Neck Update/ 2 new Friends!

I realized I should give an update on the neck problems I was having last week. Last Monday I saw a chiropractor for the first time. I visited Andy Rosser at the recommendation of one of my co-workers. He was kind and gentle and not at all scary. Two things he recommended that have seemed to help were switching from hot packs to  ice packs (my trusty bag of edamame works great!) and using a ball to do stretches on my back muscles. My neck is slowly but surely getting better, and I am finally returning to my normal life.  It's still not perfect, but it's a lot better, and it feels great to be able to do some of the active things I enjoy.

Do the Best You Can and Don't Worry

Recently when I was looking for a birthday card, I found a postcard that has a message that I think is a really important to keep around: "Do the best you can and don't worry".  I can think of few phrases that hold as much personal meaning for me as this one. It is a horrible habit of mine, and I suspect of many people, to dwell on the ways that I'm not successful or on things that might go wrong rather than focusing on what I have accomplished and all of the wonderful people and experiences I have in my life. The saddest part of this habit is that when I spend my time worrying about what might happen or focus on the ways I feel like I've failed, I don't get to fully enjoy or embrace the life I'm living right now. I put the post card on my refrigerator to look at when I start to feel anxious or when moments of self-doubt start to cloud my thoughts. I kind of wish I had a whole box of these postcards so I could give one to everyone I know, since it seems like many of us could use the reminder.

Eating Tomatoes

I'm adding a new goal this week- Goal#39- which is to add  tomatoes to my diet at least 3 times a week. I love tomatoes and I'm always happy to eat them, but I often forget to have them on hand for adding to salads, sandwiches, and other dishes. Tomatoes are known for being rich in antioxidants, especially lycopene. Lycopene from tomatoes has been studied as a preventative for breast cancer and has also been positively associated with cardiovascular and bone health. Some studies have indicated that humans absorb lycopene more readily from cooked or dried tomatoes than from fresh tomatoes, but I'm not going to limit myself either way on that front.  I'll eat fresh tomatoes when they're good and switched to canned or dried tomatoes when they're not.  I do wish that I'd made this goal earlier in the year, as tomato season has just about ended, at least in the area where I live. I will be snapping up the last of the local cherry and sungold tomatoes and looking forward to nest year's crop.

Vitamin D

As I have mentioned previously, I am not a big fan of supplementation and I try to get the nutrients I need from the food I eat. One vitamin that I have been reading a lot about lately, however, is vitamin D. Studies have linked vitamin D deficiency to a host of physical problems, and although the research isn't conclusive, it does seem likely that vitamin D plays a role in improving immune functioning and in strengthening bone and muscle in the body. Unfortunately, unless you live in a really sunny climate, eat a lot of fatty fish, or consume a lot of vitamin fortified foods like cereal, it is hard to get enough vitamin D without supplementation. Since I always wear sunblock, only occasionally eat fatty fish, and rarely eat fortified cereal, I've decided to make Goal# 37 to take a daily vitamin D supplement. Since vitamin D is fat-soluble, it is important not to take too much. Unlike high doses of vitamins like B&C, which you will pee out if you take too much, vitamin D gets stored in your body and can cause problems if taken at really high doses (the current upper limit recommended by the Institute of Medicine is 4,000 IU a day for adults but toxicity is generally observed at much higher doses). Still, I'm going to play it safe and stick with 2,000 IU/day.

An Apple A Day

Alright, as cheesy as it is, I'm making Goal #34 to eat an apple every day at least through the end of this year (in Washington, due to amazing storage technology, apple season can go almost into the spring, but I will probably stop eating one every day once they start getting mealy and old-tasting). Research has shown apples to be beneficial for lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol, improving overall cardiovascular health, regulating blood sugar, and providing anti-cancer benefits. Some links about apple nutrition and health benefits, here, here, and here. They are also tasty, filling, easy to transport, and inexpensive (at least where I live). I feel really fortunate to live in the apple capital of the world, as we have so many varieties to choose from. This morning I had a Honeycrisp apple with some quinoa, walnuts, cinnamon, and a little agave syrup. It also looks as though you get pretty much the same benefits from eating apples raw or cooked, as long as you keep the peel on, as that is where many of the nutritional benefits are found.

