Week Twenty Five - Look Alive !

Boost Your Immune System

by Coach Oden


Here is a healthy way to start your day and to get the nutrients you need to boost your immunity and have radiant, glowing skin. I drink it every morning.

Glowing Green Smoothie

The glowing green smoothie is packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, high quality amino acids (which build protein), and countless other phytonutrients that work synergistically to prevent and repair damage in your body and boost rejuvenation. Blending helps your body absorb the maximum amount of nutrition from your greens. Chewing your glowing green smoothie to prevent bloating, and if you have compromised digestion, take digestive enzymes right before drinking it. 

RECIPE (SERVES 4) Ingredients: 

● 7 cups chopped spinach (about a medium bunch) 

● 6 cups chopped romaine lettuce (about 1 small head) 

● 2 cups cold filtered water

● 1½ cups chopped celery (about 2 medium stalks) 

● 1 medium apple, cored and coarsely chopped 

● 1 medium pear, cored and coarsely chopped 

● 1 medium banana, peeled and cut in thirds 

● 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 

● 1⁄2 cup minced fresh cilantro, stems are okay (optional) 

● 1⁄2 cup minced fresh parsley, stems are okay (optional) 

Directions: 

1. Fill the blender with 2 cups of water. 

2. Blend the spinach and romaine until smooth. 

3. Add the celery, apple, pear, and herbs (if using) and blend again until smooth. 

4. Finally, add the lemon juice and banana, and do your last blend. 

5. Pour and eat fresh!

*Try it and let me know what you think!

Find a new way or place to do your Squats

We have been plugging away at our squats. Have you trued a new scenery or a different squat to change it up? I traveled all the way to the Grand Canyon and Zion just to do squats.

Well that's not true but while I was there why not take advantage of the beautiful scenery.

I didn't do squats here but this is a bucket list, the narrows at Zion. Just a bonus picture.

A few more places I did squats, waiting area outside of clinic, park benches, gas stations. rest areas, and at the pub. I know, but I had to get them done before the beer!! Let's have fun with the remainder of squats we have. Like Coach Anita said, four weeks gets you ready for the race. We are a team. Persevere! You got this!

Challenge Participation

by Coach Anita

We are in the third week of the squats & water challenge in which between 40-50 Pinks (and coaches) have chosen to participate. Maybe you didn’t choose to participate - you hate squats, you’re recovering from an injury or procedure, you didn’t feel like you could commit - whatever the reason, it’s valid and acceptable. The activity is voluntary and for fun and fitness. 

I liken participation in this challenge to the choices we have around the boats. You can choose to attend practices or not. Your membership is not predicated on attendance. You can choose to put your name in for a roster or not. However, a choice to take a roster spot requires attendance. This is because choosing to participate impacts more than just you. Choosing to be part of a group means being accountable to the other people who are also choosing to participate. You impact the others by your attendance or lack thereof. 

The squat and water challenge is a simple team activity. The daily goal for a team of four is to complete a total of 600 squats and consume two gallons of water by the sum number of participants in the group. For a four person group, equal division measures out to 150 squats and 64 ounces of water per person. However, there is no requirement that it be divided equally; there are just the stated goals to accomplish. The challenge was set up to last four weeks.

Everyone was provided with the set up and requirements before deciding to participate. The groups were determined by random selection (except the TeamFitness group). All participants needed to communicate daily with their team members about the progress. If someone isn’t able to complete their determined share of the work on a given day, others team members can take up the deficit to meet the goal.  

The challenge was set to last four weeks so that it would indeed be a challenge. Sustaining this activity for four weeks requires commitment, perseverance and teamwork. It is very similar to the timeline for crew practices. And just like with practice, there may be days you simply can’t get the task done because of work, travel, family, fatigue, etc. That’s when communication to your team is important. A commitment to the goal means your team members will step up to fill in the gap because they committed to accomplishing the overall goal. It is also because of the understanding that if they need something, you will step up.  

The challenge is not a competition. It is not judged. The elements of water consumption and squats com

bine health and fitness while connecting people to work toward a common goal. We have heard feedback that while after one week someone could barely sit down, by the second week they said they were no longer sore. Another person started with no squats (she did wall sits) and has progressed to doing 75 squats a day. Great examples of strength development. One participant stated that the focus on water consumption has reduced how much coffee she’s drinking. What you take away from your participation will vary, but your commitment and perseverance will have benefits. Keep going! 

