Tag Archives: wellness

Why Sleep Is Important

All this “I’m so tired, I can’t sleep” business has me humming Sarah McLachlan in my head this week. That is, when I’m not accidentally putting my foot in my mouth. I’ve had a few shining moments—by which I mean hilariously close calls.

I never mean to say stupid things, but when anxious or put on the spot, I often blurt out the first thing that comes to mind.  I swear, sometimes I feel like every day is another adventure in “Oh no she di’int!”

Dear Jess:
Sometimes a nod-and-smile is sufficient.

It seems my appropriateness filter runs on adequate sleep. Anyone else have that problem?

Here are some other reasons sleep is important…

sleep

Source: http://frugaldad.com

I will never understand…

…how some people manage to leave the house without breakfast. Or at least how they leave without any intention of putting something in their stomach before lunch. Let’s forget for a second all that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” stuff and just talk  about habits/wiring. As someone who was not born with the ability to be polite on an empty stomach, sometimes I feel like I’m in the minority. All you non-breakfast eaters, how are you not ready to gnaw off someone’s arm?

steel-cut oats with pear, dried apricot, flax & chia seeds and cottage cheese, topped w/ PB2 sauce

If I’m running late in the morning, it’s usually because I was eating. To save time, I make breakfast the night before or make larger batches and separate leftovers into single servings so I can just reheat, eat and go.

 

Do you need to eat breakfast or do you feel okay without it? 

The Future

I was recently asked if I’d share this info graphic on obesity, and I thought it was definitely worth passing on. America’s future.

Medical Coding Career Guide

What do you think of America’s future and obesity?

1,000th Post!

Good times in Greve, 2010

Wow, guys—this is my 1,000th Keeping It Real Food post! Where has the time gone? So much has happened since I began this blog in 2009 when I went back to school. I just wanted to say thank you so, so much for sharing the journey with me. So far so good. I continue to be surprised, humbled and amused on a daily basis : )

What are you grateful for today? 

How badly do you want that cookie?

How do you choose your snacks? Are you a planner or a grabber? I tend to look at snacks as fuel to keep me going through the long stretches between meals. I try to keep healthy options handy so I don’t have to over-think it or stress over finding something at the last minute.

While I can’t say I ever think about how far I’d have to walk to burn off, say a yogurt, I’m always amused (and vaguely horrified) by lists that detail how hard you’d have to work to balance out the calories in various high-cal snacks. In this month’s Nutrition Action Healthletter, the folks at the Center for Science in the Public Interest gave us a glimpse into how much physical activity it would take to burn off some popular snack foods.

Five Guys Fries : 620 calories (Regular size – 9 oz.) = Bicycling for 1 hr. 35 min. (9 mph)

Starbucks Cinnamon Dolce Latte w/ Whipped Cream :: 410 calories (Venti – 20 oz.) = Jogging for 50 min.

AMC Popcorn, no added ”butter” :: 410 calories (small – 6 cups)= Low-impact aerobics for 1 hr. 15 min.

Panera Chocolate Chipper Cookie :: 440 calories (1 cookie – 3 oz.) = Brisk Walking for 1 hr. 30 min. (3.5 mph)

Crumbs Bake Shop Red Velvet Cupcake :: 500 calories
(1 cupcake – 5 oz.) = Strength Training for 2 hrs. 5 min. (8-15 reps per exercise)

Starbucks Banana Nut Loaf :: 490 calories
(1 piece – 4 oz.) = Swimming Laps for 1 hr. 15 min (not vigorously)

Smoothie King Slim-N-Trim Strawberry :: 560 calories (Medium – 32 oz.) = Doubles Tennis for 1 hr. 50 min.

Pinkberry Original Frozen Yogurt :: 370 calories (Large – 2 cups)= Elliptical Trainer for 1 hr. 5 min. (moderate effort)

From Nutrition Action Healthletter March 2012
*Arizona State University Healthy Lifestyles Research Center

Marathon Fuel

After a few social weekends, I stayed close to home Saturday to get some work done. I had a few exciting projects that needed my attention, so after an early hot yoga class, I  settled in for a productive day.

Post-sweat-lodge yoga glow. Be glad you can't smell through the computer screen...

Breakfast: pumpkin-flax oats in a nearly-empty peanut butter jar

Fueling your brain and body for a marathon work session (especially after a workout) with balanced meals is important. Luckily, I had a lot of pre-prepped ingredients and leftovers on hand to keep me going without cutting into my time too much.

