Welcome back to Rachel’s Corner! Each month, I will share some of the things that inspire me to aim for living my best life. Some things I’m choosing to fill my mind and my time:
Something I heard: I can’t lie – I felt validated to learn that exercise does not necessarily help you lose weight (however, it may help one to maintain their current weight). After many years believing you could simply hit the gym to burn off a high calorie meal, knowing it was a little more complex gave some perspective as to why even rigorous exercise didn’t always result in weight loss. I’ve now fallen back in love with movement as the benefits of even just a daily walk are immeasurable in improving your overall health and well-being. When I stumble upon information that shows other ways exercise is linked to improving our eating habits, that gives me more motivation to keep moving. You know I absolutely love The Huberman Lab Podcast hosted by Dr. Andrew Huberman. Compared to his very long form podcasts, this LinkedIn post from the doctor connects to an article which provides some evidence as to the link between exercise and satiety. Lack of satiety or more simply, not feeling full, is something I’ve often struggled with and been a big contributor to those times in my life where weight management has been a real challenge.
Something I’m eating: I can’t get enough of chia seeds! I eat chia seed pudding almost daily. I always add a “chia-egg” to anything I bake and I toss ground chia seeds on salads for an added healthy punch. No doubt, as I have experienced, you can have too many chia seeds and you’ll know it as they have a noticeable impact on your digestion, so to speak. A word to the wise, chia seeds are much easier to digest when they have been soaked overnight or at least finely ground before you sprinkle them on your food. Here’s a throwback to one of my favorite chia seed pudding recipes shared by the wonderful Maryam Naslafkih during our Eat Better Live Better Workshop Series. Black Forest Cake overnight oats and chia seeds… yum!
Something I watched: When I hear about a breakdown of “good” and “bad” sugars that includes Stevia, I get a little excited. I tend to use Stevia (a natural sweetener derived from a plant) quite often to add just a touch of sweetness to foods like steel cut oats, plain yogurt or chia seed pudding – one of my favs! However, I think the jury is still out on whether Stevia is this miraculous sugar substitute, as some may claim. And, now that many food companies have jumped to mass produce Stevia blends, it’s even more important to read the label to understand what other ingredients have been added. I thought this video by Dr. Sten Ekberg provided a helpful breakdown of some of the best and worst sweeteners available along with easy-to-digest information on how they impact your body. As always, consider this to be just another source of information to help you make the best decision on how to sweeten your life. Personally, I aim to keep my sweets to a minimum as I can overindulge even on the healthy ones. Stay healthy and sweet!
Today, I choose to surround myself with love and acceptance, immerse myself in meaningful activities and nurture healthy relationships. This wasn’t the case a few years ago. My life was crashing in nearly every way – at least that’s how I felt. With some introspection, support and a dose of curiosity, I recognized it wasn’t my weight that was out of control, it was my thoughts, my mindset and my ways of being. Today, I choose to surround myself with love and acceptance, immerse myself in meaningful activities and nurture healthy relationships. The choices we make each day set our strategy for how we live our lives. What choices are you making?
Until next time my friend,
Rachel
Rachel is Vice-Chair of the Board & Director of Strategy with Obesity Matters. Join our Facebook community to share your tips on how to live our best lives. And, tell us, what are you choosing? #OMwhatareyouchoosing