Random Interesting Fun Facts

By Suzanne Frank

1. Humans are the only animals that blush

2. The wood frog can hold his pee for up to eight months

3. You lose up to 30% of your taste buds during an airline flight (elevation reduces the sensitivity of salty and sweet foods and the dryness of the cabin air affects our ability to smell)

4. The Twitter bird's official name in Larry

5. The hat worn by chefs contain 100 folds

6. The M in M&Ms stand for "Mars and Murrie" (Forrest Mars and Bruce Murrie the creators of the. candy)

7. Copper door knobs are self-disinfecting

8. Cotton candy was created by a dentist

9. The dot over the lower case j or i is known as a "tittle"

10.Chewing gum boosts concentration ( a study in 2013 found that subjects who chewed gum while taking part in a memory challenge were able to stay focused for longer periods of time then those        who did not chew gum)

11. The unicorn is the national animal of Scotland

12. Bees sometimes sting other bees

13. Water makes different pouring sounds depending on its temperature

14. Koalas have fingerprints

15. Apple pie isn't actually American (the first pies were baked in Medieval Europe)

16. Sweat doesn't actually stink (it is the bacteria on your skin that breaks the sweat down that causes the odor)

17. The fire hydrant patent was lost in a fire

18. Saudi Arabia imports camels from Australia

19. The cast of Friends still earn around $20 million each year from the percentage of the revenue on reruns

20. Crows hold grudges (they have been found to dive down and swarming the person that upset them)

The End Piece

By Coach Pat

I was going to post my favorite squat workouts. I have created some that are equal to our bootcamps. But this piece seemed long enough and random enough already. So look for squat workouts next week. We are heading into our last week of squat challenge and I know everyone who is even participating on the fringe is feeling stronger. Timing taken into account it looks like we will have a one week rest period before starting the next challenge. Yes it will be random teams, no it won't be squats and it won't be 150 of anything.

What I do want to recommend for all of you who aren't street runners and need a cardio workout - get a jumprope. Jumping rope can burn 200-300 calories in 15 minutes. It improves coordination and that plyo part increases bone density. I bought an inexpensive jump rope (speed rope) on Amazon. I feel like I am back in the 3rd grade but it is a great way to get your heart rate up. Let me know if you are game. Maybe there could be a jumprope group. And if your on the older side - your grandchildren will be in awe.

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Week Twenty Four - Keep Working on Your Core

   

Flu Vaccine-What You Need to Know

By Suzanne Frank

With flu season just around the corner I wanted to share some information about the flu and the flu vaccine. 

Flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat, and sometimes the lungs. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. The best way to prevent flu is by getting a a flu vaccine each year. 

Annual flu vaccination is recommended for everyone 6 months of age and older with rare exceptions. It is an effective way to decrease flu illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths.

Flu vaccines cannot cause flu illness. Flu vaccines given with a needle (i.e., flu shot) are made either with inactivated (killed) viruses, or with only a single protein from the flu virus. The nasal spray vaccine contains live viruses that are attenuated (weakened) so that they will not cause illness.

Flu vaccine has been shown in several studies to reduce severity of illness in people who get vaccinated but still get sick.

Getting vaccinated may also help protect people around you.

It takes about 2 weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body to provide protection against the flu.

Flu usually comes on suddenly. People who have the flu often feel some or all of these symptoms:

• fever* or feeling feverish/chills
• cough
• sore throat
• runny or stuffy nose
• muscle or body aches
• headaches
• fatigue (tiredness)
• some people may have vomiting or diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults

  *It is important to know that not everyone with the flu will have a fever

The flu viruses are spread by droplets when people with the flu cough, sneeze, or talk. Typically, a person develops symptoms 5 days after being infected, but symptoms can appear as soon as 2 days after infection or as late as 14 days after infection.

