Archives for January 2013

Go Green!

I have a conversation this past week with a firefighter who, in less than six weeks, went from requesting a second surgery, to not only not needing surgery, but feeling that he was well enough to return to work.  This was after a year and a half of pain and reduced motion that failed to improve.   What made the difference?  A change in lifestyle which centered on changing the way he ate.  Being inspired by the movie “Forks Over Knives” (click title to watch online for free :)),  he decided to eliminate meat, eliminate sugar, and go with a plant based diet.  One part of his diet was drinking smoothies recommended at the following website link:  7 Nutritious  Recipes (click link for website posting)

I have made some modifications to these recipes, and have come up with three smoothies myself (green, yellow/orange, and red –  I call them my traffic light).  I will share is my green and orange smoothies (still working on the red):

  • Green (good for energy): two handfuls of chopped kale, one handful of chopped lettuce, 2 stalks of chopped celery, handful of frozen peas, one apple (green : ), one banana, cup of pineapple, tablespoon of mint leaves, cup of plain yogurt, and 1/2 cup of water.
  • Orange (good for my joints): two oranges, yellow apple, 1/2 small sweet potato (raw), 1/2 of large carrot, banana, slice of ginger, cup of yogurt, and 1/2 cup of water.

 Sometimes I will add some beans to my smoothies for a little protein, mainly canned black-beans.

These make more than you can drink in one setting, but  a glass or two will keep you energized for most of the morning : )

If you have a favorite, please share..

 

“One SMART Lecture” : Mental Fitness

I had a chance to spend some time with some great people at the Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency.  We talked about SMARTliving and they were charged with:

  1. Learning to make their Butterfly;  This is a process that encourages positive emotions and more time living in the present moment.  To do this you must learn to manage three times well.  The first practice is mindful meditation that helps with awareness.  The second practice involves managing fears of the future by just asking what it would feel like to be without the fear (right wing).  The third practice involves looking for the positive meaning in the event that has upset or frustrated you, reflecting on the fact that most of your growth in the past came from dealing with an adversity (left wing) .
  2. Mastering the Hand: It was suggested that there are 5 areas that if mastered would be associated with a much more fulfilling life.  Each areas is assigned to a finger; Vision, Health, Finances, Time Management, and Communication.
  3. Getting all A’s on the Citizen Report Card: This is a tool that may be used to increase your social fitness.  If you register you can take the survey on line (that would make me happy), or you can download a hardcopy and review.

Click here download handout: SMARTlecture Handout.  Hopefully those that attended found the information helpful.  It was certainly fun for me : )  Hopefully they will have me back to talk about becoming a SMARTplace.