We are all familiar with the dietary temptations of this holiday season – starting with Halloween and culminating with New Year’s … or the Super Bowl … or maybe Valentine’s Day.
That’s at least four months of over-the-top sweets, fat, and decadent beverages. I’m letting St. Patrick’s Day slide because it features corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes – well, there is the beer.
I have compounded my personal challenge of not going crazy with holiday food by also being on the road visiting family for Thanksgiving and then vacationing for over two weeks. Yikes!
There is no way I want to re-lose those 25 pounds I lost over 6 months on Noom. No, siree!
My companion and I have met the challenge, not through denial and lack of participation in the local culinary and beverage scene, but by sharing a generous app or meal, doing lots of tourist-y walking to take in the magnificent views, and in eating at least one meal prepared in our micro kitchen each day.
A few bananas, apples, and a jar of peanut butter go a long way to save money and calories on breakfast. Using the microwave in our lodgings, I’ve added bowls of steel cut oats to the morning menu.
The one day, so far, which we each had our own meal, leftovers were kept and enjoyed the next night.
This approach to holiday/vacation eating seems to be working. My slacks are still quite comfortable to wear and there are no bulges.
Yet, we have marveled at the divine wonderfulness of our shared bowl of oyster “stew” – which looked like an oyster version of she-crab soup – as we tried not to audibly sigh with too much delight.
How are you managing your holiday eating? It does take some pre-planning and commitment, for sure, but blood sugars and waist sizes can be maintained.
Enjoy the holiday decorations
In health-
Deidre
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Can you feel the rise of expectations during the holidays – especially since it’s our first fully-vaccinated and “boosted” holiday season since 2019?
We have GREAT EXPECTATIONS!
It’s a hallmark version of life we may long for, but the reality of changing circumstances may give us something less than what we had envisioned.
Should we feel like failures? Maybe we’ll just let the holiday season slip right on past and pretend it never happened.
Every religious holiday I can think of is centered around the theme of love – giving it, receiving it, revering the gift of love, and being inspired by it. Most secular and national holidays recognize love and gratitude in some way.
Halloween may be the exception, however; but it does highlight a love of candy, having fun, and all things pumpkin.
So, are all the Hallmark accoutrements of over-the-top decorations, festivals, and parades just so much window dressing?
Like the famous Wendy’s commercial of old which asked, “Where’s the beef,” we might be asking, where’s the love?
Our social calendar may look a little empty due to infirmity, circumstances, moving, or a host of other reasons. There may be a little less to work with this year.
But it’s not the window dressings we remember or hold in our hearts – it’s the love and how we felt.
The memories that last are the songs our hearts were singing at the time – love songs of joy, warmth, and care.
The theme of changing expectations to focus on the love – instead of the window dressings – is reverberating more and more with many of us.
Gathering a few of the many decorations from my home of over 40 years to my nascent home in another town, I kept repeating my new mantra of “expectations” to adjust what environment I wanted to create and WHY I felt it was important.
I did not need the full Hallmark effect. What I needed was the LOVE.
May we not lament the things and experiences we do not have.
More than ever, we need to rejoice in the loving relationships we are nurturing. Strengthening the loving bonds may look a bit different again this year, but the resulting full hearts will forever be warmed by something that endures, crossing distance, time, and space.
With love and appreciation for each foodtalk4you subscriber –
Deidre
#RAISEcaregiving (ACL’s official tag for RAISE activities) #CaregivingInCrisis (CAN’s 2020 observance) #NFCMonth (Annual observance hashtag) #FamilyCaregiver (A larger conversation on family caregiving) #Caregivers (Broadest conversation around caregiving)
As Alex is fond of saying, it doesn’t matter how big or small you are, you have a voice! As she fights for her parents against Alzheimer’s and dementia, Alex’s “Operation Caregivers,” is yet another battle to restore dignity for those who suffer from the disease and empowerment for their https://www.facebook.com/alexandra.allred.3-569859
Email Alex at: redburn4@gmail.com. (Reference that you saw her on The Complete Caregiver Guide event) and request a copy of either “Alzheimer’s and Dementia 101” OR “Awareness is Armor.”
First come, first serve!
DEIDRE EDWARDS
If you are one of the millions of people who has become a caregiver to a loved one, Deidre’s Toolkit for Caregivers will guide you through that maze of caregiving concerns that threaten to overwhelm and consume you.
FREEBIE: We are giving three lucky people our most popular publication, Toolkit for Caregivers. Toolkit for Caregivers blends the demands associated with caring for another with a calmer atmosphere and self-assured peacefulness – creating a remedy for a more purposeful, soothing atmosphere, beneficial to both you and your patient. Please take the time to sign up for our drawing. We would love for the winner to be you!
