Healthy Life Lessons

Here we are: January 31st, 2014 and the final day of my month long gratitude challenge. So what was the point?  Well most of us start off a new year taking stock of what we want to change, and often this relates to what we don't like about ourselves and about our life.  There is nothing wrong with self-improvement or with having goals, of course, but as research consistently shows us, we are not terribly successful with New Year's resolutions.  We can also do harm to our physical and mental health when we focus exclusively on what is going wrong and fail to recognize all that's right in the world, and in our lives. I have to admit, it's been a hard month.  My thoughts have been almost exclusively with my friend who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and her family.  Basically witnessing a suicide on the subway this week was pretty brutal too.  Throw in a few natural disasters, political crises and senseless crimes around the world and its easy to see how one can f

Today, Day 30 of my 2014 Gratitude Challenge, I am grateful for a small little thing that made my day yesterday: I discovered our local Loblaws now sells these stevia-sweetened chocolate chips:   They are also gluten-free and nut-free, by the way.  There is no dairy listed in them either, but they don't say they are vegan or dairy-free on the package. It was a crazy coincidence actually, as I had the day off and was trying to get a number of things done including making muffins for the girls' lunches.  I was out of my home-made, sugar-free chocolate chips and didn't have time to make more, and was trying to figure out what, besides chocolate, they would find appealing.  Our bananas weren't ripe enough to bake with, and Big A recently decided she hates blueberries.  I wanted to avoid dried fruit for the sake of their teeth (since they don't brush at school) and was grumpily meandering the aisles looking for inspiration.  I almost kissed the woman wa

Today I am grateful that my job, which I absolutely love, allows me to help those in need.  There are few things that can bring as much satisfaction as helping others.  I do wish, however, that more people in need could get help.  I was reminded of just how many people do not get the help they need yesterday.  On my way to work, my subway was evacuated just one stop from home due to a 'personal injury'.  A little known fact in Toronto (and I am sure its similar in most big cities) is how many suicides occur on the subway tracks.  I've known this for a while, of course, but I have never witnessed it.  This time, as we were evacuated off the train, I could hear people talking to someone under the train, just one car ahead of mine, trying to reassure her that she would be okay.  As we streamed out of the station, multiple ambulances, fire trucks and police cars arrived with sirens on.  At first it wasn't clear whether it was a suicide attempt or an accident, but later

Today, Day 28 of my Gratitude Challenge, I am grateful that it is Bell Let's Talk Day. Mental health is an important issue for me, both as someone who has struggled with anxiety for most of my life, as well as someone who, as a psychotherapist, who works in the field. I am so thankful for this initiative which aims to open dialogue about mental health and to reduce the stigma from mental illness.  This year it is focusing on 3 particularly vulnerable populations who, in Canada, do not get sufficient support: (1) Military, (2) Youth, and (3) Seniors. To help spread the word and assist with this valuable program visit the website for more info.

Good grief, it's already January 27th, day 27 of my Gratitude Challenge!  It also happens to be another Monday of a week that is supposed to be stupidly cold and yucky.  Perfect time to practice gratitude and not wallow in self-pity.  Today I am grateful that my kids have no serious allergies...yet (allergies can develop at any point in time). I was quite concerned my kids would have bad allergies because Adam has some (Marlin, hay, etc.) and lots of people in my family have them (shellfish, morphine and penicillin among other things).  I, luckily, am just allergic to wool and have a ton of skin sensitivities, but nothing that yields a really serious reaction or anything.  While pregnant with Big A, I didn't touch a peanut, since at that point that was the recommendation.  While pregnant with Little A, I ate lots of peanuts because at that point the experts decided early exposure was better.  Now I think its been determined that it really doesn't matter.  In any case,

Today, Day 24 of my Gratitude Challenge, I am giving thanks for our neighbourhood.  Toronto, like any city, has its problems, many of which I complain about regularly: major traffic, rude and aggressive drivers, and a shitty transit system.  And all of this is being made worse by our pathetic excuse for a mayor (which I'm guessing you've heard something about by now!). But there are awesome things about this city too: The diversity, the food (honestly I have yet to find another city that can match us for the breadth and quality of ethic food restaurants and grocery stores), and the neighbourhoods.  In fact, people often refer to Toronto as a city of neighbourhoods.  It has a vast array of ethnic enclaves, but also communities created by geography, like ours, that are diverse and unique.  When we moved here, it was not at all trendy.  Most of our friends had never heard of, or been to the area, and there is STILL little agreement on its name.  Sometimes its called Christ

