I naturally clench my jaw when I’m working or concentrating but a few years ago, I started to notice regular jaw tension and attributed it to higher stress levels–I guess a global pandemic will do that. I got a cheap drugstore night guard to protect my teeth at night but that wasn’t going to address the underlying issue of managing my stress.
Stress management is really important for our overall health and I’ll be honest, I don’t always strike the right balance. I think it is fair to say that most of us probably don’t always strike the right balance to feel a complete sense of contentment.
So, what helps me manage stress? Moving my body really helps, but I’m not always motivated to do heart-pumping movements. When I’m in the office that isn’t always practical or feasible. I have found that stretching during the workday (in a desk/computer setting) can be a really helpful way to reset my body and mind. I usually stretch my back, shoulders, and legs. I never considered stretching my face until I checked out a book from my local library called Chair Yoga by Kristin McGee. I was flipping through the book and found a section on face exercises. They may help ease eye strain and jaw tension plus they just feel nice.
Face Exercises:
Start by sitting in a relaxed position. This whole routine should take around 10 to 12 minutes.
Up/Down with Eyes: Look up and down with your eyes 12 times. Focus on moving your eyes only. When finished rest for a few seconds with eyes closed.
Side-to-Sides with Eyes: Look left and right with just the eyes 12 times. When finished rest for a few seconds with eyes closed.
Eye Circles: Circle the eyes around 6 times clockwise, then 6 times counterclockwise.
Close/Opens: Close your eyes for 10 seconds, then open your eyes as wide as you can. Repeat 6 times.
Diagonals: Start by looking up to the left at a diagonal, then down to the right at a diagonal. Focus on moving your eyes only. Perform 12 times of upper left to lower right movements and then switch to the upper right and lower left corner for 12 times.
Head Back Downward Gaze: Tilt your head back and then gaze down at the tip of your nose. Hold for 5 to 8 breaths.
Fishy Face: Suck in the cheeks and pucker the lips. Hold for 3 seconds and then release. Repeat 10 times.
Open Wide: Open your mouth as wide as you can and hold for 2 seconds before releasing. Repeat 10 times.
Lower Jaw over Top Teeth: Take the lower jaw and lift it over your top teeth. Your lips can stay together. Hold for 15 seconds. You will stretch the entire underside of the jaw and the neck. Repeat 3 times.
Side-to-Sides with Lower Jaw: Let your lower jaw relax and release from the top jaw, and then try moving it from side to side. Repeat 10 times.
Gummy Lips: Curl your top lip up toward your nose, hold for 3 seconds, and then release. This is not a scrunched face. Repeat 10 times.
Wide Smiles: Smile as wide as you possibly can, stretching the entire mouth and holding for 3 seconds before relaxing. Repeat 10 times.
According to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderate to intense physical activity per week. For some of us, that means hitting the gym for 30 minutes a day to “knock it out” before work or maybe going on a moderate-intensity walk. Although doing this might check the box of hitting your weekly physical activity goal, a new study has shown that it is also important to move throughout the day. Many of us, after that morning walk or gym session, go to work and sit for 8-10 hours just to come home and sit some more.
A study was published last year by the American College of Sports Medicine that showed it is important to our cardiometabolic health to move throughout the day. Cardiometabolic health describes a combination of multiple risk factors that include blood sugar, BMI (Body Mass Index), cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease.
Study Highlights
The study tracked participants during their regular week. At the conclusion of the study, participants were classified into four groups: active couch potatoes, sedentary light movers, sedentary exercisers, and movers. All participants achieved their 150 minutes of physical activity per week goal. People in the active couch potato group, although sufficiently active, were still sedentary for over 10 hours per day. This group had the highest sedentary time and the lowest amount of cumulative activity time. At the other extreme, movers had less sedentary time and accomplished more movement throughout the day. The study found that this increase in movement throughout the day and decrease in sedentary time greatly improved participants’ cardiometabolic markers.
What does that mean for us? Keep up those daily walks, but remember to keep moving all day long. It is essential to take breaks from our sedentary actions to move our bodies.
Easy ways to incorporate movement into your day to decrease your sedentary time:
Take a 10-minute movement breaks every hour.
Take short walks throughout the day. Even around the office or in the parking lot.
Get a workout buddy for accountability and fun! It will be easier to take breaks if you have someone helping you remember to move.
