Author: Chris Brown (Page 27 of 41)

Veggie and Fruit Smoothie of Green Goodness

December 9, 2019 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

This veggie and fruit smoothie isn’t exactly within the parameters of the #VeggieChallenge, so let me explain! We’ve been working on our #VeggieChallenge for almost a year now!

At first, it was easy to try a new vegetable every week. I did pretty well with that for about the first 6 months or so. However, I’ll tell you 24 new vegetables are hard to come up with! (Let alone 52!!)

So then we modified it a bit. The veggie challenge became, try a new vegetable or a new vegetable recipe once a week. That actually went well too.

But this week, I’m going backwards. I’ve gone back to something I used to do quite a bit – veggie and fruit smoothies with a spinach base.

I used to drink these veggie and fruit smoothies on the way to the office, when I had a 30 minute commute back in 2014 and 2015. I was deleting the fruit and adding lemon. However, I found that one day I think I went too far. It didn’t go down right, or I had eaten them too many days in a row.

Now, I’m back to these with just a few days left in 2019, so I guess it took me several years or so to get my taste buds back for this.

I do have to say: This is a DELICIOUS way to enjoy your vegetables. So I’m posting this recipe today for my weekly #VeggieChallenge.

The ingredients are very simple:

Water
LOTS of spinach
carrots
celery
grapes
Granny Smith apple

If you like it super cold, you can add ice, but I since most of the ingredients are refrigerated and I use cold water, it’s fine for me without ice. For people who are into the macros,yes, this veggie and fruit smoothie is almost all carbs, but also has good fiber and nutrients as well.

I am alternating days with the veggie smoothies with other things so I don’t get into a rut and over do it!

What’s your favorite veggie/fruit smoothie? Leave a message and let me know. 330-970-6662 is the Becoming Elli voice mail. Thanks!

Keeping My Toes Happy

December 8, 2019 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

I have challenges with my toes. While not nearly as serious as some of my friends, I noticed changes in my toes and feet over the last few years.

My feet are starting to look like my mother’s. I’ve got some bunion action on two different joints. My baby toe and 4th toe now stay in the rolled position on both sides. Toes 2 and 3 are not looking hammered, so that makes me very happy. However, it is big toe, number one, that is starting to give me some grief. They have developed a distinct angle to them, which is not natural.

We have lots of sayings about them too: “Toe the line.” “Going toe to toe.” “From head to toe.” Toes are the foundation. When you have a weak base, it can cause other problems as well. Toes are so important to balance. That’s one of the reasons why I focus on my toes.

I think one thing that really caused the problem was having worn high heels, every weekday, 9-5 at the office, from age 22 until I was 38.

I remember the day I threw away my high heels. I was standing on the second floor of the R&D building at work… in front of the copy machine, xeroxing a memo for the weekly marketing department production schedule. I was in pain. Those stupid shoes were sending shooting pains up and down my calves. The shoes weren’t stupid, but I was for wearing them! That was my last day in high heels at work. I went out and bought some low pumps. Thank goodness or I’d have much worse toe problems today.

Also when I was a kid, I’d pretend to be a ballerina and stand on my tippy tippy toes. No, not the top joint, but actually having the tip of the toe nail touch the floor. Now that I think about that, it was fun balancing, but probably a bad thing to do to my joints. Luckily I usually only did that around Christmas time, inspired by the nutcracker ballet.

So at this stage of my life, I am working with what I’ve got… which is some pre arthritis and maybe some arthritis as well. I am trying to keep my toes happy! I value “comfort” over “cute” when it comes to footwear. And I do preventative and rehab on my toes and feet.

Here’s how I am exercising:

Lots of exercise modifications:

I do a warm up of my toe joints before class.
During class, I try not to get carried away and do something that would jolt the joint.
Burpees, while great for cardio, are a big no-no for my toes. When the group exercise calls for mountain climbers or burpees, anything you have to slam down on your bent toes, I step back and carefully place my feet.
I get down very carefully for push-ups.
Quick pylo lunge jumps are painful so I modify. I get my cardio by changing the movement to something that doesn’t force the toe joint quickly into a bent position.