Lori is a passionate advocate who searches for ways to shift our dementia care culture from crisis to comfort. She was recognized as the #1 Influencer Online for Alzheimer’s. As a professional speaker and daughter of a mother with dementia for over 30 years, Lori gets it! Change is needed on multiple levels.
Lucia has worked for over 25 years with elders, high-risk population and persons with chronic conditions, as well as their caregivers, in a wide range of community, research, and institutional settings. She developed a pioneering practice using mindfulness to improve the quality of life in community, hospital, clinic and nursing home settings.
Divya’s strategies motivate leaders, cross-functional groups, and teams to cultivate independent leadership, the interdependence between themselves and their internal and external customers to achieve a combined mastery of connectivity and alignment. Her experience allows her to guide leaders, teams, and professionals through complicated business and personal challenges.
During the past four decades, Dr. Marion has provided care for more than 2,000 elderly clients while she owned and operated a thriving Geriatric Care Management practice. It is now Dr. Marion’s goal to help caregivers everywhere by providing valuable insights and information.
Claudia is a burnout prevention and stress resilience coach and mentor, a self-care advocate, and a motivational speaker. She is also an entrepreneur, a digital course creator and founder of the ”Unstoppable You Wellness Academy,” an online platform offering digital courses, digital products and online trainings, with the mission to empower those who are burned out.
Petra is an author and entrepreneur who turned her attention to finding real-world elder care solutions after a series of unexpected events left her scrambling to help her parents manage their affairs. Her desire was to offer other adult children of seniors practical advice they could use in their own lives.
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We talk a lot about nurturing others: Encouraging our children and grandchildren saying, “You can do this,” “I believe in you,” “You have all the skills for success,” and the like.
Are we doing this for ourselves?
Or is our inner conversation more like, “Well, that was dumb,” “I knew you’d fail trying that,” or, “You’re not smart enough/thin enough/fast enough/rich enough/young enough/old enough to succeed”?
We’ve explored self-talk before on foodtalk4you, and readers continue to print out their copies of affirmations offered on our home page. Those affirmations, which have helped me in the past, are more faith-based and perhaps – more generalized.
As I study the writings of Louise Hay and Jennifer Teske, I have come to appreciate a different sort of affirmation that speaks to my inner self – the very core of my self-worth and abilities.
Letting the words of these affirmations by Hay wash over and filter through me, I am being transformed and empowered from the inside out.
I’ve come to learn, the subconscious mind accepts things at face value – much like we did when as babies and children. We accepted the things we experienced and were told were true. Those early messages of love and acceptance – or mistrust, lack of love, and self-doubt – became our view of the world and the blueprint for self-talk throughout life.
Louise Hay takes the listener through paired statements aimed at addressing the way the subconscious mind thinks. More than, “I am good enough, just as I am,” which the subconscious may reject as a false belief from early experiences. Her tandem affirmations also include, “You are good enough just as you are,” which is aimed at leaving an acceptable truth in the subconscious.
Listening to such affirmations feeds the non-judgmental and accepting subconscious mind. There are times when the inner self needs a boost of self-worth messages.
When was the last time you believed that you are worthwhile and deserved to be happy? Or that you were loveable because you exist?
Even if we have been behaving in ways that are unlovable, reminding ourselves that deep inside we are loveable, can inspire a change in attitude and action.
What if you were to internalize the message: I experience love wherever I go/ You experience love wherever you go? Perhaps you would come to greet each day in expectancy of positive experiences and love. With such an outlook, you would find love wherever you go.
I am at peace within/ You are at peace within. Enjoy a non-puffed-up boost in self-worth and being grounded by listening to such inspired affirmations.
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#RAISEcaregiving (ACL’s official tag for RAISE activities)
#CaregivingInCrisis (CAN’s 2020 observance)
#NFCMonth (Annual observance hashtag)
#FamilyCaregiver (A larger conversation on family caregiving)
#Caregivers (Broadest conversation around caregiving)
Yeah, yeah, yeah – mindful this and mindful that … give me a “mindful” break.
Ever thought that?
With visions of people in a lotus position – “ohhhming” – all day, I frankly didn’t used to understand what mindful really was.
A little enlightenment – pun intended – helped me appreciate how “mindful” has supplanted so many other words:
My Noom experience since February of this year has lead me to more than just a 20 pound loss in weight; it has opened up a world of understanding and mindfulness in countless aspects of my life.
With holiday and special event eating temptations already calling to us like sirens from the deep, a reminder about the whys and wherefores of eating could do us all some good.