Welcome Back and Happy Birthday Self

Wow, it's been a long time since I posted on this blog-just about 3 weeks. Happily, the reason I wasn't posting is that I was enjoying myself in Hawaii! One of the goals I made before I left for my trip was to try at least one new activity before the end of the year. In Hawaii, it was easy to meet this goal, as I tried a lot of new things. Snorkeling was my favorite new thing I tried, and since I did it without fins, it was great exercise too! I saw many beautiful fish, tons of coral, a few eels, and even some sea turtles! I also tried some new foods: Ono (a delicious type of fish that I had grilled on a salad), green papaya slaw, lilikoi (also known as passionfruit), ahi poke (raw tuna salad with yummy marinade), rambutan (a fruit that looks scary but tastes good), and laulau (in this case they were little bundles of root veggie wrapped in taro leaves). I also ate lots of fresh ripe papaya and pineapple. Lastly, I officiated a wedding, which was a very exciting and fun experience. Getting away was so refreshing and relaxing, and even though I didn't maintain some of my usual goals (going to the gym, riding my bike, eating blueberries, etc.), I feel like the mental health benefits were so great that it far outweighs any physical health benefits that I may have missed out on for a few weeks. Now I'm back and ready to start working on my health and blogging about it again, and right in time for my 39th birthday!

Changes

Lately I've been noticing that my body is starting to look different than it did back in January when I started this blog. My clothes sit in different places on my body, and I can see muscles and definition where I didn't see them as much before (especially in my shoulders and legs). After a few questions from family members about how much weight I've lost, I decided to weigh myself on a proper scale. I don't have a scale in my house because I don't want to obsess about my weight, and so I hadn't weighed myself in a few months. On my last visit to the Y, I got on the scale and I was surprised to find that I have actually lost a fair amount of weight. I want to point out that I have not been trying to reduce my caloric intake or forbidding any particular foods (with the exception of beer, which I decided to take a month long break from last week). I've just been eating tons of healthy food and exercising more than I used to. After noticing that I had lost some weight, I decided to check my measurements. I recorded them 2 months ago when I ordered a dress, so I have a recent record to compare to. Since the beginning of June, I've lost an inch from my waist and hips, two inches from my bust, and (thankfully), no inches from my biceps. I hope I can keep getting strong and fit as the year continues, developing muscles where I didn't have them before, and increasing my endurance and flexibility. I'm also excited for the next time I visit the doctor for my annual blood work, etc. to see how my dietary and fitness changes have impacted my blood sugar, cholesterol, etc.

Taking An Afternoon Off From Everything

I haven't posted in almost a week. I've been busy being on call for work, and it was kind of a doozy of a week. When I am on call, even at the times when I don't get called in to work, I just can't relax. Being on call is very draining for me, and at the end of it, I always struggle for a few days to try to figure out how to recharge my internal batteries. This morning, after I was freed of my on-call responsibilities, I was feeling kind of at loose ends about what to do with my day. My body felt too sore to paddle or go to the gym, and my spirit felt too disrupted for me to believe that starting a house project was a good idea. What to do? What I really felt like doing was taking a nap and then laying out in the sun with a book, some popcorn, and several glasses of iced tea. And that's what I did. I just took the afternoon off from everything and it felt great. Being "lazy" is usually hard for me, but like savasana (the relaxation pose at the end of many yoga practices), I think taking time to relax may be just as important for a healthy mind and body as being active and productive is.

Necessity Is...

