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Visit Kristina and me here from now on: www.thrive-style.com

Exercise for Your Heart

I am borrowing this from an email I got from Dr. Mark Hyman---he's got a lot of great information if you're interested in his Ultrametabolism perspective http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/

"What did our caveman ancestors know about exercise that we didn't?
After all, they didn't spend hours in the gym doing painfully long aerobic sessions.
But they did have incredible strength, speed and stamina.
If they saw a threatening animal like a saber-toothed tiger or even a hungry dinosaur coming at them...you guessed it, it was time to run, and fast.
So what did our cavemen ancestors know that we don't?
It's something I've talked about repeatedly in my books and blogs and it's the same principle that underlies my dietary recommendations.
What they did was do what their genes had evolved to do -- exert tremendous amounts of energy in a short period of time.
They didn't run for hours on end, starve themselves with ridiculous diets or lift boulders over their heads to build bigger muscles.
Cavemen followed natural cycles of work and rest, or what I call periods of exertion and recovery.
This helped them to build their reserve capacity -- their ability to exert tremendous amounts of energy in a short period of time.
Reserve capacity means your heart has the ability to pump more blood, faster in times of stress.
Reserve capacity for your lungs allows them to deal with high exertion like lifting, carrying, running or going up stairs.
And not only did this help caveman build incredibly strong hearts and lungs, but it also made them lean, fat burning machines, which I'll explain why in a second.
The big takeaway here is that if eating like our ancestors did leads to health and vitality, then it makes sense that we should exercise like our ancestors as well...just as our bodies were designed to do.
And thankfully, by exercising the way our ancestors did, we can not only spend less time exercising -- as little as 12 - 20 minutes per day -- but we can strengthen our hearts and lungs and reduce the risk of heart attacks or developing breathing problems.
You've actually heard of this type of exercise before -- it's called interval training and can have powerful effects in a very short period of time.
A few years ago, Harvard researchers published the Harvard Health Professionals Study.
After studying over 7,000 people they found that the key to preventing heart disease is intensity - NOT long-duration exercise.
What's more interesting is that in another study, researchers found that by doing the right type of interval training, people continued to burn fat for up to 24 hours after the interval training session."

Thanksgiving Tips

Happy Thanksgiving!

What are your plans for tomorrow? Joe and I are going to Penn Yan to his aunt and uncle's house. I'm looking forward to it, and I'm not ashamed to say that the only thing we're contributing is wine.

I'm in a cooking slump, and I'm looking forward to getting over it...but it's not over yet. Plus, I have always seriously disliked Thanksgiving food. I'm not a picky eater, but it seems like everything about Thanksgiving food is unenjoyable to me except the green bean casserole and the rolls (well, depending on the rolls). A few years ago, when my mom and I were spending Thanksgiving alone, we had only green bean casserole and rolls....and we watched movies all day. It was great. Thanksgiving is about the people for me, definitely not the food.

This website is one of my new faves: http://kimberlysnyder.net/

Her post from yesterday gives some really good tips for how to deal with Thanksgiving if you are trying not to overeat. Even if it's not all things you would do, maybe you would try some of it?

Haven

You know how people have certain sayings you associate with them? Like when you're in a situation and you can just hear what so-and-so would be saying to you at that moment? Well, my mom has this saying, "Home is a haven" (or sometimes it's more like, "Home should be a haven").

I never thought much about this saying as I was growing up, but now it just makes so much sense to me. I love my home---it's a 2-bedroom apartment, and it's just....nice. Sometimes people make jokes about how I don't have a lot of stuff (ok, I could use a chair in the living room, and maybe some more things on the wall here and there (in addition to Matthew's artwork and the painting my mom had commissioned for us last Christmas by Meredith Mallwitz---she's also going to be the new art director for Anthropologie at Eastview... http://www.mmallwitz.com/gallery1.html My painting is similar to Ominous).

I have things I want, and I enjoy being home and using all my kitchen gadgets. At a point, I stopped defending my lack of stuff, and just started feeling lucky that I have a home that's a haven. Plus, at this time of year it doesn't hurt that I have a heated garage :)

Eatin' Out

Have you noticed how many new restaurants there are in Henrietta? This may be a stupid question, but are there enough people in Rochester who eat out often enough to keep all these places open?

