Food for Thought-- A Mindful Eating Experiment

Are you guilty, as am I, of multitasking while you eat?    Do you read a magazine or newspaper and gobble down a bowl of oatmeal at the same time?  Or watch tv and chow down chips?  How about the computer? Do you surf and scarf?  This is mindless eating.  

Do you consciously prepare and eat your food?  Do you say grace?  Do you eat slowly and enjoy the flavors of the food?  This  is mindful eating.

Try this experiment.  You will need about half an hour of quiet time to fully experience this. Do this at a time when you will be hungry but not starving.

Choose a  very small portion of any whole, flavorful food.    Perhaps it will be a piece of fresh or dried fruit, a raw or cooked vegetable,  a few tablespoons of yogurt, or a small number of nuts or seeds.  Whatever you choose, make sure it is something that you will enjoy. I have done this experiment with three raisins, but you can use any food you like.  The point is to slow down, taste your food, and chew it throughly.

Take some time to carefully prepare your food.  Arrange your food attractively on a attractive plate and set it on the table in front of you.

Sit down and look at the food for a minute or two.  Examine its color and its shape. What is your food made of?  What is its essence?   Will it be juicy?  Dense?    Fleshy?  Crunchy or soft?  Can you see and identify the energy in your food?

Reflect for a moment on where the food came from.  A tree?  Was it pulled from the earth?  A plant? Who might have grown the food and where?  Who harvested it?  Did it have a long journey to get to your plate?  Was your food processed some how?

Inhale a deep breath and exhale completely.  Look at your food again and thank it for offering itself to you.  Thank the universe for bringing this food to you.  Breathe in and out consciously again.

Does the food have an aroma?  Can you identify it?

Take one bite and savor the taste.  Sweet?  Salty?  Sour?  Pungent?  Bitter?  Astringent?  Note the sensation of the food in your mouth.  What part of the mouth do you experience the food?  On the tip of the tongue?  In the back of the throat?  On the roof of the mouth?

Upper left to right,  sweet potato, sour yogurt, salty pistachios,
pungent garlic and onion, bitter olives, astringent dried apricot

You're probably finished with that first bite now.  Go ahead and take another.  Remain present and consciously chew the food.  The more thoroughly you chew food,  the more nutrients you will receive from it. You may also reach a point of "fullness," or satiety,  earlier than if you swallow mindlessly without chewing. The recommended number of chews per bite is 35.  Did you come close to 35 chews?  

When you finish your portion, reflect on your experience.  How do you feel?  What did you enjoy about the food?  Did the food trigger any memories?  If you were to eat a large portion of this food, what effect would it have on you?  Could you eat a meal-- or maybe start with a snack--mindfully at least once a day or once a week?

Share your experience of this mindfulness experiment with me.

A Sad Day for Inwood

Walking down Broadway this afternoon, I discovered that the antique fire alarm that stood on the corner of Isham Street and Broadway since around 1910 had been knocked down.  My guess is that a city plow got the best of it.  

This must weigh a ton.  I imagine it is cast iron. It was featured in an article by the folks at Forgotten New York last year.  http://forgotten-ny.com/2013/02/broadway-and-isham-streets-inwood/

Will this relic be saved?  Perhaps reinstalled?  Let me know if you have any information about this landmark.  

Julia and Isham?

We wanted to log steps on the Fitbit http://www.fitbit.com/store this morning, so we walked north to Muscotta Marsh and Spuyten Duyvil.   On our way home I saw a gentleman stopped on the sidewalk craning his neck to gaze up into a tree. Thinking he might have spotted a  bird of prey,  I looked up and saw not just one, but a pair of red-tailed hawks! 

Male and female red-tail hawks

The male is lower down the branch.  From where we were standing we could see the coppery red of his tail.  The female was fluffing her feathers to stay warm.   A hawk nest and a pair with at least one fledgling had been spotted in Inwood Hill Park in the woods near the soccer field last year.   We were on the corner of Indian Hill Road and Seaman Avenue. Are these two that pair or another?  

