http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
Celebrate the arrival of spring asparagus with this tart. Serve it as easy-fancy hors d’oeuvres, or tucked next to a green salad for brunch or lunch. It starts with a buttery puff pastry base and a thin layer of egg, melty Gruyère cheese, and diced ham. A tumble of tender spears of roasted asparagus top the tart and sing the song of spring with their sweet and earthy, vegetal flavor.
http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
Even if you’re pretty diligent about taking out the trash, there will come a time when it gets stinky. Whether you left seafood in there overnight, or something buried in the depths finally hit its tipping point, stinky-smelling garbage is inevitable.
Naturally, the most effective way to eliminate the smell is to take out the bag of trash, but sometimes that smell just lingers. Most trash can bins and liners are plastic, after all, and that material’s just porous enough to hold on to a smell. Fortunately, there’s an easy, foolproof way to deodorize your trash can: Sprinkle baking soda in it!
http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
In this bowl lies every single thing I want in a really good batch of chili. A slew of pantry ingredients leave it with just the right balance of spicy, sweet, and bitter flavors, making this a plant-based pot of chili that will leave you fully satisfied. The chili gets its heft from red lentils and a duo of beans. As a result, it has a texture so meaty, I have to remind myself that there’s not actually any meat in the pot. It checks all the boxes, and then some. If you’re looking for a simple and satisfying vegan chili recipe, this is it!
http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
Once you get a handle on how to make perfectly juicy pork chops (it’s not hard, promise!), it’s time to try out some fun variations. Now, these variations don’t need to be complicated. This is Kitchn, after all, and we’re all about finding the smart tips and recipes that deliver on flavor but also aren’t, well, fussy.
https://www.girlsgonestrong.com/
I can’t recall a moment during my time working in the fitness industry where I didn’t hate myself.
It seems ironic when you think about it. Fitness is supposed to be about health and living your best life possible. Why then, do we find ourselves stressed and anxious rather than inspired?
When you’re living in a world that thrives on the concept of insufficiency it can be difficult to keep a healthy perspective on diet and exercise. It’s not hard to see how disordered eating and mental health struggles can be associated with the fitness industry because of this.
Most of the articles in the top-selling fitness magazines play up insecurities, encouraging us to jump on every latest trend to change all the things we dislike about ourselves. It’s all about how much we can take away from our body, and how tracking everything we eat and do is necessary for any kind of noticeable progress. Physical activity becomes another gateway to feed disordered eating habits.
We use words like “dirty,” “bad,” and “cheating” to describe certain foods or the consumption of them, thinking it’s an innocent way of reminding ourselves to eat better. In reality, this kind of language is quite harmful to our mental state.
Giving any kind of negative association to the food we eat implies there is something wrong with indulging in it. It’s like a form of self-manipulation, because we are making ourselves feel bad for things we have no reason to feel bad about. If you’ve ever experienced genuine guilt for ordering off the dessert menu, you know what I’m talking about.
We celebrate antisocial habits and withdrawal from friends and family due to restrictive eating in the name of “health,” leading to even higher irritability levels from a lack of involvement in the activities we would normally enjoy participating in.
The cycle seemingly never ends.
Eating disorders are just one aspect of the mental health strains endured in a world dominated by images and numbers. For those of us who suffer from depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), or any other kind of mental illness, the drive to adhere to these numbers and constraints we have created for ourselves is exhausting.
Unfortunately, mental illness tends to fly under the radar and to get pushed to the backburner when we are working hard to achieve our goals.
Think of it like a credit card statement that we’re embarrassed to talk about. While we don’t want to acknowledge its existence, we know it’s there. It builds and becomes more daunting, until it grows totally out of control. Yet we’re afraid to address it.
Those who suffer from anxiety or depression are more likely to develop an eating disorder as a result of their altered mental state. So if you already suffer from mental illness, you are at a risk of making things worse when you start to involve more calculated measures of control over what you eat and how you exercise [9,11].
That being said, there is still a great amount of stigma that surrounds mental illness, which can make it difficult for some people to be open about what they are going through in order to seek help. Suffering in silence usually means that we find a different way of coping. When that comes in the form of extreme diet swings and over-exercising, it can be very damaging to our long-term physical and psychological health.
So what can we do to protect our mental health?
Luckily there are measures we can take to ensure we maintain a positive and healthy mindset in the face of the unattainable “perfection” society pushes on us. If any of the scenarios below sound like things you’ve experienced, here are some steps you can take to improve your self-image and mental health. Avoiding these pitfalls can help ensure that we live our healthiest life possible, free from guilt, disordered eating, and poor body image.
Studies have shown that there is a direct correlation between disordered eating and the overuse of calorie and macro tracking apps [1,7]. Try as we may to separate the two, when tracking your calories becomes an obsession it is difficult to see food in a positive light. Food isn’t just food anymore – it’s now observed as digits and nutritive breakdowns.
Sometimes, too much knowledge in one area isn’t necessarily a positive thing when you’re using that knowledge for something destructive.
Solution: Eat IntuitivelyIf you cannot remember the last time you picked up an apple and ate it without automatically calculating the approximate number of carbs and sugars inside of it, it may be time to put down that tracking app [8].
We were born knowing how to eat, and we gradually lost that ability over time through outside influence. So let’s take it back to the basics — next time you have a meal, think of some basic guidelines for how to make it nutritious, pick an item from each food group (protein, fat, carbohydrates), and be sure to include fruits and vegetables. Eat slowly, eat mindfully, and choose foods you actually enjoy eating.
The emotional and social aspect of eating is an integral part of our livelihood. Food should satisfy you, energize you, and bring you happiness. Try not to overthink it.