I eat out more than I'd like to (not sayin' I don't enjoy it...), but I haven't been to most of those places and they're not really on my list of places to go either. Plus, it's so easy to overeat in a restaurant. Did you know that Chipotle, although using higher quality ingredients, can pack about 1700 calories into a burrito? I'm not really a calorie counting type of person, but that seems very excessive to me. Not to mention they don't go light on cholesterol elevating ingredients or salt.... Check out this site if you want to know how much you've really eaten at Chipotle. http://www.chipotlefan.com/index.php?id=nutrition_calculator

I don't want to ruin your experiences of going out to eat, but I think it's important to be aware of what we're eating, and that's just more difficult at a restaurant. My goal for next week is to try a new recipe instead of going out to eat. I'll post what I do later---will you do it too?

Things....

Kristina and I are working on the new website, and it's ... not ready yet. But, you can go look at it---the design there right now is just a placeholder, not what it's going to look like when we're done---and it will probably change throughout the day whenever I have time to mess around with it! Honestly, it's difficult to decide...and we're working on it! Please go ahead and share your opinions or suggestions for what you'd like to see.

http://www.thrive-style.com/

Things we're planning so far:

Blog by Kristina and Lisa

What Do They Do - Interviews with local people about what they do to be healthy - we're planning to ask a dentist how he/she takes care of his/her teeth, a personal trainer what he/she does for a workout, a doctor what he/she does to maintain health, etc. If you have ideas or any people you think would be good for this section, let us know!

Our Favorite Things - Kristina and I both really enjoy trying new health and wellness products and ideas, so we're going to showcase our favorites.

Podcasts on wellness topics - We may not do this right away due to time constraints, but it's in the plan!

Video Blogs - This probably won't happen right away either, but it's in the works---demos on how to do certain things (mostly food and exercise topics).

Any more ideas? Share them with us, please.
lisa@thrive-style.com
kristina@thrive-style.com

No Luck

I went to a strategic planning session for the Autism Council of Rochester on Saturday. It was great! That might sound fake (and it might not sound like a fun thing to do on a Saturday morning), but it's not. I like being on the board of the ACR because it is such a good cause---we're not providing a service that's already being done, we're focusing on helping members of the community with autism transition from childhood and youth services (i.e. high school to the real world) to being a functioning member of society. How awesome is that? We meet once a month for board meetings and determine how to accomplish this through fundraising and programs---we're all there because we want to be and because we each have something unique to offer.

Something the facilitator, Cathy Cappella (no clue how to spell that), said really kind of stuck with me. She said that her husband always says not to wish him good luck. He thinks "luck" is more a matter of just doing what you can to be prepared and then going out into the world and taking the opportunities that are offered. I like this.

I don't necessarily think we should write off luck altogether, but I'd like to think I have more of a say in what happens to me than just blind luck. I can work on boards, like ACR, and also on other projects that help others as well as either serving me professionally or personally. Then I'm prepared to use what I've done to open and jump on opportunities as they present themselves.

What's your ideal next opportunity? How could you build yourself up to being ready for it?

Inside Outside Upside Down!

My mom wrote me an email today about her determination to feel good. It's funny how our priorities change under different circumstances. Did you know that the flu virus can manifest in your mouth as blood blisters (at least that's what it looks like)????? Well, my mom has that. She has been feeling blah and then got these sores in her mouth, which the dentist finally identified yesterday as the flu.

Anyway, her determination changed focus from whatever it was before to just trying to feel good. Her words were, "I am determined to feel good inside outside upside down!!!"

I think I am going to adopt that goal too---whatever it means for me at the time. Today it's going to be about resting. I've been going to the gym at 5am for the past week, and then to yoga after work everyday. I'm tired :)

If your only goal was to feel good, what would you do?

Courage

I wrote a post last night that I thought was about hope. I posted it, and then I re-read it and deleted it. It sounded too lecture-y to me, and it was looking from a perspective of fixing things that are messed up.

I had several interesting conversations this week, and some of them directly related to the post I wrote last night---dig yourself out of whatever you're stuck in, have hope.

But, I realized that isn't really the message I want to give.

First, most of what we see as our problems are actually symptoms of something else we should address, but when we keep pounding on the symptoms to beat them down, we get discouraged and we're missing the real issues.