• If you should get the flu here are things that are recommended by the CDC:
• stay home
• take care of yourself by getting rest, staying hydrated, and if needed use over the counter medicines such as acetaminophen
• stay in a specific room as much as possible and away from other people in your home
• cover your cough and sneezes
• wash your hands often
• monitor your symptoms and seek medical attention immediately if you experience trouble breathing, pain or pressure in your chest, new confusion, inability to wake or stay awake, bluish lips or face
• clean and disinfect "high touch" surfaces everyday

Most healthy adults may be able to infect others beginning 1 day before symptoms develop and up to 5-7 days after becoming sick. People with the flu are most contagious in the first 3-4 days after their illness begins.

It is possible to have flu, as well as other respiratory illnesses, and COVID-19 at the same time. Health experts are still studying how common this can be.

Both the flu and COVID-19 can have varying degrees of signs and symptoms. Symptoms of the flu and COVID-19 can be the same. Other symptoms of COVID-19 different from the flu may may be a change in or loss of taste and smell.

I hope that you will consider getting a flu vaccine.

Brain Train 

from Coach Pat

Recently I took a seminar about training your brain for successful goal acheivement.  This subject resonated with me because happily I have had some success with goal setting and also because during Covid I have found taking action towards acheiving goals has been so very hard. 

The most powerful thing you can train is your brain. Your brain controls every result you get in your life.  Setting and reaching goals we create our results.   Know that your brain can take you on rocky path to your goals.   Brains are great at what they do ,  but this can get in your way unless you work at training your brain for success.  If you have abandoned a goal, given up it will help to know what your brain does that is easy.  

• Seek Pleasure  - this can get in the way if your goals are centered upon performance only.  
• Conserve Energy - this makes it hard to get things done.   Covid has made us have to work harder 
• Identify Danger - Negative thinking runs through your brain all the time 
• Create Explanations - your brain will allow you to make the facts fit the circumstance.  

Our brains tell us a lot of untrue things.   It is important to question when your brain is telling you not to push yourself towards goals.  When our thoughts aren't accurate what we will try is limited.  Learn to direct your brain to question.  If you don't have goals, why not?  Whether or not you set goals you create your results.  

Some tools to help with goal setting 

• Imagine what you want. Allow yourself to want success.    Turn off any  negative bias about your goal.  
• Write it down !
• Define the timing,  the more detail the better.  Break it down , day, week, month, year. Write down more.  Recognize some goals may take years.  
• Be prepared 
• Imagine the future when you acheive your goal.  
• Don't allow yourself to say you don't know what to do, confusion works against you. 

Take Action !  If you haven't reached your goal,  you simply haven't taken enough action.  Giving up is not an option but making adjustments are.   You don't need to know step 10 when you are at step 3,  you only need to know the next action to take.  This concept of massive action takes the confusion and mental drama out of the equation.  If you are commiting to taking action until you reach your goal then there isn't a 'try' there is simply 'do'.   Commit.  

Find the minimim baseline. Find the smallest commitment you can make and know you can follow through.  If it's doable you can see yourself acheiving.    This might seem boring and not big enough, it is big !  If you do a small thing consistently you will progress.  Success comes from small day to day actions taken consistenly over time.  Five to ten minutes a day of a new practice every day is better than no action.  

Understand that things may not work perfectly.  That's fine, check in with your commitment and your focus.   When we succeed then fail or plateau, it's usually because we stopped taking action after having some success.  Have your own back,  no beating yourself up.  Have a look at what is happening in your thinking and know it's completely normal.   

Certainly I have used goal setting for building strenth and getting fit.   But I also have been using goal setting for some large and small things lately.   My big goal setting I have described below .  During Covid my goal has been to do one thing a day I don't enjoy but will make life better.  This has included some sewing,  some deep cleaning you know the things. 

I was thinking of a goal that I set  4 years ago in 2016 and just acheived  today.   I didn't know it would take me 4 years when I started, what I knew was I needed to continue to take actions until I met my goal.   Four years ago I started a certification process with the Backyard Habitats program that is run by the Audubon Society and Columbia Watershed.   My goal was to transform my property with naturescaping using native plants and removing all invasive weeds.   I had a great start because I live in a forest, mainly Doug Fir and  Big Leaf Maple.   I also had a huge amount of invasive weeds that had to go.   This project didn't take first place in my life,  my paddling and traveling always came before completing the certification.   Is  that seeking pleasure?  But for 4 years I continued to take action, and now today my yard is certified .  I hadn't set out to get more than a middle rated certification, but during this last push it looked liked I could go higher and did.   My yard certified at the highest level given. 

