Wind Beneath My Wings

My mother returned back to Florida today. Her job was done. This time around. She always told me, “A mother’s job is never really done…” And once again, she’s right. My mother, the woman who taught me about being independent was independent far before it was cool or kosher to be so as a woman. Do you think she cared? Nah. Not one bit. Because she marched to her own beat, according to her values and let the world know what she thought along the way. You’ve got to admire that. Especially since she is now 76 so that means she was waaaaaaaaaay ahead of her time! My mother always wanted to finish school, so she went back to school in her 40’s and obtained a degree in nursing. She had stopped college years earlier when my father was sent to war in order to stay home and raise my brother. But once all of the kids were older, she went back to college, got her degree and worked at a local hospital for about 15 years. Of course, I am sure she never thought that she would end up using her nursing background to take care of my father during his tough battle with pancreatic cancer later in life. Nor did she expect to use it again to care for her youngest daughter during her leukemia battle (8 years remission this past May) or this past week when I needed to have surgery. I am so thankful to have her as my mother. I am so thankful for her love and guidance and advice (most of the time) over the years. And, while Mother’s Day has passed, I want to pay tribute to my mother, today. Mom, I love you. THANK you. You are the wind beneath my wings. The saying goes, “God gave me wings so that I could soar, but mom, you taught me how to fly.”

I mentioned earlier that I was going to start writing about some of my favorite things. Sometimes it will be a product, sometimes it might be a place, or sometimes it could be a product or thing–like a movie. Today, however, it is about a recipe. A HEALTHY recipe from a friend of mine Allison Reyna whose life mission is about helping people use food as medicine. As a single, working mom with kids on the go, the following recipe is easy, healthy, and full of protein, good fats and complex carbs. Plus, it stores well in the fridge or freezer. Just pop them out when you need them. So, here it is. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

No Bake Almond-Oat Energy Bites

(Makes 24 1-inch balls and takes < 30 minutes to make!)

2 ½ cups rolled oats (regular)

½ cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

2 Tbs. cocoa powder

½ cup raisins or dried cranberries

1 Tbs. raw sunflower seeds

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ cup almond butter

1/3 cup + 1 Tbs. honey

2 Tbs. barley malt syrup or brown rice syrup

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Optional: ¾ cup cacao nibs

(I also throw in some dried blueberries, and mini dark chocolate morsels!)

Directions:

1. Grind ½ cup oats, ¼ pumpkin seeds and 2 tbs. cocoa powder in food processor until powdery. Transfer to medium bowl and set aside.

2. Combine remaining 2 cups oats, remaining ¼ cup pumpkins sees, raisins, etc. and cinnamon in large bowl. Stir in almond butter, honey, barley malt or brown rice syrup, and vanilla until soft dough forms.
3. Moisten hands and roll dough into 1 inch balls. Coat balls in oat-pumpkin-cocoa powder. Place on cookie sheet. Place cookie sheet in freezer to set, then serve or store in fridge.
4. And– oh yeah, enjoy!

P.S. If you have allergies, food issues, weight loss goals, energy problems, or are battling an illness, I encourage you to seek guidance from a nutritional counselor. There is power in the right foods.

I got the “tri-bug” year before last. I fell in love the competition aspect of it—and the thrill of beating a previous time. I like the intention and goal setting of planning my training each week. I like the forced balance it provides by alternating cardio between swimming and cycling and running. Had it not been for triathlons, I would have never climbed on a bike or started doing laps again in a pool. I’ve really started enjoying both of those additions to my training. And, I rarely have knee issues running any more. So, tri training is fun. It makes me intentional. And I can compete with myself –or race against others. I was just starting to ramp up my spring time cardio routine for a summer of triathlons.  Then…life happend.  I learned that I needed to have surgery. It’s been a possibility for a couple of years. This time, however, I wasn’t bummed or upset about the news. No roller coaster of emotion. The Q to my doc was, “How long before I can train again?”  I had to smile. I’ve come a long way… “ain’t nothing gonna break my stride!” So what did I do? After looking at the optimal time to juggle work and line up summer driving for my kids’ activities, I searched the net for a local triathlon! I wanted to get at least ONE in this season. Found one that was two weeks away. It was last Sunday. The Saturday before was a gorgeous day. And Sunday? I woke up at 4:30 to cold, rainy weather. Oh well—I wanted to race. Never raced in the cold, so what the heck? A new experience.  My 10 year old daughter went with me to watch. The swim leg went well. The bike ride was…well, cold, windy and wet! I slowed down my transition a bit to add some arm warmers and a sleeveless jacket. I felt the cold, rain pelting me like little needles and yet– I had to smile. I thought, “I’m here. I’m STILL here. I get to FEEL this rain. I get to push it.” I had a blast. When I came in to transition from the bike to the run, there was my little girl standing on the corner in the rain, holding an umbrella, shouting, “Go MAMMA, go!” Just what I needed. Those words of encouragement fueled my run. I finished 2^ndin my division. Cool. Maybe I will get another race in late summer/early fall. And maybe not, but that’s OK. There’s always next year. As I was running today, Natasha Bedingfield came on my ipod. You know the song, Unwritten? “Feel the rain on your skin, no one else can feel it for you, only you can let it in….live your life with arms wide open, today is where your book begins—the rest is still unwritten.” I felt the rain on Sunday. It was glorious. And today, I watched the trees dance while I ran along the creek and inhaled nature’s honeysuckle perfume…with arms wide open. It was awesome.

