedian on The Conan O’Brien show. The video clip was titled, “Everything is Amazing.” I am going to provide a link to said video clip at the end of this article so skip ahead if you like, or feel free to wait until the end. This comedian, Lewis CK is kvetching about how everything is amazing and no one is happy. He goes on to talk about how amazing the miracle of flight is and how happy the lives of those with cell phones are, and how miserable it was to dial a rotary telephone. And he is right, it’s more than amazing, it’s freaking unbelievable that we can fly through the air. Who do we think we are? Superman? It’s blows my mind when I think about how my cell phone is able to call London or how instant message chatting works. How does it work? No, don’t tell me, it still won’t make sense considering I never learned how to make my VCR record. Even the VCR I had to give to goodwill last year because Netflix doesn’t send VHS, is amazing.

This phrase, “everything is amazing” has come to be a bit of catch phrase. This weekend while out of town for work we used it constantly. The hotel was amazing, the missed plane in Chicago was amazing, and the rental car one-way highway robbery price was also, amazing! I got back home on Saturday night and when asked by the BF how my trip was, I replied, “Everything was amazing!”

Since then I have been musing a lot on this idea and I have come to realize that it’s not just our new technological advances that make everything great, it’s who we are. We, as a species are amazing. Our bodies are amazing, even cooler than flight as far as I’m concerned. Think about it…

Starting from the simplest thing: I can breathe without thinking about it. I can decide (without my conscious knowledge) that I want to type on my computer and my hands will open my laptop, push the button and go. Let’s get a little more complex, I can get a paper cut and my body will heal itself. WTF?!! That really is amazing! I know that there are scientists and doctors and geniuses (many of whom are reading this) who will say, “Sarah, it’s not really that amazing, there are perfectly good explanations for why/how the bodies heals itself. There are a million definitions for why a 145 lb woman can lift a car if her baby is under it. And it is really quite simple to explain how a baby is born.”

Sure, you are right Mr. or Mrs. Scientist; there are a million reasons, answers and explanations. I have books and books and books of information telling me all about bio mechanics and why it is that are bodies are able to punch a bag, jump over a rock or metabolize a piece of toast, but even with all of those books, and journals and Internet sites, it is still no less amazing.

I don’t think that people actually appreciate just how freaking cool the human body is. We may appreciate it from afar. You may read this article and agree with me and nod your head, but will you bring it home? I don’t mean the actual article. I mean will you look down at your own hands and think, “wow!” Will you have a little freak out moment when you pay attention to your eyes that are reading this and your mind that can comprehend it? Will you do a little hop down the street just because you can? Will you stand up after reading this and give yourself a big good morning stretch because it feels so good? I hope that you do.

It is so easy to think about and remember the things that we find, not amazing. It sucks that my knees hurt, my metabolism is slowing down and my butt is sinking towards the floor. And whatever your things are, they suck too. There will be another article on another day telling you to embrace the stuff that sucks. Today I want you to think about all the stuff that’s amazing. Because I know that there are a ton of things about you that are capable, strong, flexible, and yes, you called it, amazing!

Everything Is Amazing Video

Be Good to your Body, it’s where you live.

What a waste.

I just returned from a most wonderful Memorial Day weekend in Santa Monica. I was visiting one of my bestest gal pals and her new baby. Well, sort of new (8 months). Anyway, there was a ton of inspiration and you will probably hear me referencing the trip for at least a few weeks.

One of the things I was inspired by was said pals hubby and his environmental ways. He is super green. He never forgets to shut off lights, he unplugs things and he recycles everything! I was uber impressed. He uses the old coffee from the morning for iced coffee in the afternoon (which is now my favorite thing by the way). And he also hates wasting food so he makes sure to eat everything before it goes bad. And this is when I had to pause. Sometimes he will even eat food he’s not particularly fond just so he doesn’t waste it. He has even been known to eat something when he isn’t hungry in order that it not go to waste.

Ok, I don’t like wasting food either. It really bugs me when I can’t finish produce before it goes bad or when I have to throw out the milk because I didn’t drink it fast enough but I would rather waste food by throwing it in the bin than waste it by throwing it down my mouth.

I think that there are many people who share Jorge’s views. Do you have any memories of your mother telling you to finish your food because somewhere a starving person would kill for it? Do you feel obligated to eat food someone has given you so it doesn’t go to waste? Do you clean your plate because it would be wasteful to throw it away? Do you worry about how much something cost and feel guilty if you were to throw it out?

When you eat something because you don’t want to waste it, you are still wasting it. You are wasting it in your body. Why is it better to put something you don’t like, aren’t hungry for or just don’t want, in your mouth than in the garbage?

I am not saying that you should be wasteful and throw food away like it’s sand on the beach, I am just saying pay attention to why you are eating something and think about what I am saying. Whether you put it in the bin or in your mouth, if you don’t want it or need it, you’re wasting it. That is what the green bin is for.

Be Good to your Body, it’s where you Live

In a Fog

Last night I made myself a bowl of popcorn (my favorite nighttime snack) and sat down to watch a movie. I remember the first few bites of the popcorn and then it all sort of became a blur. I don’t remember eating it but after awhile I looked down and all I found were un-popped kernels. I had eaten an entire bowl of buttery, salty popcorn (I am talking about a big bowl, think large dinner party salad serving bowl) without even noticing. I have a vague suspicion that you have done this before. No?

I certainly have. I have finished off buckets of popcorn before the opening credits and wondered where it all went. I have polished off a granola bar on my way to work and then promptly forgotten if I had eaten anything for breakfast. I have stuffed myself at a restaurant while I wasn’t paying attention and gotten full from nothing but nibbles while cooking.

