Peppermint Water Recipe

Wanted to pass along a great tip that I learned from a friend, on how to make Peppermint Water—great when you need a boost while working out or a boost late in the afternoon when you're fading out.

WHAT YOU NEED
- 16-22 ounces of water in a bottle*
- Small bottle of peppermint essential oil (I got mine from Mother's Market)

WHAT YOU DO
- Put one drop of peppermint oil into your water bottle filled with water. (One drop is really all you need. It goes a LONG way.)
- Close the water bottle and give it a nice shake so the oil gets nicely mixed.
- Enjoy!


*My water bottle is by Life Factory. It's made of pure glass, which makes water taste the best. The bottle comes with a  cradled by  a silicone sleeve, so that even if the bottle gets knocked around a bit, it will prevent breakage. I have a 22-ounce flip cap version with a little flip top that can open and close ... great for the gym. But the top also unscrews completely ... great for when I'm crazy thirsty. I try to drink 3 of these a day ... not always with the peppermint oil. That's just when I need a pick-me-up.
To water.
To life.

EDIT IN: Research regarding peppermint oil shows that it is a safe to consume at recommended dosages (adults .2 to .4 mL three times a day and children .1 to .2 mL three times a day) but that it can have negative effects due to potential toxicity that can occur at higher/excessive doses. Here's an article that explains.

Perfectly Paleo :: Baked Sweet Potatoes Recipe

Nothin' better than baked sweet potatoes. And the best part: they're Paleo! Not rocket science but here's how I make em.

WHAT YOU NEED

• 4-6 small or medium sweet potatoes*
• Sharp kitchen knife
• Baking pan
• Butter**
• Black pepper
• Himalayan salt

 *Sweet potatoes are the ones with the lighter skin and yellowish flesh when cooked. Yams are the ones with darker skin and orangeish flesh when cooked. Either kind will work. I personally prefer sweet potatos. In Korea, you call them Go-Gu-Ma.

**Technically, butter is not Paleo. But butter is one of those things that is up for debate amongst many Paleo-enthusiasts and accepted by many as a modification in moderation. It's a modification that I personally embrace.

WHAT YOU DO

• Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.
• Make criss-cross slits on the sweet potatoes with a sharp knife. You can also poke holes in them with a fork but that's harder to do.
• Place the sweet potatoes into a baking pan. I can usually fit 4 to 6 and sometimes even 7 sweet potatoes. 
• That's it! Don't do anything else to the sweet potatoes. Don't put sauces on them or anything else. Just put them in the oven for 1 hour to bake. I have found whether I put in 4 or 7 sweet potatoes, the results are always the same.

• Once you take them out of the oven, cut them down the center and put a little bit of butter. It'll melt pretty fast.
• Add fresh ground black pepper and himalayan salt.

• Smoosh it all together and enjoy. Skin and all.

Usually I'll have an extra one or two leftover baked sweet potatoes for the next day, which is a great thing. I keep them in the fridge and then heat them up for a lunch or a snack and they taste just as good.

Happy Paleo. :)

Gymnastics Rings

When I came back home from my road trip with Monica, I was really excited to see that the gymnastics rings that I had ordered had arrieved!

I've just learned how to do some very basic moves on these rings.
The first time I did, it was similar to the thrill I felt when I first learned to box. And before that, when I was learning how to jump onto boxes. And before that, when I started really learning how to jump rope. And before that, when I learned how to use Tabata with running.

Every time I learn something new fitness-wise, I think to myself: This is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. But you know what? Believe me when I tell you ... these gymnastics rings ... it IS the hardest thing I've ever done. My gymnast friend tells me nothing will work your core more or get your core more ripped than these rings. No wonder they are so challenging. Things we want most (like ripped abs) don't come easy.

I'm just taking baby steps but so excited.

Everything I've learned fitness-wise ... they go on to complement one another. Jump roping makes me a better boxer makes me a better runner makes me a better jumper makes me a better ... hopefully a better gymnast.

I want to encourage everyone about what I continue to learn to be true ... if you think your fitness routine has to be confined to the one thing you think you're supposed to be doing (e.g., the fitness video, the zumba class, the treadmill run, etc.) break through that. Not that any of that needs to be abandoned ... but sometimes, we get into ruts. Our bodies get used to the same old same old and it gets thirsty for something new. New things enhance and complement everything else ... and they help rest muscles that need to be rested while working some that haven't been worked for a while.

I'll keep you posted about this newfound love I have with these rings. So exciting.

The Pursuit of Happiness

I watched a documentary today titled Happy by Roko Belic. One of the most important points it made is that according to research, 50 percent of what determines whether we are happy or not is our genetic make-up. How we are wired. How we are born.

Then a tiny 10 percent that determines our happiness is our circumstances ... you know ... how much money we have, how fancy our cars/homes/clothes are, how fabulous our licensing agreement is, how famous and successful we are ... all of that accounts for only 10 percent of what causes us to be happy. Isn't that interesting?

There are so many times when we convince ourselves that the only way we will be happy is if we can amass more money, more materials, more professional success, and more status. And with that mentality, there's this chronic discontent that sets in. You've met people like that, right? Nothing makes them happy.

So what about the 40 percent? What's that all about? Well, that's really the percent related to the choices we make ... the intent, the choice, the will to be happy.

There were a few important points that the documentary made, about how that 40 percent gets affected in terms of how we enhance happiness. One of the main points that I appreciated is that physical activity/exercise is directly related to the way our brains process dopamine, which is directly related to how happy we are. In other words, if you want to feel good and happy, breaking a sweat through physical activity will get you there. It's the ultimate natural drug.