Take time to stretch! Even at your desk, here are some easy stretches to do, or maybe take time for chair yoga.
Choose some bodyweight exercises to increase your resistance training throughout the week. If you do a couple of exercises per hour, it really adds up!
Okay, the title sounds a little extreme. I didn’t give up sugar ENTIRELY. I’m no martyr! But I cut way back on my sugar consumption and my life changed in ways I did not expect. And now I want to share my lessons learned with anyone who will listen.
In a recent conversation with a friend, I compared my eating habits to that of a child left alone in a candy store. I have been eating SO much sugar for the past year. How did I get here? Well, let’s rewind. What happened one year ago? I got pregnant! A very happy time indeed but the first 6 months of becoming a parent rock your world in ways that you never see coming. I quickly learned that breastfeeding makes you incredibly hungry—all the time. Meal prepping went out the window and I was basically in survival mode, eating the most convenient and easy-to-prepare foods, which often meant junk food and processed food. My sweet tooth reared its ugly head. I justified all of this to myself because “Hey! I’m a breastfeeding mom and I need the extra calories.” And it was admittedly doing nothing to my waistline, so I figured no harm, no foul. Other than feeling like a hypocrite to the participants that I teach, I didn’t think anything bad was happening.
I’ve struggled with insomnia for many years prior to having a child, but do you know how frustrating it is to be dead exhausted from keeping an infant alive and happy all day, and still not be able to fall asleep at night? It all came to a head a few weeks ago, after three nights in a row of particularly awful episodes of insomnia. I ran through all the options I had left: Sleep aid? Only if I want to stop breastfeeding. Therapy? I’d love to, but with daycare, it doesn’t currently fit into our budget. Exercise? I’ve been doing that! What about my diet? Could I start eating better—give up sugar?? Gasp. I was desperate enough to try anything.
So, the next morning I cut off my fountain of sugar. Cold turkey. Just like that. I gifted my Trader Joe’s chocolate-covered raisins and peanut butter cups to some friends. I put my giant chocolate bar on the top shelf of a cabinet, out of reach. I turned down an invitation to go out for frozen yogurt. I started preparing savory oatmeal (topped with leftover stir-fried veggies, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it) instead of sweet oatmeal (topped with brown sugar and pecans). I snacked on cheese, nuts, and fruit instead of whatever junk food I could lay my hands on. I ate strawberries for dessert.
Here comes the unexpected side effect...
That first night, I slept for seven hours straight and I woke up feeling like a new person. After 6 months of complete sleep deprivation, I didn’t know that it was possible to feel this good. I wondered if placebo affect was at play – I wanted this no-sugar experiment to work, so I convinced myself that that it did. But you know who had no idea that I dramatically changed my diet, and slept through the night for the first time in his almost six months of life? That’s right—my sweet baby. He went from waking up two, sometimes three times in the night to feed to sleeping for seven blissful, consecutive hours. On day four I just couldn’t believe the stark difference in our sleep quality and decided to put things to the test. I reverted back to my old ways and guess who woke up twice that night, upset, hungry, and insatiable? You guessed it—my baby regressed back to his wakeful sleep cycles and drank milk like there was no tomorrow.
As you can imagine, I hopped back onto the no-sugar bandwagon pretty quickly. And I’m not going to lie, it is really hard. Not to mention the added layer of how addictive sugar is. I have had to change my whole way of thinking. Once we get started down a path of excessive consumption, it can be immensely difficult to reverse it. I know in time it will get easier to not eat so much sugar. My taste buds and my brain will adapt. I will eventually stop breastfeeding! And of course, I’m highly motivated to continue this new trend of good sleep for both myself and my baby.
Here is what I’m doing to help myself ride the wave of my sugar cravings:
Eat a solid and balanced breakfast – Keeps my blood sugar levels more normal and my stomach full, so I’m less likely to feel extreme hunger swings later in the day. Lately, this has been the savory oatmeal I mentioned, with added flax seed meal, or scrambled eggs with shredded zucchini, beans, and a slice of whole wheat toast.
Replace sweets with fruit – Right now clementines seem to be hitting the spot. And they’re starting to taste sweeter the more distance I get from chocolate.
Stay hydrated – I’m sure this is not new information for most people – often when we think we’re hungry we are actually thirsty. Breastfeeding also makes you super thirsty, making it extra important to keep a water bottle handy.
