Friday, March 20, 2020

How stress during social distancing affects you

Social distancing is affecting all of us in different ways. In Hawaii, schools are closed, parks are closed and there is talk of making all visitors mandatory quarantine for 14 days on arrival.

For me, not much has changed since I now work from home, but the stuff going on outside is a little crazy.

I have seen many people posting on social media about how this is a stressful time. And it is. So I want to talk to you today about stress.


During stressful times, you might be tempted to give into stress eating. This is a common way for many of us to find comfort during times of anxiety. Not only does it curtail progress toward our health goals, but it also can negatively impact our immune system. Others might be tempted to work out to de-stress and often times begin over-exercising.

Both of these things actually add to your body's stress.

Think about it...

Normally, our bodies can handle a certain amount of stress. Imagine that you have a stress bucket - everyday life goes into that bucket and you’re probably thinking about things like dealing with kids or family members at home, work stress, traffic issues that might make you late, worrying about loved ones and friends who might be going through something, paying bills. Things like that.

But what also goes into your stress bucket that impacts the stress on your body are things like not getting enough sleep or not sleeping well, not slowing down and taking a break, not eating well, not exercising or exercising too much.

All of these thing fill up our bucket and can make it overflow every day, every single NORMAL day

Now think about where we are today, the added stresses we are dealing with being home from work, working from home for the first time, with kids or family to take care of, worried about getting sick, paying bills…the list seems endless.

So today, when you think about or catch yourself stress eating or turning to exercise to relieve your stress, think about your stress bucket.

Instead focus on eating healthy. Snack on whole foods that are going to boost your immunity like fruits and veggies. Try yoga or meditation or a walk to destress - so your body and cortisol levels have a chance to calm down.

There is A LOT that we can’t control right now, but we can control how we treat our bodies.

I am still working with my clients through the FASTer Way program and I can tell you honestly that they are feeling good and feeling calm because they are learning how to fuel their bodies to get well and fight disease. They are learning how to exercise enough to burn fat and build muscle but protect cortisol levels. They are learning to listen to their bodies and dial it back when they need to. 

And they are leaning into their group for support and guidance.

You can learn more about the program here.

I hope that if you are feeling overwhelmed that you will think about what I have shared today. And you will do what you can to take care of yourself even when it feels like you can’t.





Friday, March 13, 2020

Two Days on Maui: Haleakala & Whale Watching

Every year, mrC and I try to spend our anniversary somewhere new or doing something new.  In the past we have spent the day leaf peeping on the Kancamagus Highway, running a few races together, driving to the top of Mt. Washington and lots more.

Back in October, mrC took me over to Maui for a couple of days for our anniversary and more recently for a quick whale watching trip. Both times we stayed in Lahaina at the Pioneer Inn. The town of Lahaina reminds me so much of Newport, RI ---> right on the water, cruise ships and boats in the harbor and streets lined with shops, restaurants and pedestrians. It just has a good vibe.


The Pioneer Inn is an older but quaint large inn right in the heart of Lahiana with views of the water, an attached restaurant and the nicest people work there. I love the rocking chairs on the lanais (even though they tip back dangerously easy!).


On our first trip to Maui we had more time to explore. We found acai bowls at Baya Bowls and if you know me, this was a priority! They were very good, but the location was off the main drag and the seating was limited on shade which is a big deal on a hot day in Hawaii! We strolled under the historic Banyan Tree which is the largest in the USA. We found plenty of good food and great views at Cheeseburger in ParadiseKimo's, and Lahaina Fish Co.


One highlight was snorkeling at Baby Beach. We walked about a mile from the hotel to the secluded beach used mostly by local families. The beach is protected by a long reef creating a perfect place for spotting fish in the shallow and warm water.


Never ones to pass up an active experience, mrC booked us on a Haleakala Sunrise Bike Tour. Much like our Sunrise Trek up Mt. Batur in Bali (read about that here), we were picked up around 3am at our hotel and transported to the top of Haleakala in time to see the sun come up.


