Mmm! I can't get over the treats of the season, which look, well, good enough to eat!
Check out these snowflake cookies from vendor cakeboxcookies on Etsy!
Or how about these double-mint vegan snowflake fondant cupcakes from vendor thecupcakemint? Wow!
And, of course, you simply can't go wrong with this adorable pudgy penguin cake pops from vendor SerendipitySweets on Etsy!
Happy holidays!
Namaste,
-Adrienne
Thanksgiving was always my favorite holiday growing up. When I say this to people, I often get a look of bewilderment or even disgust. Thanksgivings, for many, represent endless awkward conversations with estranged relatives, the dread of trying to prepare a huge feast without adequate assistance and a tug-of-war between family members over whose turn it is to host the event or which dinner to attend. For these reasons, many choose not to celebrate this holiday at all.
I admit I have been lucky. Thanksgivings with the Martain clan, my dad's side of the family, revolve around the concept of who can tell the most humorous, but amazingly, true, story, who can win the family wrestling match, and of course, plenty of food and drink. Spending a whole day with this quirky, lovable family is where I feel most at home. This is my tribe.
To those who do not yet love Thanksgiving, find your tribe to celebrate it with. This tribe may be friends or neighbors, but always people you are thankful for, and you will learn to love it.
Last year, Thanksgiving was different. My dad managed to fall off of a deck and break his pelvis just before Thanksgiving Day, and was stuck in the hospital for quite a while. My husband and I spent turkey day at my mother-in-law's house, which was very pleasant, but I couldn't quite get in the spirit knowing my dad was wearing a backless gown and munching on hospital food.
Dad just celebrated his one year anniversary of falling off of the deck, and is doing very well. For this, I am thankful, and am more than ever looking forward to Thanksgiving with my Martain family. The tribe will have new members this year, an initiation my husband already went through two Thanksgivings ago. My beautiful aunt will be bringing her new fiance, Chris, and my sister will be bringing her boyfriend, Matt.
To new tribe members I say this:
Welcome to Thanksgiving with the Martain clan. Be prepared for general mayhem, hilarity and so forth, but also be prepared to be wholly embraced, as we are famous for doing to anyone willing to spend the day with us. And that, most of all, is what I love about Thanksgiving.
It's the holiday season! I woke up this morning to a beautiful winter wonderland, which was just what I needed before teaching 7am yoga. I live above the Salt Lake LDS temple, so the walk to Main Street, where I teach, included a magical stroll through the wintery grounds, twinkling with thousands of Christmas lights in the crisp pre-dawn air.
After teaching a yoga practice centered around the experience of gratitude (as Thanksgiving Day approaches), one of my students sent me this:
That's right, Gingerbread Yogis! So cute and how delicious! They are available for purchase at Patti Paige's Baked Ideas - Custom Baking. Click on the link to check it out. Happy Monday!
Namaste,
Adrienne
The answer to those questions may not be so simple. According to an article in the New York Times today, "Probiotics: Looking Under the Yogurt Label," there are thousands of different types of probiotics. Probiotics are live micro-organisms. They claim to work by balancing intestinal bacteria, and by doing so, increase the body's resistance to some harmful germs.
However, only a handful of these thousands of probiotics have actually proved to be at all effective in clinical trials. These "effective" types have proved to have various benefits depending on the strain of bacterium in the probiotic. But how do you know you are getting the effective types? And what are the effects?
Right now, there is no standard labeling required to help consumers figure out just what probiotics they are getting. Furthermore, different types of probiotics have proved to have different effects on the body. For example, one type was shown to reduce diarrhea and to help treat milk allergies in children. But other strains of the same bacterium may not have these effects or may have different ones. Consumers don't know what they are getting.
Who can consumers trust? Often even the big-name companies are leading consumers astray. You have probably heard of Activia, Dannon's probiotic yogurt. Dannon is currently in a class-action lawsuit over the effectiveness of the yogurt, which they claimed, "helps regulate digestion and stimulate the immune system."
There is strong evidence that several types of probiotic strains have shown to be effective to help treat irritable bowel syndrome. But what about the claims that probiotic strains can lower cholesterol, blood pressure, prevent cavities and reduce cancer risk or even treat cancer? These effects have not been proved in clinical trials. Also, the claim that probiotics strengthen the immune system has not been backed by clinical trials either.
If you are interested in probiotics, look for the specific strain of probiotic listed on the label and compare with published studies on various probiotic strains. A good resource for these studies is www.PubMed.gov.