Chew minty (sugar-free) gum between meals – Sometimes I think I just need to be chewing something. This helps satisfy that need.
Brush my teeth – Similar to what the gum provides, getting that fresh minty feeling in my mouth feels good! And then I don’t want to ruin it with a snack I’m probably not hungry for.
Sip on warm, herbal tea – I find the fruity teas from Celestial Seasonings are especially helpful! They taste a little sweet but have no added sugars (real or artificial) and it hits the spot in the evening when I want a sweet dessert. In the summer I plan to make larger batches of iced tea from this same brand.
Keep junk food out of the house – If you’ve ever been in one of my classes you can say it with me: “If it’s not there, you can’t eat it!” I’m really feeling this one right now.
Practice mindfulness – In my moments of intense cravings, I ask myself if eating said sugary item is worth losing sleep over. So far, the answer has been no. I value my (and my baby’s) sleep way too much.
There’s a difference between knowing the right choices to make for our health, and actually making those healthy choices. I think sometimes what it takes to make that important change is having something at stake that is bigger than us. A prediabetes or diabetes diagnosis, a difficult financial situation, and the health and well-being (and sleep quality) of our children. The list goes on. We all have valid reasons to work on our health, but sometimes it takes a triggering event to wake us up and actually make those necessary lifestyle changes.
If you have never tried farro, this is a great way to start. Farro gives this salad a wonderful texture. You can, however, use another grain you may have on hand such as brown rice, barley, or bulgur. This recipe uses roasted carrots and zucchini. However, you can use any roasted vegetable or even leftover roasted vegetables. It makes a beautiful dish for a buffet or to take to a shared meal.
Tip: Cook the farro to yield about 4 cups cooked. This is about 1½ cups of dry farro. Try cooking the farro using the pasta method. Rinse uncooked farro and add to a large pot. Add water to cover the farro plus about 3 or 4 inches. This is more water than the faro will absorb. Cook for about 45 to 55 minutes, or until tender. Then drain as you would pasta.
Serves: 8 Serving size: 1/8 of recipe Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 45 minutes Total time: 60 minutes
Ingredients
Roasted Vegetables
1 pound carrots
2 small or 1 large zucchini
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
12 teaspoon pepper
Farro Salad
4 cups cooked farro (see above for cooking method)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 large carrots, shredded (about 1 ½ cups)
3 celery stalks, diced
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 15-ounce can cannellini beans (or another white bean), drained and rinsed well
1/2 cup prunes, cut into small strips (about 8 prunes)
Juice and zest of 2 lemons
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Slice carrots and zucchini on a diagonal into 1/4-inch slices.
Place on a sheet pan. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Roast for 45 minutes, tossing halfway through.
Cook farro according to package directions to yield 4 cups of cooked grain.
Heat the remaining olive oil in a large sauté pan. Add the carrots and celery when the oil is hot and cook for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Add a few tablespoons of water if needed.
Add salt and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.
Add the cooked faro, beans, prunes, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the pan. Stir to combine and heat through.
Place the faro mixture in a large bowl or mound onto a platter.
As I entered my late 40’s, I occasionally developed painful “knots” in my shoulder muscles. To alleviate the discomfort, I tried massage, foam rollers, exercise ball stretches, yoga, and age-targeted stretching exercises. The knots and accompanying pain would improve for a while but then return. To be honest, stretching has always been challenging for me, and I have never stuck with any particular routine long enough to really enjoy any tangible long-term benefits.
One day while browsing the shelves at my local public library, I came across a book titled Aging Backwards® by Miranda Esmonde-White. I was intrigued! I checked that book out and began working through some of the Essentrics® workout exercises. I felt great! On the Essentrics®: Dynamic Stretch Workout website I found a few workout videos which were extremely helpful to me. I felt like a new woman but continued to struggle with being consistent with the workouts.
On a whim, I decided to try the Essentrics® Classical Stretch® TV series which airs on my local PBS station. My only hesitation was that the program airs on weekdays at 5:30 am. Yikes! I have always been an early riser so decided to set my alarm for 30 minutes earlier and give it a go. I am hooked and have not missed an episode since then! I now look forward to my Monday through Friday 5:30 am Classical Stretch® TV program and actually miss having the workouts on the weekends. Who knows, maybe I will consider subscribing to the Essentrics® TV streaming service in the future. I feel great and definitely have improved flexibility, range of motion, and posture. For me, all this translates to an improved sense of self and an added spring in my step.