Second, hope isn't about digging or desperately trying to get something.

We're always seeking answers and solutions and the magic bean that will make us achieve our wellness goals. And that's ok, because we have to keep working on ourselves in order for something to change.

I think, though, that some of the underlying factors in change are more fundamental. At least they have been for me. We have to get up everyday and go through what life we have---and sometimes as a result of human nature and the society we live in, we try things that are not successful at helping us reach our goals.

Having hope for some is ...

Going 3 days without a migraine

Walking up 2 flights of stairs

Eating 1 salad a day

Only having 19 cigarettes today

...If you have a goal, good luck. If you don't reach that goal today, keep positively and courageously working toward it.

"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying,'I will try again tomorrow.' "
~Radmacher

Satisfaction

Have you ever tried Mr. Clean Magic Eraser? I love that little thing---All of our walls are white, which is nice and everything, but for that reason it's also easy to get scuff marks on the walls and on the door. I like living in an apartment because it's easy, but because of the nature of apartments it can also get cluttered (i.e. we keep our bikes inside---which I'm planning to change by cleaning out the storage unit and making room for them there). The point I'm getting to is that every time we bring things in or take them out, we end up marking up the walls in the entryway and on the corners (ok, it's mostly Joe's fault but he doesn't know he's doing it and he has a lot of stuff he carries in and out for work). So, Mr. Clean Magic Eraser is this great little thing---you get it slightly wet and then just rub off all the scuff marks. My door is the cleanest in the whole apartment complex, and I have to resist the urge to clean up the entire hall and stairway with it.

Fortunately, on days like today when my eyes are burning, my ears and throat are itching, and my sinuses are aching (I made myself stay home from yoga again so I wouldn't spread germs---you're welcome fellow yogis), Mr. Clean gives me something productive to do while I procrastinate grading papers and researching some random stuff for people.

I have no idea why it feels so good to clean my walls---I don't get the same satisfaction from cleaning the rest of the apartment. But it's a great way for me to get in the mode of being productive. Maybe you won't find it so satisfying, but what would do that for you? All I know is that after I cleaned my walls, I was motivated to get other things done too. Kitchen, carpet, bathroom, closets....if I had started with one of those, I probably would have ended there too. But I started with the walls, and now everything is done (except grading papers...but I'm getting to that). Do you have a trick to get you started on something, wellness or otherwise?

Happy Halloween?

I am supposed to be going trick-or-treating tonight. My mom was planning on coming to Rochester today to spend time with me (manis and pedis were the plan I think). I was going to go to Best Buy and get a new hard drive so I could start the new website....

But I'm sick. So is Matthew. The nurse sent him home yesterday from school with a fever of 105. I called Steve last night to check on Matthew because I saw all this scary stuff on the news about kids dying from H1N1. In addition to that, a friend of mine who works for the NJ Dept of Health was on CBS national news talking about their H1N1 call center having received 10,000 calls about it since Oct 6 (!). Steve told me Matthew seemed fine after some medicine and time on the couch, but he'd check in today too about trick-or-treating later. At this point, even if I feel any better, I don't think I'll go.

Long story short, I'd like to thank whoever infected me at the Health Benefits Fair this week with whatever I have that I passed on to all the other people whose blood pressure I checked... :) It's actually a good reminder for me that even though I'm generally healthy, I'm not invincible.

I wanted to go to yoga today, and I could still probably make it to Best Buy and to get a pedi....but I'm trying to take my own advice and stay home to not infect other people (in addition to just feeling yucky and not being able to breathe).

If you're sick, please stay home. I'm going to---even though I don't want to.

Change of Plans

Remember when I said I was leaving RIT? Well, I was just kidding about that. Not really, but things have changed. I'm staying. I'm sure some people will ask why, and the answer is that circumstances just changed.

Kristina is great (and reminds me a lot of my cousin Kristen). Early last week she suggested I stay, and I had never considered that option after I put in my notice in August. But then HR people caught on to the idea, and I proposed a solution involving me staying to my manager. They liked it. I'm staying. I'll still be teaching online, and working at Rotork.

So, I am going to spend the next week catching up with those of you who have been neglected since Kristina started (not her fault, just because of training stuff and spending time at the benefits fair).

