2.62 If you're seriously engaging your power pantry goals, especially the ones involving physical activity, there's a good chance you're going to end up with muscle fatigue. I've been aware of the exercise after-burn for years: about a day-and-a-half after a strenuous workout, whether it is a long run, or waxing the truck, or a few dozen flights of stairs, I know I'm going to be sore. Why? Technically, there's a depletion of primary nutrients and minerals, like potassium, magnesium, and sodium, and the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, . (There's a whole, confusing world of research on lactic acid, lactate, and the 'lactate threshold' which I'm not going to get into here...that alone is exhausting...) To function normally, our muscles need healthy supply of nutrients like these, and of course the best resources to supply these are nutrient dense foods (like veggies). And there's another great source of healthful nutrients that I have to mention: apple cider vinegar (ACV). I love that this simple, humble kitchen staple has so many valuable constituents, and I'd argue it confounds the most precisely formulated vitamins and supplements around. Check out this page from WebMD on ACV and the impressive list of its nutrients and uses. ACV on WebMD Some of the great things ACV give us are acetic acid (helping replenish the acetylcholine), citric acid and malic acid, B vitamins, and even potassium and magnesium. No wonder it is great for muscle fatigue and recovery. Move over Gatorade! So if you're exerting yourself and know the pain is on the way, consider mixing in several tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with your salad, and speed your recovery. Your muscles will thank you.
By the Way
Often it is hard to believe that simple solutions like ACV for muscle fatigue could possibly work, but it really does. I've put a couple tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water the day after strenuous exercise, and I'm amazed at how it keeps the cramping and fatigue way. For more interesting reading, simply google the benefits of apple cider vinegar, and read up. If you appreciate Power Pantry posts, please leave a comment, 'like' this post, and take 30 seconds to subscribe. It's great to have you on board!
2.61 Life will be dull and bland and slow if we have no goals to work toward. A power pantry lifestyle includes thoughtful direction, always including some things right in front of us (short term), some things happening in the next year (medium term) and some things which are barely on our radar (long term). What's great about having a list of achievable interesting goals is that you're always in the hunt. You're always approaching the next goal, which is one you crafted in seasons past. Maybe it was a long-term goal at some point, and eureka, now it has come to reality. Do you have a long-term vision for your life and your lifestyle? I have limits I can think of for my lifestyle, and things I think are worth striving for in my personal growth and goals. Between those boundaries I can think of all kinds of cool places and activities and milestones I want to get to... and those become my goals. When I sit and ponder the growth goals I have, I get really energized about the future, and the journey to get there. Do you get energy from thinking about your goals? Is there a clear-enough picture in your mind of what the future will be like for you, that you can muse and dream about it in broad daylight? If not, start with some hopes and dreams, and how you can gather the resources to take the journey to get to them. Then add to those hopes and dreams the resolve to go after your vision. I have nutritional goals, and physical goals, and relationship goals and spiritual discipline goals... and mentally chewing on them helps to bring them to reality. So take some quiet time away if you need to, and invest thought and effort into your goals and vision, and months and years into the future, you will see what was once a simple thought or conviction has become reality.