Go slowly:

Getting into downward dog is something I do very carefully, especially the first few times from certain positions.
Planks are okay if I get into them slowly. I find I have to have more of the “palm” of my foot on the ground than what I expect I should.
I do separate exercises for my feet and toes. I call it my “Toga” (toe yoga, get it?!)

Here are some of the foot and toe exercises I do to help keep movement, maintain good position and reduce pain.

Toga exercises:

Roll the golf ball – I have high arches. It feels really good to me to GENTLY and lightly roll the ball on the planter facia ligament on the arch of my foot.
Hold the golf ball with your fingers on the bottom of your instep. Wiggle the toes. Slowly raise and lower the big toe. Careful placement is the key here.
Widen the space between the toes – put the soft gel sponge that they goes between the toes during a pedicure to separate the toes while applying polish
Interlace your toes with fingers
Zipper up your toes by interlacing your two sets of toes – I usually need lotion to get the toes to move into position.
Toe lifts
Towel scrunches with the toes
Working on the big toe after a workout
Foot massages by using my knuckles to really dig into the fascia

I really try to protect these important joints. Doing stretches, PT type exercises and loosening up tight tendons (very gently) really helps to keep my toes working better. I need to keep my toes happy for darned near everything like standing, walking, going up stairs, running, and once in a while, even jumping.

Do you have trouble with your toes? What do you do to keep them working? Any toe or foot exercise that you do often that really does the trick? I’d love to know new ways to keep my toes happy! Send me a message or leave a comment below. Thanks!

So Thankful and Grateful

December 1, 2019 / Chris Brown / 1 Comment

I have a giant list of things I’m grateful and thankful for!

My Family
My Friends
My Health
Freedom to do what I want
Being physically able to work out
Feeling optimistic about the future
Being able to enjoy the holidays

The morning of Thanksgiving I went spinning which set the day up with endorphins. We made the turkey and stuffing the night before, so when I got home from the gym, I just had some potatoes and roasted veggies to prepare before heading to my parents.

If I haven’t said that I am grateful for the Becoming Elli community before, let me say THANK YOU now. I know that this group, this community and my dear friend and co-host Jill has had a very positive impact on my life during the past few years.

Here we are entering December and I am feeling very thankful for so much in my life.

My weight is probably the most minor thing, but not gaining over Thanksgiving is a big accomplishment for me. And keeping the weight off is important to me for many reasons.

If I haven’t thanked you before, let me say it now, loud and clear: THANK YOU!!
Chris

Eating Healthy During the Holidays

November 26, 2019 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

In Episode 46, Jill and Chris discuss the importance of protein for women over 50 from an earlier recording with personal trainer, Brian Kennell. They also discuss the challenges of eating healthy during the holiday season and offer tips.

Limited time, free special bonus: Downloadable food planner and tracker PDF for eating healthy during holiday feasting with 20 tips.

In this podcast we discuss:

Ways of eating healthy during the holidays
How many grams of protein a day women over 50 should eat
Why cutting calories to lose weight and exercising to lose weight at the same time can be a problem.
3 reasons why women over 50 don’t always get enough protein
Strength training to build muscle
Sources of lean protein
Why changes in body composition toward more muscle and less fat are a lot slower than losing just weight on the scale
Thanksgiving food preparation ideas
Getting enough protein and exercise
Gluten free and vegan ideas and options

(Along with eating healthy during the holidays, you may be interested in hearing more from Brian. Here is a link to our earlier podcast with Brian Kennell when he talks about how women over 50 can stay Healthy, Fit and Active.)

CBD Products for Improving Health

November 19, 2019 / Chris Brown / 2 Comments

I’m just not sure about the CBD products that are on the market. I have to say, when it comes to this, I am not an early adopter. As a baby boomer who grew up super straight in the Midwest, I remember being severely cautioned on the effects of marijuana by my parents and watching the scare movie called Reefer Madness.

So now that 33 states have approved the legal status of cannabis (marijuana) for medical purposes and the remaining 17 allow cannabidiol (CBD), maybe I need to rethink my outdated opinions on it. In Ohio you can buy it in many places, right off the shelf, over the counter.

Even my local grocery store is touting the benefits – not only for humans but for dogs.

I understand it’s used for arthritis pain, for anxiety, for sleep, even epilepsy and schizophrenia.