We'll be working as a team on the conclusion of the pilot, and also collaborating on the expansion. That should be an interesting journey, since there are over 3000 of you altogether. We're going to do a collaborative effort online with a new blog and other resources, so you can get to know both of us.

I'll keep you posted.

Rotork Friends, I will continue to be there on Friday mornings. We'll start our second annual Maintain Don't Gain Campaign in two weeks, followed by a New Year's Evolution program. So start thinking about what your goals for the new year might be!

Preference

In general, I'm not in favor of taking medicine. There, I said it. I also would rather only eat raw cashews (vs. roasted), and I don't think most whole grain cereals are overly healthy.

The reason I'm telling you this is because people frequently ask me about what I do in the realm of health and wellness (i.e. what do I eat? what do I do for workouts? ...etc.). I don't like to answer those questions because then people turn it around on me, saying I'm giving them advice that isn't practical. But I wasn't actually giving advice---I was just talking about what I do when asked.

This happened two days ago at the RIT benefits fair---Kristina (the new coach, have you met her yet?) and I were set up taking BP and body composition (boring, but easy). The table next to us was manned by the Better Me program, and one of my very good friends who works for them chatted with us throughout the day. Not only did she make sarcastic (jokingly, of course) comments at lunchtime when Kristina and I did not grab one of the boxed lunches, but she also made sort of a scene to passersby saying the wellness coaches don't eat. Later, she handed me her bag of snack mix and asked me if it was something I would eat. I looked at it and said no. She asked why, so I told her why. Then she got all offended-acting about it because I had said she was eating something bad.

She said, "I'm just not going to ask you anymore---you always (?) tell me what I'm eating is bad."

I said, "I didn't tell you this is bad. You just asked me if I would eat it, and I told you the truth. I didn't say you shouldn't eat it."

She acknowledged that, and I offered to tell her what I would say if she has asked more generally about the quality of the snack. She was happier with that dialogue, and then we dropped it.

First off, I won't defend my own food choices, and if you know me, you know that no matter what my food values are I still eat junk with the best of them. I might not support the idea of eating white pasta, but that doesn't stop me from doing it occasionally. I might not want myself to eat certain things, but I sometimes do it. Really, the point is that when I'm wellness coaching, we talk about what you do, not what I do. I told my friend that I don't coach to my needs, I coach to the person I'm speaking with. It's not that what I do is better, it's just what fits me right now (and I expect that to change continuously).

In the same light, we shouldn't compare ourselves or our habits to other people. Don't judge others for what they do, even if you think you're more evolved. We need to just make the decisions that fit ourselves now, and be open to new ideas too. It's much more pleasant that way. And if you want my opinion about something you do, I'll give it in whatever context you ask! There is no universal right or wrong when it comes to wellness---its a continuum, and yours is different from that of everyone else.

Oops.

Today I was going to walk the 10K in DC while Joey runs the marathon (which has not started yet). We drove down yesterday in several torrential rainstorms, but overall it was an easy drive. When we got to the hotel (which is strategically near the finish line), we were getting ready to go to dinner and I realized that a whole pile of stuff I was going to pack in my bag was still on the chair in my bedroom. That means I'm in DC and all I have to wear is fitness clothes---my first thought was---what is wrong with me? I never do that---I always over-pack and have way more than I need. Luckily this area is filled with runners this weekend so no one would flinch at me being out to dinner in my fanciest athletic pants (I still felt stupid though).

Then, I figured out how convenient it was because I would be done walking the 10K way earlier than Joey finished the marathon, so I'd go shopping. It would be great---I could buy new jeans and shoes (all I remembered to bring were the uggs I wore on the way and my running shoes).

I got up this morning and started to get ready--------------and then I went to put on my shoes. I did have them---two running shoes: two right shoes of two different pairs that look the same. I feel like I did this on purpose because I knew I didn't really want to walk the race (who walks a race?), but I intended to do it. There's no way I could do it in my uggs (I walked at lunch one time in my uggs and it was not good).

So now I'm stuck here in the hotel room by myself, waiting till its late enough to go shopping---and since its Sunday that won't happen till 11. I swear on my mother's life that I did not forget all that stuff on purpose, but Joe said maybe it was subconsciously on purpose---maybe he's right. I feel guilty, but I'm sure I'll get over it once I get out of here and do something besides track the 4 people I know in the race online. In any case, Joey's running for the Organization for Autism Research, and I raised money for it and didn't run. It's not my finest moment, but I swear I'll make up for it.

