Category Archives: Health

Down The Rabbit Hole Breakfast and Flexibility

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Yesterday was grocery day which means it was also clean out the fridge day. Since the time change has screwed up my internal clock and I’ve already had four other ridiculously early mornings this week, I saw no reason to break my streak. So I got up early to do this and a few other things before heading into work. 

There were bits and pieces of leftovers from meals and snacks so I decided to make this my breakfast. A few roasted potatoes, a serving of steamed broccoli, some delicious tuna noodle casserole and one lonely boiled egg made for an unusual combination but a tasty one that meant there would be no prepared food headed to the trash can this time. 

I have long been flexible about meals and the idea of viewing certain foods as “breakfast foods” versus food for other times of the day isn’t really my thing. Yet, I had a conversation earlier this week where there was one very nice person who acted like eating breakfast for dinner was an alien and unacceptable concept. She was adamant that eggs and pancakes are breakfast foods and not to be seen any other time of day.

I was perplexed because there are plenty of nights I literally wouldn’t eat if not for a humble plate of scrambled eggs and fruit.

You know me – down the rabbit hole I went. 

The people who tell us that breakfast should consist of Cheerios, eggs and Pop Tarts are the same people trying to sell us Cheerios, eggs and Pop Tarts. They have spent decades paying smart, rich marketing people to sell us a bill of goods. What did people eat before they had Kellogg telling us what to eat? 

They ate what they had and when they wanted.

Honestly, most common American breakfast foods are heavily processed and packed full of sugar, artificial colors and preservatives that keep us craving more sugar and junk for the entire rest of the day. They’re not good for you at all. Check out the sugar content of most popular yogurt brands and tell me they shouldn’t be dessert rather than a meal. 

But I digress.

Breakfast for dinner is always a good idea. Leftovers for breakfast is a great idea too.

That whole conversation was a little unsettling because it made me think about how limiting it is to be so set in our own ways. It’s a trap most of us can fall into but flexibility and a willingness to think outside the box are keys to happiness. Trying new things ranks high on that list too. 

Whether it’s an egg sandwich for dinner, broccoli for breakfast or some outlandish thing you think you don’t want to try, maybe it’s time to loosen up and give it a chance. After all, what’s the harm?

Do You Know How To Relax?

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When was the last time you just sat down and relaxed? It seems to be a dying art for most people in my life. I’m certainly not good at it. After all, I spend the bulk of my day working at my job or sleeping. My free time is split between responsibilities at home, occasional hikes and a day trip when I can fit one in but these have been rare lately. 

Sitting down to do nothing just hasn’t been a priority for several months and my mind tends to wander if I try. 

Once the Christmas Eve dishes were cleared and my family left on Sunday night, there was a moment of calm like I haven’t felt in a long time. I looked around and realized that the shopping and gift wrapping were done, the cookies baked, the meal was over and there was nothing left to be done for the holiday. All I needed to do was show up for gifts and a meal at my parents’ house the next morning. 

So I curled up on the loveseat and read a book. I read several chapters and savored the experience. Warm pjs, the glow of the Christmas tree and my little house panther Scout nearby made for a perfect end to the day. 

It felt downright luxurious. 

It would be nice to bottle the calm that made this possible. 

Am I alone in this? 

It’s not healthy to be so busy that you can’t relax. It can lead to poor sleep, tension in the neck and shoulders, headaches and digestive issues. It elevates your blood pressure and is detrimental to your mental health. I notice that some overly busy people in my life are caffeine addicted, tense and paranoid. Personally, I carry all my stress in my shoulders and would be in severe pain if not for the magic hands of my great chiropractor. 

And why? What do we have to gain by keeping ourselves so busy we can’t even sleep at night? 

Do you have tips for relaxing and for sitting still? Winter is a slower time for me and a more relaxing time at home so I suspect I’ll naturally remember how to do this but could probably use a little help getting started!

Life Around Here: December Edition

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Life around here has been off kilter for the last couple of months. It has been busier than I like and more stressful in some ways. Adventure season was shorter than normal this year as I opted to spend more time hiking and less time out running around. That has its pros and cons but the lack of going out and doing and seeing new stuff on Saturdays this fall has given life a different tone. 

