Hasta La Gadget!

Alright, no one panic.

Thanksgiving might as well change itself to “National Dinner Day” and definitely does not seem like it will lend itself to your “eating right” plan. Plus, once the eat-xtravaganza begins, how do you get it to stop?!

But no worries — tackling turkey day is easier than you think.

Leading up to the big feast…

With the work week shorter and the exciting feeling of the holidays beginning, it’s all too easy to say “screw it.” Especially if you’re preparing, baking and cooking up a storm, the last thing you want to do is stop to make something extra for dinner. It shouldn’t be a surprise that this week, more than any other week, is important in terms of maintaining the healthy practices you’ve instilled in to your day to day. It should be business as usual, no matter how many relatives decided to treat you by showing up days early…

It will be a lot easier to recover from a “screw it” day then an “screw it” week.

Adorably, many towns have taken to a new tradition called “Turkey Trots” — basically just a run or walk on the morning of Thanksgiving. Even if there isn’t a community organized event like this, getting in a workout or physical activity early in the day is a good idea — even if it’s just a jog to the coffee shop for morning coffees. A few laps around the block is also a great way to actually spend time with the relatives and friends with whom you might be sharing the day, and will allow you to focus less on the feast and more on what the day is actually about — being thankful for the great people in your life.

If you know you’re a “grazer” and just can’t stop yourself from stealing tastes (or marshmallows off the top) of Grandma’s famous mashed sweet potatoes, elect to help out in a different way. Be in charge of set up or doing the last minute straightening up of the house.

The day of…

It’s so tempting to slip into your best “eatin’ dress” on Thanksgiving. And of course you should be comfortable, but dress for success. Wear something a little more fabulous than frumpy and you’ll feel good before the feast even begins. Today would be a great day to break out those brand-new, size smaller pants you’ve been dying to show off. Any way you can remind yourself of your hard work will help you avoid going nuts.

Believe it or not, the feast itself isn’t the most dangerous part of the day. This is why it’s important not to arrive on the scene starving — as the appetizers will already be out when you get there. Start by never eating anything that you don’t put on a plate first. Stick to only two little plates (or cocktail napkins) worth of appetizer goodies. Veggies from crudités are your best bets, as well as shrimp cocktail. While ordinarily sticking to three or four plates or napkins will allow room to sample some of the more sinful offerings, today it’s best to stick to just the safer snacks — and if possible skip the picking altogether. Of course, skipping the snacks will be a lot easier if you show up after having a well-rounded breakfast (instead of “saving room” for dinner).You’ll be less likely to go crazy with ravenous hunger.

When it comes time to create a plate, fill up half of the plate with healthy green veggies, one-quarter of the plate with turkey and just leave a small area for tastes of those fun foods like mashed potatoes, stuffing and sweet potato casserole. You definitely shouldn’t restrict yourself from tasting what you’re craving (that will just leave you unsatisfied and more likely to binge later) but if you’re going for seconds, take only more of the turkey and the green stuff. And today — skip the bread!

Basically, the whole feast should consist of “three plates”: one for dinner, one for seconds and one for dessert (and remember, if you used up a plate’s worth picking on appetizers, you need to scrap either seconds or dessert). If you really don’t care about dessert, then it’s okay to take a small serving of seconds on the starchy stuff. But if you want to indulge your sweet tooth, pick a serving of whichever dessert delight you’re craving. It’s also a good idea to fill up the rest of your plate with fruit.

After the feast…

If you can get in a little walk or activity after the meal, that’s great — even if it’s just a few rounds of Wii games with your little cousins. But most importantly – even if you definitely overindulged during the day — let the meal be just one day. Buy to-go plastic containers and send everyone home with a good helping of leftovers. If you do end up with a few pieces of the meal left, don’t recreate the entire feast the day after. Throw the turkey over a salad or in a 100 calorie wrap instead of on a roll topped with stuffing and potatoes.

Try and plan an activity for the next day that will get you up and motivated. Whether it be a post-Thanksgiving Turkey Trot or a marathon session at the mall on Black Friday, grab a few pals (or any leftover family members) and get moving.

