4 Social Dining Pitfalls

Making radical lifestyle and dietary changes can be alienating.  
There does exist a certain amount of peer pressure built in to our traditional social dining fabric and for some of us trying to get a handle on staying healthy, it may seem easier just to stay home rather than struggle through social dining challenges.
Mindfulness, planning and preparation will ease these 4 common Social Dining Pitfalls. 

1. BUYING FOOD ON-THE-GO.  

We're all busy people and sometimes we may not be able to carve out adequate time to put together a healthy meal.  Some of us "forget" to eat - (which in my humble opinion is another way to say we can't be bothered).  Without nourishment those edgy, cranky hunger pangs reach up from the belly and derail the best intentions of our resolve.  This often leads to impulsive eating, which then leads to bloat and often ends with guilt.  

The key is to consider at the beginning of the day what kinds of activities lie ahead and how readily available healthy food will be.  Before adventuring out in to the world, grab a bottle of water, an apple and a bag of nuts or some other portable healthful snack items.   Plan to stash a few healthy items in the car, some in the back pack and some at the office!

 2.  DINING OUT WITH FRIENDS
Eating out with friends can also seem tricky, but once again, planning ahead saves the day.  When dining out, visit the restaurant's web site ahead of time and narrow down the menu offerings before you go.  Choosing healthy menu items ahead of time reduces the likelihood of placing an impulse order that arises from social dining.   It also affords us more time in which to dream up creative substitutions:  For example, if the mixed green salad isn't going to satisfy for very long, consider shopping around the menu to see what other interesting items can be added to the mixed greens such as avocado, green beans, asparagus, nuts, etc.

3.  DINING AT FRIENDS' PLACE
Another classic Social Dining Pitfall:  Dinner at Friends' Place.   I really love dining with friends at home!  It's easier for families with small children, it's cheaper, it's quieter and it's meaningful to spend time with friends in their space.  Once again, BRING IT ALONG!  Contributing a dish to a friend's dining event will largely be perceived as a kind consideration, so go ahead, make enough of your healthy dish to share with the other guests. This ensures that there will be something healthful for everyone to eat, but it also guarantees that YOU will be able to stay on track, away from irritating food sensitivities and other potentially inflammatory foods that are generally considered "normal" by the masses.

4.  EVENT DINING
Consider the "Big Event"....do we eat before social dining or do we arrive hungry?  Let’s say we have a big party, a picnic or a fancy dinner to attend.  We make healthier choices if we aren't famished upon arrival.  Have some  fruit, nuts or a shake before leaving the house or the office.  This will "take the edge off" of hunger so we can enjoy the fabulous company without obsessing about what to eat next.

Failure to consider the food environments we are faced with during our day will likely result in failure to meet our health goals.  Remember, a little awareness goes a long way.  Sometimes our "choices' are really just our old habits, which we follow thoughtlessly and without effort.   Choose to be more mindful.  Plan ahead, shop ahead, stash ahead and these common pitfalls will morph into mere divots.

With deliciousness,

                               ~Dinneen

10 Ways to Calm the Noisy Mind for Improved Sleep

"Yoga is the cessation of noise in the mind"

The Sanskrit to English translations of Patanjali's first yoga sutra are many and varied.  The Ashtanga Yoga Info website offers the following:

yogash chitta vritti nirodhah 
योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः ॥२॥
yogaś-citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ 
When you are in a state of yoga, all misconceptions (vrittis) that can exist in the [thoughts] of human beings (chitta) disappear. 
yogah (योगः, yogaḥ) = (nom. sg. m. from yoga (योग, yoga)) yoga
chitta (चित्त, citta) = (iic.) thoughts 
vritti (वृत्ति, vṛtti) = (iic.) thought-wave; mental modification; mental whirlpool; a ripple in the chitta. A vritti alters perception like a misconception, or as waves on the surface of a pond obscure or distort our view of the bottom. 
nirodhah (निरोधः, nirodhaḥ) = (nom. sg. m. from nirodha (निरोध, nirodha)) to find tranquility; to control

It's true that practicing yoga allows us to displace the incessant chatter of our thoughts.  But what happens when the day ends, we've brushed our teeth and it's time to lay down in bed but the brain won't slow down?
On the contrary, we crawl under the sheets, lay our head on the pillow and WHAM!  Thought follows thought and we are wide awake.  Sometimes dread, guilt, anger or anxiety creep into our bed with us and no matter how tired we may be, our brain just won't turn off enough to allow us to sleep.  So what to do?

10 WAYS TO CALM THE NOISY MIND:

1.  TURN IT OFF!  Turn off the t.v., the iPad, the computer, and the smart phone an hour before bed time.  These devices keep us connected to our responsibilities and are a direct link to our main sources anxiety (the evening news included!).  The bright lights and electromagnetic fields are also believed to mess with our natural sleep rhythms.

2.  CHILL OUT - Take a bath or a warm shower.  Turn down the lights.  Set the mood so your body and brain have time to acclimate to the transition from Day to Night.

3.  HERBS - Calming herbs, called "nervines" are herbs that help relax, nourish or strengthen the nervous system. Chamomile, lemon balm, kava kava, and passion flower are just a few that can be brewed into a tea and taken before bed time.

