The Little Things
November 19, 2012

Holidays can be really wonderful times, but they can certainly be stressful. Through a bunch of people who are a little more stressed than normal in a house together, and chaos can ensue! I’ve certainly had my share of stressful moments of holidays, so I thought I would pass on a few pieces of wisdom I’ve gathered over the years, both from personal experiences and through experiences as a counselor.

  1. Do something together. Too much time sitting around aimlessly can lead to an increase in awkward conversation or useless bickering. Sometimes getting out of the house for a set activity can be really helpful. Plus, it can cut down on forced conversation!
  2. Exercise and find some way to move everyday! Go for a walk, head to a local gym, or do a workout video. Remember, as Elle Woods says in Legally Blonde: “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy…” Get your daily dose of endorphins to help decrease some of the stress (plus it can give you a break from your family)!
  3. Use your “no”. Remember that just because you share genetic material, it doesn’t require that you share all sorts of personal information. It’s ok to not share information you aren’t comfortable sharing. Maybe your family member isn’t safe or trustworthy, and it wouldn’t be healthy to share with them! If they continue to badger you, it’s ok to walk away!
  4. You can’t control other people. You CAN control yourself. We can’t control those around us, but we can control ourselves, and we are responsible for ourselves. We get control of our behaviors and thoughts, which means that we’re not completely helpless! Don’t waste energy trying to control others (that just leads to frustration and stress), but don’t allow others to control you either! Just because someone, for example, tries to make you feel guilty, it doesn’t mean you need to accept the guilt.
  5. Engage in healthy living behaviors and coping. When we get stressed, it’s easy to use alcohol, food, sleep, or something else to cope. While it might seem to help at the time, it’s not really all that healthy. Engaging in healthy behaviors to cope will keep you healthy!

These aren’t the only things to do, of course, when tough situations arise with family members. However, these are a few things that help maintain overall health when we encounter certain stressful situations! I’m planning to do another edition of this before Christmas, so stay tuned:)

Now it’s your turn to share! What do you do to stay sane when you’re around difficult family members (immediate or extended)? 

Disclaimer: This post is not meant to take the role of a mental health counselor. Sometimes we get into unhealthy patterns with our family, and it’s important to get help so we don’t continue that pattern later in life. If you feel like you are stuck in an unhealthy pattern, please seek out someone like a counselor who can help you with this! 

November 18, 2012

Whew- this past week flew by! It seems that every day fell into the same routine- wake up, work, exercise, dinner, bed. It’s a good schedule, works well for me, and the week really did fly by pretty quickly! Can you believe that we’re less than a week away from Thanksgiving? I’m so excited! This past week I was still recovering from my half marathon, so my intention was to keep things a little bit lighter than usual. Well, I didn’t necessarily do that (partly because I know that this next week will be a little mroe relaxed than usual), but I did cut down on the runs, which is hopefully helping my IT bands. Here’s how the week looked:

Total Miles: 17.69 mile walk + 3.1 mile run + 4.7 mile bike + 2.0 mile elliptical= 27.49 total miles + 15:30 minutes planks

So, I had intended for my total mileage to be shorter. I only set out to walk 3 miles on Friday, but it was so beautiful outside that I just couldn’t make myself go inside after only 3 miles, so I kept going. Every step of that walk was gorgeous. I’m also happy to be continuing to do planks each week. For those of you who regularly do planks- does it seem like they don’t get any easier? That’s how it feels to me anyways…

Now it’s your turn to share! What’s one healthy thing you plan to continue to do throughout the holiday season? 

November 17, 2012

When I found out I was lactose intolerant back in 2007, grilled cheese sandwiches were one of the many foods in my life that just had to go. I missed them, but I moved on in life and more or less forgot about them. Fast forward to this summer when I found Cabot’s Lactose Free Cheese. Throughout the fall, I’ve been making all sorts of variations of grilled cheese (like this Pumpkin Spice Grilled Cheese Sandwich), starting a new love affair with cheese 🙂 I’ve made this cranberry apple grilled cheese sandwich a few times now, and decided I couldn’t hold out on you all any longer!

Ingredients

Everything loaded on the piece of bread

Perfectly grilled on the outside

The perfect balance of melted and crunchy on the inside!

I can’t get enough of this sandwich. Like I mentioned in the ingredient list, I sometimes like to add meat (protein) and onions to this sandwich, but other times I skip it. The sweetness of the apples and cranberries go perfectly with the taste of the spinach and cheese. My ONLY regret with this sandwich is that I can’t make it at work, but often crave it during lunch. It’s delicious, and definitely worth the very short amount of time it takes to make it.