A little extra…

If you’ve been commissioned to help cook or even host, you can always take a few favorites and cut out some calories so you know you’ll have a few great lighter options on the spread. I like sweet potato mousse, which is simple:

Peel and chunk up a few sweet potatoes, boil them in water until they’re soft. Whip them with a handmixer and stir in about a tablespoon of Can’t Believe It’s Not butter and about a cup of skim milk. Then stir in a little salt and a palm full of pumpkin pie spice — which usually contains nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, all of the seasonings you’d find in a pumpkin pie. The mixture will be smooth and you can put it in a casserole dish to reheat when you’re ready to serve.

Developing mindful reverence is to become actively engaged with the focus of one’s attention, be it a person, place or phase, with an abiding appreciation and understanding that nothing is permanent; it’s a way to imprint mind, body and spirit with gratitude and acknowledgment for what exists in the moment and may never exist again.

Having had some significant losses this year made me realize that life doesn’t go on indefinitely. I’ve taken for granted that there is a long string of years ahead and if I’m not as present as I could/should be, there will still be plenty of time to make up. Being so caught up in the minutiae of everyday existence, I never truly considered that once those I cherish are gone, they will not return.

I want to avoid future regrets by learning to be more centered in the present (mindful) with appreciation for what life is offering at any given moment (reverence). However, changing ingrained thought patterns and acquiring new mental attitudes is challenging.

Having spent many years helping people change through the power of the subconscious mind, I know that any consistent practice contributes to incremental change. To that end, the easy-to-do daily practices outlined below are very effective techniques for developing more mindful reverence.

Mindfulness is a deliberate awareness of the present moment, acknowledging and accepting bodily sensations, thoughts and feeling, without judgment or reaction. With practice, we learn detachment and transcend being at the mercy of our habitual thought patterns.

Reverence is the action or condition of regarding someone or something with deep respect or sacredness. According to Gary Zukav, author of Seat of the Soul, reverence is the experience “of accepting that all Life is, in and of itself, of value.”
This attitude brings to mind the Sanskrit phrase, Namaste, a reverential salutation that means “I honor the divinity within you.”

For me, mindful reverence, is Namaste-in-action: the antithesis of taking for granted.

By setting an intention and committing to focused practice it is possible to form new life, affirming habits.

Here are three daily habits that take only moments to do, but quickly cultivate mindful reverence:

1. The Reflective Pause
At least once a day, stop what you are doing “mindlessly” and pause to reflect on something absolutely wonderful in your life. It could be the way the sky looked on your drive to work or the hug your daughter gave you before bed. Maybe it’s a pleasant memory or a vision of something you deeply desire. I do it often when I am out walking the dogs so that I can fully appreciate the fresh air or the current wonder of weather. It is only by balancing our busy-ness with being-ness -even in the briefest of moments, that we can live in harmony between mind body, and spirit.

2. Mindful Meal or Snack
Make at least one meal or snack fully mindful each day – It is so easy to go unconscious when we participate in the repetitive behaviors that we do on a daily basis. Eating is something that we have learned do while multi-tasking, which is never good for digestive OR mental health. Take one meal or snack and be as fully present as you can be, chewing well, savoring each bite, and fully involving your 5 senses in the experience. Even learning to appreciate one meal per day “with exquisite attention” as Joan Borysenko once described her meditation on a small piece of chocolate cake, will awaken more awareness and appreciation for the simple pleasures in life.

3. Focused Breathing
Dr. Andrew Weil, the highly-respected mind/body medicine expert, asserts that the one single thing we can do to dramatically improve our health and well-being is to improve our breathing. Breath is the link between the mind and the body and also provides the means to connect with our “vital, non-physical essence.” The act of deep breathing oxygenates your brain and sets the tone for a much calmer perspective, no matter what may be going on externally.

This life-changing technique, called 20 Breaths, requires less than five minutes. After committing to this for one year, I easily and naturally segued into a daily meditation practice. Twenty breaths can be done in virtually any position but I find it most effective sitting with the spine straight.

First five breaths — in through the nose — out through the mouth. Count mentally on the exhalation to keep track. From six to 20 go back to breathing just in and out through nose. Visualize yourself breathing in peace and positivity; breathing out attachments and annoyances. When you reach 20 just imagine yourself gently sinking down from head/mind to your heart center and spend a few moments in peaceful reverie before opening your eyes.