If you haven’t found a stretching program that works for you, I encourage you to visit the Essentrics® website or search for one of their workout videos on YouTube. I have been very pleasantly surprised by the results I have achieved with the workouts.
* This is not a sponsored or endorsed view of Essentrics® or Classical Stretch®. All opinions expressed are my own.
If you have never tried the grain farro, this is a great place to start. I like cooking it using the pasta method. This means you use lots of water and cook until tender and drain, as you would pasta. It usually takes around 45-55 minutes. Farro is an ancient grain with a slightly nutty and chewy texture. It provides a great texture to the salad. The kale and arugula are a perfect combination.
Serves: 8 Serving size: 1/8 of recipe Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 45 minutes Total time: 55 minutes
Ingredients
2 cups cooked farro
1 bunch kale
1 box (5 ounces) arugula
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
Citrus Salad Dressing
3 lemons, juiced
6 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Cook farro according to package directions to yield 2 cups of cooked grain.
“I wanted to thank my instructor for everything she taught me and the support during my time in the program. When my doctor informed me that I was pre-diabetic and needed to lose weight, I signed up for this program thinking that it would be just another program where we attended. From the beginning, the knowledge imparted was valuable and relevant. My instructor managed to make a connection with us online and helped us connect to each other. It really felt like a community that I wanted to be a part of and did not want to miss.
Thanks to this program, I have learned so many things and have made several lifestyle changes. Not only are my eating habits better, but I am more cognizant of my sleep and screen time. I am thankful to say that I lost 10 pounds over the course of the year and I feel better. Over the Christmas holidays, I was able to go back into my closet and take out and wear pants that I could not wear before. There are a number of milestones that I have accomplished thanks to my instructor and this program. I even have a new personal “healthier” recipe book that I have developed as a result of my sessions…Thank you again for all that you have done for me.”
Store-bought rotisserie chicken is a meal prep wonder in my house. One of my favorite meal prep “tasks” on a weekend afternoon is processing a rotisserie chicken and then making chicken stock in my Instant Pot. I pull out my vegetable scraps from the freezer and a few fresh ingredients to make a flavorful stock. If I’m feeling really ambitious I might segway straight into a delicious soup afterward.
When making stock with a whole chicken carcass, the end result is more similar to bone broth than the regular boxed variety. Once the stock is completely chilled it will become slightly gelatinous due to the collagen from the bones and connective tissue. This stock doesn’t cook nearly as long as a traditional bone broth but it still gives you a LOT more flavor than regular stock. It is great in recipes like this Quick and Easy Pho recipe.
Chicken stock or vegetable stock is a great no-recipe recipe. You can use whatever you have on hand and it makes a wonderful freezer staple. Homemade stock is almost always going to be better than the boxed variety. Personally, I almost never have fresh parsley and thyme on hand but I do usually have ginger and turmeric so I use those instead. Other ingredients to consider include–mushrooms, corn cobs, fennel (stalks and trimmings), bell peppers, pea pods, chard (stems and leaves), celery root parings, marjoram (stems and leaves), basil, and potato parings . . . experiment to find your preferred combination.
INGREDIENTS
1 rotisserie chicken carcass
1 large onion
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
2-4 cloves garlic (based on personal preference)
8 sprigs of fresh parsley
6 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
10 whole peppercorns or fresh cracked pepper
1 tsp salt
8 cups water
DIRECTIONS
The carrots do not need to be peeled and the onion skin can be left on. Chop scrubbed vegetables into 1-inch chunks. Peel the garlic.
Turn the Instant Pot on to the low Sauté mode. Add the chicken carcass pieces and sauté for 2-3 minutes, or until browned and pieces begin to stick to the bottom of the pot. Press the cancel button to turn off the heat.
Add the chopped vegetables, garlic cloves, and herbs to the pot. Pour 8 cups of cool water over the contents of the pot. Do not fill more than 2/3 to the top.
Lock the lid into place, close the steam release valve, and press the “manual” button. Adjust the cooking time to say 30 minutes if that is not the default. The display will turn to “ON” indicating that it is heating and pressure is building.