I rarely think about my daily vitamin D consumption, but vitamin D is an essential nutrient. Vitamin D deficiency can increase one's risk for rickets and stress fractures.
How do we get vitamin D? We can, in fact, absorb this nutrient directly from the sun. Dangerous risks of sun exposure may outweigh the benefits, however, in the form of sun burn and skin cancer.
Other potential sources of vitamin D include milk (although, as it turns out, even fortified milk provides only a fraction of what scientists now think we need per day), cod liver oil, and other fatty fish and fish oils.
There are not a whole lot of other natural dietary sources of vitamin D from foods, so if you don't drink milk or eat fish AND you work in an office all day, chances are you are suffering from a vitamin D deficiency.
You are not alone. According to the article, scientists now think that the majority of Americans are now suffering of vitamin D deficiencies. This makes sense, as many of us work in offices, out of the sun. Although parents may give their children milk to drink, most adults don't consume a large amount of fortified milk themselves, and most of us don't eat a huge amount of fatty fish or take cod liver oil daily.
A vitamin D deficiency could put athletes at a significant disadvantage. The article states:
"In one of the studies, four Russian sprinters were doused with artificial, ultraviolet light. Another group wasn’t. Both trained identically for the 100-meter dash. The control group lowered their sprint times by 1.7 percent. The radiated runners, in comparison, improved by an impressive 7.4 percent."
In other studies, those higher vitamin D levels in their system could jump higher and had lower incidents of stress fractures than those with lower levels. Equally compelling, research also is showing that athletes have higher oxygen intake capacity during summer months (when vitamin D levels from sunlight are higher) which drop off sharply as the fall and winter months roll in.
Are you getting enough vitamin D? Get a home blood test kit for vitamin D at The Vitamin D Council Website.
Can one get too much vitamin D? Yes, although cases are rare. Talk to your doctor (and to your coach, if you are an athlete) about vitamin D to determine how to get the appropriate amount of vitamin D for you. If you determine you are suffering from a vitamin D deficiency, talk to your doctor. Your doctor may recommend dietary changes or vitamin D supplements, and other supplements, such as calcium for bone strength.
In honor of "back to school" month, here are a few tips for natural health that you may not have known about. Try these alternative methods out (the best part is that they've been backed by scientific research) for good health for you and your family. If you would like more information on these, go to http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/news/health/columns/really/index.html for articles about these and other health topics.
Cinnamon Oil Based Sanitizers
With H1N1 flu virus going around, we are encouraged to used antibacterial soaps often. The problem with these antibacterial soaps is that they can contribute to creating more antibiotic-resistant bacteria. A good alternative to antibacterial soaps is cinnamon oil based sanitizers.
Research studies (some performed in hospital settings) show that cinnamon oil has been shown to have powerful antimicrobial properties and can be as effective as many traditional sanitizers.
Some people make their own sanitizers with a mix of cinnamon oil, lemon oil and eucalyptus oil, with cinnamon bark as an exfoliant. Please note, some people are allergic to cinnamon oil, so it is recommended that a cinnamon oil based sanitizer be tested on a small area before using.
Interesting tidbit:
Supposedly, grave robbers in ancient times used cinnamon oil concotions to prevent getting sick from handling the dead when stealing their valuables.
Chamomile Tea for Gastrointestinal Pain
Studies have shown that chamomile tea given to colickyy babies reduced colic symptoms. Specifically, chamomile tea was shown to ease intestinal spasms.
Next time you or a family member is experiencing gastrointestinal pain, you might want to try a cup of chamomile tea with lemon.
Interesting tidbit:
The tea was shown to relieve symptoms when served either hot or cold. Chamomile tea is also generally caffeine free or very low in caffeine so it can be served before bed.
Drsdis for Eye Health
The practice of focusing the gaze, called drsdi (pronounced "drish-tee"), has been used for thousands of years in the ancient practice of yoga. The ancient yogis believed that this practice was helpful in meditation and also for eye health.
As it turns out, the ancient yogis were right. Research has shown that eye exercise can treat, and even cure, convergence insufficiencies, in which the eyes have trouble working together. This condition affects as many as 1 in 5 people.
Interesting tidbit:
Ancient yogis believed you could actually hone the drsdis through meditation and samadhi to have supra-normal powers like x-ray vision.
First bit of "shocking" news:
It's official. Tanning, including any type of tanning in a tanning booth (minus those mist-on sprays and colored lotions) causes cancer.
For years, various tanning companies have offered tans with "lower UV levels," or "ultra-ruvas" and what-not that sounded healthier. These rumors have been formally debunked.
