Filed under: Activity, Primary Food | Tags: agave, chia, exercise, lemonade, omega 3, Primary Food
Just a few things from this weekend’s holiday eats. I am still new to this blogging thing and promise to start adding some pictures soon!
Yesterday I hit the trails with my friends Deech and Lisa (pictures taken – they’re on their way!) at Shaw Nature Reserve. We all felt great doing this for many reasons. 1) The weather was mostly great. 2) We got LOTS of exercise. 3) We are supporting a local nature reserve. 4) Lots of exercise (did I mention that I already?). The three of us drank plenty of water and enjoyed nature.
I added Chia seeds to my water, yes, the ch-ch-chia pet kind of seeds, but they are actually for eating! Chia seeds have been used for hundreds of years in South America as an endurance food. From the Greens Plus website: the seeds are high in omega 3 fatty acids, calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, fiber, potassium and iron (all in one little serving!). There’s also a great article at Living Foods. Gotta say, it took a bit of getting used to because the seeds turn the water or other liquid into a gel-like substance, but it was very tasty and I felt GREAT while drinking it on our hike. I plan on getting more to keep at home. Also, the seeds can be added to cereal, yogurt or used in baking.
After our nice long hike we headed back to their house for our evening BBQ. While Deech grilled up some delicious dinner (grassfed beef burgers and local specialty pork steaks), Lisa and I made some fresh lemonade. All we did was juice lemons, add water, and sweeten with AGAVE (that’s right, not sugar). Agave is delicious, already a liquid, and tends to be a bit healthier than plain old sugar.
With refreshing drinks, and delicious homemade food, we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. There is no better way to enjoy good food than with good friends!
There are so many good reasons to ride a bike! Here are two of my favorites:
- it’s great exercise
- it’s great for the planet
Not to mention saving money on gas, getting some fresh air, seeing the sights and more.
Now for those of you who know me, you might be saying, “But Rachel! You can’t ride a bike!”
Well, that’s true, kind of. My dear friend Trevor is kind and patient enough to take on the task of teaching me how to ride a bike. And I am actually the third twenty-something he has done this with. Last Friday was our first lesson, and I must say, I think I did alright! It felt good. I can feel the inner biker in me coming out! Trevor is a very good teacher; he didn’t even laugh at me! And tomorrow (which is National Bike to Work Day) will be our next lesson. I’m not quite ready to bike to work, or even down the block without help, but I’m working on it!
So hop on your bike and head to work, or running errands, or just fun to enjoy the spring weather! And if you’re like me and basically forgot how to ride - yes, it is possible, I could do it when I was 4 but can’t now – find yourself a patient friend with a good, stable bike.
Welcome to Natural Zest’s blog! I wanted a forum to share some of the wonderful information out there that I come across and think about. Hopefully, something here will inspire you to bring some zest into your life, naturally!
A little explanation about what Natural Zest is about. A healthy, happy life needs a few things, primary nutrition and secondary nutrition. Food is the secondary nutrition, what we eat, and it can be healthy and enjoyable! But primary nutrition takes first place! Primary nutrition includes our relationships, career, spirituality and activity.
So today I’d like to share a little about activity. In my path to Natural Zest and health counseling I have worked on my secondary food, cooking more, more vegetables, local food, delicious! And I have been exploring my primary food. So today, I took a big step (actually, quite a few little steps) and went for a run.
I have ALWAYS hated running, my whole life, every gym class, hated it. Until about 6 months ago. A little voice started whispering to me, “run, you want to go for a run. go outside and run.” What?!? No! I don’t like running! Stop telling me that! “but you want to go outside, you want to run, you will feel good.” No! It hurts, it’s not fun. No. Ok. Well, maybe.
So I told my dear friend Matt, my running guru, that I want to start running. And this wonderful soul not only gives me some running tips but sneakers! So today was the day. 70 degrees. Crystal clear skies, a light breeze. I headed outside to Tower Grove Park.
Was it easy? No. Am I out of shape? Yes. Did I feel self-conscious? You’d better believe it. Will I do it again? Most definitely YES!
I’m not sure what changed, but as other areas of my life have grown and come into focus, my desire for more physical activity has as well. I NEED this to keep up with my life, to expand my life, and to improve it.
Physically I feel better for what I did today. And my mind feels clearer. My food felt more nourishing. And this is something that I want and need in my life.