The Marathon

This weekend is the marathon I signed up for in April. I really appreciate all the money people donated to the Organization for Autism Research in order for me to run in it.

By late August, I was really loving the running---my ritual was to go by myself to the Canal Path and run with my favorite podcasts or with Spezzano and Sandy. There was usually haze over the canal, lots of sleepy ducks and geese, and just the feeling of being alone in the middle of the city. I really just loved that feeling.

On one of my longer runs on a Saturday, the air conditions were so perfect, and I was doing great improving my pace to under 8min miles.........and somewhere around mile 9 it started to feel like someone stuck a fork in the bottom outside corner of my right knee, right in the meaty part. It hurt, but not in a way that made me stop. So I kept going for the remainder (I think it was 14 miles---from lock 32 to the airport and back). Long story short-----I am quite certain I tore my meniscus that day. I took a week off, and then ran short distances for a week, with the pain during the next long weekend run stopping me. I could sort of walk, but certainly could not run after 8 miles (and had 4 miles to walk back to my car). I secretly hoped I could take a month off and focus on spinning and the elliptical to stay in good cardio shape---to then return to running and finish training. It didn't work. It doesn't hurt unless I run, but 3 miles into any run I become crippled again. And I'm sort of sad about that. I liked running (did I really say that?). I wanted to do the marathon, but mostly I'm unhappy about not being able to do the short fun runs I did last year---the Turkey Trot in Webster, the St. Patty's Day run downtown.

I also thought about all the money people donated for me to run ($500 total). I decided I would pay everyone back out of my pocket, and then I changed my mind. I can still go to DC and walk the 10K while Joe is running the marathon, and I feel weird about reimbursing people for money they donated to a really great cause (even though I know they only did it because of me running a marathon). So although I will pay anyone back who wants me to, I think my next action is to just contribute to the cause. I joined the Rochester Autism Council board of directors, so I'm going to be participating on several of the committees, and also going into group homes and volunteering my time to help teach people with autism about healthy living habits. I'm looking for a partner to help me with this---so let me know if you're interested :)

In the end, the whole thing didn't turn out to be about me running (or not), or about my knee. It's just about helping other people, and going with the flow.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7kHSOgauhg

Make a Decision....

....and then make it right.

I've been faced with some decisions recently. Kind of big ones. It surprises me how quickly and easily I can flip flop from wanting one thing to wanting the opposite. I was discussing my options with my mom, and she finally just told me it doesn't really matter what I do---the part that matters is that once I decide, I just make it work.

I never thought about it that way before, but I think she's right.

How often are we sure that when we get that one thing, reach that one goal, or have that one certain thing happen....that we will then be content or happy? Then, when we get that thing? Does it work? Not usually, at least not long term. I'm wondering what would happen if instead of focusing on the things in our lives, about our jobs, about ourselves that we don't like, we just accepted those things and focused on the good parts. It's pretty obvious that it might make us feel more positive, and it's nothing new to suggest trying that. However, have you ever really picked a thing that you're unhappy with and tried to take that approach? I see people do it---they obsess about their weight for a lifetime, and then all of a sudden they shift and begin focusing on their health. They might lose weight, or they might not, but in both cases they feel happier than before.

Why wouldn't we try that?

New Year's Evolution

I know it's early to talk about the new year already, but I think it's a good time to start for a few different reasons.

I have a problem with New Year's Resolutions.

The word resolution itself comes from the word "resolve." When we resolve something it is finished, right? How can we be starting a new habit by finishing something? I can see it in one sense---quit smoking to start being healthier, start exercising to stop being unhealthy....but the wording doesn't totally seem to fit for what we're really trying to do. If I'm resolving something by finally starting an exercise program (quitting smoking, losing weight, managing my stress, etc.), doesn't it sound like a last resort?

I know last year I talked about how busy the gym was after January 1st, and I'm sure it will be again this year. It's great that people try to start an exercise program, but aren't you sick of trying and not having it stick? This leads us to the question of why it doesn't stick. WHY? Because we don't change anything except saying we are going to force ourselves to go to the gym. Who are we kidding? Does that ever work permanently?

Not very often.