Fuel Eating
According to Noom, there are four kinds of eating:
Fuel Eating – When we are seeking food that will “do my body good.” Think clean protein, veggies, fruit, high fiber starch – without added fats and sugars.
Joy Eating – When foods delight our palate and soul. For many of us, this kind of food has become very different from foods that will, “do our body good.” Sure, it might be great to eliminate such eating, but realistically, it’s going to happen. Just make sure it’s not more than 10% of our consumption.
Fog Eating
Fog Eating – This is mindless grazing and munching on whatever is around. This can be easily controlled and modified by eliminating candy dishes, junk food cupboards, and replacing what is available with healthier alternatives. Asking ourselves why we are eating – being mindful – may reveal a lack of hunger (fuel needs) so we can remove ourselves to do another activity while we’re fogging-out. Think a walk to the mailbox, playing with the dog, or taking a few minutes to move and stretch.
Storm Eating
Storm Eating – Results from a psychological response to a situation, or from food denial. Think eating to excess, knowing you are doing it, and then beating yourself up about it later. I have found that eating a consistent diet of fuel foods, coupled with mindful and measured joy foods on occasion, help lower any desire to this, “I don’t care, I’ve been good too long and I deserve to go off the deep end,” kind of eating altogether.
So, WHY are you eating and what can you DO about it?
If you’ve ever done lettering, created a greeting card, made a poster, or anything that requires planning prior to execution, then you’ll appreciate the this well-known poster.
That’s what I’m doing right now. Planning ahead. Writing posts for Foodtalk4you several weeks in advance. Why? Because of superb efficiency? I wish.
I am struggling, even now, with a limited bandwidth. Each of us has a finite amount of energy… bandwidth … focus. Yes, there is a limit as to how many plates we can keep spinning up in the air at one time.
First, I am in Grandma heaven! Even before I get to hold my new granddaughter and marvel at her every breath, movement, and glance. I am floating on cloud nine! As I write this, it’s hard to focus, and it’s been less than a day since her birth. Of course, that was a few days ago now.
Second, I must stay in one piece as I drive to see her and return home. My cloud nine brain needs to concentrate on the Interstate.
Third, relationships need time and attention.
Fourth and fifth, I want to focus on revisions and additions to both Toolkit for Wellness and Toolkit for Caregivers – which is going to require massive concentration and commitment.
That leaves the sixth, learning the ins and out of putting both books in an audio format.
So, dear readers, let me ask you a few questions as I ‘plan ahead’: What wellness issues would you like to see amplified, changed, or addressed in a future version of Toolkit for Wellness?
If you have experienced an improvement in your health/wellness status from ideas you have implemented after reading Toolkit for Wellness, would you be willing to share?
The revised Toolkit for Caregivers will have expanded discussions about caregiver emotions, keys for resilience, how to transition away from caregiving when your loved one improves, and grief after caregiving. What other topics about general caregiver issues, (not specific to a particular disease), would you like to see?
Would you be willing to share any helpfulness that Toolkit for Caregivers has given you or to someone you have given the book to?
Please leave your thoughts, comments, and suggestions with me at deidre@toolkitsforhealth.com. Thank you so much!
In health-
Deidre
Shhhhhh!Baby’s sleeping ….
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Happenstance? Chance encounters? God wink? Coincidence? Or just dumb luck?
You pick.
As we slosh around on the ground in the day-to-day, our thoughts may stray to dumb luck.
It seems, though, when we take the proverbial bird’s eye view, or a higher suborbital view, we can often connect the dots of life happenings. Kind of like trying to help a 5-year-old understand that life is bigger than the little red-haired girl not wanting to sit next to them in lunch. It’s a matter of perspective.
Currently, I am surrounded by messages in books, articles, posts, texts, and conversations dealing with:
– Breaking down thought distortions
– Identifying limiting beliefs
-Exploring the childhood emotional experiences that taught us limiting beliefs
– Embracing and then releasing those limiting beliefs
Discovering the liberation created in not requesting band aids for our broken life, but rather taking a hold of the change and growth that is happening so we can become our best selves
Writing down our desires, not as, “I want,” statements, but as, “I see a future vision of myself,” statements. “I want,” emphasizes our lack. The, “I see a future vision of myself,” is full of hope, possibilities, and an implied plan of action.
Things around me are building into something more beautiful, powerful, and meaningful with every passing day. There is evidence, for me, of a great universal synchronicity – that is working for good.
Take the high-up view of your life. Are you seeing patterns of meaningful growth? How can you embrace that for the good?