This week I got a bit of a sunburn on my back when I was working in the yard. Although I was wearing sunblock, there were a few spots I just couldn't reach. When I was talking to a couple of my co-workers about their weekends, they also mentioned getting burned on their backs in spots they couldn't reach.  If only someone would invent a tool for spreading sunblock on hard to reach spots, I thought...
This week, I made it my goal to figure out a way to get sunblock all over my back for those times when I'm alone and want to be out in the sun, and today I accomplished that goal- with a kitchen spoon! Before I went out on a fabulous after-work paddle, I wrapped a paper towel around my spoon, secured it with a rubber band, and loaded it up with sunscreen. I was able to reach my entire back easily, and didn't get a burn despite being out for an hour and a half. When I told Zach about my exciting discovery, he asked me why I didn't just use the spoon without the paper towel. I was worried about getting the spoon messy with a non-food product, but since my sunblock is largely olive oil and smells like mayonnaise anyway, maybe next time I'll try doing exactly that. Whichever way I go, it is nice to be able to spend the afternoon alone in the sun and not have to worry about having a red and uncomfortable sunburn on my back as a result.

Unintended Side Effects of Goal #6

A few days ago I went in for a dental cleaning. I may not have the straightest teeth, but I feel lucky that I am blessed with good dental genetics- the dentist always raves about my deep roots ( he once told me "you know, we never get to see teeth like yours in real life, only in text books when we were in dental school"). Maybe because of this, I work hard to take care of my teeth, and make brushing and flossing a priority. In January when I gave up chewing sugarless gum, I was a little concerned that it would decrease my dental health. I have read that chewing gum stimulates saliva production, which is helpful because saliva minimizes bacteria in your mouth and also contains substances that help prevent tooth decay and gum disease. When I gave up sugarless gum, I was also worried about having bad breath. I drink coffee and eat lots of fragrant foods, so I decided to carry a toothbrush and toothpaste in my bag and brush whenever I felt like I had yuck mouth (on average I'm probably brushing twice a day more then I used to). Fast forward six months, and as the hygienist starts to clean my teeth, she says "have you changed your dental routine since your last cleaning? Your teeth have virtually no stain or tarter on them at all. They look really great.". What exciting news to find that in giving up sugarless gum, I also unintentionally improved my dental health! Looks like I can keep smilin' and keep saying no thanks to artificially sweetened gum.

The Elusive Perfect Sunscreen

This week's goal (number 24) is to wear sunblock every day, especially on my face, chest, and arms.  This goal is a little bit of cheat since I have already been doing this for a couple of months, but I'm adding it to the list because I want to make sure I keep doing it. When I made Goal #17 (to check the Skin Deep database for toxicity/product safety information), I knew that finding a sunscreen that I liked that also met my safety standards (below a 4 on Skin Deep's rating system), was going to be a challenge. The sunscreen I was using at that time is rated a 6, and it smells great, rubs in easily, and does a great job of keeping me from getting burned. I really loved it, but at a 6, it's a little high for me to want it to put it on my skin every day. I finally used most of it up, and decided it was time to try to find some new, safer sunscreens.
Badger Sunscreen Lotion SPF 16 (Skin Deep rating of 2) is new, and unlike other Badger sunscreens I've tried, it rubs right in and leaves my skin soft and silky (not greasy). When I fist put it on, the smell reminded me a little of mayonnaise, and looking at the ingredients, I realized that's because the second ingredient is olive oil! While is doesn't smell as delicious as the sunscreen I used to love, it also doesn't taste disgusting when I get it on my lips. At this point, it has also replaced my daily facial moisturizer and is doing excellent double duty as a sunscreen/moisturizer. It doesn't have quite the SPF I would ideally use, but for my daily life it's adequate.
The other sunscreen I'm trying, Alba Botanica's Fragrance Free Water Resistant SPF 30 (Skin Deep rating of 2), is the one I'm using when I'm spending lots of time outdoors (paddling, yardwork, etc.) and expect to be sweating. It definitely performs like I'd expect a "natural" sunscreen to: it's fairly greasy, makes your skin white until you rub it in thoroughly, and is a little tough to apply to hard to reach spots like your back. Still, the few times I've tried it out recently, it has done an excellent job of keeping me from getting burned, even without reapplying, and despite its name, it has a nice, nutty smell.
Have I find the perfect sunscreen yet? Nope, and maybe I never will, but at this point I'm happy to have found a couple of sunblocks that are a lot safer than what I was using before and also work fairly well.