Enjoy!

Now it’s your turn! Have you ever spiced a grilled cheese sandwich up in any way? Are you doing anything holiday-ish this weekend? 

© Journey To Wellness, Caroline, 2012

November 16, 2012

Happy Friday!! While this week has flown by, I’m certainly more than ready for the weekend! Since it’s the last weekend before Thanksgiving, I have a list of things that really need to get done in order for me to relax later on this week. Is it going to be a busy weekend for you too? Of course blog reading was still on my to do list for the week. Here are a few great posts and articles that I read:

5 Workout Mantras That Are Bad For Your Body: This is an interesting article, and I have actually thought before about a few of these mantras and how they can lead to injury if we have that mindset. It’s worth the read!

How To Overcome Neediness

Are You Too Sick To Go To Work: Sometimes staying home sick from work can feel like a really bad option. I, however, really don’t appreciate when I end up catching something from a co-worker who decided they just couldn’t take a day off or work from home. This article helps define when it’s appropriate to take a sick day.

Auction is Open! I mentioned in my post yesterday that Susan was diagnosed with lymphoma last year, and now that she’s cancer free she’s raising money for Team In Training as she’s training for a half marathon this spring. She’s holding an auction with some pretty fantastic items, so make sure to check it out today. It closes tonight!

11 Random Holiday Things That Give Me Anxiety: This article from thought catalog made me laugh. Are any of these items something that give you anxiety?

That Time I Didn’t Run A Marathon: This post by Melissa was inspiring. Sometimes things don’t turn out the way we want them to, and that’s where resiliency comes into play.

fifty fall foods for fat loss: Some of the items on this list I’ve never even tried before. Check this post out before making your shopping list for the next week!

4 Minute “Flipper” Abdominal Workout: This looks like a tough work out that I have no excuse not to do! It’s straight forward and requires nothing but yourself and the floor! Check it out!


Now it’s your turn to share! Are you busy preparing for Thanksgiving this weekend? What holiday things lead to you feeling anxious? 

November 15, 2012

Happy Thankful Thursday! I believe very strongly in the regular practice of gratitude, and try to engage regularly, not just on Thursdays. Sometimes it can be difficult in the midst of the craziness and events of the week to focus on the blessings in life, but it can be so beneficial if we can! There are definitely many other aspects to healthy living beyond exercising and eating well, and this is certainly one of them:) So, that being said, here are a few of the things that I’m thankful for right now!

I’m so thankful for my space heater! I’m being really cheap and stubborn right now and the heat in my place is set at 59 degrees. The last 2 days it has been exactly 59 degrees, and that is just cold to wake up to in the morning. Running my space heater helps to make my stubbornness more realistic:) I do love that heater…

I’m thankful for delicious, easy, and protein-packed meals like this cranberry quinoa dish and this veggie & bean quinoa salad! I’m so thankful that I’ve managed to find ways to quickly make meals that are healthy and convenient during the week!

I’m thankful that I’ve had the opportunity to run two fantastic half marathons! The further I get out from my 2nd half marathon, the more perspective I get on both of the races, and the more I feel thankful for both of them. They were both great opportunities, and I am thankful I got to be challenged in this way.

I’m SO THANKFUL for all those men and women serving in our military. I’m so so thankful for their service and sacrifice, and the sacrifice of their family members’ too. I said everything I wanted to say about that here.

I’m thankful for the gorgeous sunset I drove home in last night. The sky was brightly colored for about 45 minutes last night (bright orange, pink, and purple), which meant that I got to drive the entire way home with the beautiful colors surrounding me. It was truly beautiful, and a great end to a work day. Moments like that are wonderful and help me focus on and live in the moment.

I’m thankful for people who are willing to share their personal stories. People are pretty inspiring, aren’t they? Last year Susan was diagnosed with lymphona, and I followed along through her fight. Susan is now cancer free and running a half marathon this spring with Team in Training. This week she is hosting an auction to raise money for a great cause that is also personal to her. Check it out here (and maybe bid on something too!).

Now it’s your turn to share! What are you feeling thankful for today? What things happen in your life that force you to live in the moment? 

November 14, 2012

You know what? I’m not a really big fan of sweet potato, but I go through phases where I can eat it. Quite honestly- if sweet potato always tasted as good as it does in this dish I would eat it all the time. After making this I eagerly scooped up more sweet potatoes when I hit the grocery store again, and that’s saying something- this dish is delicious!! I also think this dish might be perfect for the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons!