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The phone is by my side as I await to hear of the birth of another granddaughter! Now, that’s something to celebrate!
Change proves there has been learning. Have you ever thought about it? If we learn a better way of doing something, our actions should follow the new way.
No change; no learning.
Are you learning about healthier eating? Did your last meal reflect that? Is there still junk food in your cupboards?
Being exposed to something does not mean we are learning – until we apply the new information. Then there is evidence of learning. It’s the process of internalizing new information to create a different behavior on our part.
So, what am I studying?
As a student of self-improvement and habit formation, I am discovering how to take steps beyond affirmations. Affirmations have their place, and I even offer a free, handy set of them on foodtalk4you. (See the Affirmations button towards the top of the home page).
What I am just beginning to learn is, roadblocks to our advancement in any area of life are rooted in emotional responses we developed when, as children, we created our natural response to life experiences. Think: Being loved and supported – or not – and every variation of that.
The guiding light to my exploration of creating and attracting positive outcomes in my life is THIS:
Now, Become a Manifesting Machine: Learn to Use The Law of Attraction to Embrace your Goals, Create Success, and Live the Life of your Dreams, may sound more than a little too, “out there” for you, but hold on.
Perhaps you have heard the term “law of attraction” before. No, it’s not a technique for using a dating app. If you are involved with sales of any kind, you have probably read books and have attended seminars about the law of attraction.
It’s tied to the power of positive thinking. Sort of akin to, “if you think you can – you can. If you think you can’t – you can’t.” Along with visualizations of success – think the Olympic athlete holding the image of perfect execution of their skill and racing across the finish line – there are also the mantras of, “I can do this!”
But wait! There’s more!
Are there roadblocks? Voices in the deep subconscious saying, “you don’t deserve this,” or “you are not good enough”?
The author of this book, Jennifer Teske, takes the reader through her experiences in conquering her personal roadblocks to success in various life goals – including the publishing of this very book and, recovering from the PTSD associated with the seeming death of her husband – by a deeper understanding of the source of her negative emotions … rooted in her childhood.
To summarize some key thoughts I am acquiring:
Beliefs are thoughts we keep thinking.
Each thought is tied to an emotion.
Any limiting beliefs we have, are tied to an uncomfortable emotion from childhood that we continue to feel as an adult.
Taming those limiting beliefs and behaviors that demonstrate a lack of advancement, will require reliving that pain from your youth.
To release a negative emotion/experience, we must allow it to fully exist and to feel that pain again.
Let that feeling wash over us; experience it fully, and do not push it away.
Then, it can naturally fade into the past, as we release it.
The only way out of negativity is through it.
I first spoke of my word of the year, “Embrace,” several years ago. It referenced my role as a 24/7 caregiver. As much as I wanted that role to vanish, I knew it was there to stay until my husband passed. I needed to embrace my role to get through it. I had to lean in.
The visceral response is, “No!” – but embrace, we must. Denial is not the answer; nor is it the answer in recovery from an event. I even shared a releasing technique in, Toolkit for Caregivers, that first acknowledges the emotion before it can be released.
If you are interested in learning from this excellent book, I highly recommend getting the paperback. Currently, I am reading the Kindle version and am trying to decipher my scribbled notes. The paper version was ordered today, and I can’t wait to start using a highlighter and writing in the margins!
Here’s to learning ways to get rid of limiting beliefs.
In health –
Deidre
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Of all the things I’ve lost, I miss my brain the most.
Concern over loss of brain function seems to increase as we age, but research is showing that decreased brain function can even happen to young children if certain factors are in place.
Is this another hole-in-the-dam we need to plug? Absolutely. Like most problems, the causes are related to other things. Solve one or two, and a whole host of problems can be avoided.
peripheral nervous system
Today, I want to shine a light on BDNF, (Brain-Derived Neurotropic Factor), whose presence is a key player in excellent brain function, and helps our peripheral nervous system, (AKA the nerves of our body outside of the brain itself). BDNF is a protein found in the brain that helps to ward off brain cell death and promotes the growth and development of new brain cells – along with their thousands of connections to other nerve cells.
Decreased levels of BDNF are associated with Alzheimer’s, premature aging, poor brain functioning, obesity, depression, and mental diseases.
Knowing ways to increase levels of BDNF in our brains just might be the impetus to tweaking some health habits. There’s nothing like motivation. Thing is, the answers to how to increase BDNF are not new, but the seriousness of being low on BDNF just might be the swift kick we need to make some changes. I know I am.