Hats Aren't Just For Looking Stylish

Today when I was getting a haircut, the stylist commented on my sunburned scalp. I am so responsible about wearing sunscreen that I rarely get burned anywhere else, but I have to admit, that my poor scalp often gets burned when I am doing yardwork or having fun out in the sun. So my goal for this week is to remember to wear a hat (or put sunblock on my part) at times when I am going to be spending significant time in the sun. Just because a sunburn is in a place that you can't easily see it (like on top of your head), doesn't mean that you aren't increasing your risk of skin cancer every time you get burned. I would never allow my nose to get a horrible burn on it week after week, and yet I allow this very thing to happen to my scalp. Wearing a hat should be pretty easy to remember, and I usually keep sunblock in my bag for times when I am unexpectedly enjoying some time in the sun; I'll just have to remember to put it on top of my head too! I love this hat because it's light and cool (it's made of straw), and the brim also gives me some protection for my face.

Silly Kitchen Tip #1

Ok, this is a funny little post- not really about health or fitness, but I just wanted to share a kitchen tip that I learned a couple of years ago and use all the time. See how close that little hedgehog is to my kitchen sponge? That's because my kitchen sponge smells good enough to be that close. My kitchen sponge used to start smelling gross before it would wear out. I always felt bad about throwing it away and starting another one, but I also guessed that whatever was causing that smell wasn't good to be rubbing on my dishes and counter. I've never been able to get my dishes as clean with a dish cloth, so I wanted to keep using sponges, but I didn't want to be wasteful either. Happily, I learned that you can kill the bacteria that cause stinky-sponge by getting the sponge really wet and microwaving it for 3 minutes. Pretty cool, probably more sanitary, and makes sponges last a lot longer.

Epic Paddle

Today I went for a really long (and physically exerting) stand- up paddle with my friend John. We left from Boston Harbor Marina at about 10:00 am, and paddled toward the Evergreen Beach via Eld Inlet. We made it almost all the way there, but finally turned around when we started feeling tired and sunburned. Overall, we probably did about 3 1/2 solid hours of paddling- since we were fighting the tide and also dealing with some pretty intense wind and boat wake, it was pretty slow going crossing over to Cooper Point. There were a few moments as the waves lapped over my board that I actually felt scared, and I had to use all of my core and leg strength to keep from falling off my board. At one point, I commented to John: "Maybe we should go back!", but I was glad we pushed through. Once we got to Eld Inlet, it was a nice, relaxing paddle, and we took a few breaks for snacks, re-sunblocking, and enjoying the beautiful sound. We saw a few seals, lots of jellyfish, and a couple of flocks of seagulls (ha!). Coming back in was also really hard work, and at the end I felt glad to be done. This was by far the longest paddle I've done, and while I enjoyed it very much, it was a hard, intense workout. It's now 9pm, and I still feel a little like I have wobbly sea legs. But I also feel very proud to have accomplished a physical feat that a year ago would have seemed impossible.

Skin Deep

As is evident from previous posts, I think a lot about the food I put into my body. I prioritize eating food that is high quality, organic, and minimally processed. As far as I'm concerned, the fewer ingredients in a food product the better; if I don't know what something is, I don't want to eat it.

So why is it that I haven't given the same attention to the body care products and cosmetics I use on the outside of my body? While I do tend to buy "natural" body care products, many of them have long lists of ingredients that I know nothing about. I also have at times purchased products that I know are likely to be full of chemicals that aren't good me. For a long time, I have wanted to be more aware of what's in the products I use, and make better, safer choices for myself and for the environment (after all, the issue is not just putting harmful chemicals into your own body, but also that harmful chemicals continue to be manufactured due to the demand for products that contain them).

A few months ago I found a website to help me in achieving my goal to make better decisions when purchasing body care products- it's the Environmental Working Group's cosmetics database Skin Deep. This database examines and rates nearly 80,000 body care products and cosmetics based on the safety of their ingredients. According to this website, in the United States public health law allows:

Almost any chemical as an ingredient in personal care products

Misleading and incomplete labeling of ingredients

Unsubstantiated claims about product benefits

No required safety testing of products or ingredients

When I checked out some of the products I was using, I was shocked to discover that the haircare product I was using received a score of 9 (with 10 being the most dangerous rating). Wow, that was a wake-up call! The database has a lot of great information about how to choose safer body care products, specific chemicals to avoid, and a section that is organized by common (and dangerous) chemicals in products for specific parts of the body (teeth, hair, etc.).