  

During the certification process today , all I could think about was  what more can I do and some different goals started to take form.  This is the way it works.   One goal leads to the next until you amaze yourself. 

Setting Up a Secure FaceBook Account 

by Coach Pat 

Many of us who are not on Facebook at times regret not getting some of the social news that is posted on the PinkPhoenixPDX group page.   All team information is posted on both Facebook in the Pink Phoenix PDX group and also via email.   What you miss by not having Facebook is spontaneous discussion that takes place regarding certain posts.   If you haven't setup a Facebook account because you don't want to look at silly animal video's or see pictures of remote acquintances grandchildren, please know you can avoid all of that with some simple settings and making good choices.  

If you want a Facebook account that allows you to see 99% only Pink Phoenix PDX posts do the following.  

• Setup your FB account .   This will require a phone number for 2 factor authentication (that is good ) .  
• Setup your Profile - leave out any information you want - no one will see it 
• Go to the far right on the profile page and access the security and privacy settings
• For instance select "Only Me" when that is an option 
• Select "Friends" if  "Only Me" is not and option an 
• select "Friends of Friends" if Friend is not an option. 

You will need to friend one Pink so you can be invited to the Pink Phoenix PDX group.   You can unfriend or block this person after you are in the group.   Do not allow FB to find friends, don't do anything automatic.  Now you are on FB with only one group to see.  The point is - you will have no friends, hence no friends of friends.   You will need to ignore friend requests from your teammates.  You will be able to post on the Pink Phoenix PDX page.  

Read More

Week Twenty Four - Keep Working on Your Core

   

Flu Vaccine-What You Need to Know

By Suzanne Frank

With flu season just around the corner I wanted to share some information about the flu and the flu vaccine. 

Flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat, and sometimes the lungs. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. The best way to prevent flu is by getting a a flu vaccine each year. 

Annual flu vaccination is recommended for everyone 6 months of age and older with rare exceptions. It is an effective way to decrease flu illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths.

Flu vaccines cannot cause flu illness. Flu vaccines given with a needle (i.e., flu shot) are made either with inactivated (killed) viruses, or with only a single protein from the flu virus. The nasal spray vaccine contains live viruses that are attenuated (weakened) so that they will not cause illness.

Flu vaccine has been shown in several studies to reduce severity of illness in people who get vaccinated but still get sick.

Getting vaccinated may also help protect people around you.

It takes about 2 weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body to provide protection against the flu.

Flu usually comes on suddenly. People who have the flu often feel some or all of these symptoms:

• fever* or feeling feverish/chills
• cough
• sore throat
• runny or stuffy nose
• muscle or body aches
• headaches
• fatigue (tiredness)
• some people may have vomiting or diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults

  *It is important to know that not everyone with the flu will have a fever

The flu viruses are spread by droplets when people with the flu cough, sneeze, or talk. Typically, a person develops symptoms 5 days after being infected, but symptoms can appear as soon as 2 days after infection or as late as 14 days after infection.

• If you should get the flu here are things that are recommended by the CDC:
• stay home
• take care of yourself by getting rest, staying hydrated, and if needed use over the counter medicines such as acetaminophen
• stay in a specific room as much as possible and away from other people in your home
• cover your cough and sneezes
• wash your hands often
• monitor your symptoms and seek medical attention immediately if you experience trouble breathing, pain or pressure in your chest, new confusion, inability to wake or stay awake, bluish lips or face
• clean and disinfect "high touch" surfaces everyday

Most healthy adults may be able to infect others beginning 1 day before symptoms develop and up to 5-7 days after becoming sick. People with the flu are most contagious in the first 3-4 days after their illness begins.

It is possible to have flu, as well as other respiratory illnesses, and COVID-19 at the same time. Health experts are still studying how common this can be.

Both the flu and COVID-19 can have varying degrees of signs and symptoms. Symptoms of the flu and COVID-19 can be the same. Other symptoms of COVID-19 different from the flu may may be a change in or loss of taste and smell.

I hope that you will consider getting a flu vaccine.