After the pot reaches high pressure (this takes about 10-15 minutes), the display will count down 30 minutes. When 30 minutes is up, it will beep and switch to “keep warm” mode. Press the cancel button and allow the pressure in the pot to reduce naturally (this varies but expect at least 15 minutes). You’ll know the pressure is at a safe level and it’s okay to open the pot when the silver float valve on the lid has fallen down. Carefully open the steam release valve and remove the lid.
Strain the stock. It is recommended to use a fine wire mesh strainer over and ladle the stock into a large bowl. Discard all bones, spices, herbs, and vegetable scraps. Taste the stock and add salt if desired.
Place the stock in air-tight containers and refrigerate until completely cool. When the stock chills it will likely turn gelatinous because the collagen will be suspended throughout the liquid. If there is a layer on the top that can be skimmed off, you can skim this off if you want.
Keep the stock refrigerated and use it within three days, or freeze it for longer storage. Let the stock cool in the fridge completely before transferring it to the freezer.
*Nutritional analysis was not able to be completed due to the variability of the ingredients.
It is the beginning of the calendar year and many people participate in the tradition of making New Year’s resolutions which typically involves changing habits or setting personal goals. Whether you choose to embark on new goals at the beginning or middle of the calendar year, we want to remind you that when setting goals or beginning new habits, it is best to focus on making good decisions, not perfect ones. A good decision moves you in the direction you want to go–it does not catapult you to your desired outcome. Perfectionism can paralyze the decision-making process and keep you from achieving your goals.
To make good decisions you will need to adopt flexible thinking which will help you on the days that do not go as planned. When life happens and competing responsibilities arise, you are faced with choice points. In these choice points, you can practice flexible thinking by making a good decision instead of what you might consider a perfect one.
While a small change is not going to be as rewarding as the instant results of drastic changes, it will lay the foundation for a new habit that you can integrate into your daily life. When your next choice point comes up, try thinking of one thing you can do that will steer–not catapult–you toward your end goal. For example, you planned to get up early to exercise for 30 minutes but you overslept and you have a busy day. Rather than throwing in the towel, make the choice to try to get in some physical activity that day, even if it is a 10-minute walk.
Consistency is key to habit formation. The SMART goal template is an effective strategy to help you map your way toward the desired goal. Remember that sustainable behavior change comes down to our ability to choose consistency, joy, and flexible thinking.
Sometimes it can seem like there is not enough time in the day to get everything done. Trying to fit healthy eating, movement, work, and all the other things that come up can seem overwhelming. One way to guarantee time for yourself is to shift your sleep schedule to wake up earlier. I know, I know, you’ve probably heard this before. You may already be a morning person, but if not, there are strategies you can implement to become one. It may not even be an extreme change. Just having 30 extra minutes in the morning could greatly benefit your health and your goals.
Our bodies have a natural sleep rhythm that you can use to your advantage. As you are shifting, or even implementing, a new sleep schedule, try to keep your bedtime and wake up time consistent. This regularity will make it easier to fall asleep and wake up. On the weekends when you may not need to start your day as early, try to keep your bedtime and wake up time within an hour to hour and a half of your normal schedule.
If you are trying to shift your schedule and wake up early, try a gradual shift. Maybe you want to wake up 30 minutes earlier on weekdays. To start, try just waking up 10 to 15 minutes earlier each day for a week. The following week, wake up another 10 to 15 minutes earlier. Think about when you want to wake up and when you want to wake up now. Break up the shift into shorter increments and make the change over a few weeks. At the same time, aim to go to bed at a consistent time that will give you enough total sleep based on your wake-up time.
Here are more strategies to help you wake up earlier:
Have a plan. What are you trying to accomplish in this extra time? Maybe you want to engage in physical activity, cook a healthy breakfast, pack a lunch, journal, read for pleasure, or a combination of a few!
Use light to your advantage. Avoid screens at least an hour before bedtime. In the morning, use light to help you wake up. Some alarm clocks can mimic a sunrise for a more natural wake up.
Move your body. Engage in a short stretching routine, yoga, workout, or walk to help wake your body and mind up.
Limit your caffeine consumption to certain timeframes. Importantly, do not have caffeine to late in the afternoon so you do not disrupt your sleep.
Think about how your goals align with your current schedule. Can you make schedule adjustments to increase your progress? Make a plan today to shift your sleep schedule to fit your goals.