If you have noticed that the photos on this blog are even worse than usual, its because my camera is incompatible with my computer's new operating system.  Stupid Windows 8!  I now have to use my phone to take pics.  The muffin loaf above looks un-baked in this picture, which is so weird because in reality it was fresh out of the oven and looked (and smelled and tasted) delightful.   Oh well, I'm not about to get a new camera anytime soon so my phone pics will have to do. I am really not technically inclined.  My phone (Samsung Galaxy S4) couldn't be better quality and has some ridiculously amazing features and functions, but I don't know how to use most of them.  I really just use my phone for communicating with my clients.  Actually, I have to tell you, what I am grateful for today (It's now Day 23 of my Gratitude Challenge), is that Adam and I are not device abusers/addicts (we don't have PVR, we still use a VCR, Adam doesn't have a Smart phone, and

I always say I'm a carb-a-holic, but the truth is, I am also a protein-a-holic...actually, I'm a fruit and vegetable-a-holic too...so maybe I'm just a food-a-holic.  A healthy food-a-holic, of course.  But seriously, I think I crave protein as much as I crave carbs, possibly even more so.  Protein is so satisfying.  It must be all that weight lifting I do! I love most proteins, but I do try to limit my animal-based sources.  I have admitted before that there are even a few mock meat products that I love, even though these are not particularly healthy (i.e. heavily processed and high in sodium).  I try to limit their use as much as possible so I am always looking for new vegetable-based protein ideas (aside from beans, which I love...but you can definitely get too much of...or so my husband reminds me frequently!).  Recently, I heard about Soy Curls and was instantly intrigued.  They are made from soybeans but much less processed than texturized vegetable protein.  They

Today I am grateful to be 39.  Yeah, I'm serious!  Admittedly, I miss my perky pre-breast feeding boobies from my 20s, and I could do without a lot of the lines that have developed on my face.  But you know what?  I'm stronger and fitter than I've ever been, and more importantly, I am wiser than I was in my 20s and early 30s.  This wisdom has translated into more inner peace and greater self-acceptance.  And I wouldn't trade that for all the smooth skin and bouncy boobies in the world.  I don't know about you, but it really freaks me out when I hear all the weird toxic shit there is in a lot of personal care products.  I just don't get why our government allows this.  Hello Health Canada!  Get the carcinogens out of our make-up and hair, and body products please! If you are committed to using natural products, you are going to love this one.  Urban Minerals is a local company (in Toronto) that was started by Sarah Sumnauth, who handcrafts each jar of lo

Happy Monday to you.  Today, Day 20 of my Gratitude Challenge, I am grateful for the JCC .  It's such a special place for all of us.  I've been teaching fitness classes there since 1997 and I think of many of the participants like a second family.  Adam and I met there.  The girls have Hebrew School there and take swim classes.  It's such a unique place, and I think it really reflects the flavour of Toronto: full of culture and diversity!  Yeah, its not just for Jews, there are folks of all kinds who use the wonderful facilities.  Anyways, going there every Sunday morning to teach my spin class makes me very happy. Man, its super cold here again.  The milder temps just won't stick around.  Stupid Polar Vortex! So I have a lovely recipe that is sure to warm you up.   Before I get to that, I just wanted to ask my readers a favour: I have a survey I've put together, hopefully to provide me with some data to present at the CFAS conference in September.  Its about

Today I am grateful for my wonderful husband, Adam.  How lucky is it, that we got on side-by-side stair climbers at the JCC over 13 years ago and discovered each other?  I counsel a lot of clients who are unhappily single or unhappily married and it reminds me every day how good I have it.  So in his honour, I am going to discuss one of his favorite things: chocolate. Do you, like millions of people around the world, love chocolate? If so, you probably were thrilled by the headlines that started coming out a few years ago that chocolate is a health food or superfood?  Full of antioxidants huh?  Bring on the Hershey Kisses! All of a sudden chocolate bars were being marketed as health bars.  You can even get them infused with all sorts of vitamins, minerals, and other superfoods/supplements, etc.  There is raw chocolate, organic chocolates, vegan chocolates, spicy chocolates, and, of course chocolate with bacon. Okay, come on, you have to know anything with bacon is not a he

Given that the temps have been very up and down lately and when they are down, they are REALLY down, today I am giving thanks (Day 16 of my gratitude challenge) for the fact that the girls are relatively cooperative about getting all bundled up.  When it's seriously cold, the last thing I want to be doing is fighting with them about hats and mitts.  In case you're not so lucky, you might be interested in this post on a hat for kids we recently discovered. I am embarrassed to say that Little A is a TV junkie.  Seriously, when we talk about what our dream day would be she always says the same thing: stay home all day, eat treats and watch TV.  Sigh!  We limit screen time but we worry that she still watches too much.  Case in point, she can pretty much recite word-for-word most commercials and infomercials.  She recently told Adam to get a NO NO when he was complaining about being too hairy. Sometimes though, she finds out about some cool products.  She insisted on getting S