We didn't see the birds mating, but you can see they weren't far apart.  They were courting (first sign of spring!), technically speaking,  in a tree in Isham Park, as opposed to Inwood Hill Park, on property given to the city of New York by Julia Isham Taylor and Flora Isham.  The two women,  were pioneer philanthropists.  They were the first to give land, specifically for the benefit of all of its citizens for use as parkland,  to the City of New York.  Millions of New Yorkers have benefited from their generosity. The first gift of Isham land was made in 1912.  At some point over the course of the century since the gift was made the section west of Seaman Avenue  was incorporated into Inwood Hill Park.  

Have you read  Red Tails in Love: A Wildlife Drama in Central Park by Marie Winn? http://www.amazon.com/Red-Tails-Love-Wildlife-Central-Departures/dp/0679758461 You won't be able to put it down, as Marie's style is delightful and  the story of raptors versus celebrities and city bureaucrats is packed with drama.  Marie maintains a website with the current comings and goings of her favorite Fifth Avenue denizens here: http://mariewinnnaturenews.blogspot.com/.  

If I am so lucky as to see these birds again, I shall call the female Julia, after Mrs. Julia Isham Taylor,  and the male Isham, in honor of William Isham, who was Julia's uncle and the owner of the estate that is now Isham Park. 

Are you intrigued by birds of prey?  Do you have any good urban raptor stories or photos?

A Poem by Mary Oliver

Count the Roses

Count the roses, red and fluttering.

Count the roses, wrinkled and salt.

Each with its yellow lint at the center. 

Each with its honey pooled and ready.

Do you have a question that can't be answered?

Do the stairs frighten you by their heaviness

  and their endless number?

Does it bother you, that mercy is so difficult to understand?

For some souls it's easy;  they lie down on the sand

and soon are asleep.

For others, the mind shivers in its glacial palace, and won't come.

Yes, the mind takes a long time, is otherwise occupied 

than by happiness, and deep breathing.

Now, in the distance, some bird is singing.

And now I have gathered six or seven deep red,

half-opened cups of petals between my hands,

and now I have put my face against them

and now I am moving my face back and forth, slowly,

against them.

The body is not much more than two feet and a tongue.

Come to me, says the blue sky, and say the word.

And finally even the mind comes running, like a wild thing, 

and lies down in the sand.

Eternity is not later, or in any unfindable place.

Roses, roses, roses, roses.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Cross-country Skiing!!!

My Fitbit had a field day when I went cross-country skiing last weekend in Vermont at Wild Wings Ski & Yoga http://wildwingsski.com/.  The snow was plentiful, the weather just right for stomping around on skis with skies clear, sun plentiful,  with little wind.

And stomp around is just what I did.  Last year I moved from Minneapolis, MN, where I used to ski on a city lake that was groomed.  Yup, you read that right.  The City of Minneapolis grooms cross-country ski trails in the heart of the city.  That's partly why the city and the state rank so high in health studies.  

But now I live in New York and vacation as much as possible in Vermont.  In the Green Mountains. Wild Wings is anything but flat once you get off  the green beginner trails.  The intermediate trails at Wild Wings are designed for a good cardio workout with lots of climbing.  In years past I had rented skis from Wild Wings and had thoroughly enjoyed myself on those climbs.  Wanting to save a few bucks, I tried my Minnesota skis.

I have been skiing for 20 years, but, in fact, I am a novice.  I feel like I have sticks attached to my feet.  People who have skied since they were kids think nothing of having sticks on their feet.   I still can't get over it.

I fell climbing the first hill as soon as I had to use a technique called herringbone, duck walk,  or V-1.  It looks like this when done by a competent skier:

It was face plant time in between my skis. I picked myself up and trudged onward.  Step, slide backwards, fall.  Repeat.    I learned that by taking smaller steps than I might have with rental skis, I could survive and sort of hang with the group I provided they went slower.  When I hit a really steep patch I often had to revert to side-stepping, a slower technique,  up the hill. 

I finally got the hang of how to cope, somewhat, and began to enjoy myself.  Who wouldn't, with scenery like this and the woods to ourselves? 

