"To cook is not just to prepare food for someone or for yourself; it is to express your sincerity. So when you cook you should express yourself in your activity in the kitchen."
-Shunryu Suzuki
from Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind
Showing posts with label Mindfulness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mindfulness. Show all posts
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Monday, June 15, 2009
I am famous!
Recently, I wrote an article for my zen center's newsletter. It was about my inability to stop drinking soda and how I used my zen practice around that. The newsletter has since been published and you can see the article, as well as the rest of the newsletter, here. Mine is entitled, A Tall, Cool Glass of RAIN, which I give my friend Ian the credit for. He also took the photo of the fizzing glass of soda.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Cultivating a healthy lifestyle
As much as diet and exercise fad products would like to argue otherwise, there is really only 1 way to be healthy. A balanced diet and an active lifestyle. These are things that I am constantly revisiting, because it is so easy for me to fall into patterns of bad foods and lethargy. So, I thought I’d share how I keep myself healthy; in part to help you, but also to keep me honest.
Diet:
You can obviously see that I love food. My interest here has been a work in progress throughout the years as I try to expand my diet. As a child I was a very picky eater, and this ran into my teens and early 20’s as well. For a while, in fact, I subsisted on a diet of mostly McDonalds. In the last so many years, however, I’ve been acclimating to a healthier diet, eating things I never would have tried before. I try to be aware of where my meal has come from and what it will do to my body. I’ve stopped eating fast food altogether because it scores horribly in both catergories.
My biggest battle at this point is balancing the preparation of my own meals and buying them. If I don’t plan out my meals for the week, I’ll most likely end up getting breakfast from Starbucks, lunch from the cafeteria, and a frozen pizza for dinner. So, each week I try to sit down and plan out a schedule of meals for the week. Some weeks are better than others. And even if I do plan, life is always throwing wrenches in our plans, and I have to be flexible. For instance, last night I ended up eating much later than I thought I would. So the chicken burrito was replaced by a frozen pizza. Not ideal, but it had to do.
Today, I was much more prepared for healthy options. I got up this morning and made some hot cereal, and brought that and a banana to work for my breakfast (I have a hard time eating right when I get up in the morning, so I eat at work instead). Additionally, I packaged up some leftover salad, made a pb & j sandwich, and grabbed some vegetable chips for lunch. A well balanced breakfast and lunch. In addition, I plan to actually make the dinner I failed to make last night, which will leave me with leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch.
Diet:
You can obviously see that I love food. My interest here has been a work in progress throughout the years as I try to expand my diet. As a child I was a very picky eater, and this ran into my teens and early 20’s as well. For a while, in fact, I subsisted on a diet of mostly McDonalds. In the last so many years, however, I’ve been acclimating to a healthier diet, eating things I never would have tried before. I try to be aware of where my meal has come from and what it will do to my body. I’ve stopped eating fast food altogether because it scores horribly in both catergories.
My biggest battle at this point is balancing the preparation of my own meals and buying them. If I don’t plan out my meals for the week, I’ll most likely end up getting breakfast from Starbucks, lunch from the cafeteria, and a frozen pizza for dinner. So, each week I try to sit down and plan out a schedule of meals for the week. Some weeks are better than others. And even if I do plan, life is always throwing wrenches in our plans, and I have to be flexible. For instance, last night I ended up eating much later than I thought I would. So the chicken burrito was replaced by a frozen pizza. Not ideal, but it had to do.
Today, I was much more prepared for healthy options. I got up this morning and made some hot cereal, and brought that and a banana to work for my breakfast (I have a hard time eating right when I get up in the morning, so I eat at work instead). Additionally, I packaged up some leftover salad, made a pb & j sandwich, and grabbed some vegetable chips for lunch. A well balanced breakfast and lunch. In addition, I plan to actually make the dinner I failed to make last night, which will leave me with leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch.
Exercise:
Living in NYC, I tend to already have a somewhat active lifestyle. I take public transportation to and from work everyday, which includes a 10 minute uphill walk and 3 flights of stairs/escalators every day. But, this past year I noticed that I’m still out of breath when doing these things. I also found this to be true when hiking upstate last month. So, I recently joined a gym and am trying to find the right motivation strategy. At first I thought that I should not intimidate myself by scheduling a lot of time for the gym; I would start slow and work my way up. But, then I would make excuses or something would happen that would prevent me from going to the gym as much as I wanted to.
This is my new strategy. I am planning to go the gym everyday, if even for a short workout, and am taking my gym bag to work so that I can just stop on my way home. I figure with this schedule, should I miss a day or two, I will still be getting enough exercise. So far, I’ve gone to the gym the past 3 days in row. Let’s see if I can keep up that stamina. I do yoga once a week as well, which helps to keep me stretched and toned.
Mind/Mental Well-being:
I find that my mental state significantly affects both my diet and my activity level. This makes perfect sense and really is not a groundbreaking discovery in the terms of science and health. But, to truly acknowledge this and to incorporate it into your lifestyle is really the key to maintaining healthy actions.
There are a few things I do to keep myself healthy mentally:
- Having a set schedule: As I mentioned before, if I do not plan out my meals and schedule a visit to the gym, I will resort to unhealthy lifestyle choices. So, I try to schedule these things ahead of time, so that I’m not deciding what to do on a whim.