Ingredients (serving size: 2)

Here’s What I Did:

First I cut up the sweet potatoes into bite sized pieces. I drizzled olive oil and cinnamon on the potatoes. You could put salt, red pepper, or any other spice on them. I cooked the sweet potato according to these directions.

While this was cooking I rinsed the quinoa and put it and water in my rice cooker. I microwaved about 13 minutes and then let sit for another 7 minutes with the container closed.

After the sweet potatoes cooled I put half of the quinoa, half of the sweet potato, and 1/4 cup each of cranberry and almond on top, with an extra dash of cinnamon.

I didn’t add any additional dressing on top because I didn’t feel like it was necessary! I actually didn’t eat this straight out of the oven. I took it to work on two consecutive days and microwaved for one minute before eating. It was delicious and the entire office smelled like cinnamon- yum!

This was delicious, easy, and very filling. The high amount of protein made it the perfect lunch to fuel me through my workouts after work! It’s also lactose free, which is important to me! This dish holds up really well, so you could easily make it on the weekend and eat it later in the week!

This is the perfect fall and winter dish that would be ideal to bring to any Thanksgiving or Christmas meal!

Looking for more delicious quinoa salads (or other great recipes in general)? Click on my recipe page (and scroll to “salads” for the quinoa dishes)!

Now it’s your turn to share! What’s your favorite way to eat sweet potatoes (or do you not like them)?

© Caroline, Fighting For Wellness, 2012

November 13, 2012

After running my 2nd half marathon a week ago, I was asked by a reader to compare the two half marathons I’ve done: The Indianapolis Monumental Marathon (recap here) and the Indianapolis Mini Marathon (recap here). I included the recaps because that will give some information as to the differences of the races. As both races take place in downtown Indy, I thought the feel would be similar, but these races truly felt very different to me. Here are my thoughts on the differences and similarities of each race.

Race size: Both races had pros and cons with this. The Monumental is smaller than the Mini, and because of this the roads weren’t nearly as blocked and the cheering felt more personal. I didn’t do nearly as much weaving as I did in the Mini which was really nice- much less frustration! The Mini had a little more energy because there were lots more people.

Starting Line: With the Mini you are assigned corals, which makes it a little difficult if you’re planning to run (or start) the race with someone. In the Monumental we were allowed to line up wherever we wanted! They had pace signs and you got to choose where to start. It felt like this helped things from being too packed, and like I mentioned above, I had to weave much less. During the Mini it took about 20-25 minutes (i think!) to cross the starting line, so I walked quite a bit while others in front of me crossed the line. I crossed the starting line about 5 minutes after the race started in the Monumental, which meant I expended less energy before the race!

Spectator Numbers: Because the Monumental was smaller, there was a much smaller number of spectators. That being said, the course of the Monumental pretty much consistently had people along the entire course, but it wasn’t nearly the size of the spectators in the Mini. The spectators along each course were absolutely wonderful though!

Entertainment: The Mini is known for their great entertainment along the race course. Along the course were tons of bands, singers, cheerleaders, and even baby elephants at the zoo! This helped to keep my mind off things a bit. The Monumental only had a few bands along the course, but surprisingly this didn’t bother me too much. Apparently entertainment along the race course isn’t a huge priority for me in comparison to some of the other factors here.

The Course: Both courses were located in downtown Indy, but they ran through different parts and didn’t overlap at all to my knowledge. One thing that I was really excited about before the Mini was getting to run on the Speedway. I thought this would be something really fun after the half way point in the race. WRONG. To me it’s the worst and most difficult part of the race course. The Monumental doesn’t have anything as “big” as the Speedway, but it runs through a number of the “Monuments” of Indianapolis, like Lucas Oil Stadium and Monument Circle (twice). Honestly, I really enjoyed not having to run on the Speedway, so the Monumental course was a win in my book! Both races were flat which makes them speedy!

Hydration: Both of the races did a fantastic job of providing water and gatorade frequently (i think pretty much every mile) along the race course.

Race Volunteers: At both races the volunteers were friendly, encouraging, and very supportive! This was beneficial, and I enjoyed the extra cheering during both races!

Price: I think the price was pretty much the same for both races. Of course it depends on how early you register for the race, but there wasn’t a significant difference. The difference will come if you choose to spend the night in a hotel in Indianapolis before either of the races. The hotel room for the Monumental was significantly cheaper than the same hotel room for the Mini.