Brain Train 

from Coach Pat

Recently I took a seminar about training your brain for successful goal acheivement.  This subject resonated with me because happily I have had some success with goal setting and also because during Covid I have found taking action towards acheiving goals has been so very hard. 

The most powerful thing you can train is your brain. Your brain controls every result you get in your life.  Setting and reaching goals we create our results.   Know that your brain can take you on rocky path to your goals.   Brains are great at what they do ,  but this can get in your way unless you work at training your brain for success.  If you have abandoned a goal, given up it will help to know what your brain does that is easy.  

• Seek Pleasure  - this can get in the way if your goals are centered upon performance only.  
• Conserve Energy - this makes it hard to get things done.   Covid has made us have to work harder 
• Identify Danger - Negative thinking runs through your brain all the time 
• Create Explanations - your brain will allow you to make the facts fit the circumstance.  

Our brains tell us a lot of untrue things.   It is important to question when your brain is telling you not to push yourself towards goals.  When our thoughts aren't accurate what we will try is limited.  Learn to direct your brain to question.  If you don't have goals, why not?  Whether or not you set goals you create your results.  

Some tools to help with goal setting 

• Imagine what you want. Allow yourself to want success.    Turn off any  negative bias about your goal.  
• Write it down !
• Define the timing,  the more detail the better.  Break it down , day, week, month, year. Write down more.  Recognize some goals may take years.  
• Be prepared 
• Imagine the future when you acheive your goal.  
• Don't allow yourself to say you don't know what to do, confusion works against you. 

Take Action !  If you haven't reached your goal,  you simply haven't taken enough action.  Giving up is not an option but making adjustments are.   You don't need to know step 10 when you are at step 3,  you only need to know the next action to take.  This concept of massive action takes the confusion and mental drama out of the equation.  If you are commiting to taking action until you reach your goal then there isn't a 'try' there is simply 'do'.   Commit.  

Find the minimim baseline. Find the smallest commitment you can make and know you can follow through.  If it's doable you can see yourself acheiving.    This might seem boring and not big enough, it is big !  If you do a small thing consistently you will progress.  Success comes from small day to day actions taken consistenly over time.  Five to ten minutes a day of a new practice every day is better than no action.  

Understand that things may not work perfectly.  That's fine, check in with your commitment and your focus.   When we succeed then fail or plateau, it's usually because we stopped taking action after having some success.  Have your own back,  no beating yourself up.  Have a look at what is happening in your thinking and know it's completely normal.   

Certainly I have used goal setting for building strenth and getting fit.   But I also have been using goal setting for some large and small things lately.   My big goal setting I have described below .  During Covid my goal has been to do one thing a day I don't enjoy but will make life better.  This has included some sewing,  some deep cleaning you know the things. 

I was thinking of a goal that I set  4 years ago in 2016 and just acheived  today.   I didn't know it would take me 4 years when I started, what I knew was I needed to continue to take actions until I met my goal.   Four years ago I started a certification process with the Backyard Habitats program that is run by the Audubon Society and Columbia Watershed.   My goal was to transform my property with naturescaping using native plants and removing all invasive weeds.   I had a great start because I live in a forest, mainly Doug Fir and  Big Leaf Maple.   I also had a huge amount of invasive weeds that had to go.   This project didn't take first place in my life,  my paddling and traveling always came before completing the certification.   Is  that seeking pleasure?  But for 4 years I continued to take action, and now today my yard is certified .  I hadn't set out to get more than a middle rated certification, but during this last push it looked liked I could go higher and did.   My yard certified at the highest level given. 

  

During the certification process today , all I could think about was  what more can I do and some different goals started to take form.  This is the way it works.   One goal leads to the next until you amaze yourself. 

Setting Up a Secure FaceBook Account 

by Coach Pat 

Many of us who are not on Facebook at times regret not getting some of the social news that is posted on the PinkPhoenixPDX group page.   All team information is posted on both Facebook in the Pink Phoenix PDX group and also via email.   What you miss by not having Facebook is spontaneous discussion that takes place regarding certain posts.   If you haven't setup a Facebook account because you don't want to look at silly animal video's or see pictures of remote acquintances grandchildren, please know you can avoid all of that with some simple settings and making good choices.  

If you want a Facebook account that allows you to see 99% only Pink Phoenix PDX posts do the following.  