This point made me think about how much I have come to value exercise. Just this weekend, I had one of the best highs by going out with my friend Lisa for my second paddleboarding lesson. It's one of the most thrilling and challenging things I've pushed myself to learn in a long, long time. And let me tell ya, there's a whole lot of dopamine that gets processed through this activity.

As some of you know, a couple of years ago, when I really started getting into exercise, it was prompted not because I wanted to become happier. Rather, it was triggered by the fact that my back started hurting because I had been working pretty much non-stop on the computer as I was launching my new company. I think back to those days and think that I wasn't too far from the other important point that the documentary made by presenting us with a tragically growing phenomenon within Japanese culture called Karoshi. It is literally a condition where workers work so hard that they work themselves to death. So sad.

Whether it's paddleboarding or boxing or any other physical activity, I'm convinced that it's a BIG factor in making that 40 percent work for you. It's what gets the happy juices flowing ... and for me personally, it's the only time of day when I can truly turn off all of my worries, fears, disappointments, and experience the joy of exercise. It's when I feel alive and happy.

The other things that factor into happiness, according to the documentary, is having quality relationships with people, and having opportunities to help those in need. 

I want to pursue all of this.
I want to to work hard ... but not work to death.
I want to be physically active and push myself to be a constant learner.
I want to develop and sustain quality relationships.
I want to help those in need.

I want to be someone who doesn't complain about what I don't have, but celebrates what I do have.
I want to be happy.

 

 

Inspired by Ronda Rousey and Leo Frincu

I am inspired by this athlete and her trainer: Ronda Rousey and Leo Frincu

I am inspired by how they train.

Paddle Boarding with Lisa Guerin

When I visited with Lisa Guerin today and saw one of her recent art pieces, I was reminded how much I love her art. It's like I've loved it for a thousand years. So tender. So beautiful. So perfect.

Just like Lisa herself. My longtime friend who I adore and have worked with, cried with, laughed with, and grown with.

Today, Lisa took me out to give me my first paddle boarding lesson. She was an awesome teacher ... tender, patient, and supportive ... and so inspiring with her ability to balance amazing poses on the board with her core strength.
It was one of the most challenging activities I've done in a long time. In fact, there was a point when the wind and speed of the board took me out much farther than I had intended and I got a little scared. Then I felt the adrenaline kick in, as well as some basic insticts and core strength of my own, along with Lisa's gentle presence at the shore that brought me back. Safe and sound.

When I reached the shore, it felt like I had conquered a new world. So much fun.

Life's curve balls are what Lisa's been catching like a champ for a while and I'm so thrilled to see her landing in a good place. Safe and sound. Lots more paddle boarding will be had with Lisa as weather permits ... I can't wait. And she will be working on a class to offer in Studio CRESCENDOh. Will it be shrink art? Paper dolls? Assemblages? Paper art? Whatever it is, it will be lovely, tender, and beautiful. Just like her.

Crafting Fitness 2.0 :: Addressing the Past

The Past.

It's what contains the why of how we now view food and exercise. How we were raised. How we were punished/rewarded with food. How our parents viewed food. How we defined the taste of "normal." How we defined the feeling of "full."

But the Past is also filled with other things ... assorted traumas ... some more alarming than others, that relate to how we view food, how we view our bodies, how we view exercise.

The Past.

That's what we've dealt with this first week in Crafting Fitness 2.0 as we have delved into each of our stories and validated their existence. Because you know what? Our Pasts happened. They are real.

For me, it's important to address the Past because that's the only way we can truly turn the page and look Present in the eye and develop a game plan for the Future.

Weight management ... eating right and exercising ... it's so much about our psyches first and foremost. Once we get that straightened out, I believe our behaviors follow. Once we get our psyches to understand that it's not just about losing (fill in the blank) pounds but about a new way of living ... one where we move our bodies every day and we consume in moderation foods and beverages that nourish us ... that's when our lives change forever and for the better.

I'm grateful to be part of the commited cohort of students that I'm working with through Crafting Fitness 2.0 as we all keep up the good fight ... as we prove to ourselves that with sincere clarification and focus of what we REALLY want, we can inspire ourselves to make it happen. We're all in it together.

To art.
To fitness.

Crafting Fitness 2.0 :: Listen to Your Body

One thing I've learned about fitness is that you can never rest on your laurels. Your body tells you when you are doing so as it starts to get bored with the same old same old. It stops responding. It wants something different.

Even if you think that you're supposed to go on a treadmill for 30 minutes every day, even if you think you need to just pop in that same fitness video for the millionth time, your body and your mind will let you know when it needs you to change things up.

And the great thing about fitness is that when you listen to what your body is telling you, you can use what you have and skills that you've learned to leverage what your body needs next.

If you've been jumping rope, the idea of jumping onto high objects seems less daunting. And it's a great workout. Start with a curb. Move onto a bench, and eventually even a small wall.

Jumping onto high objects used to be one of my biggest fears and one of my "I could never do that" things.

Never say never. Keep reading. Keep learning. Keep listening. Keep changing it up. Stay fit. Have fun. Get real.

Crafting Fitness 2.0

Crafting Fitness 2.0 :: The Art and Joy of Jumping Rope

This past year, I'd say that the emails I've gotten from readers on the topic of my passion for the jump rope has surpassed any other topic that readers write to me about. 

Indeed, the jump rope has been key for me in terms of my dedication to fitness in this current season of my life. It's a simple tool that can get you into shape if you use it regularly. And I'll explain how I jump ... from A to Z ... in Crafting Fitness 2.0, which you can learn about here.

Crafting Fitness 2.0 :: Why Do You Eat?

Crafting Fitness 2.0 invites you to join Crystal Crunch (as performed by Monica Mouet) to answer the question: Why do you eat?

Online classes begin February 4th.
Enrollment open here.
Fit. Fun. Real.