Make a Fitness Tradition

The holiday season is probably the biggest time of year for traditions. Just yesterday, my family and I gathered together for the traditional Christmas-time assembling of the pasteles (a Latin American dish typically comprised of a soft, savory green banana mixture wrapped around a meat filling). We make enough for all the households to split, store in our freezers and eat throughout the year. 

Traditions can be very hard to resist. Once we get in the habit of doing something at the same special recurring moments, those habits come to represent the moment and we may come to view them as inseparable from the time. While long-held traditions play an important role in our histories, families & memories, my favorite kind are the new traditions. The ones we are inspired to create somewhere along the way, as we move through life.

Today I'm inspired to share a tip with you for making fitness easy and fun by harnessing the irresistible power of traditions. Traditions can be about anything. They can be made for any reason, at any time. So then, why not make a fitness tradition?

The holiday season is probably the biggest time of year for traditions. Just yesterday, my family and I gathered together for the traditional Christmas-time assembling of the pasteles (a Latin American dish typically comprised of a soft, savory green banana mixture wrapped around a meat filling). We make enough for all the households to split, store in our freezers and eat throughout the year. 

Traditions can be very hard to resist. Once we get in the habit of doing something at the same special recurring moments, those habits come to represent the moment and we may come to view them as inseparable from the time. While long-held traditions play an important role in our histories, families & memories, my favorite kind are the new traditions. The ones we are inspired to create somewhere along the way, as we move through life.

Today I'm inspired to share a tip with you for making fitness easy and fun by harnessing the irresistible power of traditions. Traditions can be about anything. They can be made for any reason, at any time. So then, why not make a fitness tradition?

Season of Giving: Everyone Wins!

With the passing of Thanksgiving and the start of December, the Season of Giving has officially begun. This year, with the holiday season in full swing, in the wake of Hurricane Sandy and on my second year of cancer-versaries, I feel that Giving Feeling in the air, now more than ever. 

Every year around this time we see, hear and read countless messages proclaiming the importance of giving back and urging us to give. This year, for example, the 92nd Street Y in New York launched its nationwide, social media-based, philanthropic movement, #GivingTuesday, in which more than 2,000 organizations participated. Lately it's gone a step further, with theories and research studies suggesting physical, mental & emotional health benefits of giving (as illustrated by this 2009 Forbes.com article). 

Whether or not there are health benefits to giving is completely beside the point. Giving a little of your self every now and then may not necessarily make you a happier or healthier person overall but at the very least, it certainly helps the person or organization you are giving to and most likely will make you pause just long enough to put your own life and problems into perspective. Not to mention, giving can be contagious and inspiring or at least just make others smile (by now you must have seen the story of the police officer who bought the shoeless homeless man all-weather boots on a cold November night). 

There are a number of ways you can give.

With the passing of Thanksgiving and the start of December, the Season of Giving has officially begun. This year, with the holiday season in full swing, in the wake of Hurricane Sandy and on my second year of cancer-versaries, I feel that Giving Feeling in the air, now more than ever. 

Every year around this time we see, hear and read countless messages proclaiming the importance of giving back and urging us to give. This year, for example, the 92nd Street Y in New York launched its nationwide, social media-based, philanthropic movement, #GivingTuesday, in which more than 2,000 organizations participated. Lately it's gone a step further, with theories and research studies suggesting physical, mental & emotional health benefits of giving (as illustrated by this 2009 Forbes.com article). 

Whether or not there are health benefits to giving is completely beside the point. Giving a little of your self every now and then may not necessarily make you a happier or healthier person overall but at the very least, it certainly helps the person or organization you are giving to and most likely will make you pause just long enough to put your own life and problems into perspective. Not to mention, giving can be contagious and inspiring or at least just make others smile (by now you must have seen the story of the police officer who bought the shoeless homeless man all-weather boots on a cold November night). 

There are a number of ways you can give.

What's Really In Your Favorite Chinese Dish?

Hello everyone,

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving surrounded by family and friends.

This week, I'm keeping it short, sweet (& spicy) and to the point. I've come across a nice resource I want to share with you, called Restaurant Confidential: Chinese Restaurant Food - Wok Carefully. This guide from Nutrition Action Healthletter breaks down the nutritional profile of "a few dozen popular dinner-size dishes from a typical Chinese restaurant menu." Find out the calories, saturated fat and sodium content of some of your favorite Chinese menu items so you can make an informed meal-time decision the next time you go for Chinese food.

This informative piece by Jane Hurley and Bonnie Liebman also provides some useful tips, like this one:

Hello everyone,

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving surrounded by family and friends.

This week, I'm keeping it short, sweet (& spicy) and to the point. I've come across a nice resource I want to share with you, called Restaurant Confidential: Chinese Restaurant Food - Wok Carefully. This guide from Nutrition Action Healthletter breaks down the nutritional profile of "a few dozen popular dinner-size dishes from a typical Chinese restaurant menu." Find out the calories, saturated fat and sodium content of some of your favorite Chinese menu items so you can make an informed meal-time decision the next time you go for Chinese food.