• Setup your FB account .   This will require a phone number for 2 factor authentication (that is good ) .  
• Setup your Profile - leave out any information you want - no one will see it 
• Go to the far right on the profile page and access the security and privacy settings
• For instance select "Only Me" when that is an option 
• Select "Friends" if  "Only Me" is not and option an 
• select "Friends of Friends" if Friend is not an option. 

You will need to friend one Pink so you can be invited to the Pink Phoenix PDX group.   You can unfriend or block this person after you are in the group.   Do not allow FB to find friends, don't do anything automatic.  Now you are on FB with only one group to see.  The point is - you will have no friends, hence no friends of friends.   You will need to ignore friend requests from your teammates.  You will be able to post on the Pink Phoenix PDX page.  

Read More

Week Twenty Three - The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow

Getting A Good Start 

by Coach Pat

An  appetizer is like a good warm up.   It compliments the meal that is coming and maybe a special wine. Sometimes it can double as a lunch.

 When I get stressed I cook foods that comfort me and remind me of family.   I have a lot of family.  My garden has been full of peppers and tomatoes and some eggplant so I was drawn to some tradional dishes which are a mix of these ingredients.  You can find a grilled or roasted mix of peppers and eggplant in many different cuisines.  Recently I had a great appetizer which is from Croatia or there abouts ,  Ajvar a confit of roasted red peppers and eggplant.  This made me think of the wonderful pepper and eggplant mix my Egyptian sister makes.  But I had tomatoes so I went for a mix. Roasting the eggplant to smokiness and letting the tomatoes get jammy.   I used this recipe and it has no embellishment,  just the wonderful vegetables , olive oil , salt and some heat.  I didn't have lots of red peppers but I had loads of banana peppers and these worked great.  

I believe this recipe is Moroccan but the base of it is all over the food blogs. 

Roasted Eggplant , Red Pepper and Tomato Confit

YIELD  Never Enough (about 3 cups)

 

ACTIVE TIME 30 min
TOTAL TIME        1 1/2 hr

INGREDIENTS

• 2 red bell peppers (yellow or orange work too) 

• 1 (1 1/2-lb) eggplant, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

• 4 large garlic cloves, smashed

• 2 lbs tomatoes peeled and chopped or 1 28 oz can whole tomatoes 

• ½  cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

• ¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes

PREPARATION

1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Cut peppers into 1-inch pieces. Toss together all ingredients in a large roasting pan, then spread evenly. Roast, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very tender, about 1 hour. Cool before serving.

Cooks' note:

Confit can be made 1 week ahead and chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature and stir before serving.

Serve with greek pita or flatbread. The eggplant smokiness makes it meaty so it can support a red wine.

Like a good warm up you can take this into a main course by putting it over pasta or zoodles. Top with some feta cheese.

Main Dish

From Suzanne Frank

1 pound ground beef**

1 12 oz can tomato sauce

1 can sliced black olives

1/4 cup taco seasoning

2-3 cups grated cheese

6 tortilla flour shells

Brown beef, then add taco seasoning and black olives.

In a deep dish pie plate place one tortilla and add 1/5th of taco meat. Then spread meat across tortilla shell and sprinkle with some of the grated cheese. Continue to layer ending with a tortilla shell. Sprinkle the top of the tortilla shell with the remaining grated cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes (if you're making this dish ahead of time and baking later, bake for 20-25 minutes)

**You can substitute ground chicken, ground turkey meat or re-fried beans in place of the ground beef

Cut into 6 pie slices or if you are really hungry slice into 4 slices.

Meeting your Needs Inside and Out

by Coach Oden

I know this last week has been physically challenging for you. It has for me as well. One hundred fifty squats a day isn't easy, especially coming off of a week of potentially no exercise because of the smoke. Thankfully that has cleared and we were able to get back at it. As well as the physical challenges, mentally it has been challenging. With all the stressors that COVID has brought about - whether people are wearing a mask or not wearing a mask, who we can and cannot socialize with, compounding with just our everyday lives - it has challenged us to connect in more creative ways. For me, that is what this is about... connection. Getting things done as a team and helping each other.

Thinking about that, as a team we have put together this menu to help you feel healthy inside and outside.