In June 2009, 20 scientists from nine countries met at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) to reassess the carcinogenicity of the types of radiation previously classified as “carcinogenic to humans,” that is, those types of radiation that directly cause cancer.
The scientists reclassified tanning beds from “probably carcinogenic” to simply “carcinogenic,” saying the risk of melanoma increases by 75 percent in people who begin using tanning beds before the age of 30.
Bottom line: If it involves a light and a tanning bed, it causes cancer.
This reclassification is not a shock to me. It's sort of like cigarettes before the Surgeon General's warning was mandated. Everyone must realize at some level that it's bad for you. It's sort of obvious that sticking yourself in a toaster oven can't be good.
What is shocking that a "healthy," tanned look is still so sought after when the research is so clear. Being fairly pasty white myself these days due to many hours spent indoors at yoga teacher training, I take pride in my pale, healthy glow.
For more info, see the article on the New York Times here and the research paper published in The Lancet here. The Lancet is a great general medical journal resource with specialty journals in oncology, neurology and infectious diseases.
Second bit of "shocking" news:
Eating fatty foods slows you down, mentally and physically.
Anyone can feel this happening after a big burger-and-fries style lunch. You feel lethargic, lack energy and sort of "fuzzy." Researchers have officially proved this to be the case in rats, who performed better in tests of physical stamina and memory when fed lower-fat diets. It makes you really think about what you are doing when you stuff your face with tasty fatty foods. You are not only putting yourself at higher risk long-term of diabetes, obesity, etc., but you are affecting your mental and physical performance in the short term.
In my book, this is a good reason to stick primarily with carbs as opposed to fatty, greasy foods for fuel especially before a run, yoga practice, or test. There is a lot of "fad diet" info out there indicating "fats are good," and "carbs or bad," but I think the key is listening to your body and how it reacts to what you put in it.
Click here for the New York Times article on this subject and here for the detailed research in The FASEB Journal, The Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, also a great resource.
Having been married now for just over a year, my husband Brooks and I have settled into that sort of normative married state that at times can feel utterly unromantic.
On the typical weekday, we both roll reluctantly out of bed in the morning, dress and ready ourselves for the day without exchanging a word. "Bye, love you," we say, parting. After working all day, I often return home to an empty house. We are on opposite schedules much of the time because he is a full-time engineering student who works nights for a brokerage firm and I work the classic 9-5 shift at a bank as an analyst (which often turns into a 9-7 shift).
On a typical weekend, we often feel the need to spend time with family and friends as well as with one another, which can be simply exhausting by the time the weekend is through. Don't get me wrong; we love our families, but having three of them to balance (his parents are divorced) means there are a lot of people to keep happy. To top it off, my house usually hasn't been cleaned by the time Sunday night rolls around, which turns me into a frantic, OCD-type person - not so much fun to be around. If we are not visiting family, we are often camping with friends, or Brooks is studying for a math test, or I am preoccupied the entire weekend with my yoga training (I am currently getting certified to teach).
This weekend was different. We spent the entire weekend doing wonderful, romantic things around home. We dressed up to go out on Friday night and walked from our house to a sushi restaurant we hadn't been to, Naked Fish , and savored the tempura calamari. We walked from there to the theater to see Public Enemies (starring Johnny Depp as John Dillinger, the notorious bank robber) and marveled that we hadn't been out to a movie together in over a year. Leaving the theater at midnight, we laughed at our jumpiness as we walked home, the result of watching everyone get gunned down in the movie.
The next day I awoke to the smell of homemade blueberry pancakes and coffee. I know, I am one lucky gal and I've definitely married the right guy. From there, we mountain biked the Crest Trail on the ridge above Big Cottonwood and, amazingly, I made it down in one piece. Lunch/dinner was Lonestar Taqueria fish tacos and nachos, my all-time favorite.
Finally, Sunday morning was spent "mastering the art of French cooking" with Julia Child. We googled a video of her making French-style omelets after reading an article discussing the new movie about her, Julie and Julia, produced by one of my favorite authors, Nora Ephron, on www.nytimes.com. Of course, after I attempted and failed, Brooks mastered the technique right away, and we topped the delicious omelets with fresh tomatoes and basil from the patio garden Brooks planted for me for my birthday.
"This is the best weekend ever," I thought, "it doesn't get any better than this."
So, to my family and friends that I may have ignored this weekend, I offer my apologies, but not my regrets. It was totally worth every minute.
Hi, I'm Adrienne, a 20-something gal with zero kids, one loving ski-bum husband and two cats, trying to live life to the fullest, each and every day.
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