Swept Up In The Fall Funk? Here's How To Beat it!!!

The fall season is officially upon us....and before October was over, stores had already put up their Christmas decorations and started advertising their Black Friday specials.  If you are a parent, then your kids are racing from one event/sport/class to the next and of course they have to "keep up" with so-and-so.  And even without kids, this season is one of stress and chaos from all directions if you let it become that.  Winterizing your house, your car...buying gifts for Christmas...keeping track of holiday parties to attend and planning out what you are going to bring...all of these things, in addition to everyday life tasks ~ can really burn someone out.  And it's easy to turn to food for comfort when the going gets tough.  I've put together some of my favorite ways to keep my spirits lifted and my soul charged up that DON'T involve food:

Aromatherapy:  

Here are a few of my favorites that I rotate through depending on the mood I'm in.  Christmas Wreath is actually my #1 favorite; it smells like Christmas when I was a very young girl and I had no worries or stresses at all.  The power of spruce fragrance whenever I'm stressed is amazing!  Grapefruit is just a clean, pure scent that is refreshing at any time.  And Harvest Spice is very comforting; a few drops of this oil in my diffuser and a blanket on the sofa works every time.

Audio:

Almost everyone has a smart phone or some sort of mp3 player, and audio books or podcasts are a great way to reprogram your brain whenever you are overwhelmed.  If you have a stressful drive home from work, or are waiting in a long grocery line...even a few minutes of a positive message can work wonders.  Besides the ones I've pictured above, I also listen to Chalene Johnson's "Build Your Tribe" and Lewis Howe's "The School of Greatness".  Make note of your favorites, those episodes which really speak to you and move you into a mindset of greater energy and empowerment.  These are usually free, and can be accessed whenever you need them if you download them ahead of time.

Tea:

 I know, I know....TEA?!?!  But in all seriousness, a cup of really good tea can take make just about anything better.  Unlike alcohol, tea won't give you a hangover and has many more health benefits :D  And there's something healing about the ritual of brewing a pot of tea that brings comfort to a troubled soul.   I even have a special tea cup I use to to add a bit of ceremony to the whole process, which elevates a plain cup of tea to an elegant, refreshing elixir that gives me energy.

Animals:

I absolutely love my pets.  There's nothing better than coming home from a long work day and finding furry faces waiting for me in the windows.  They are happy to see me, love me unconditionally, and don't talk back (much) when I feel the need to vent.

Coloring:

Yes, I color.  I'm not afraid to admit it.  Even if it is for just 5 minutes, the simple act of sharpening a colored pencil and using it to bring life to a flower or a leaf on a white page ~ liberating.  It doesn't take tons of brain power, in fact ~ if you turn your brain OFF, the results tend to be better.  The market is flooded with coloring books to purchase lately, and there are also many websites offering free pages to print and color.

Reading:

These are some of my "never fail" books I keep close by.  The black book on the left is "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill (not just about become financially "rich", btw).  I say "never fail" because there has not been a single time that any of these books has failed to inspire me.  If I take the time to pick one up, crack the cover, and read even one paragraph ~ I find things are suddenly a little bit easier, a little bit more manageable. 

Music: 
Music is a powerful motivator for me.  If I need to clean the house but think I don't have the energy to do it ~ I will boot up my computer and load up my Windows Music Player with a playlist specifically created to get myself moving.  My taste in music is pretty diverse!  Old school rap, some Michael Jackson, some hits from the 70's and 80's...even Michael Buble can help me get through a sink full of dirty dishes. 

Exercise:
Of course, how could this list be complete without mentioning EXERCISE?!?!  It doesn't have to be a long, sweaty session to be effective.  You can even reframe your mind to think of it as "energy work"; restorative yoga or qi gong are some good examples of "energy work" that serve to replenish your energy stores, not deplete them as an intense aerobic session might.  

Do you have any other techniques to work through a stressful time and get back to a happy, shiny outlook?  Share them below, and be sure to subscribe to email updates by clicking on the link below!  You can also follow me on Facebook at TRW Health and Wellness :D  

 

The holiday season is upon us.  And it's my favorite time of year; family gatherings, presents, parties, meals, cakes/cookies/snacks...what isn't to love?  Well....as I look back to previous years, I think of my waist line and overall weight pre- and post-holiday season.  And I recognize the common trend...an increase of several pounds, and a decent amount of bloat to go along with it.  And everyone wants to rationalize it; "you only live once", "treat yourself", etc.  But this year, I'm determined to do something different.  I'm going to be in control of WHAT I eat, WHEN I eat, how ACTIVE I am, and make sure I get plenty of water, rest, and down-time to balance out all of the hustle & bustle.  I have no desire to sabotage the balance I've created in my life thus far; hormonal balance, stress management, and proper rest are my non-negotiables!!! They MUST happen, because I won't go back to the old way of feeling heavy, tired, and sluggish.  Does this describe you?  Does this sound like something you'd like to be a part of?  Email me at TRWHealthandWellness@gmail.com and I will help you find your path thru the happy-yet-tricky-holiday season, too :D

Five Day Sugar-Free and Whole Food-Full Challenge!!!