So adding to my list of goals for the year, I'm going to check the database for information about body care products before I buy them, and try not to purchase anything with a rating over 4. Why 4? While I would ideally love to eventually get to a place or using products that have scored only a 1 or a 2, I think I will have better success tapering off gradually, and a 4 seems like a realistic starting place for me.

Do Walnuts Look Like Brains Because They Are Good For Brains?

I recently read an article about Alzheimer's disease that helped me decide to recommit to eating nuts. In the article from Vegetarian Times, the author examines dietary and environmental factors that contribute to the development of Alzheimer's disease, and makes recommendations for foods that can help protect you from developing Alzheimer's disease and sharpen your memory in general. One of the recommendations the author makes is to add a small quantity of nuts to your daily diet, since nuts contain ample amounts of Vitamin E:
"...Vitamin E is your fire extinguisher. It is a powerful antioxidant—it neutralizes free radicals. You’ll find it in spinach, mangoes, and sweet potatoes, and in much larger amounts in nuts and seeds.

It makes a real difference. In the Chicago study, people who ate these vitamin E–rich foods had less than half the Alzheimer’s risk, compared with people who were missing vitamin E. The amount that made a difference was 8 milligrams per day—which you’ll find in just 11/2 ounces of almonds."

One of my favorite ways to enjoy nuts is in a snack I call The Scone Substitute. I started eating The Scone Substitute as a way to stop myself from eating pastries mid-morning at work (which I totally love, especially scones). Somehow, this combination usually scratches my itch for a bready sweet treat, and it combines three foods that are excellent for me- blueberries, yogurt, and nuts. 

The Scone Substitute

6oz goat yogurt (or other yogurt of your choice)

1/2 cup blueberries

1/4 cup toasted walnuts

Mix together and enjoy!

Toasting nuts really brings out their flavor, and I think it is worth the few extra minutes it takes. Toasted nuts are also a great addition to salads, particularly those with fresh, tender greens and fruit.

How to toast nuts

Skillet method: Heat a dry skillet on the stove. Add nuts and stir frequently until toasted.

Oven method: Heat oven to 300F. Put nuts on cookie sheet and toast in oven, shaking pan occasionally until nuts are toasted.

Taking Care of Business

This week I took care of some way overdue business- I finally got a referral to see a massage therapist I've been wanting to see for at least a year. Yesterday morning I saw her and got a fantastic massage and also learned some stretches for parts of my body that have been giving me discomfort. Afterwards, I felt like that kitten there on the left. Why did I wait so long? Oh well, happily, goal #12 is now accomplished!

Keep it Clean

Yesterday before my yoga class, I was in the restroom that adjoins the studio. A woman used the bathroom, came out of the stall and blew her nose, and then proceeded to go into the yoga class without washing her hands. What went through my mind were all the things she touched (and potentially covered with germs) just in the time I saw her in class- the door handle, the yoga mat (many of the mats belong to the studio and are reused by other students), a couple of yoga blocks, a blanket. It's no wonder that so many people in Olympia, and indeed in the US have been hit with the flu already this year. Many people do not seem to think of their own bodies as potential vectors for disease, and are not as careful as they could be about exposing others to their bodily fluids. I wish I could post a copy of this friendly raccoon poster in every bathroom I'm in, with the hope that it would encourage more people to take the time to wash their hands. You can do a lot to try to stay healthy (including always washing your hands before eating), but when there are people around you who aren't observing basic disease prevention methods, it gets a lot harder to stay well. The Minnesota Department of Health did some observational studies and found that many people do not wash their hands after using the restroom, even at huge public events like the State Fair. Yuck! So if other people aren't going to take the time to wash their hands, make sure you do. It's a simple and effective way of keeping yourself healthy.