Wellness Wednesday

Happy Hump Day Friends!

I am over the moon and so excited for today you have no idea! In a few hours I will be giving my first corporate wellness presentation here in San Francisco. I have been prepping like a mad woman while balancing the family visit and thought it would be fun to share some of the tips I plan to talk about today.Since the target audience is modern business professionals I’ve included 10 tips to energize your day without an energy drink or excessive coffee consumption.

• Energize your Day
  • Try a mid-day work out to keep energy up and avoid that 3pm slump
  • Have some chocolate! Dark chocolate has caffeine but also cognitive and mood boosting properties from Flavonoids
  • Believe it or not your mom was right: some fresh air will do you some good, so try to get outside for 10-20 minutes.
  • Sit up Straight! Slouching can cause fatigue whereas sitting straight helps comfortably support your frame with less effort (plus it gives you a little confidence boost which is nice)
  • Leave your desk to eat as often as possible – including snacking if you can help it.
    • the body needs to know its ‘fuel time’
  • Opt for complex carbs that break down slowly and keep your blood sugar regulated
    • always drink plenty of water too
  • Try to listen to music at your desk or pump it through the speakers to boost mood, focus and energy
  • Sipping on green tea in the afternoon after your lunch has been known to improve cognitive function, aid digestion, keep you fuller longer, and fuel your body with antioxidants and flavonoids.
  • Chia seeds, especially when paired with water are proven to keep you full and fueled for the day
  • Red is associated with confidence and winning…brighter colors can also keep you more alert and awake.  

I hope you find ways to incorporate one, or some, of these tips to help keep you energized, the healthy way!

 

’til next time, keep smiling! 🙂

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Wednesday Wedding Confessions

Happy Hump Day Friends!

I hope everyone is making it through the week with a smile on their face! Phil and I sat down to dinner last night and started talking about our favorite topic, the wedding. During the talk of payments, confirmations, timelines, etc.. we both looked at each other without saying a word, we knew what the other was thinking: neither of us are particularly looking forward to our wedding at this point.

While that might sound terrible to put in writing or say out loud, I believe honesty is the best policy, so I’m not taking it back. Look, the reality is our wedding day will be amazing, and we’re both genuinely looking forward to being man and wife but this whole ‘event’ is just A LOT and we’re drained! There are less than 25 days left until we say ‘I do’ and we still have welcome bags to arrange, seating charts to do, finalizing the gifts for everyone, making sure the timeline for the day of is properly arranged, a marriage license to procure, and at least a dozen other things to get done. 

We agreed we were not going to allow the wedding to stress us out anymore but now its not even stressful its just exhausting….which I guess is why we feel the way we do. We keep hoping/praying we’re not going to let a trivial detail ruin the day. We are terrified that all this time, money and energy from so many people will somehow/someway get ruined, so instead of being excited for what will be the happiest day of our life, we’re just dreading it. 

In our heart we know things will work out but we can’t help but feel the way we do! I know there is no way we’re the only couple who’ve felt this way during the wedding planning process, so I wanted to put it out there for anyone who might be feeling the same!

’til next time, keep smiling! 🙂

Food 4 Thought

Hooray for Hump Day! We’re that much closer to the weekend friends & we all know how much I have been digging my weekends these days! On a gloomy Wednesday such as today, I thought it would be a good idea to share a little something we have hanging in the office…

…just a little reminder that sometimes its not what but how we say things that can get us into trouble. I don’t know about anyone else but I am terrible about this sometimes…especially on a muggy, overcast day in the middle of the week when I spent 1 1/2 hrs in traffic getting to work & have a terrible headache (hypothetically speaking of course)!

Even on the worst of days, remember to breathe, smile & take things in stride…there is little we can control in this world, so why not make the most of what we can!?!

Pose-A-Day: After a long bike ride, yesterday’s Prasarita Padottonasana (Wide Legged Forward Fold) felt quite luxurious! I am hoping to find a fun place to take my Virabhadrasana (Warrior 2) shot today, so stay tuned!

Daily Eats

• Breakfast: Banana
• Snack: Greek Yogurt w/Bluberries
• Lunch: Hummus w/Carrots & Pita Chips
• Snack: Sweet Potato Wedges
• Dinner: Brown Rice Sushi w/Edamame & Seaweed Salad
• Dessert: Cacao Chia Pudding

 

Asian Inspiration

Happy Hump Day!