DHARMA’S KALE SALAD Kale is an incredible beauty superfood. It’s packed with phytochemicals, fiber and chlorophyll, a major blood builder. The cleaner the blood the more beautiful we are. This incredible salad provides a substantial mix of protein-building amino acids, enzymes, minerals (including important ones found in sea vegetables), and antioxidants. RECIPE (MAKES 1-2 SERVINGS) Ingredients: ● 1 head lacinato kale ● Pinch of sea salt ● 1 small avocado ● 3 Tbs. nutritional yeast ● Cayenne pepper, to taste ● 2 handful sprouts, any kind ● 1 tomato, cubed ● Juice of a lemon ● 1-2 Tbs. dulse flakes (totally optional) ● Handful of dill, parsley or cilantro, or combination (optional) Directions: 1. Tear the kale leaves off the stem and place into a mixing bowl. 2. Add a pinch of sea salt, and tear into bite-sized pieces. 3. Core and scrape out the avocado flesh into the bowl. 4. Massage the kale with the avocado and lemon juice. 5. Mix in the nutritional yeast and cayenne pepper. 6. Mix in the sprouts, tomato and dulse flakes, herbs of choice and add a little more sea salt, if desired.

Lassie, Go Get Help!

by Coach Anita

What would you do if you fell into a pit? You’d look for a way to climb out. You’d determine what tools were at your disposal and set about getting yourself above ground. If your name is Timmie, you’d hope your dog Lassie was on her way for help. 

The same thing applies when the pit you fall into isn’t a physical one, but a mental or emotional pit. With the myriad stresses in our lives today, it’s very common for our moods to resemble a roller coaster. Up one day then a precipitous drop the next. When we’ve sunk into a pit, it’s important to take stock of the tools at our disposal to get out (and yes, dogs can be helpful).

Exercise is usually the first thing I suggest for addressing emotional downswings, but during the time of this writing we’ve got hazardous air quality, so I urge caution about exertion. Even a simple weight workout where I’ve kept my heart rate to moderate has taxed me more than I initially realized. Please wait until the air quality is appropriate for exertion before you resume your regular workouts. 

Staying connected to people helps us from feeling like our world is closing in on us. Whether it’s a group workout or a weekly touch base with friends or family via Zoom, connecting with others can help clear away a heavy feeling - even if you don’t talk about the heaviness. TeamFitness has a weekly Zoom call where we talk about this newsletter, and more than once I’ve entered that Zoom call feeling a little low and left feeling lighter because of the interaction with others. Our connections to friends and family are crucial tools for climbing back above ground.

Self-reflection through journaling can help us identify what we’re feeling, as well as steps to feeling better. I find that focusing on what I want to feel - appreciation, joy, passion - helps me identify thoughts that lead me there. If I’m extremely low, I may not get all the way to passion, but getting to appreciation feels better, which is the idea and a step along the path.

Animal lovers know the joy pets bring to our lives. There have been many studies showing that pets have emotional and physical benefits to people. Spending time with your pet - stroking their fur, throwing a toy, or cuddling up with them - can reduce your blood pressure and release endorphins for a calming and soothing effect. Even when you aren’t interested in much, a pet’s basic needs of food, shelter and love can help bring you outside of your fog. Can you really resist that little face? 

Step by step is how we get by in life. Whether it’s learning a new behavior or tackling a challenge. Breaking things down to bite size pieces will help you through the marathon. Know the tools at your disposal and remember that teamwork helps us through every finish line.  

DESSERT

No-Bake Brownies (vegan, gluten-free) 

1 cup raw walnuts

1.5 cups raw almonds

2.5 cups medjool dates, pitted

¾ cup cocoa powder

1-2 tsp ground espresso or coffee

Pinch sea salt

In a food processor, pulse walnuts, almonds, cocoa, espresso and salt until texture is a fine crumble. Remove to a bowl and set aside.

Add dates to food processor and process until in small pieces. Remove to a bowl and set aside.

Return nut mix to food processor. With processor running, add drops of dates through food chute until all is combined and is sticky. If mixture is too dry, cut up more dates into pieces and add until sticky.

Line a loaf or cake pan with parchment. Pat mixture into pan until flat. Place pan in freezer or refrigerator to chill before cutting and serving.

Makes approx. 20 2”x2” brownies (approx. 120 calories each) 

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