By the Way
For some help defining your goals and vision, you can use the SMART goals acrostic: Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic Time-bound
2.60 Are nightshades poisonous? Well, it depends on who you listen to. I became aware of the nightshade vegetables several years ago (these include potatoes, tomatoes, peppers of all kinds and eggplant, among others). The contention over nightshade vegetables has been brewing for centuries (millennia?) as various cultures have sworn they are poisonous and not to be trusted, and others have embraced and cultivated them avidly as part of their regular diet. I'm now leaning much harder toward the fact that while not poisonous, nightshade veggies are definitely a trigger of poor health in some individuals (including me). I have a friend who, after years of unexplainable pain (and thankfully ruling out Lyme disease, lupus, MS and numerous other diseases) was diagnosed with serious food sensitivities. The nightshades are definitely on her trigger list. After re-reading some information on the nightshade veggies a few weeks ago, I decided to reduce and then eliminate them from my diet to see what would happen. Almost like magic, issues I have dealt with and tolerated for over 20 years cleared up in days. Amazing... So now I'm adjusting and trying to convince myself that the nightshades are truly a significant food sensitivity trigger for me. I realize that all I need to do to be re-convinced is to consume some potatoes or peppers, and sure enough, I'm right back where I was all those years. I've said before in Power Pantry posts that food is medicine, and shared this quote: "With the right food, medicine is of no need; with the wrong food, medicine is of no use." My friend's years of pain and suffering are a testament to that very concept. Thankfully she's on her own journey of discovery and healing which I'm confident will lead her to a fulfilled, pain-free life. Do you need to be concerned about nightshade veggies? Maybe, maybe not. One way to tell is to eliminate them from your diet for a time (a couple of weeks to about 30 days is plenty), and see what happens. Do you feel better or different once your body has been cleaned up from the nightshades? How's your skin health? Digestion overall? Joint pain? Gut health? It's said nightshades can trigger depression, mood swings and sensitivity to weather changes, besides headaches, muscle pain and insomnia... Do some of your own research and study on line, and with your pantry, and see how it goes.
By the Way
Thankfully, sweet potatoes and yams are not in the nightshade family (because I really like those...) For a full list of nightshade veggies, symptoms and some additional great information, check out Eileen Laird's site and post at Phoenix Helix: Nightshade-Free Survival Guide
2.59 When we have some great purpose we feel called to, we end up investing a lot of our life in it, besides time, attention and maybe a lot of money. And when things get challenging or downright unbearable, we need need to review in our minds, "why am I doing this?" If it's tough to think of a ready response, maybe our endeavor wasn't so purposeful to begin with. We all need a pick-me-up when we face those kinds of situations. We may need a reminder which takes us back to our baseline and reaffirms our conviction to press on. I have numerous mental cues like that, and one that stands out is a scene from a movie from several years ago, "Facing the Giants".
Facing the Giants - on YouTube In the scene, Brock, a key student leader, doesn't acknowledge the influential role he has with his teammates, and it quickly becomes apparent that the Coach knows how to bring out Brock's best. Once Brock commits to the team's success, and is all in, he helps bring out the best effort of the whole team. Often, the key to success is found in not giving up. Finding your groove and building momentum is fundamental to results, and then all we need to do is persevere. Living a power pantry lifestyle is like that. It can take a great amount of conviction and effort to improve what and how we eat, to be intentional about increasing physical activity and finding and thriving in community with others. Be intentional this week. Drive for results in your wellness choices. Set your mind on your destination and take a step. And another. Most of all, don't quit.
By the Way
Winston Churchill has a famous quote which captures fundamental perseverance: "Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense."
2.58 I'm training for a half marathon this fall, and trying to catch some momentum. Summer is almost over and everyone seems to feel the tug of life getting back to schedules and responsibilities. That tug for me includes getting my running miles back up. So this past week I've gotten a few runs in, and yesterday and today I did two back-to-back. Yesterday was a 60 minute run (more of a jog really) and I just went, not particularly focused or driven. This morning, I decided to put my heart into it a bit more and see how far I would get in 36 minutes. Yesterday's run turned out to be a fairly slow 5 miles (12 minutes per mile... that's a bit lazy). Today, I did 3.6 miles in 36 minutes... right at 10 minutes per mile - that's more like it for my normal pace. It wasn't the 4 miles I was planning for, but it was okay. Momentum is like that. Anyone committed to a purpose or a cause knows that the perspective you bring to the day will color the results. If positive momentum is with you, you can use that to invigorate the next decision and exertion of effort. If momentum isn't with you, the first task is to turn things in your favor, and then dig in to get and keep things going. How is your momentum? How about the big-picture purpose you're trying to tackle? Is there something you have been pursuing half-heartedly, and things are flagging? Maybe it's time to dig in and recommit.... bring some creative perspective to the situation. See with new eyes. How can you bring things out of the red and create positive momentum? For me, I have a month to get more miles on my shoes and wrap my mind around another half-marathon. I love the challenge and I'm digging into it with some steely resolve. I can feel the momentum growing already.