Expo: The expos were both held in the Convention Center downtown, although the Mini expo was much larger. Both had some great venders, had places to purchase running attire, shoes, fuel, and accessories, and had a number of other race booths in attendance.

Race Swag: There was no significant difference between either of the races. Both of the races provided tech shirts (Mini was long sleeved and Monumental was short sleeved), hats (Mini was a regular hat that didn’t fit me well and Monumental was a nice winter hat), and finisher medals. The Mini had a few small samples in the race bag (like vegetable oil) and some coupons while the Monumental had a race poster.

Communication Pre-Race: Both races were fantastic about this! I got emails regularly for each of these races, and I felt well prepared before the race. Each race had course maps with water, gatorade, and medical tents marked, along with starting line information, gear check, etc… Both were really great about this!

Time of the Year: These races are 6 months apart. The Mini takes place the first weekend of May and the Monumental takes place the first weekend of November, so both can provide some extreme temperatures.

Overall Race Quality & Enjoyment: I really truly loved both of these races. I think they were both worth the time, energy, and injury that went into training and running each of these races. I plan on running both of them again, and of course having fun while running them. It was really nice to not have to run that Speedway during the Monumental though!!

So those are a few of my thoughts about the race! If you’ve run one or both of these races and want to join in the conversation, please share your comments!

Now it’s your turn to share! What do you look for in a race? If you’ve run both of these races, which do you prefer? 

November 12, 2012

This post is coming to you all a day late because I wanted to post my “Freedom Isn’t Free” post on Veteran’s Day. Well, I’m back to plain old “exercise recap” since I’m not currently in official training for anything. Because of my half marathon last Saturday, this week was all about cutting back and recovery. I planned on doing lots of walking, especially since the weather was supposed to be back up in the 60s the second half of the week. Here’s what the week looked like:

Total Miles: 10.86 mile walk + 3.2 mile run + 4.5 mile bike= 18.56 miles + yoga + strength training + 12 minutes of planks

The two runs I did were slow and my IT bands still hurt. I also think I’ve shifted my form a bit to compensate because I’ve had some shin pain since the half marathon. I’m hoping it’s not the start of shin splints, but I think I’m going to take a bit of time off (or significantly reduce) of running to make sure I don’t develop them. I’m excited to get back into cross training a bit more, and I’m also happy to say that my planks have gone exceptionally well this month! It’s a little hard once a race is past to know how to move forward in exercising, and I’m still trying to figure out what that will look like over the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons.

Now it’s your turn to share! Did you start (or restart) anything this week? What are you looking forward to this coming week? 

November 11, 2012

We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.  ~Cynthia Ozick

Courage is almost a contradiction in terms.  It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die.  ~G.K. Chesterton

Today is Veteran’s Day, and I couldn’t let the day go by without posting about it. Growing up my parents talked often of the sacrifice of the military. Both grandpas were in the military (I have all the Letters from War from one of them), my Uncle put in a full 20 years, and most importantly my little brother is now in the military. I was raised to understand the sacrifice that they and their families gave. I have to say that when my brother left for basic training, I definitely cried. I was So. Proud. of him, but as my baby brother, I was scared for him and my family. I realized that in many ways we were giving him up to something bigger than our family. It’s unpredictable, scary, and involves great sacrifice from those men and women and their families. It’s easy to take these men and women for granted when we don’t see them putting their lives on hold or on the line. So on this day especially, I challenge you to think about the great sacrifice that thousands of men and women have made for you throughout the years. I challenge you to pray for them and their families. I challenge you to be thankful for their service.

Here are a few ways to show you care:

And, from the bottom of my heart, to all soldiers and their loved ones- thank you for your courage and sacrifice. I know that a thank you doesn’t make it easier or bring your solider home. But please know that their/your sacrifice is deeply appreciated. Freedom isn’t free…

Now it’s your turn to share! I know I only mentioned a few of the many ways to help soldiers and their families! If you have any ideas or personal experiences, please share them! How have you said “thanks” to those in the military? 

November 10, 2012

I think in many ways a cold weather race is a little more difficult to plan for than a hot weather race. It’s hard to decide what to wear and how many layers you’ll need once you get warmed up! Through some trial and error, I’ve figured out what works best (for me) when running in cold weather!

Race Outfit

Other Items

Once you have it all laid out, pack and head out for your race!

Now it’s your turn to share! Do you prefer hot or cold weather races? Anything else you would add to this list? What’s one of your “must have” cold weather items?