This informative piece by Jane Hurley and Bonnie Liebman also provides some useful tips, like this one:

Piece o' Pumpkin Pie: 10 Tips for Tackling Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving is less than a week away and all around me people are starting to put their holiday plans into action, heading out of town and picking up their groceries for the big meal. The long holiday weekend and going back home can mean slipping back into old habits, for better or worse, but spoiling all the work you've done for your body and health doesn't have to be a requirement of Thanksgiving Day. In fact, it's a great time to practice enjoying yourself while still maintaining your healthy habits. You should absolutely enjoy the foods you have been waiting for all year long but that doesn't mean you need to end up feeling bloated & regretful a week from now! So, let's check out some of my tips for Turkey Day. 

Thanksgiving is less than a week away and all around me people are starting to put their holiday plans into action, heading out of town and picking up their groceries for the big meal. The long holiday weekend and going back home can mean slipping back into old habits, for better or worse, but spoiling all the work you've done for your body and health doesn't have to be a requirement of Thanksgiving Day. In fact, it's a great time to practice enjoying yourself while still maintaining your healthy habits. You should absolutely enjoy the foods you have been waiting for all year long but that doesn't mean you need to end up feeling bloated & regretful a week from now! So, let's check out some of my tips for Turkey Day. 

Join Me on the Next Step of This Voyage!

Hello Friends,

I hope that you and your loved ones made it through Hurricane Sandy safely and are receiving the support you need.

It has been a few weeks since my last post so I'll catch you up on what's been going on.

At the end of October I took a short break from posting to focus 100% on studying for my Dietitian Registration exam. That break was extended when my husband and I ended up temporarily moving out of our apartment as an indirect result of the hurricane. My test was initially canceled due to the storm but eventually I did take and pass the RD exam. So, now I am officially a Registered Dietitian!

It has been a long road to get to this point.

Hello Friends,

I hope that you and your loved ones made it through Hurricane Sandy safely and are receiving the support you need.

It has been a few weeks since my last post so I'll catch you up on what's been going on.

At the end of October I took a short break from posting to focus 100% on studying for my Dietitian Registration exam. That break was extended when my husband and I ended up temporarily moving out of our apartment as an indirect result of the hurricane. My test was initially canceled due to the storm but eventually I did take and pass the RD exam. So, now I am officially a Registered Dietitian!

It has been a long road to get to this point.

In Season: Brussels Sprouts

Last week I discussed one of my two favorite fall foods, sweet potatoes. This week I'm back to talk about the other food I get excited for every autumn: brussels sprouts. 

Brussels sprouts are a cruciferous vegetable. This family of plants also includes broccoli, kale, bok choy, cabbage, cauliflower, arugula, kohlrabi, collards, mustard greens, radish, rutabaga, watercress and turnip. Existing research has shown a link between cruciferous vegetables and protection against cancer, just one of the reasons brussels sprouts are so great.

Last week I discussed one of my two favorite fall foods, sweet potatoes. This week I'm back to talk about the other food I get excited for every autumn: brussels sprouts. 

Brussels sprouts are a cruciferous vegetable. This family of plants also includes broccoli, kale, bok choy, cabbage, cauliflower, arugula, kohlrabi, collards, mustard greens, radish, rutabaga, watercress and turnip. Existing research has shown a link between cruciferous vegetables and protection against cancer, just one of the reasons brussels sprouts are so great.

The Food That Tames My Dark Side

Believe it or not, I have a little bit of a dark side. Yes, I do my best to stay positive at every turn but when the cold weather and the frenzy of the holidays comes around, I have to admit, even I can get a little cranky.

That said, there are definitely some things that get me excited for the holiday season. I don't know about you, but many of the things that get me in the wintertime mood are food-based (of course!). As my boots and sweaters get folded back into my regular wardrobe, I start fantasizing about fireplaces (a rare treat), red wine and traditionally cold-weather produce like sweet potatoes & brussels sprouts. I know, I know, it's not cookies or cakes or giant birds, but I really do just melt at the thought of a bowl of mashed sweet potatoes - - nature's candy! 

Believe it or not, I have a little bit of a dark side. Yes, I do my best to stay positive at every turn but when the cold weather and the frenzy of the holidays comes around, I have to admit, even I can get a little cranky.

That said, there are definitely some things that get me excited for the holiday season. I don't know about you, but many of the things that get me in the wintertime mood are food-based (of course!). As my boots and sweaters get folded back into my regular wardrobe, I start fantasizing about fireplaces (a rare treat), red wine and traditionally cold-weather produce like sweet potatoes & brussels sprouts. I know, I know, it's not cookies or cakes or giant birds, but I really do just melt at the thought of a bowl of mashed sweet potatoes - - nature's candy!