Category Archives: health

instant relax

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As Bay Area girls, there is nothing like rolling hills and a little fog to set in a perfect, middle of the day respite session. So, here is to a Tuesday afternoon deep breath. As the NYC hospital hustle starts to infiltrate it’s way back into my body – and the miles on concrete into my feet and calves – it does a girl right to think about the wet foggy air, dirt packed hiking, and endless sight seeing, view taking spots that our homeland provides.

Thank god for magic! power of our imaginations, so able to sweep us up for a moment, leaving us in the perfect spot. I’m okay with a little fantasy today.

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Hi.

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Well, hello.

I know, it’s been a minute. But for now, I’m back, with a new resolution to visit this little internet place of sharing a bit more often. The past few months have been one heck of a birth canal (literally, the frequency of birthing babies dreams was out of control) and I find myself sitting at my desk, post vacation, more present and grounded than I have felt in some time.

This was no usual trip to the Bay. No daily circles through SF-OAK-Marin. No excessive bridge tolls, gas costs, multiple dates a day. Instead  this trip involved a lot of respite, few plans, a bit of anxiety about disappointing people, and ultimately, my own ability to let go of what I think I should be doing when I am home.

I rested. I ate more steak than I have in a year. I layed in the sun. And, I let myself be in the place that I try to avoid missing.

For the first time since I moved, I asked myself why I don’t live in the bay area. I mean, that place is heaven, and minus a few people in NYC and a certain someone in Seattle, my people are there. It was nice to tap into the place I love. To slow down enough to ask some questions about what I want and what the plans, er really dreams are, over the next few years.

A theme that wove itself through many a conversation was the moments in our lives that show up and invite us to new places in ourselves. Sometimes we miss the moments. Sometimes, if we are so very lucky, they find us, with our eyes open and hearts a beating for an adventure, and we step through a threshold. This can be towards a smaller thing – simple changes in food or exercise or other habits that keep us feeling good. Or, they can be a bigger thing – like clarity about our roles, work, loves.

A door opened up on this trip. And, I am happily dancing through the threshold.

More on this soon.

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juice detox, pt ii

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Part two… the happy part.  I really, truly do feel like I’ve pressed the reset button on my attitude toward food and on my overall health.  It was tough, yes… but it was (almost) totally worth it.  I needed that.  Winter months mean comfort food and holiday booze, and the theme seems to have trickled into Spring.

So it’s been five mornings since the cleanse ended.  Thursday morning I woke up feeling energized and almost hesitant to jump back into my normal non-juice detox patterns.  Maybe it was in my head, but I felt healthy inside and out.  The day continued with energy and feeling good overall.  It didn’t hurt that the Fundraiser I attended at lunch served friend chicken and jambalaya.  The good fortune continues today.  I’d be lying if I said I haven’t also gotten an insane amount of sleep over the last few days, had a good run, practiced yoga, hung out in the SU library, and overall been extremely kind to my body, but I’d like to think it started with last week’s cleanse.

So, my post-detox recommitment to health includes:

  • Making healthy choices when eating out.  Have you been here?  Currently obsessed with the All Hail Kale salad.
  • Limiting the wine and cocktails – this will get tough when the sun is out and I can’t hide behind my studies.
  • Running (I think we took a “break” this winter) – mentally preparing myself for ladies weekend in Santa Barbara!
  • Yoga – oh Bridget, you changed my life with that one. It all comes back to QT before class in the studio and complimentary Kiehl’s lotion back in January.
  • Time with friends (juice has nothing to do with this one, but I am almost done with all-consuming grad school and can’t wait to get fun again)

Happy Monday!

juice detox, pt i

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I had my last meal for three days on Sunday night, and this morning’s eggs and baked beans have never tasted so goo.  I have so many thoughts on juicing; so many in fact, that I thought I’d break up my posts into a couple reflections.

I went into this with a pretty open mind and a little too much confidence.  I was convinced it couldn’t be that that hard to do an all juice detox.  After all, the company we were using provided four fresh bottles of 16 oz of juice per day.  That’s a lot of juice!  What I never imagined, was just how much I love to eat.  I always knew I liked food, but it wasn’t until I no longer had the choice of partaking in the act of eating, that I realized just how integral it is to my life.  I eat every 90 minutes or so when I’m awake.  No joke.  There are a lot of 90 minutes in 72 hours.

So it was challenging.  As ironic and silly as it sounds, after paying a premium to drink juice for three days, I got the closest I ever have to understanding what starving people experience.  I know – ridiculous.  Nonetheless, it was a lesson.  I was permanently cold, cranky and drained.  My patience was limited and the world just seemed kind of dismal.  So I’d say the downfalls of the cleanse seemed to outweigh the benefits, while I was on the cleanse.  The positives: some of the juices were delicious (I’ll list a few combos below), any bloat diminishes, and oddly enough – each morning I woke up incredibly energized.  It was really around 2pm that I started to lose it.

More to come… (hint – today was GREAT and it wasn’t just because I had Ezell’s for lunch)

A few of the Strawberry Moon Juice flavors I loved:

  • pear/almond
  • carrot/pineapple/lime
  • carrot/almond/orange/cinnamon
  • carrot/coconut/cilantro/lime/cayenne
  • spinach/celery/cucumber/apple/lemon

 

Fried food

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Tastes so good!

It’s a very happy and healthy thing for my body that I don’t live in the south because I can get down with fried everything. When in Rome…. As they say.

Amazingly, my body is responding ok to a steady flow of booze and fried fish, oysters, hush puppies and the like. Not to mention, more wheat than I’ve had in 6 weeks.

My 20s were an incredible maze through different types of eating. Most of it, ultimately, spent restricting in some way. It’s nice to be in a place where I know that I can eat what I want, and that generally, I will come back to my middle place that is mostly healthy.

Isn’t it also amazing what we can eat on vacation? If I was eating like this at home, my stomach would probably hurt and more psychologically speaking, I would probably feel gross. Not in New Orleans. No no no. In New Orleans, even the pop eyes fried chicken commercials look good. And I feel great.

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