While exercise can help relieve some depressive symptoms and decrease anxiety, more is not always better; exercising can have detrimental effects on your physical and mental state when done to excess [2,4,10].
I can’t tell you the amount of times I used to go for a run just because I had a bite of cake when I didn’t “earn” it, or when it wasn’t a part of my meal plan. If I didn’t find a way to burn away my transgressions, my anxiety would soar and I would panic. Exercise became nothing more than a way for me to assume control when other parts of my life felt like they were in a downward spiral.
Set your focus on building strength and stamina. Think of exercising to improve your overall health rather than simply using it as a tool to create a bigger dietary deficit. Exercise for longevity — it should never be a form of punishment or something you feel obligated to partake in out of shame.
Find something you love to do, whether that is weightlifting, snowboarding, tennis, hiking, running, swimming, team sports, martial arts, or anything else you can think of! Exercise should be enjoyable, and an integral part of your self-care.
Now, don’t get me wrong: just like anyone, I certainly love to admire a beautiful model from time to time. However, now that we have higher access to these images at a moment’s notice, it can cause us to create extremely unrealistic standards for ourselves.
We tend to compare ourselves more to those we see in photos than those we observe through other media, such as television, due to the fact that photos can be retouched and filtered to perfection [3,5,6]. This unhealthy comparison can lead to unhappiness in our lives as well as the lives of those around us, because it affects our interactions with them and ultimately our quality of life. We don’t realize how many of those images are doctored up, and that the person behind them is just another human with their own doubts and insecurities.
Next time you are about to hit the “follow” button on Instagram, ask yourself a few questions:
If you are following people simply for the sake of scrolling through their feed and admiring their seemingly perfect body, face, and life, just do yourself a favor: don’t.
If the person you are following makes you feel insecure, jealous, or bad about yourself, do not continue following them. There is nothing wrong with looking up to someone who inspires you, but make sure they inspire you for the right reasons.
Every time we say something negative about ourselves, it becomes more of a reality in our minds.
Words are powerful, and while we could be using them to lift ourselves up, sadly so many of us use them to put ourselves down.
It’s not always so obvious, but you’d be surprised how much of an effect it can have on your self-esteem and physical progress long term to continue talking down on yourself, even if you’re doing so in a humorous, self-deprecating way.
It’s time to drop the self-deprecation — your life isn’t a “Roast Yourself Challenge.”
Next time you refer to yourself, take a moment to consider the words you intend to use. If what you are about to say is negative, find a different word to use to describe yourself — even if it sounds silly when you say it, and even if it’s exactly opposite of how you feel. I call it, “The Antonym Game” — for every bad word I would use to describe myself, I replace it with a more positive, contrasting expression.
It’s not necessarily about positive affirmations. Sometimes it’s just about challenging yourself to transform your negative talk into something positive or neutral. The better you get at doing this, the more it inherently sticks in your mind.
When we think of taking care of ourselves, we usually refer to caring for our physical bodies and appearance, putting our mental health to the side. However, the two are not mutually exclusive.
Mental health is just as important as physical health, and it is difficult to have one without the other. Eventually, something has got to give. We invest so much in caring for what our body looks like on the outside, while on the inside we wither away.
Solution: Take Care of Your Mental HealthMental health is the backbone of our entire well-being. Without this kind of self-care, everything else falls to the wayside.
Take time to relax every day, and practice mindfulness. When you are feeling overwhelmed, step back and breathe. Take time to acknowledge when you are not feeling well, and do whatever is necessary to centre yourself and help yourself feel better.
If needed, seek professional help for your mental health. There is never shame in having someone to talk to who can help us make healthier choices and find new balance in our life. These problems can be tough to tackle on our own.
When we take care of our mental health, we take care of our body the best way that we know how. One cannot thrive without the other.
Above all else, remember that numbers do not define you. The moment we relinquish the need for absolute control is the moment we allow ourselves to open up and heal. The path to recovering from mental illness begins with your mindset. Some of us may battle with it for a lifetime, but all of us can take steps every day towards leading the best and healthiest life we possibly can.
Recognize when there is a problem, and do whatever is necessary to achieve balance. Only then can we begin to end the cycle of harmful thought.
The post Taking Care of Your Mental Health in the Fitness Space appeared first on Girls Gone Strong.
Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss
7 rounds of:
Set-up, lift, and move like you mean it. Each set should be a challenge- make ambitious choices, and only adjust back if range of motion fails or position breaks- fight hard to not allow either to happen.
http://www.thealternativedaily.com/
Some six million Americans are currently living with congestive heart failure (CHF). If you’re one of them, here are five natural ways to strengthen your heart and slow the disease. Heart failure meds have serious side effects People of all ages can be affected with congestive heart failure, with around one-third of patients under the age of […]
http://www.thealternativedaily.com/
How many times have you been in a yoga class and ignored the instructor when they reminded you to clean your mat? If you’re like me, the answer is many times. But it turns out that if you don’t clean your yoga mat often enough, you put yourself at risk of germs, smells, fungus and […]
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Love them or hate them, pod coffee systems have carved (and kept!) a home in the morning beverage market. If you use this type of coffee maker, you know how crucial it is to keep the system brewing without issue every morning — or maybe all day, depending on your coffee habit. Could you just imagine if it worked just fine for your husband and then it stopped brewing when you tried to make your own cup? The horror!
It can happen: Machines getting a lot of daily use can develop clogs that can cause the system to quit completely. Here’s a quick cleaning routine to keep your machine running well.
For now classes are 6pm and 640pm at 2840 Wildwood st in the Boise Cloggers studio.
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