Intense Exercise is a crucial tool to increase/restore levels of BDNF, and obviously, has other benefits as well: Increased circulation to the brain, improved heart function, release of happy hormones, improved muscle and joint function, and … hello … helps with control of weight. A single trip to the gym to raise your heart rate one time, won’t tide you over for a month. Consistent effort with 30 minutes of aerobic exercise several times a week will do the job – over time.
Since pulling back from gyms during COVID, I had not returned. Simply relying on my home routine of daily planks, (I’m up to 7 minutes a day), using free weights, and walking has not been enough to boost my brain health or mood. Elliptical machine, here I come!
Intermittent Fasting (IF)/Caloric Restriction have been found to improve not only brain health, BDNF levels, but also heart function and better regulation of glucose levels. There will be a post about IF (Intermittent Fasting) soon. IF is when the fast of the night is extended into the late morning. More on this later.
Saying goodbye to refined sugar and saturated fat will also play a big role in not only raising BDNF levels, but in weight control and glucose regulation. Cutting back on sugar can be problematic because it really is addictive. As I stated on page 121 of, Toolkit for Wellness, sugar actually lights up the opiate receptors in our brains. If you haven’t done so already, start cutting down on sugars little by little; once you ultimately break free of the addiction, sweet things will not be calling you like sirens from the deep. Sugary foods will taste too sweet to be pleasurable – a smaller portion of any sugary treat will more than do the job.
Regarding saturated fat, keep fat selections to modest amounts of less refined good fats – including olive oil, avocado, nuts, and seeds.
Sunlight is another booster to BDNF. Studies are showing that BDNF rises and dips according to seasons and levels of ambient light.
Supplements to consider that raise BDNF production include curcumin, green tea, omega-3 fatty acids, and resveratrol.
Losing weight at any age will assist in increasing the production of BDNF. The nationwide trend of obesity in the young is startling, not only because it’s the first domino to fall toward diabetes, heart disease, and stroke, but because the developing brains of obese children are low in BDNF. Now, it may be a case of the chicken and the egg with childhood obesity and BDNF – they correlate with each other, but addressing the trifecta of sugar/fat consumption, decreased exercise, and lack of social interaction, (next on the list), will go a long way to improved brain health.
Being socially engaged has been an issue during COVID, to be sure. It wasn’t just in our heads … although, really it was … that our brain functions were sluggish and low during our isolation because the BDNF levels were, too. Yes. We are social creatures and it’s no coincidence we are feeling mentally refreshed as we take our vaccinated selves back into the world of smiling faces.
Here’s to increasing levels of BDNF to boost our brain health for life. I’m returning to the gym with my exercise buddy tomorrow, who is also in Noom. Weight mastery, exercise, and social interaction – what could be better?
In health and BDNF –
Deidre
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Rrrrring! Yawn. Get out of bed. Flip on the coffee. Shower. Dress. Consume last drop of caffeine. Eat something quick. Go to work.
Wait.
Was there anything in there for you?
Anything to smooth your way into a great day – or one even better?
One of the blessings of being retired has been a vast expansion of my morning routine, but retirement is not a necessary for a more mindful start to any day.
Even while driving to my early morning clinical rotations to meet students before 7 am, I repeated a personal affirmation/prayer that set my mind on a path of gratitude and kept me watchful for opportunities to be a blessing to others.
What are you doing to get your mind, heart, and body on a positive path?
Perhaps you have a favorite playlist that can get you perking along with the coffee, or perhaps you ease into the day with meditation music like I do?
When I need an upbeat tune that puts a spring into my steps, I’ll ask Alexa to play Enchantment of the Elves by Llewellyn. It just makes me so happy and gets me moving in sync to match its sprightly beat.
Many people turn to a session of yoga or do exercise to get the blood flowing to their brains and to their muscles before starting their day.
Just going outdoors to walk or let out our pets can address mind, body, and spirit needs in the human as well as for our furry companions. Use that time to maximize your well-being. Are you using all your senses during that walk? What are you seeing, hearing, feeling, or smelling?
Mornings are a great time to do the body scan I share a few weeks ago. How are you doing body? Are you standing okay? Balanced? Anything hurt?
Do you have a minute or two to journal your morning thoughts? Or perhaps you can take a few moments to set your intention silently or verbally for the day. What will your mindset be as you approach the tasks before you?
Are you facing an elephant-sized set of projects? Which one is the absolute priority, and what is the minimal first step you can take to successfully check off forward motion for the day before heading onto the next thing?
Is your first meal going to do your body good? Clean protein, veggies, and fruit instead of a sugar, starch, or fat bomb?
When we start the day by being mindful to our needs, being kinder in our outreach to others comes much easier.
In health-
Deidre
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