Jill McCauslin, Author at Becoming Elli

Reading to Reduce Stress and How to Find a Good Book

January 17, 2019

I think reading to reduce stress is a great idea. Shortly after my husband died, I met frequently with a bereavement counselor that the hospice service provided to me. She was helpful to me and made a difficult time a bit better. Being a person who loves to research things, I asked her if there were any books she thought I should read. She thought about it and suggested The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion’s book about the death of her husband. I had already read that and so the counselor thought about it and said, “well, just read a mystery book.” That made me laugh and I said I can do that. We’re always talking about ways to improve our health and our fitness. Of...

2019 Resolutions: One New Vegetable a Week

January 10, 2019

Fit and Strong, Food and Drink

Now that it’s the new year, we’re all talking about goals and resolutions. I’m looking for easy to make changes. In our podcast episode, Setting Goals for the New Year (episode 25), we discuss some simple changes we can make to our lives, such as add another vegetable to each meal or drink more water. I always need to drink more water so that’s a good one for me to do. I could probably add more vegetables to my diet so that might be a good one for me to work on too. One way I can do that is to take the "one new vegetable a week" challenge. One New Vegetable a Week Challenge Now that goals are on our minds, Chris and I decided it...

vegetables

Inspirational Messages with Vicki Prussak

November 27, 2018

Fit and Strong, Podcast

Episode #22 of the Fit, Strong Women Over 50 Podcast Download | Play in New Window Please Subscribe: Apple Podcasts (iTunes) | Google Podcasts | Android-Google Play | Stitcher | Player FM | Castbox | Tunein | Spotify | RSS In episode 22 of the Fit, Strong Women over 50 Podcast for the Becoming Elli community, Chris and Jill talk with Vicki Prussak about the value of inspirational messages. Vicki is a life-long learner, the eternal optimist, a certified wellness coach, ACE Fitness Nutrition Specialist, animal lover, artist, retired belly dancer and jewelry maker. Vicki has had several careers including wellness coaching and graphic design for various large corporations. At one time Vicki practiced belly dancing to stay fit and agile. In her latest career, Vickie has developed a line of jewelry to encourage others to stay focused and positive. Vicki’s inspirational line of handcrafted jewelry, Carry Your Message, involves...

Being Grateful at Thanksgiving

November 22, 2018

Fit and Strong, Motivation

Since this post is being published on Thanksgiving Day, I thought I’d share a few things for which I’m thankful. You know, being grateful at Thanksgiving is what the holiday is about. Chris wrote last week about her plan for navigating food at Thanksgiving this year and shared her very fun veggie turkey. I loved that photo. Go check it out if you didn’t see it. It’s also a good post if you’re looking for ideas on how to eat or not eat at the holiday table. Grateful at Thanksgiving So Thanksgiving is really a harvest festival, I think. We’re supposed to express our gratitude for a bountiful harvest and health and our preparation for winter. Since its inception, of course, Thanksgiving is about gratitude but most of...

Thanksgiving

Coffee with Cream or Butter or Coconut Milk or What?

November 8, 2018

Food and Drink

What do you drink in coffee? Do you drink coffee with cream? Or coffee with butter and coconut oil? Hard to believe this is an issue but it’s a question that I’ve been pondering. I used to drink my coffee with cream and sugar. Then my doctor at the Trim Life program at the Cleveland Clinic told us to cut out the sugar from the coffee. She said in three days you’ll be over it. And she was right. I quit adding sugar to my coffee and very quickly adjusted to the change in flavor. I haven’t put sugar in my coffee in a long time but I do, however, still put half and half in my coffee. The standard light cream for coffee in the United States...

bulletproof coconut milk coffee cream

Ten Tips for Fall Fitness

October 25, 2018

Fit and Strong

Here in Ohio, it’s finally becoming fall-like and so it's time to think about fall fitness. The temperature has dropped and the leaves are finally starting to turn color. Autumn is a gorgeous time of year. Pumpkins are out on display, candy is on sale in the grocery store (yikes!), and there's a sense of change in the air. Fall Fitness Fall is a favorite season for many people. It's a good time to shake things up and rethink what we're doing for our fitness. Don’t eat the Halloween candy I realize that Halloween is more of an American holiday but for many of us it’s the start of the holiday binge eating season. I enjoy participating in the holiday even though I have no children out trick-or-treating anymore....