                                                                                                     Loon Trail, Wild Wings Ski & Yoga

We skied 5.1 kilometers.  I was completely bushed.  I had used my arms much more than normal, which I could tell from my achy biceps and triceps the next day. My abductors were burning from the herringbone, which requires you to walk knock kneed.  Through some miracle I did not get hurt.  

Back at the warming hut built from lumber harvested on the property, we chowed down some delicious vegetarian chili that Mama Wild Wings made.   I spoke with Papa Wild Wings, a cross country ski expert, about my skis.  He put them back-to-back and squeezed them with his strong hands. They were like pancakes. Then he did the same with a pair of his rental skis. They had a nice little bounce in them.  It was obvious that my skis were much stiffer, less flexible, and harder to squeeze.   He told me that I would have to put lots of pressure on my skis to stay upright. In other words, I had to stomp. I know only a poor carpenter blames his tools, but, What a relief!   

I was delighted by the number of steps (8000, give or take) and the number of stairs (111, a record for me!) that Fitbit registered. All of those baby steps on skis paid off! For some strange reason, given my perceived exertion and the accumulated sweat on my long underwear,   only 6 minutes were "very active minutes."  I had skied for 90 minutes and yet only 6 of them met the Fitbit standard.  They were probably the minutes I spent getting up off the ground. . . 

I'm going to ski again and see whether I can improve my "very active minutes" score.  

Focus, Focus, Focus

I have had a frustrating few days with regards to my fitness. It's easy for me to take a minor setback and turn  against myself, an unhealthy habit.  Then I got to thinking about Olympic athletes and what remarkable focus they possess.  

Clearly Olympic athletes are incredibly motivated individuals.  They can do and have done the same thing over and over and over and over again so that their bodies move exactly how they want them to. They have mastered their sports to the extent that they can visualize the outcomes that they want so that they win.  Sure, they have physical gifts that I don't have.  But more important, probably, is that they have focus.

Today, after a bike workout where my Garmin power meter didn't work properly, I knew I just had to clear my head, to shift my focus.  I was judging myself for not working hard enough on the bike. The temptation to sit on the couch and feel sorry for myself was great. Despite good efforts with regard to my dietary intake, yesterday the number on the scale was, shall we say, not the one I had been expecting.  

Rather than continue to  indulge in a destructive behavior, I decided to practice a self-acceptance meditation. An internet search prompted me to try this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUHTVikjM7k. I settled into a cross legged position on the couch, closed my eyes, and began to focus awareness on my breath, as the guide instructed. I inhaled for a count of four, held the breath for a count of three, and exhaled for a count of six. After several rounds of focused breathing, I shifted my awareness to a feeling of well-being.  I affirmed that I am healthy and fit 60-year old woman with many blessings.  I affirmed that I am eating a healthy diet of whole, nutritious foods.  I affirmed that I am capable of any changes that I want to make in my life.  I went back to watching the breath for a few more minutes and felt the grip of judgment melting away.  

The YouTube meditation was created by Wendy Wallace, a woman who writes a blog for people who, like her, have 100+ pounds to lose.  Wendy, you are doing a great service with your blog and with your self-affirming meditation.  Thank you, Wendy, for successfully shifting my focus! You can read Wendy here:  http://eatsleepmove.com/about/

Meditation is a valuable tool for shifting your focus as you face life's constant challenges.  There are more free meditations of all kinds available on the internet than I can count.  Do you meditate? Do you have a favorite? What do you do when you feel yourself losing focus?  

Valentine To Myself: Rest Day!

After four very active days filled with walking, downhill, and cross-country skiing, today is a rest day.   I am not just talking about sleep, which is vital.  I am talking about deep rest--physical and mental rest--which I believe is essential to a healthy, rewarding life.

The more I stress my body, the higher my cortisol levels rise.  My body expects me to work hard and stress it again today.  I know it is time for some rest because I didn't sleep well or long enough last night despite lots of physical activity.  Poor sleep is an indication that my body has been overstimulated and exhausted. 