A mix of proteins, carbs and healthy fats keep you satisfied and energized, and adding fiber-rich fruits and vegetables help keep you full longer so you can stay in the zone. I don’t know about you, but nothing frustrates me like a grumbling stomach when I’m trying to work!

Spaghetti squash with tons of leftover veggies, kale, peas & parmesan—whatever works

Lazy-person's shakshouka

I did go out on Friday night to see Pina with a few friends who had been wanting to check it out. If you haven’t seen it, it’s wonderful. I’m not normally someone who gets into movies about dancing, but it’s so engaging and truly beautiful to watch. After getting a lot done today, it looks like Saturday may involve an outing after all, at least for a little while. Tomorrow’s another busy day!

What are you up to this weekend? What do you eat when you need to work for a long time? 

Prediabetes: What you need to know

Don't wait 'til you have diabetes, y'all. Find out your blood sugar levels.

You know your cholesterol levels, so why not your blood glucose levels too?

Type 2 diabetes was recently thrust into the public eye when Paula Deen announced she has been living with the disease for 3 years. However, something we hear about far less frequently is prediabetes.

The CDC estimates that some 79 million Americans over the age of 20 have prediabetes, which is defined as consistently elevated blood glucose levels (fasting blood glucose of 100 – 125 mg/dL or A1C of 5.7% – 6.4%) that are not quite high enough to qualify for a diagnosis of diabetes. That may not sound like such a big deal, but it can significantly up your risk of cardiovascular disease and other long-term damage in addition to  paving the way to full-blown diabetes.

The good news is that if you find out your numbers put you in the prediabetic range (many doctors say “borderline high”—ask for specific numbers), you can do something about it. Getting blood glucose levels under control is key, and many people are able to do that through a healthier diet and exercise.  Your doctor may also prescribe a drug such as Metformin to help lower blood glucose levels.

Don’t wait until you’re diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. Speak with your care provider at your next appointment about your blood sugar levels and how to keep or get it into a healthy range.

You can read more about diabetes and prediabetes here.

Turn Over a New Leaf in 2012

With the New Year right around the corner (aka 2 days away), many of us are thinking about  the year ahead and changes we want to make in our lives. Have you ever thought about taking a stress reduction or meditation class to help you achieve some of your goals?

My mother, a psychotherapist based in New Jersey recently announced her winter class schedule. In January and February, she is offering classes in:

  • Smoking Cessation
  • Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction
  • Weight Control and Food Issues
  • Meditation Training

All classes will take place on weekends, and there is information on her blog regarding where classes to be held and how to sign up.

Have you ever taken a class to help you stop smoking, lose weight, or de-stress? 

Doctor's Orders


I’ll tell you a secret: I hate getting on the scale—absolutely dread it—because the number is often lower than I’d like. Though I make an effort to eat enough to keep up with my busy lifestyle, I go through phases where I have a hard time keeping weight on. 

That’s a big part of why I tend to think negatively on the rampant weight loss industry and the media’s obsession with weight loss. However, I suppose my perspective does help balance my viewpoint and requires me to take several sides of an issue into account when I read nutrition and health articles, especially those concerning weight. 
Today I had a check up with my doctor, and was frustrated to find I’m not quite where I should be. While most people would be thrilled with the prescription she gave me: “peanut butter, shakes, and ice cream,” it’s tough to consciously go against pretty much everything I hear and read. 
Guess it’s back to sneaking nuts and cheese and dried fruit into things and trying to be mindful to take in more calorie-dense foods. One good thing about having some knowledge of nutrition and how to meet my needs is that it does make it easier to know what to do to keep myself healthy. The issue, of course, is always habit, turning off the autopilot once in a while. 
Oh well, at least summer’s coming, which makes ice cream a pretty easy choice. I wish New York would adopt Dairy Queen, that’s one of the few things from the suburbs I miss!
Happy Memorial Day. Hope you have a great long weekend planned!

quote of the day

“…I mean, you get people taking a taxi to the gym! Only in America. You know, it’s not like you need to even join a gym to get exercise. Just find the nicest, most expensive gym you wish you could afford and walk to it–and then walk back…”

–instructor during a class discussion about “engage in physical activity” as part of the dietary guidelines put out by the USDA/HHS.
I was amused. She’s got a point. Living in New York, especially, it’s pretty easy to get exercise just walking around. Sometimes you get places faster that way. And besides, with all this swine flu hype still in the media, walking to where you’ve got to go is all the more appealing.