Today, Day 15 of my Gratitude Challenge, I am giving thanks for my awesome in-laws.  As a therapist, I often hear stories about in-laws from hell.  It's actually quite shocking how crazy things can get because of petty jealousies, misunderstandings and/or disputes over money.  My in-laws have always been extremely warm, loving, generous and supportive.  Just yesterday, Adam and I both had to work late, so my mother-in-law picked the girls up from daycare, brought them back to our place, and fed them dinner. She rocks! Okay, and now for another book review... I get asked to review a lot of books.  It should come as no surprise that most of them fall into the fitness/nutrition/health category.  But recently I was asked to review a novel called Fielder's Choice .  I am an avid fiction reader and the premise sounded interesting, so I eagerly agreed. The book, a first novel for author J. Mark Hart, is about a 17-year-old boy who plays baseball, growing up in Birmingham, Ala

  Peppermint Patties are popular in this house.  We all love the whole chocolate and peppermint combo.  Actually, Adam used to eat like 2-3 of the York ones a day and the girls quickly developed a liking of them too.  More recently he has tried to cut down his consumption as he has become increasingly careful about his diet.  I've been wanting to create a healthier version for a while now.  Many healthy food blogs have whole food recipes that look great, but they usually still use sweeteners that raise blood sugar, and are generally made with gobs of nut or coconut products, which although nutritious, are seriously calorie-dense.  And the truth is, most of us DO have to consider calories because too many can lead to weight gain and health problems, even if they come from healthy sources.  Particularly if you, like all the folks in this family, have difficulty with portion control, its important not to overdo it when it comes to fats and oils. In this version, I use a wee

It's another dreary January Monday, but I'm up and at 'em trying to squeeze every last drop out of that lemon.  What lemon you ask? My father was hospitalized on Friday for a major, and I mean MAJOR blood clot in his leg.  He had hip replacement replacement (his first hip replacement had to be replaced) surgery a few months ago.  He has been wheelchair-bound ever since because he has not been able to put any weight on that foot.  For weeks he has been complaining about swelling and discomfort in the area, but all the health care practitioners kept telling him this is normal after surgery. On Friday they met with the surgeon who told them, based on x-rays, the hip was healing very well and everything looked peachy.  My father mentioned, yet again, the swelling, and the surgeon finally agreed to send him for an ultrasound.  When my parents came back (after a long wait for the ultrasound), the surgeon took one look at the report and said, "This is very serious, you

Today I am grateful that the Globe Real Estate Section is back.  Hey, sometimes its the small stuff that makes us happy!  I love me some good Real Estate Porn, and nothing makes me happier than having the Real Estate section from the Globe and Mail to read on a Friday morning while I eat my breakfast.  But every year, they take 3 weeks off from publishing it over the winter holidays.  I always miss it!  Today is the first week its back after the break.  Hallelujah!! Alright from real estate to the dinner plate, lets talk noodles... Who doesn't like pasta?  It's so satisfying and comforting, not to mention relatively inexpensive and versatile.  You can dress it up a gazillion different ways.  Don't eat carbs/grains/gluten, you say?  Well there are still noodles out there for you.  And I am not talking about spaghetti squash or spiralized zucchini, which are really just veggies posing as noodles.  If you think pasta only comes in the white wheat flour variety, you b

Today I am grateful that I recently found a healthy dish both kids like.   Trying out a new recipe on my children is always scary.  New things are not always welcomed and often are not even given a chance.  So I was a bit hesitant to give tacos a try when Big A mentioned she likes them.  On many occasions she has made such claims only to decide she doesn't like said item, because I didn't make it 'right', although she can't often articulate what that means and/or even if I made it the same as my mother-in-law/daycare/friend's mom or whoever happened to make it the way she does like it.  I have been especially reluctant to try anything new because Little A is going through a phase of extra-pickiness right now and has suddenly decided she hates all sorts of food she used to love (sweet potatoes, potatoes, chicken, fish...).  But I bit the bullet and decided to give tacos a try. To my surprise and delight, BOTH girls gobbled these up.  I honestly couldn&#

  Today (Day 6 of my gratitude challenge) I am grateful that I have a safe warm home for myself and my family.  Yesterday it was INSANELY cold here in Toronto.  I luckily didn't work yesterday so I only went out to drop off the girls and then pick them up from school.  Just running from car to school and back was painful.  I seriously cannot imagine what life would be like in this weather for someone without a home, or even those unable to afford appropriate outerwear.  So in light of the chilly weather in these parts, here is a yummy recipe guaranteed to go great with a steaming cup of coffee, tea or cocoa.  Perfect apres ski, skate or sled fare! When we got home from Florida, there was a big bunch of very ripe bananas on our counter.  This made it easy to decide what to bake for our New Year's Day drop-in: banana muffins!  Little A, who was my helper, decided on adding the dried cranberries...they are like one of her favorite things of all times.  I wasn't sure