For one, we can change our lightbulbs. CFLs (compact fluorescent lightbulbs) reduce pollution by using 75%LESS energy than reguarl lightbulbs! If we each replaced ONE, we’d save $60 mil in energy costs. I bought a bunch of these and then as my regular bulbs went out, I replaced them with CFLs one by one. Now I have a complete CFL household! For starters, try GE Energy Smart Spiral (26 watts but = 100 watts of the old kind), costs about $5 and you can get it at Home Depot or try www.gelighting.com for a list of stores. Another one to try is Sylvania Supermini with 13 watts (= 60 watt regular bulb). This one costs about $8 for three and you can get it at Amazon.com. Then there is Westinghouse’s “mini-globe” which is 9 watts (= 40 watt bulb) for about $16 at www.servicelighting.com .

Be a friend to a farmer and get local, organic produce delivered to your table weekly (or maybe you pick up). Either way, join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and you can help cut down on energy used to transport food across the world AND use of pesticides and dangerous chemicals used for conventional farming.

Next time you invest, consider a company that is committed to using less energy. Money speaks volumes, folks. With so many choices out there, the power has shifted from the COMPANIES to the consumer. Let’s make our voices heard. We can make a difference.

Another thought–kudos to everyone recycling your water bottles. I require my kids to always bring them back home to recycle when they are out and about. BUT, there is a better way. Sipping water from a safely reusable metal bottle. I put a filter on my tap water. Whole Foods has a special plastic bottle made from a material that won’t break down during washing so it can be used multiple times AND recycled.

If you have some other good ideas, I’d love to hear them. Remember every conscious effort DOES make a difference. Commit to the change, one action at a time. We can make a better earth.

Know your family history. How did your mother’s two aunts die? And Uncle Julio? Knowing this helps you prepare an informed health preventive plan for longer term life and fulfillment. Check out the U.S. Surgeon General’s Family Health Portrait site at: (familyhistory.hhs.gov ) . It has easy instructions.

Know your waist to hip ratio. Why? Because it is the best test to predict heart attacks. Measure the smallest point of your waist and the largest part of your hips. Then divide the first number by the second. A ratio of .8 or lower is good.

Know your body compensation. A normal BMI (body mass index) for women is between 19-25. To test for body fat, your gym can use calipers or a bioelectric impedance analysis. Your family doctor can do this also. Here is a BMI calculator from the American Heart Association.

Your resting heart rate. How do you do that? Measure it first thing in the morning. Count it for 60 seconds, or just count for 10 seconds and multiply by 6. A healthy pulse is between 60-80, or even lower for athletes. That means your heart doesn’t have to work as hard to move oxygen throughout your body. http://www.americanheart.org

Know your cholesterol levels. When is the last time you had this checked? It’s a simple, quick and very informative test. You should do this at least every 5 years beginning at age 20. Shoot for saturated fat being less than 10% of your total caloric intake and strive to eliminate ALL trans (partially hydrogenated or fake) fats. Read labels. Products can say “0” trans fats and yet still contain trans fats in it (they lower the servings so they can say that). www.americanheart.org/transfats

For a good starting point for healthy living, check out the recommendations for the health related numbers, exercise and diet tips from the American Heart Association. Get moving today. Your body will thank you. AND, so will your children.