Namaste.

The Windy City (Chicago, Illinois) has produced its share of accomplished women. I felt the wind while I was in Chicago recently and met some amazing women, who are making tremendous contributions to society, just like the women in this blog. The women profiled below have all been inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame. Match the woman with her achievement: (answers at the end):

____ 1. She established a settlement home, Hull House, to offer services to immigrants and the poor. Hull House, where she lived and worked, was in their neighborhood.

____ 2. Moving to the U.S. in 1889, she established orphanages, day care centers, clinics and hospitals to minister to the less fortunate. She was the first American to become a saint.

____ 3. Received the 1950 Pulitzer Prize for her book of poetry.

____ 4. She passed the bar in 1869, but was denied admission because she was a woman. In 1892, she was admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court and the Illinois Supreme Court, retroactive to 1869.

A. Myra Bradwell
B. Gwendolyn Brooks
C. Jane Addams
D. Frances Xavier Cabrini

Although Myra Bradwell passed the bar in Illinois with high honors in 1869, she was not allowed to practice law because of her gender. In 1868, she had established the Chicago Legal News which carried articles about laws, ordinances, and court opinions. An ardent suffragist, she also used this platform to advocate for women’s rights and suffrage. In order to publish the Chicago Legal News, she had to receive a special charter which allowed a married woman to run such a business. In 1892, she was admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court and the Illinois Supreme Court, retroactive to 1869.

Because no religious order would accept women when Frances Xavier Cabrini took her vows in 1877, she founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. When she relocated to the U.S. in 1889 (she had been born and raised in Italy), her direction from the Pope was to minister to the growing number of impoverished immigrants. She ultimately directed 67 houses (orphanages, day care centers, clinics, and hospitals) which were staffed by 1,500 nuns who aided the less fortunate. Several of those institutions were located in Chicago including Columbus Hospital, which she founded in 1905 and where she lived, worked, and died. In 1946, she was the first American to become a saint. In 1950, she was deemed the “patron saint of immigrants.”

The recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931 and an Illinois native, Jane Addams is most famous for her establishment of Hull House, a settlement home in a poor and immigrant neighborhood in Chicago. The model for Hull House was Toynbee Hall in London, England which provided services to the poor. Addams and her friend, Ellen Gates Starr, established Hull House, which eventually grew to 10 buildings and provided child care, educational services, an art gallery, a kitchen, and other services. Addams served as the first female president of the organization later known as the National Conference on Social Work. She was active in the peace movement and chaired the Women’s Peace Party. Addams is featured on a U.S. postage stamp that was issued in 1940.

Growing up on the south side of Chicago, Gwendolyn Brooks read and wrote as a child. Her first poem was published when she was 14 years old. She attended college but could not find suitable work during the Depression. Brooks was hired by the NAACP in Chicago and served as publicity director of its youth organization. All this time, she continued to write, and during the 1940s was published in Harpers, Poetry, and the Yale Review. In 1945, she published her first volume of poetry. The 1950 Pulitzer Prize was awarded to her for 1949 book of poetry Annie Allen. Brooks told her truth in her writings — it is said that she was a poet who discovered the neglected miracles of everyday existence.

Learn about more she-roes and celebrate amazing women. These exceptional Windy City women are among the more than 850 women profiled in the book Her Story: A Timeline of the Women Who Changed America. We salute their outstanding accomplishments and are proud to stand on their shoulders.

(answers: 1-C, 2-D, 3-B, 4-A )

Urban farming has become very popular over the past decade and new ideas are coming out to help grow food plants in urban environments all the time. One of the more unique ideas is for this urban farming machine designed to use the heat and CO₂ from neon lighting to grow healthy and hearty plants while having a pleasant appearance that resembles ceiling fans.

Sony has confirmed pricing and availability on its newest full-frame mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, the Sony a7II, packing 24.3-megapixels and the first 5-axis image stabilization system to be found on a snapper with a sensor of that size. Joining the original a7 and a7R, and the more recent a7S, the a7II promises to correct for the sort of shake you’d … Continue reading