- Meditation: I practice Zen meditation on a weekly basis. Every Saturday morning I get up and sit 2- 40 minutes periods of zazen. This routine gives me a consistent point of grounding and a supportive social environment as well. The mindfulness that comes from sitting, as well as from my yoga practice, helps me to be honest with myself. Also, it helps me to really feel what’s going on throughout my body while eating or exercising. Food tastes better when mindful, because I notice more of the flavors and textures, and I feel when I am full. I am also able to increase my exercise activities when I stay present in my body and notice how the activity affects my body.
- Sleep: Getting a full night’s sleep is essential to my mental and physical functioning. If I am going to be sharp and energetic throughout the day, I need to get enough sleep. Mornings are a little rough for me, so I’ve been trying to schedule morning activities to help energize me while not taking much time away from my sleep. I recently wrote out a daily schedule of morning activities, including a few energizing yoga poses and some brief meditation time.
In reality, people have their own strategies for a healthy lifestyle. This is my strategy and so far it’s been okay. I have tweaked it and will continue to do so when I find a better way to do something. A healthy lifestyle requires constant attention. If you lose focus, it will not sustain itself. This is why so many people are unhealthy. There are lots of convenient ways to distract ourselves or forget to be healthy in our choices. I find mindfulness and planning the best ways to cultivate and maintain a healthy lifestyle. And, of course, I allow myself those times when I eat out with friends and have a few drinks. I need the balance of both to keep me healthy, both mentally and physically.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Recipe of the week: Cranberry-Walnut Salad and a Sweet Stir Fry
I did a full day sit at my zendo this past Saturday. Mindfulness and meditation from 9am-5pm. I very much enjoy these extended sits, although they can be challenging. One of the great things about such prolonged mindfulness is my heightened appreciation of food. Of course, during this time we do have to take some time to eat. When we do, we eat in silence, paying close attention to the action of eating. It’s amazing how the taste of food can actually seem different. It’s no wonder that I always eat healthier foods at this time. Last Saturday we were told to bring our own lunch. I took a sandwich with organic peanut butter and a pineapple-mango jam. It’s amazing how during these sits, the taste of a pb & j sandwich is just wonderful. Combined with the savory vegetable chips I ate, it hit the spot.
No matter how long I sit, whether it’s 40 minutes or throughout an 8 hour period, my mind wanders to food at some point. While I try to use my practice and let thoughts come and go, I usually take a few minutes to entertain my thoughts about what I will be eating afterward (I do this in yoga too). Not exactly the ideal practice, but I just really like food! Anyway, last Saturday I thought about making a yummy dinner that was influenced by my practice. I decided on two dishes that were not entirely fancy or new, but met my desires at the time.
Cranberry-Walnut Salad
There’s something about dressing covered lettuce after a day in the refrigerator, making leftovers even better.
1 Head of Romaine Lettuce, chopped
½ can of walnuts
½ package craisins
1 avocado, sliced
¼ small red onion, sliced
A few teaspoons of your favorite vinaigrette
Toss all ingredients in a bowl until it is lightly covered with the dressing.
(This will make about 3-4 small servings)
Sweet Stir Fry
½ lb chicken breast, cubed
¼ small red onion
1 small can green beans
4-5 tablespoons store-bought marinade, I used a peach-apricot marinade
2 servings, cooked brown rice
Mix 1-2 tablespoons marinade and raw chicken in a sandwich bag for a few minutes. Brown the chicken and sauté red onion in a skillet. Add the green beans and remaining marinade to skillet and cook for about 5-10 minutes.
Eat the marinade mixture over brown rice. (This made 2 servings for me, yea leftovers!)
A nice glass of a French Syrah was a great pairing for this tasty dinner. Okay, this might not have been the best observance of my practice, but it went so well with the dinner. Actually, wine tastes so much better to me after zazen or yoga. I am much more receptive to all of the intricate flavors.
No matter how long I sit, whether it’s 40 minutes or throughout an 8 hour period, my mind wanders to food at some point. While I try to use my practice and let thoughts come and go, I usually take a few minutes to entertain my thoughts about what I will be eating afterward (I do this in yoga too). Not exactly the ideal practice, but I just really like food! Anyway, last Saturday I thought about making a yummy dinner that was influenced by my practice. I decided on two dishes that were not entirely fancy or new, but met my desires at the time.
Cranberry-Walnut Salad
There’s something about dressing covered lettuce after a day in the refrigerator, making leftovers even better.
1 Head of Romaine Lettuce, chopped
½ can of walnuts
½ package craisins
1 avocado, sliced
¼ small red onion, sliced
A few teaspoons of your favorite vinaigrette
Toss all ingredients in a bowl until it is lightly covered with the dressing.
(This will make about 3-4 small servings)
Sweet Stir Fry
½ lb chicken breast, cubed
¼ small red onion
1 small can green beans
4-5 tablespoons store-bought marinade, I used a peach-apricot marinade
2 servings, cooked brown rice
Mix 1-2 tablespoons marinade and raw chicken in a sandwich bag for a few minutes. Brown the chicken and sauté red onion in a skillet. Add the green beans and remaining marinade to skillet and cook for about 5-10 minutes.
Eat the marinade mixture over brown rice. (This made 2 servings for me, yea leftovers!)
A nice glass of a French Syrah was a great pairing for this tasty dinner. Okay, this might not have been the best observance of my practice, but it went so well with the dinner. Actually, wine tastes so much better to me after zazen or yoga. I am much more receptive to all of the intricate flavors.
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