For more information and facts about heart disease, visit Dr. Oz’s recommendations found at: http://www.oprah.com/health

Isn’t it amazing how we can hold on to worries, fears, regrets….and then revisit them over and over?  We get real good at dwelling on issues that are long past or do not benefit us.  On the other hand, have you noticed how you feel when you just let it go? Do it today. Release–and, inhale. You suddenly have “room” to breathe. You smile. You relax.  As you go into your Friday and weekend, try it.  Let go of negative emotions and old hurts…or anything/anyone that brings you down. Just let it go. And breathe. Deeply. Repeat. And, enjoy!

Several friends of mine have asked me to share my personal snack options….Oh my…how much time do you have? ! Being a food fan, I love to eat–so I was thrilled when years ago, I learned how A.) more muscle = more calories burned (muscle is metabolically active) and B.) eating through the day helps keep your metabolism running. I’ve been on the snack attack for over 15 years now and truly it IS enjoyable! Now, I DID have to make some adjustments to my 3 primary meals so I didn’t add calories to my day, but most days I eat 5-6X a day. What I eat for snacks is where I get the most variety in my diet.  And for me, variety is truly a spice of life. Sort of reminds me of my weekly workout plans….but, I digress!

So, here are examples of my mid meal snacks or mini meals:

PB or Almond Butter and half a banana or granny smith apple (sooooooooo satisfying!).

Apple or gluten free (I’m one of those sensitive to gluten gals) waffle with honey or agave nectar drizzled on it.

My own crunch mix: Barbara’s Cinnamon Puffins (gluten free, good fiber, natural ingredients), almonds and/or 1/8 cup pumkin seeds, + some dried cranberries or cherries for a little tart.

1/4c nut mixture of almonds and pumpkin seeds and cranberries. (Ok,  I AM a chocolate lover so if I want a little treat, I take a bit of sugar free dark Godiva chocolate, melt it, and mix in dried cranberries and then freeze it to harden–then I leave it in the freezer so when I eat some, it takes longer to melt in my mouth….!)

Air popped or microwave popcorn (but not from a bag but Presto Microwave Popcorn Maker about $10 from Wal-mart) and a spray of olive oil, light salt or a Ms. Dash flavor like chipotle for SPICE, or a little parmesan. You can even throw in cranberries again for a little salt and sweet blend. I buy my dried fruits organic with no sugar added or sulfites.

Hummus with raw veggies or wheat free crackers/pretzels.

I also get the low sugar oatmeal and a scoop of protein powder (Biochem is my current fave in ….yeah, chocolate), plus a few dried…yeah, cranberries again. I throw them and some protein powder in a baggie and take it to work, then add hot water and mix it all together.

Ideally for me, I am looking for a mix with carbs and protein and if I can squeeze in some good fat or fruit for antioxidants, even better.

And then of course, there are protein bars….but that’s a whole other blog or two!  They make it really easy for a mid morning snack if you are on the go or at the office.

I DO find, that if I am rushed and I miss my morning snack and have had a lighter primary meal, I start to run low since my calories are down, so I do try to think ahead and be prepared. When I can keep food intake at regular intervals, I find my energy levels are constant throughout the day.

Hope you had a great Monday.  Set your goals for this week, plan your meals, your workouts, and count your blessings.  Live FIT, be STRONG, and LAUGH often.

-Lisa 

 Yup, today was a good one.  Got up early enough so neither I nor my kids were rushed, made us all some protein pancakes (gluten free) and two fruit servings (have to get a leg up with my kiddos in order to get them to 5-6/day!). I was able to SIP (big difference between sip and gulp) two cups of green tea, then head out to run.  Just me and Chris. Daughtry, that is.  (http://www.myspace.com/daughtry )  Newly added to my ipod.  (Which is a whole other story for my technically challenged self.)  But, back to me and Chris. What a great a.m. album to run to.  His easy rock fit my morning PERFECTLY! The weather cooperated with me, upper 50s—you know against the wind you need a light jacket and with the wind—ahhh. So me and Chris, beautiful morning, and a light breakfast eaten early enough that it fueled my run just perfectly. It was one of those perfect mornings. Blue Jays called out to me the entire run. And, I was fast today. I was faster and it felt good and it was AWESOME. I ran and grinned like a crazy woman. Glad to be here. Glad I can run. Glad for the day. Glad for my kids. Yeah, it was a great run. Oh, and glad for Chris providing great company along the way. Good tunes. Plus, I was home and in front of my laptop by 8:15 and at my daughter’s soccer game by 10:30. Not every run is like that. But when it’s good, it is oh-so-good.

“No matter our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born.”  Dr. Dale Turner

Stay Strong and Happy Saturday!