After a the stunning sunrise, we took a tour around the summit and then began our descending bike ride back down the volcano to Haiku. It was super fun!!



Last month we went back for a quick two days basically for whale watching, but we explored a bit more too. We enjoyed a light breakfast on the water and then watched some group surfing lessons. It definitely looked like  great place for newbies to get their feet wet ðŸ˜‰


Thanks to the early flight out of Honolulu, we were able to book the morning whale watching tour out of Lahaina and it was AMAZING!! I highly recommend visiting Maui in the winter and taking a whale watching tour. We booked with Pacific Whale Foundation and they did a great job.



The next day we hopped on local bus #28 for a ride to the nearby town of Ka'anapali which is where a lot of large hotel resorts are located, one on top of the other. It's like a mini Waikiki. 

It was nice to check out the shops and restaurants at Whaler's Village (I even got a henna tattoo), basically an outdoor mall, but the highlight was mrC spotting breaching whales during our beach front walk!


Most importantly, we enjoyed more amazing food on this trip. I think we found our favorite Lahaina acai bowl at Breakwall Shave Ice and it had lots of seating options in the courtyard of The Wharf off Front Street. It was so good, we had it both days. We were back for some delicious ono grilled fish at Lahaina Fish Co and more ono at Captain Jack's Island Grill.  


As usual, we left Maui with more items on our Maui bucket list, so we will be back!

Have questions about our trip? Drop them in the comments below!





Wednesday, March 4, 2020

5 Things I Learned from Going Plant Based for a Month

For the month of February, I dipped into plant based living for the first time with the FASTer Way VIP Community (I am a member and a coach). I was looking forward to giving it a try to see what, if any effects it would have on me. Plus, both of my step daughters are plant based so I was excited to learn more about their lifestyle.




My goals going into the month were pretty simple:
  • increase my veggie consumption
  • reduce my meat and poultry intake
  • try new recipes

I really expected to eat a pescatarian diet throughout the month. Most of my life I've been pretty picky about vegetables, so I thought if I didn't at least have some fish I'd probably be starving!

Not exactly!

The great thing about this plant-based challenge, was that we had LIVE trainings in the VIP community to help us navigate our way. This was so helpful for someone like me who was brand new to all things plant based! Each online training was meant to help us learn more about the lifestyle, understand the benefits and the effects. Our training topics included:
  1. A plant based Q&A
  2. The science behind plant-based living with Dr. Stephen Cabral
  3. Why being regular is important!
  4. Review of the documentary, Game Changers with Dr. Alex 


So, how did it go? I was not plant based 100% of the time. I had eggs a couple of times, some cheese on a cauliflower crust pizza and a few meals with fish. Most of those happened when we were traveling. However, I did not have meat or poultry at all, and made it a point to eat veggies at almost every meal. 

One thing that made this easier for me was that mrC was totally on board with trying plant based month, too. We initially became curious about the benefits after watching the documentary Game Changers.  

Here are my top five takeaways:
  1. Definitely felt the benefit of more fiber! Gassy and a little bloated at the beginning but definitely regular. Regular people and happy people!
  2. My bad knee which always feels swollen, even though it doesn't look swollen, began feeling almost normal and was overall less cranky. This was a HUGE win for me.
  3. I'm a pretty good sleeper in general, but I have been sleeping through the night and skipping the early morning wake-ups to use the bathroom.
  4. I need more veggies in my life! This challenge has made me more aware of ways I can sneak more veggies into all of my meals.
  5. There are a lot of really good plant based recipes that I will keep in my recipe file!
Moving forward, neither of us are in a rush to go back to our old diet of chicken and turkey and lean beef with nearly every meal, but we will be eating fish again. Plant based month has been great for getting more veggies in our lives. There is no downside to eating more fruits and vegetables.

Are you plant based or tried it?
I'd love to know your thoughts or your favorite recipe.
Share your comments and questions below!





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