It’s not about getting high, but even so, misconceptions and confusion abound. Some of the results are still unproven, according to an article AARP.

Like all supplements, CBD products aren’t necessarily regulated like pharmaceuticals. The dosage could be higher or lower than what the label says. The National Institute of Health cautions, “Care must be taken when directing patients toward CBD products because there is little regulation, and studies have found inaccurate labeling of CBD and tetrahydrocannabinol quantities.

Some people report side effects, but others say it really works well for them. In a 2019 survey by Consumer Reports, 15% of people over 60 have tried it and in the general population, 3/4 said it worked at least moderately well with 48% reporting it was very or extremely effective.

Some of the women over 50 who blog about their workouts have talked about it, like Wendy when she reviewed the book, “The Athletes Guide to CBD“.

Have you tried it? Why did you use it? Does it work? How do you use it, by rubbing the oil into your joints? (I’m referring to aching joints and ligaments.)

Flu Shot Immunization for Seniors

November 10, 2019 / Chris Brown / 4 Comments

In Northeast Ohio, most of the pharmacy entrances are advertising the flu shot.

The other day when I was picking up some essentials at a local pharmacy, I had seen the sign for the high dose flu shot and asked the cashier, “How old is the senior for the senior flu shot dose?”

I figured it was an easy question, but with three cashiers at the front of the store, each one was guessing a different age: “Well, 55 is the age to live in a senior housing complex.” “But AARP starts at 50.” “I think 62 is the age you can get social security retirement.” “In Ohio, 60 is the age for a Golden Buckeye card.”

Funny, they had no idea. They finally agreed I should ask the pharmacist. That was actually my first thought, but I found it interesting to have this discussion with them, because they all appeared to be older than 60 years old and obviously, they come in contact with a lot of the public.

When I did go back to talk to the pharmacist, before I could finish with my question, they told me they are out of shots. Ha ha. Then why the sign out front?

“No, no,” I explained. “I just want to know how old is a senior?”

The pharmacist said a senior is 65 and older. That made me laugh, because I think they picked that number because it used to be the age you had to be to get full retirement from social security. Later I realized that the CDC picked that number. But maybe they started there because of the old social security law.

If you ask a young person how old a senior is, they will tell you 17 or 18 because they assume you mean a senior in high school. People don’t usually talk about seniors in college anymore because so many folks don’t finish in 4 years.

But enough about seniors. I should be glad they aren’t calling them elderly! Back to my original question.

Do you get a flu shot each year?

The purpose of getting a flu shot is to not get the flu… or to just get a milder version of the flu… and especially to not spread the flu.

My local grocery store pharmacy is willing to give me a $5 coupon for free groceries if I get one. When I took my parents to get the high dose senior flu shot, it cost $76 if you didn’t have your insurance card with you.

The other day I watched a Netflix show about pandemics on the “Explained” show. It outlined the black plague, the 1918 flu, the swine flu, the bird flu and I have to tell you, it was very convincing to get a flu shot. Even though the flu shot usually only covers four different flu strains, the Center for Disease Control predicts the most likely strains.

While the flu season is just starting in the USA for the 2019-2020 season, it is slowing down in Australia. News reports claim that Australia’s flu season was the worst in their history: more than 270,000 [cases], compared to almost 60,000 in 2018.

As a strong fit woman over 50, do you regularly get an annual flu shot? What about the other immunizations, like shingles vaccine?

butternut squash recipe and veggie challenge

Butternut Squash – Veggie Challenge

October 30, 2019 / Chris Brown / 1 Comment

There is something so delicious about butternut squash! I thought I’d share my simple way of preparing them.

Turn on the oven to 400 to preheat it.

Prepare the butternut squash:

I find that the skin peel is super hard on butternut squash. So the first thing I do is pierce the skin with three skewer holes and microwave for 2 minutes.

Put olive oil on a cookie sheet. Sometimes I put tinfoil down on the sheet first and then the olive oil. It’s up to you.

While this short microwave doesn’t really cook the squash, it softens up the thick skin enough that I can get a knife into them. I split them down the middle. Place face down on a lightly oiled cookie sheet to prevent sticking. I use olive oil.