Brooke Castillo (a life coach who specializes in weight loss) refers to this as “fog eating” and she makes the case for why it’s no good. When we eat in this kind of a fog, it’s like we are eating behind our own backs while sleeping. If we can’t remember it, we probably weren’t enjoying it and most likely it wasn’t doing us any favors in the health department (not many people are prone to fog eating broccoli).

Brooke has names for other types of eating too. She categorizes them into four groups; Fuel Eating, Joy eating, Fog eating and Storm eating.

Fuel eating is just like it says on the tin, fuel. Food is meant to perform a job in our bodies. When we hire good employees, (vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, lean proteins and fiber) we get good results and a more efficient healthy machine. You know when you are fuel eating because you are hungry, you are making healthy choices and you feel good when you are finished. I don’t just mean you feel good about yourself as in self-righteous because you ate something green, I mean your body feels whole and healthy and satisfied.

Joy eating is also pretty self-explanatory. It is when you are eating purely for joy. You know the kind. For me it is when I am savoring the goodness of copa mista gelato. For you it might be cheesecake, butter, potato chips, candy or bacon. It’s food that isn’t really helping you any in the health department but is giving you pleasure when you eat it.

Storm eating is that kind of powerhouse eating that happens when we aren’t hungry, we want to stop eating but we feel as if we can’t. Have you ever continued to eat the french fries on the table even when you knew that you didn’t want any more? Have you ever gone a little crazy on trail mix or sees candy and found that even though you were fully aware of your eating and really wanting to stop, you just couldn’t? It’s kind of like fog eating except you aren’t in a fog; you know you’re eating but feel powerless to put the fork down.

I would love for everyone to pay attention to these four eating habits this week. See how often you eat for fuel and how often you eat for joy. If your joy-eating ratio is three times as much as your fuel, you might want to be aware of that. If you can catch yourself in the act of a fog, well you might want to pay a little more attention to that bag of chips. Do you want to eat the whole bag? If you do, then joy away but if you don’t, it’s probably better to be conscious of it. I also think that if you put a name to that french fry munching behavior (storm) you are less likely to feel out of control and powerless against them.

The first step in being mindful of our eating habits is by being mindful. Notice how you eat and how you feel when you eat and you will probably make healthier choices. This does not mean that you are going to stop eating cupcakes; it simply means you will enjoy them more.

Be Good to your Body, it’s where you Live

Gym Block

This weekend I had a bout of writer’s block. I was sitting at my computer thinking about this weeks’ article and wondering how on earth it was going to happen. This will happen occasionally, this writer’s block. When it does I can sit for hours staring into space drinking coffee and water as my mind wanders to grocery lists, to do lists and what I should wear to the movies next weekend.

Lucky for me a friend of mine just gave me a book with a lovely piece of advice in it about writers’ block. The book states that I should put a little frame, sans photograph on my desk near my computer. Nothing grand, just a one-inch frame. It is there to remind me that all I need to complete is one-inch worth of writing. A few sentences or a description of a character. Maybe the way the sky looked that day or a couple lines of dialogue. Whatever it is, it’s not very much, it’s not very daunting and it is entirely do-able.

This got me thinking about the gym and exercise. Unfortunately so many people have the same writer’s block about fitness that I sometimes have with these articles. You buy the Nike shoes and the I-pod and you join a gym and you want it, you really want it. You want the end result. You want the hot body, increased flexibility, stronger arms, no more back pain, knees that don’t give, size whatever jeans, clearer skin, increased energy; you want what it says on the tin. If you do this, you will receive all these benefits, that’s what the magazine said!

So why then are we so afraid to go? Why is it so ridiculously hard to get to the gym? Why is it so hard to sit down and write? What makes me choose emails to friends I haven’t written to in years or cleaning out my jewelry box or reorganizing the linen cupboard? What makes us purposely forget our gym bags on the way to work? What makes us just have too much to do?

I think it’s the dauntingness of it all, the idea that we have to achieve everything today! I will lose 10lbs today! I will lower my blood pressure today! I will run a marathon today!

With that kind of pressure, it's a wonder you get anything done at all.

Think of the gym like my little picture frame. All you need to do is get there. Walk through the doors and step on the elliptical machine. Just do 5 minutes. If that’s all you can do, then get off it and get back to work/home/school and know that you are healthier.

You don’t need to look at the end result, this isn’t about the day when you have achieved everything you’ve dreamt of. This is about living in the now and doing what you can right now. It’s no big deal; it’s just going to the gym or going for a walk or a class or whatever you do for your workout. It’s easy peasy. Tell yourself it’s that easy. It’s just a few inches or a handful of minutes.

Maybe using something like my picture frame will help you. How about a bottle of water? On days when it’s just not happening, bring a bottle of water with you to the gym and drink it while you exercise. When it’s finished, you are too. You are obviously welcome to refill it and stay longer but maybe that’s all you can do today.

Make yourself a few mixes on I-tunes. Make a couple 5-minute mixes and a 10, 15, 20, and 30-minute mix. When you go to the gym, start with what you can handle on that particular day. Maybe it’s just a 10-minute day, that’s cool because you have a mix for that. Maybe that was enough and if it was, congratulations for making it on a day when you might have otherwise flaked. Not done yet? Listen to the 5-minute one, ooh want some more, well great, cause you have a couple more 5-minute ones.

When the alarm clock goes off and you just can’t get out of bed, when the day is just rubbish and you have a pile of work falling out of your in box, when you feel drained and un-energetic, when everything in your life is pulling you away from health, just remember the picture frame. It’s just one-inch.