Sooo.....I was thinking that maybe next week could be a Five Day Sugar-less and Whole Food-Full challenge for those who are interested in giving it a try. A wise woman said to me just today (and by "wise woman", I mean my friend Joan the Dietician) - "we need to reaquaint our taste buds to something less hyper-sweet". That hit me over the head like a BRICK. Last year, I did 4 weeks of a similar program, fairly intense with lots of meal prepping ~ but I bet we could do a 5 day version of it and take out some of the complicated details (she soaks her nuts and seeds, for example. I don't bother anymore). Comment below if you are interested, and I'll come up with the game plan and some sample recipes. But be forewarned...it will mean NO added sugar, NO breads, NO pasta, NO rice, NO dairy, and NO alcohol. For five days. FIVE. I think it's entirely do-able grin emoticon

Fall back into running!!!

Fall is my absolutely favorite time of year.  I love the temperatures, the changing colors of the leaves, the way the air carries a scent of camp fires, pine needles....but I don't necessarily love the smaller window of sunlight.  That being said, I will resort to using the Dreadmill in my basement to get in some cardio if I'm up before the sun is.  I've tried to follow a lot of treadmill routines, but found that they were either far too advanced or to aggressive for me to use more than once or twice.  I developed my own that satisfied my needs for a beginner program that was easily progressed, and based it off of one I found in Shape Magazine over 10 years ago.  It gives just the right blend of speed and interval work to give a nice burn, and also uses the incline feature to adjust intensity without going too fast for my beginner legs :D  This particular routine gave me a burn of just under 200 calories, and just over 2,000 steps.  Not bad for 20 minutes and 1 .28 miles.  I plan on progressing this plan in intensity and duration over the next several weeks, so check back to get the updated plan!!!

3 months....the losses and the gains!

From left to right - May 2015, August 2015.

So...the first trimester is over :D  And I'm happy to say that even though I wasn't perfect, my eating wasn't spot-on 24/7, and my workouts weren't daily and intense....I had incredible results!  13 lbs gone, and the change in my body overall is amazing.  Of course I still have a long way to go, but I'm proud of how far I've come and I'm motivated to keep going.  What have I gained?  Confidence.  Experience.  Inspiration.  Humility.  Faith.  Persistence.  I've used a blend of exercises and products along the way....Shakeology, whey protein, organic foods and produce, and lots and lots of WATER.  Who knew I could actually drink up to a gallon per day?  

The best reward of all, is the feeling I get when I help others to reach their goals.  To help them follow a meal plan.  To help them commit to a work out.  That was completely unexpected, but it is by far ~ the BEST part!  

Now, if I can only get this fitness and weight loss trend to extend to my pets....hmm....my Tanker boy does NOT appreciate my affection and resists all efforts at exercise, except for the Red Dot.  Still working on that one.  

Interested in connecting with me for your health & wellness journey?  Email me at  TRWHealthandWellness@gmail, or message me at www.facebook.com/TRWHealthandWellness

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Zucchini Lasagna

My family has been making this recipe for years....because everyone grows zucchini if they have a garden, which means that they have an abundance of zucchini mid to late summer.  And there's only so much zucchini bread that one can eat!  I made this a few weeks ago when I was prepping my food for the week.  I used a pound of ground chicken, and half of that went into chicken meatballs to snack on.

Recipe for the zucchini lasagna: 

   I used both green zucchini and yellow summer squash. Cut into slices ~1/4 " thick. Line the bottom of your dish with sauce (here's where I used the other half of my ground chicken; added it to some marinara I had on hand once the chicken was browned. Cook the sauce until it is very thick; the vegetables produce a LOT of liquid when they cook off and you don't want your lasagna to drown before it is ready to be eaten!.) Spread a scant amount of sauce in the bottom of your pan (I used a shallow 2 quart casserole, cooking for one!) and then start layering in the zucchini/squash slices. I dot small layers of ricotta, Parmesan, and fresh mozzarella on top of the slices. Spread a layer of the sauce on top. Repeat the layers until you are satisfied ~ I usually get 3 layers. Top the last layer with more cheese (as much or as little as you'd like, I tend to be sparing). 

  I used my toaster oven @ 350 for ~30-35 minutes so that I didn't heat up the entire house on an 85+ degree day. It is done when the knife goes through the layers quite easily. Let it stand until the juices reabsorb to prevent it from being a soggy mess :D

 I almost never follow a formal recipe, just go with what I like and try to keep it healthy. I don't season my ricotta; there's a lot of flavor in the sauce and I try to keep the sodium down. I use fresh basil whenever I can, especially in sauce. I think I tossed in a handful of baby spinach leaves with the marinara, too on that particular day.  Enjoy!!!