Place the butternut squash face down. I usually leave the seeds in place for now. Set the timer for 40 minutes.

When the timer goes off, press a fork into them to see if they are super soft. Mine were just soft, so I cooked them for another 20 minutes, face down.

I flipped them over and removed the seeds. Now it is easy to peel the skin off of them.

Making something from the baked butternut squash:

If you’ve only cooked them until they are soft, it’s easier to cut pieces into chunks. Maybe remove some of the squash from the tray so they are just soft, not super soft, especially if you are using them in a recipe that is not soup.

By cooking the additional 20 minutes, these were fully roasted, very scoop-able and perfect for creating a soup.

I’m planning to make soup from the squash by putting it in my blender with some pumpkin spice seasoning, a little vanilla flavoring and some almond milk. But for now, I think I’ll have one just plain. Delicious.

This doesn’t really count for the #VeggieChallenge because I’ve made these many times since 2007. Up to that point I’d never buy these because I had no idea what to do with them. Now butternut squash is a food staple for me in the months of October and November.

How do you use butternut squash? Do you add it to salads, combine with other squashes or mash it like potatoes? Let me know by leaving a message below.

Happy Halloween and enjoy!

Road Trip Challenges – Healthy Eating and Exercise

October 26, 2019 / Chris Brown / 1 Comment

Last weekend I went on a getaway trip with my husband to enjoy the beautiful fall season in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Viewing the red, yellow autumn leaves, spending time together while driving along the beautiful Pennsylvania countryside was refreshing for the spirit.

We both enjoy genealogy and tracing our family tree, so we spent quite a bit of time wandering around in small town and countryside cemeteries researching our ancestors and looking for clues.

Many of the stones in the cemeteries were from the 1800’s and were weather worn. It was difficult to read the inscriptions in some of the grave markers. I find that checking out the cemeteries is harder emotionally than just looking stuff up online in the census, birth and marriage records.

Sun shining on the leaves provided a cheerful alternative and gave balance to the seriousness of walking around in the graveyards.

The biggest challenge for me during the trip with car traveling is trying to eat healthy. Junk food abounds when you are riding on the turnpike. Here are some of my challenges and how I tried to overcome them.

Healthy Food
Car trips usually start out with the food we’ve packed. Fruit travels pretty well, but I always underestimate by bringing only a few items. Note to self – pack more good snacks in the little travel cooler next time. After the hours and miles added up, it was time for a break.

Turnpike service plazas are very convenient for taking a short walking break, restroom stop and a quick snack. Convenience is the main thing. You don’t have to get off the turnpike and then drive all over the country side to find a gas station or something that will work. Plenty of well marked parking. The bathrooms are clean and plentiful.

The big challenge is finding healthy food!

So often those stops include many choices, but they are all questionable. Most everything is deep fried, or covered in cheese, filled with sugar or in a bag with a giant list of unpronounceable ingredients.

The food court: Starbucks, Popeyes, Burger King, Hershey’s, Famili Pizza. Each choice had the same thing in common – saturated fat, lots of sugar, no vegetables. Thinking back to my Weight Watcher days, I calculated some of the points as more than one day’s worth in a single serving. Getting my veggies was a super challenge here! A few mushrooms and some green pepper slices on a pizza was the closest thing to a vegetable… and that didn’t even contain enough to count as a full serving of one vegetable.

Three good choices:

We opted to go to the convenience store section of the plaza and buy almonds, apple, banana and orange. Fruit and protein snacks worked, but still, I was missing my vegetables.
I brought my own water bottles for the whole trip, because I knew it would be pricey and maybe not available when I needed it.
Near our hotel over the weekend we found a Panera where they had their fall food menu. I enjoyed the butternut squash soup and a warm grain bowl of veggies, brown rice and quinoa. I forgot how much I like their pumpkin spice soup.The grain bowls are new to me, but reminded me of a Cobb salad but substituting rice and quinoa instead of croutons and bacon. Also no iceberg lettuce either, just a little bit of arugula. I had the Mediterranean Warm Grain bowl.

Walking
Hours in the car helps you get to the places you want to see. The downside of many miles in the car is stiff knees, creaky back and that mind-numbing feeling of still moving when you are actually stopped. Getting out of the car for doing short hike or walk breaks made the trip fun and kept my joints happy. We reminisced about all the trips we did in our 20’s from Rhode Island to Ohio and back in a weekend.