The snow continues here, only a few inches thankfully, but I wont let it get me down! In a few days I will be visiting one of my college besties in New York for her town’s St. Patty’s Day celebration! While we both keep crazy schedules, we always make time to visit each other a few times a year and the Rockaway St. Patty’s Day parade has been one of those occasions for many years!

In other efforts to keep the snow from bringing me down I have been trying to make comforting evening meals that taste indulgent but are totally healthy! This Asian stir-fry is one such comfort food I can’t live without – and neither can Phil! I have been making variations of this forever, but thanks to the Rocco Dispirito’s Now Eat This Book, I have taken all my Asian dishes to a whole other level while still keeping it guilt free!

Tofu Teriyaki Stir Fry

• 1 cup brown rice
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 shallot finely chopped
• 1 small head nappa cabbage
• 1 small box of shitake mushrooms
• 1 small head of broccoli
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 block extra firm tofu
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1/2 batch Rocco’s Rockin’ Asian Sauce (1/4 cup chopped ginger, 5 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 bunch scallions fine chopped, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 3/4 cup stock, 1/2 cup reduced sugar ketchup, 1 tbsp corn starch, 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar)

* Cook brown rice as instructed on package (1cup rice 2cup water boil/cover for 20-30 minutes). Drain and dry tofu, slice into cubes and bake in oven @ 400 for 10-15 minutes, rotating every few minutes. As tofu cooks, heat non-stick pan to medium and add sesame oil. Add shallots and garlic to the pan first, followed by all the vegetables except the cabbage. Cook veggies until tender, add cabbage, rice, sauce and tofu.

The dish, sauce and all, takes about 35 minutes and is AMAZING as leftovers!

Nothing like a little comfort food to carry you over the mid-week hump..enjoy!

Hump Day Celebrations

Happy Hump Day!

Today’s office hump day celebration was pizza and a show…that’s right, a little midday TV time!

We ordered a ton of pizza……rolled out the big screen….….and got cozy with our coworkers! We watched the slapsgiving episode of ‘How I Met Your Mother’ for anyone who is familiar with the show! Had I already seen this episode?…probably 6 times. Did I enjoy the break?…you bet!

Take a hump day break, you’re half way there!

Working through it

Happy Hump Day!

I didn’t post about it yesterday, mostly because I didn’t want to speak too soon, but I am back at it after a 10 day exercise hiatus. As some of you may recall, I fell pretty bad in Whole Foods at the start of the month and the pain in my knee has kept me out of the gym and off the mat.

Yesterday morning I made it to my normal 6pm spin class and even though my knee didn’t feel 100%, I pushed through. I wouldn’t say I was in pain but there were definitely high levels of discomfort.

This morning was a little under an hour of vinyasa which was met with very little discomfort. I will admit I didn’t push myself too hard but it felt great to kick the day off with a warming flow & get the body started!

Even though its in the 30s-40s the sun is shining and its a beautiful day…I’m thinking an afternoon hump day walk might be in order today!

Getting over the hump!

Its the half way mark! If you’re feeling stressed, tired, or frustrated, just remember, the weekend is almost here!

For me, there are a few Wednesday traditions that help get me through the week! Admittedly, I tend to move a little slower on Wednesday but I try to do these few simple things to make the day breeze by!

1) Sleep in a little! I am fortunate enough to make my own schedule, so I usually give myself an extra 30-60 minutes of sleep on Wednesdays.

2) Bump the tunes! Most days I listen to lectures for school on my way into work but Wednesdays I turn the volume up on the tunes and sing along.

3) Tea Time! No matter what I take 5 minutes to do nothing but sip some tea and stare into space. If its nice out I will take it outside but if not, the simple little mid-day break does wonders to improve my mood.

4) Pre-make Dinner! While I LOVE to cook, I am under motivated most Wednesdays and find heating something I made earlier in the week to be the most effort I can muster; so, I try to make some yummy stir fry, soup, etc… that reheats well and save it for Wednesday nights!

5) Early Bedtime! Even with a little extra sleep in the morning, I am totally shot by days end, so I make an effort to get in bed an hour earlier than usual. 9 times outa 10 I am out like a light!

Taking even just one of these steps are guaranteed to help with the hump day blues!

Smile folks…you’re almost there!!!