The society we live in forces us into survival mode much of the time, whether it's about money, food, health, time, or something else. We are also fed the idea that we can find a magic bullet for reaching our goals, and also that we should be able to change our lifestyle instantly if we decide to.

The fact is, we are really bad at doing that....and there are no magic bullets. So maybe if we just look those facts in the face, we can deside not to resolve something this year in January, but to begin our evolution in the positive direction. We are always evolving, whether we try to or not---but whether it is going in the right direction or not is a different story.

Evolving in the right direction is up to you to plan. Your wellness coach (or friends or personal trainer, etc) can help, but you have to really decide for yourself where you want to go. Once you do, you can begin to take the steps to get there. What if your New Year's Evolution plan is to lose 20 pounds in a year? Can you break that year into months, and then begin to take small steps leading you to that goal? All of a sudden, 20 pounds (although the end goal) is not the entire focus. The focus is on what would you do today if you were going to work toward weighing 20 pounds less. You are not just trying to reduce a number with this approach, you are trying to change the type of person you are---you are evolving into a person who weighs less, not acting like a person who already weighs 20 pounds less than you do.

My direction after I leave RIT is going to be on evolution, not flip-flopping or resolving bad habits. You could start thinking about it today----figure out what your long-term evolution would include, and then break it down into smaller pieces to figure out what to do today. I hope you stay in touch with me and share what you're working on.

Update

Hi :)
I know, I haven't been posting. Sorry about that. Have I mentioned I'm leaving my job? Well, I have a few things going on that have been taking precedence over posting here. But, good news! My replacement at RIT started today, and she's really nice. I'll be bringing her around tomorrow (and throughout the rest of the week) to meet all of you. That means I'll be leaving by the end of next week----but I'll be stuck at the benefits fair from 9-3 on Tues and Wed so you can come by CIMS and say hi and bye.

Fall

Fall can be a tough time of year for many reasons----the light is less, the air is colder....its really time to hibernate right? Its almost NO-vember, which makes it easier to feel down rather than up.

I've had a lot of people talk to me in the past week who are depressed and overwhelmed, mostly with work issues. Its amazing how stressed out one person can really get and still function! Someone joked with me this week that at least the Prozac makes her numb to some of it. She's relatively new to her job at RIT, and she took it as a transfer from another department where she was really just a coffee filler-upper. She wasn't fulfilled there, so she took a busier job and now she's completely overwhelmed, in over her head, having stress chest pains, and upping her meds. She's not fulfilled now, can't even think about taking care of her health, and sees no end in sight.

My first reaction is to feel like she's just screwed. But really, she's not. We talked about a lot of strategies and different ways of approaching things and thinking about things. Options---what are they? Mindset---what can you do about it?

Easy? No. Simple? Yes. The bottom line is that no situation is perfect, and you have more control than you might first think you do about how you feel as you go through your days. That's not to say you should just decide to feel better and then you will, its just to say its worth figuring out what the right formula is for you to start working on feeling better!

Hibernation

For the past week or so, I have been really tired. Partly because I have been working on training for my new online teaching job, which is great but (unpaid and) takes about 3 hours a day. Have I mentioned that I never watch TV? I don't know how anyone fits it in. Seriously.

I'm not excited about leaving all the great people I've met at RIT and Rotork. Its beginning to sink in that I won't see you anymore, and I'm just kind of sad about that. I wish I could keep the fun chatty parts of the job and ditch the logistics and data entry. But I can't. And I am excited to only have my teaching jobs taking up my time, and working on some other things too. I might get to see my friends again :)

This has happened before---where I met and built relationships with people in a professional context---and then I have to leave, and its like leaving friends, even though we didn't really call ourselves friends because it was just a work thing.

So, I'm sitting here procrastinating grading fake papers for my online teacher training, and I'm thinking about all the people I will miss seeing throughout the week. I would like to name you all right here, but what if I forgot somebody?!?! So, you know I'm talking to you.

Back to what I meant to talk about in this post---
I might hibernate this winter, only going outside to get to Wegmans to eat, or Midtown to work out, or Blue Lotus to do yoga. So we might have to just keep in touch here on the Internet. I'm going to have a new website and move the blog somewhere else. But I hope you'll starting talking back to me---this relationship is feeling pretty one sided :)