I completed 75 miles as part of a Fall Hike Challenge over the course of two months. Those miles zig zagged through state parks, state forests and even a couple of nature preserves and mostly onto new trails rather than repeating the same ones as I’m prone to do. That’s a great thing. 

My annual Christmas weekend with a friend was a bust this year because she got sick at the last minute. I felt bad for her because she was sick and missed out on the fun. While I made the best of the circumstances and went anyway, it would have been more fun with my pal. I haven’t told any of the stories from that weekend here and need to do that soon. It was just a couple of days. While I stayed in Ohio’s Amish Country, I didn’t do much that people traditionally enjoy in Amish Country. Instead, I mostly opted for museums and shopping in surrounding counties. I’m not a fan of that area and have no reason to go back except that I did stay at a lovely bed and breakfast and enjoyed driving some back roads to see beautiful farmland. 

The headline lately is that pure and utter exhaustion has set in again along with a number of other issues I now recognize as symptoms of my hypothyroidism. So, it’s back to the doctor this  week to talk again about how I can’t live this way. Thyroid pain and fatigue are real so don’t doubt the people in your life who complain about their issues. Waking up in the morning is the hardest thing I do all day unless you count staying awake in the afternoon when my mind and body begin to beg for a nap. Diet does help along with rest, exercise, fluids, LOTS of Vitamin C and a little pill that contributes precious little but is part of the team. 

As the holidays approach, so has the cookie baking, rich meals and the comfort foods that make cold weather more pleasant. I’m weighing my options for how I want to retool my diet to better support my thyroid but am putting it off until after all that fun cookie baking is over.  I have been down this path before and know exactly what I need to eat but, man, it is hard to keep up with that kind of rigidity seven days a week. When I’m eating for thyroid health, there’s no processed food, no sugar or sweeteners of any kind, no dairy, no grains and very small amounts of gluten. I prepare every morsel of food I eat and only drink water. Whipping out a frozen dinner because you’re tired after a hard workday is not an option. You use the ingredients you have on hand to whip up a protein, vegetable and healthy fat or just go hungry. 

As hard as it is to prepare from scratch every bit of food I eat, it’s much easier when my head is in the game.

My head is not currently in the game. But I’ll get there. 

Meanwhile, the house is decorated and Christmas cards have been mailed. The days are getting shorter but the impending solstice means that we will soon start to gain daylight. I’m engaging in a Winter Hike Challenge. Our goal is fifty miles and we’ve already completed twelve. I hope to surpass this goal but we’ll see what winter brings. 

There is a light at the end of the tunnel. I always hoard vacation time for year end and have a reasonably long break upcoming. It can’t come a moment too soon and I’’m looking forward to some time to rest, spend at home and maybe even go out on an adventure or two. Once we finish up Christmas, I’ll be shifting gears into the next season – my Winter No Spend Challenge when I commit to staying home and using what I already own rather than being on the go so much. This is when I reset my habits for the year opting for rest over running around, for getting creative with ingredients from the back of the pantry instead of shopping and spending more time doing quiet things I truly enjoy – hiking, reading, puzzles, movies and puttering around the house. 

This is when I’ll buckle down on nutrition and try to get back into some kind of daily exercise habits that support my angry thyroid. 

I have big plans but these habits I want to build are manageable because self care and wellness can be the focus of my time. Not to mention, many go together. I’m a fan of habit stacking. When you commit to staying home and resting, it’s easier to find time to cook, to sleep, to write, to exercise and to engage in the self care habits you believe are important. When you eat whole foods, your body naturally craves more water and naturally has more energy to propel you into a mindset of wanting to exercise. 

See where I’m going with this? You can apply this mindset to your own life as well by studying your own habits and desires to create goals that support each other. 

So, this is where I am right now. I’m tired and stretched thin. I have ideas for how I want to be but still have a mountain of work on the job and at home to trudge through before I can get there. That’s ok. It just means I’m needed and it means I’ll appreciate better days when they arrive.

For this I am grateful. 