By the Way
For a casual runner like me, a 9 - 10 minute mile is okay. Not stellar, and not terrible. Check out this page from www.whyIexercise.com on the rating of age groups to average times for a 1.5 mile run (known as the Cooper test): Cooper Test with Charts & Instructions
2.57 Jen and I unsubscribed from cable 1997... hard to believe that was 18 years ago. Nowadays we can thank the internet for access to anything, anytime; so who needs cable? And with the content available, there's a good chance to find some worth our time. Some months ago I posted about Studio C and that it was fun and a bit goofy, and gave our family a good laugh. Well, we've added another laughable resource to our video selections in the form of "Good Mythical Morning" on YouTube. I'm surprised at the creativity that some of these folks bring to their content, and they certainly can build an audience (7.8 million subscribers for Good Mythical Morning, and counting). GMM's audience is now worthy of advertising deals with Alka-Seltzer, McDonald's, Wendy's and Cadillac, to name a few. See their Wikipedia page, describing the two life-long friend, Rhett and Link, behind the silliness of Good Mythical Morning. They post a video every Monday through Friday morning, and have over a thousand videos on YouTube... plenty to keep you busy catching up. For us, we enjoy gathering at the end of the night for some family TV time, and of course the kids may pull up a video or two during the day on their devices for a few laughs as well. The chance to hang out as a family is very important to us, and it's important for a power pantry lifestyle. Whether you are married or not, or have kids or don't, it's vital to have community around you, be it friends or coworkers or immediate family. The common bonds you share and the chance to do life together keep you connected with the world, and grounded in the full experiences of life. Give Rhett and Link a try sometime. Not all their stuff is a total hoot, and some of it is a bit PG13, but mostly you'll find two guys who have known each other over 30 years enjoying the chance to laugh together and make others laugh as well.
By the Way
Rhett and Link also have a second YouTube channel with further goofiness in the form of parody and original songs, skits and spoof commercials. Check it out here: Rhett & Link
2.56 It's peach season! Summer is quickly slipping away, and soon it will be apple picking time, but for now, be sure to enjoy some fresh, juicy peaches from a local farm. The Pennsylvania peach harvest peak is July, August and September, so now is the time to pick up a few pounds or a few baskets of fresh peaches. You'll be glad to know peaches are available in 23 states... Here are a few stats from the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center, just for fun:
As of 2012, peaches are commercially produced in 23 states. The top four states in peach production are California, South Carolina, Georgia and New Jersey. California is a significant producer of both fresh and processed peaches, while South Carolina and Georgia mainly produce fresh peaches. (NASS 2013) In 2012 California continued to be the dominant peach-producing state, accounting for nearly 74 percent of peach production and supplying nearly 51 percent of the fresh peach crop and more than 97 percent of processing peaches...
So while Georgia has a great reputation as the Peach State, it is really California which should get all the peach-glory for their exorbitant production rates. Don't let summer pass you by without enjoying all of what the fruit harvest has to offer. Fresh, local fruits and veggies are a key asset to a power pantry, so be sure to find a great farmer's market soon to enhance you shopping choices.
By the Way
Peaches come in numerous varieties, with the most common distinctions being yellow-flesh and white-flesh peaches... and keep an eye on those pits when you're biting in. The cling stones are the messier ones (because the peach doesn't separate from the pit); the free stone peaches come right off and are much easier to clean, cook with and eat as is. Enjoy!
To function normally, our muscles need healthy supply of nutrients like these, and of course the best resources to supply these are nutrient dense foods (like veggies). And there's another great source of healthful nutrients that I have to mention: apple cider vinegar (ACV). I love that this simple, humble kitchen staple has so many valuable constituents, and I'd argue it confounds the most precisely formulated vitamins and supplements around.