Having my FitBit tracker reminded me that I never got my 10,000 steps on either day of the trip, but reaching three-quarters of my goal wasn’t bad, considering all the miles in the car. Each hour the FitBit reminded me with a little buzz on my wrist that I didn’t get enough steps while I was sitting in the car.

I can’t say that this was a weekend of exercise or of healthy eating, but I did enjoy spending time with my husband seeing the beautiful fall leaves and doing a shared hobby.

How do you exercise and eat healthy during a weekend road trip? Share your suggestions with me a Chris@becomingelli.com, on our Becoming Elli voice mail 330-970-6662 or leave a comment below.

Performance Training for Master Women Athletes

October 22, 2019 / Chris Brown / 1 Comment

In episode #44, Chris and Jill interview Angie Ridgel and Pam Semanik, the owners and coaches at Stelleri Performance Training, about increasing performance for women over 50.

Their awards and honors are impressive and they each have earned many accolades. They started their company to work with masters athletes and their company specializes in working with athletes who have little experience with road cycling, time trials or cyclocross. They also work with multi-sport athletes who want to ride faster, more efficiently and smarter.

We discuss with them:

Different types of cycling: road, criterium, time trial, cyclocross, and gravel
What is considered a masters athlete in different sports
Motivating each other
How and why they started the Stelleri Speed School
Increasing speed and capabilities as we get older
Strength Training
Improving health and nutrition
Exercise Physiology and Angie’s work with bike riding and Parkinson’s disease as an Associate Professor at Kent State University
Dealing with a chronic illness and being fit

Their company website is: stelleritraining.com

On Sunday, November 17, 2019 at 7:00 PM (Eastern Standard time) they are hosting an informational webinar and live Q&A. More info at their website, if you are interested in hearing more.

You can follow them on Facebook.

Becoming a Distance Runner with Ellen Wisbar

Becoming a Distance Runner – A Conversation with Ellen Wisbar

October 8, 2019 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

In episode 43, Chris and Jill talk with Ellen Wisbar, a CPA who started building her running distance over the past year.

Ellen Wisbar grew up on the west side of Cleveland and has always been interested in sports. She played volleyball and was on the track team in high school. At Miami University she moved on to intramural sports and graduated in 1985 with a Bachelors degree in Accounting. After graduation, Ellen stayed active by sustaining a gym membership at various locations in Cleveland, running very casually, group exercise classes, skiing, biking, and participating in things like Corporate Challenge at work. Ellen is a CPA so by nature her job is pretty sedentary. At this point, she work in the legal department, which requires some travel but no tax season hours anymore.

distance runner Ellen Wisbar trains during the winter season

Ellen runs outside year round.

Last summer she completed a 5k in June for the first time ever without walking. After telling a friend at LifeCenter about it, she invited Ellen to join a running group called Moms Run This Town. The informal running group schedules coffee runs each week, which helped her start running more consistently. Soon she was working to become a distance runner.

She ran the 10K Great Pumpkin Run in Akron last October, the Cleveland Half Marathon this past May and then the Akron Half in September.

In this episode, they discuss:

How she got motivated
How she changed from a casual running into a distance runner
Why having multiple race goals is a good idea
How she got started running and built up her mileage to become a distance runner
What she brings to eat and fuel during the race
Hydration vest vs water stations
Comparing different races, what makes for a favorite race
Why she felt this half marathon was more fun than the first time she ran a half.
Her plans for the future

Ellen uses a hydration vest for carrying water during the half marathon.

Links to things mentioned in this podcast:

Stats for the 2019 Akron Children’s Hospital Marathon, Half Marathon and Relay

- 100,000 spectators (estimated by the Akron Beacon Journal)
- Runners (from the Akron Marathon website)
  - 963 marathon finishers: 352 women and 61 women over 50
  - 3223 half marathon finishers:1809 women and 305 women over 50
  - 895 Relay Marathon Teams (5 members, so 4536 runners, although some teams have people run 2 legs or run a leg while running the half/full) There were 154 Women Only teams and 19 Women Masters teams (over 40)