4. ESSENTIAL OILS - Inhalation and topical application of essential oils is immediately effective because the oils instantly penetrate cell membranes and are able to cross the blood-brain barrier to reach the amygdale and other limbic parts of the brain.  This is where our emotions are stored. The hypothalmus, which sends out hormones, also benefits.  Many different oils can be used to alleviate anxiety and depression and help induce sleep such as: Chamomile, geranium, lavender, sandalwood, valerian, bergamot, jasmine, and lemon balm.

5.  WRITE IT OUT - Keep a notebook by the bed.  Lean over and write down those things that are popping into your mind.  Once in the book, it's out of your head.  B-bye until tomorrow!   Keeping a journal will also help clear out some emotional baggage that we unknowingly carry around with us.  Very often these emotional issues want to sit up and talk all night, right when we're ready to sleep.

6.  REPETITIVE ACTION - Yoga uses repetitive action (breathing and movements), which  are one small part of it's success in down-regulating the central nervous system.  Knitting, painting, washing the dishes and running all have similar effects in that they are tasks which require repetitive motion creating a sedative effect on our brain.

7.  MEDITATION - Meditation practice lends us the skills so we can communicate with and quiet the mind.  This is an invaluable tool worth investing in.  Learning to meditate with a teach may be the best way to start.  If you Google "online meditation" you can be sitting in no time.  Or call your most trusted yoga teacher and inquire about a few privates to get you started. 

8.  STRAIGHTEN UP - Who can fall asleep with all that mess?  The eyes take in the clutter whether we realize it or not and we are consumed by the guilt of our own inaction and disorganization.  Pick a pile and make it yours one day per week.  When our physical and visual space is free and clear, our sense of order will improve and so will our anxiety.  Otherwise look for someone else to come and straighten up! The Organizing Queen is one NYC resource, but there are many.

9.  GET CREATIVE - Schedule in a half hour at the end of the work day to engage in some creative, spiritually nourishing endeavor: Paint, sculpt, play with your kid's Play-Do, sing or pray.

10.  EXERCISE - As we get older, we tend to become more sedentary. Go out and exercise everyday: Walk, take the stairs, do bicep curls with a can of beans - anything to circulate the blood and flex some muscles.

Post your comments below if you have more great ideas or want to share your experience!

With deliciousness,   ~Dinneen

Yoga Tune Up Therapy Balls

I interrupt my regularly scheduled blog programming for an un-abashed plug:

I  L-O-V-E  my YTU Therapy Balls !!!!

Those of you who read my blog regularly know that I have never promoted or endorsed a product on this site.  Here's the thing:  We demand a lot from our bodies and they do a lot for us but we don't really take such terrific care of our 'vessels' do we?  Most car owners probably take better care of their vehicle than we do of our own physical bodies - at least the cars get tire changes, batteries changed and have regularly scheduled tune-ups.

So let's de-bunk a popularly-held belief that massage is a luxury item that we can only engage in on spa vacations.  Massage is a maintenance protocol, very much like getting your teeth cleaned or getting a colonic (more on that later).  Manual manipulation is really important for helping the body to flush out toxins and speed healing.  This is what longevity is based on!

The problem is... Massages can be expensive and scheduling can be a challenge.

Enter the Yoga Tune Up Therapy Balls.  They are cheap, portable, easy to use and they allow us to get right into the spots that need care.   Best of all we get to moderate the pressure according to our needs.  YTU Therapy Balls can be purchased as an individual item but they are also available in a kit with a How-To DVD.  

The following information has been borrowed directly from the Yoga Tune Up website:

"The Yoga Tune Up® Therapy Ball System provides targeted self-massage trigger point therapy by using specially designed high grip rubber balls and focused movement routines that help penetrate through layers of skin and muscle to massage deeply into your high tension areas.

YTU Therapy Balls Help Relieve:

• Stiff Neck & Headaches
• TMJ/Tight Jaw
• Frozen Shoulder
• Sciatica & Back Pain
• Tight Hips & Hamstrings
• IT Band Syndrome
• Plantar Fasciitis & Foot Pain
• … and much more…"

I've been a Yoga Tune Up Certified Teacher since 2011 and the practice is changing my life and that of my students.  Here is a small blurb on Yoga Tune Up from the website:

"Yoga Tune Up® is a unique program created by Jill Miller. It is practiced all over the world at Yoga Studios, fitness facilities and retreat centers, taught by Jill and her certified YTU instructors. Using a distinctive set of exercises, poses and specialized techniques, Yoga Tune Up® playfully moves you into a body that looks great and lasts a lifetime. With Jill as your guide our video and Therapy Ball Products will take you through a safe, effective workout with pain relief methods that leave you (regardless of age, experience or activity level) feeling better, stronger, happier, and more relaxed!

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1. 1. Increase your body’s overall strength

1. 2. Control weight and feel grounded

1. 3. Bolster the immune system
2. 4. Relieve pain and stress
3. 5. Improve balance, flexibility
4.     and coordination"

The YTU Therapy Balls have become such an incremental part of my life that I hardly leave my apartment without them.  I've gifted a set to each of my private yoga clients and to several members of my family (husband, mother-in-law, niece...) for which they are super psyched.  The benefits are immediate and tangible.  They've dramatically changed my self-care routine and I am a big fan.  

To get a wee smattering of YTU methodology come practice with me on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at my Yoga Works (UWS) Yoga Blend level 1/2 class.  Or contact me to schedule a private How-To self-care sesh with YTU Therapy Balls.  

Sending love and best wishes for myofascial release,   ~Dinneen

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