Janet Palcko: Pilgrim on the Camino de Santiago

October 23, 2018

Podcast

Podcast: Download | Play in New Window Subscribe: Apple Podcasts (iTunes) | Google Podcasts | Android-Google Play | Stitcher | Player FM | Castbox | Tunein | Spotify | RSS In the spring of 2018, Janet Palcko took the epic journey of her lifetime when she walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain. The Camino is a pilgrimage to the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain, where it is said that the remains of Saint James the Apostle are buried. In episode 20 of the Becoming Elli Podcast, Jill and Chris talk with Janet Palcko about her incredible journey. Janet hiked for at least 800 kilometers (about 500 miles) in about six weeks. The Camino de Santiago is not just one route. Thousands of pilgrims left their homes throughout the Middle Ages and followed roads all across southern Europe. Those paths all come together like branches of a...

Camino de Santiago hiking Janet Palcko Pigrimage

Pilates Reformer: Checking Out an Old Favorite

October 18, 2018

Fit and Strong, Work Outs

I spun the wheel at the Club Pilates booth at a local festival and won a free one-on-one lesson. After some back and forth, we got this session on the calendar and I went to check the new Pilates studio in town. So, a quick review of the studio. Club Pilates is a chain that appears to be growing quickly. There are a number of new studios in my area and the one in my hometown just had its grand opening. The new Club Pilates studio seems to be well equipped. There are lots of reformers in the class area. Each reformer also has a Bosu ball, TRX straps, and other equipment. The area is set up to handle multiple students in a class. Because my session was...

Pilates

Review of The Obesity Code

October 4, 2018

Book Review, Weight

The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss by Jason Fung, MD answers a lot of questions we've all had about both weight loss and weight gain. It's a well-written, easy-to-follow book that explains why so many of us are overweight or obese and why when we lose weight, we're likely to regain what we've lost. The Obesity Code begins with a look at the past few decades and how obesity has become an epidemic. Fung does a great job of explaining the science in terms that we can understand. I rarely felt like I needed to start skimming because I couldn't understand. Basically, according to Fung, we can pretty much pick a diet and we can work hard at losing weight and eventually we can...

Fung insulin Intermittent Fasting Obesity Code

Roasted Squash Seeds

September 29, 2018

Recipes

It’s fall and winter squash is showing up in the produce section. Pumpkins are also making an appearance. That means it’s time for roasted squash seeds. Chris shared a great recipe for pumpkin pie spice squash soup the other day. The first step is to cook the squash. Wait! Don’t throw those seeds away. You can roast them and make a delicious snack. Roasted Squash Seeds I’m sure you’ve had pumpkin seeds and you may have even roasted your own. But most of the winter squashes have seeds that can be roasted. It doesn’t matter if you’re using an acorn, butternut, spaghetti, or carnival squash. I’ve bought squash just because I wanted the seeds to snack on. I end up making soup or roasted vegetables with the squash but...

seeds squash

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Author: Jill McCauslin

Reading to Reduce Stress and How to Find a Good Book

2019 Resolutions: One New Vegetable a Week

Inspirational Messages with Vicki Prussak

Being Grateful at Thanksgiving

Coffee with Cream or Butter or Coconut Milk or What?

Ten Tips for Fall Fitness

Janet Palcko: Pilgrim on the Camino de Santiago

Pilates Reformer: Checking Out an Old Favorite

Review of The Obesity Code

Roasted Squash Seeds

Beyond the Basic Bowl: Creative Ways to Use Quinoa

Buddha Bowl

Vegetable Soup for a Cold Weekend

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