Tell me, what’s happening in your world? Are you stretched thin? Feeling great? Wishing for more time? Tell me all about it!

Outdoor Inspiration From Durango

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One of the things I like best about visiting Colorado is seeing how active people tend to be. Everywhere you look in towns and cities there are people out walking their dogs or jogging. They are kayaking, mountain biking, hiking and on horses.

They seem to just accept that the weather will do what it wishes and they will simply dress for comfort.

It helps that there are so many bike paths, state parks and well maintained sidewalks.

Fast food doesn’t appear as readily available as it is in Ohio so people seem more likely to sit and eat real food and their waistlines show it.

Visiting here always makes me want to do better at getting outdoors and eating my vegetables. I have high hopes for better habits based on inspiration gathered on this trip.

We hiked one morning at Horse Gulch Trail System on the outskirts of Durango. The parking lot is paved and then you hike or bike to the top of a hill to access several miles of trails.

The trail we chose had some old telegraph poles, wildflowers and gorgeous mountain views. There’s little shade but it was still a fun experience.

It reminded me that discomfort, like the harsh sun, isn’t a good excuse to skip out on outdoor time. Ohio’s ridiculous humidity is a better excuse but I eagerly hit the trail last night and thoroughly enjoyed that experience too. Even in the humidity.

I hiked about two miles at Cedar Falls- not a long hike but enough to relax my mind and work up my heart rate.

Time in nature is vital to physical health and mental well-being. I felt better after our hike at Horse Gulch and feel even better after my hike last night despite my sore muscles.

Time in nature can calm the soul and can heal old wounds. It can relax the body and quiet the mind. It can make sleep easier. It can make everything better.

Wherever you are, regardless of weather and all the other excuses, I highly recommend a walk outside. You can thank me later.

Rest

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A sinus issue that I have been fighting for over a week seems to have settled in to stay. It’s the dry kind that makes your sinus cavities hurt and that causes pain in the gums. The strain of it all causes fatigue.

Last night, after work, I did something out of character and went to bed. My to-do list can wait. Yesterday’s lunch dishes can wait too. Sometimes a gal just needs to rest.

When you don’t feel well, just rest and reset. Maybe today will be better.

Slow Checkout

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Earlier this week I read something on Facebook that claimed a Dutch supermarket chain has installed what they call slow checkouts for elderly people who are lonely and need someone to talk to. It has been so popular they have added a chat corner where people can meet for a cup of coffee and conversation.

A quick search on the internet produced a handful of articles about Jumbo, a Dutch grocery chain with over 700 locations that introduced the slow lane in 2019. It was part of the government’s One Against Loneliness campaign.

They call it a Kletskassa or “chat checkout” and it has indeed been popular. The family business recognizes the importance of community involvement and a company representative said they want to be more than just a place to shop.

Remember when cashiers had to type in a price on a cash register? Remember when people wrote checks? The checkout process was a little slower, giving customers and cashiers a few minutes to chat. Increasing use of technology in our world, particularly in grocery stores, has sped up the checkout process when using a cashier and completely removed human contact from the experience in some places.

Now if you strike up a conversation with a cashier, the people in line behind you start rolling their eyes and looking for another line. I have noticed that cashiers are so accustomed to being ignored by customers on their phones or talking to each other that they don’t even look up to say hello anymore.

I am not old or lonely but I am an introvert, and a single person who spends a lot of time alone. If there’s one thing the pandemic taught me it is that I am good at being alone. In fact, there are days I wouldn’t speak a word if not for conversations with the cat.

And I’m perfectly fine with that.

But this isn’t a good life for most people and I know plenty of younger people who could benefit from a conversation with someone outside their regular circle.

The public library in Chillicothe sometimes has Human Library Days where you can “borrow a person” who is different than you. This concept also comes from Denmark and they are doing it again today.

Whether it be a human library, a coffee chat or a good old fashioned chat with a stranger, life in the slow lane might be good for us all. I wish American stores would take the hint and put more emphasis on the human aspect of doing business for those who wish to engage.

Until then, we can let the folks at Jumbo perfect the art of the slow checkout!