Today I will practice an hour of restorative yoga.  Restorative yoga stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, the "rest and digest" part of the nervous system.  All of the exercise I have been doing has been stimulating my sympathetic nervous system, the "fight or flight" system.   Contrary to the messages I've been sending to my body, I am not being chased by a saber-toothed tiger. I need to send messages to my body that I am back in the cave, surrounded by friends and family, all danger passed.   

I have had the great good fortune of studying restorative yoga with Judith Hanson Lasater, author of the book on restorative yoga,  Relax and Renew http://www.amazon.com/Relax-Renew-Restful-Stressful-Times/dp/1930485298. I recommend you buy it and work with a trained yoga teacher if you want to practice restorative yoga.  

As practiced by Judith Lasater, restorative yoga benefits the body in several ways:  

• Lowers blood pressure and heart rate
• Reduces muscle tension and fatigue
• Lowers serum triglycerides and blood sugar levels
• Reduces cortisol and boosts immunity

By moving my spine in all directions over the course of an hour of so,  the large muscles in my body and my organs will be gently opened, rather than stretched.  Using an assortment of props, I will practice a forward bend, a backward bend, and a twist.  I will also practice a safe, gentle inversion--where my head will be lower than my heart and my feet higher than my heart and digestive organs-- to reduce the effects of gravity on my body.  The inversion will reverse the flow of blood and lymph that has pooled in my lower body, counteracting the skiing, walking, and sitting that I have been doing.    My body will then be ready to relax into my favorite pose: Savasana, for twenty minutes.  

Roger Cole, Ph.D., a yoga teacher and scientist,  has studied the physiological effects of restorative yoga, relaxation, and posture.  He published this wonderful graphic, complete with stick figure images of the different yoga postures on his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/RogerColeYoga 

One of Roger's students wore a heart rate monitor during Roger's restorative yoga class in Del Mar, CA.  Over the course of the class, the student's heart rate slowed continuously until it reached a low of 28 beats per minute  (bpm) during a supported supta baddha konasana (supported bound angle). You can see from the chart above that the student's heart rate would fall as he settled into the series of postures and then rise whenever he would release out of a pose and set up the next one.  

Notice how long each of those postures was held.  The student practiced a standing forward fold with his head on a block for a few minutes, bringing blood to the head.  Then the chest and was elevated and opened in a supported bridge variation for what looks to be about 5 minutes. Heart rate rose while the student transitioned into a   15-minute supported bridge, where the heart rate fell below 40 bpm.  An 8- or 9-minute supported forward fold quieted the body further.  I'm guessing that the student turned his head from one side to another during this forward fold, because you can see that the heart elevated slightly in the middle of that section.  A suppported spinal twist was practiced on each side of the body;  again you can see where the heart rate elevated when the student switched sides.

   

During his sixth posture, supported baddha konasana, or cobbler's pose,  the student reached the low of 28 bpm.  The decline in heart rate is similar to what happened in the supported bridge, but the student gets deeper and deeper into a resting, restful state.  Then he transitioned into his final posture, a very gentle Savasana with his legs elevated on a chair.  Compare the resting heart rate between the first posture and the last posture and draw your own conclusion.  Do you think the student felt rested when he finished?  Was his mood changed?  Did he sleep well that night?

I can rest my body deeply when I set up the right environment for a good restorative session: support myself properly so that I can be still and open rather than stretching the body;  close the eyes and cover them with an eyebag; practice in a room without music;  cover my body with  a blanket to keep the body warm.  In a sense, I have to recreate that cave I mentioned before.  Judith recommends at a bare minimum a 20-minute Savasana every day. http://www.judithlasater.com/

If I were more of a geek, I could show you a printout of my heart rate during a restorative session at home.  Alas, I have to leave that to others. I await Fitbit introducing an affordable gizmo that could measure the quality of my restorative yoga sessions. . . 

Try a restorative yoga class at a study near you!  Knowing how to rest is a skill you can rely on as you face challenges--both physical and emotional-- in your life.