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You Don’t Have to Listen

August 3, 2019 / Chris Brown / 1 Comment

When that little voice in your head says “Are you kidding?!? You are too old.” You don’t have to listen.

When you think about a new challenge and think “I can’t do that! That’s too much/too tall/too long/ too hard.” You have a choice. You don’t have to listen to those negative thoughts.

Or when you look in the mirror and the mirror looks back as if to say “No, not you.” YOU DO NOT HAVE TO LISTEN.

It took me a long time to learn this. Who am I kidding? I’m still trying to learn this. Ha ha!

It’s easy to forget that the one person who is holding me back is… me.

Jill and I have talked about getting past negative voices during a podcast about a year ago. We have a list of mantras to download (just provide an email) to help you reframe your challenges.

This weekend I’m riding in the Buckeye Breakaway, a 150 mile fundraiser. Having a strong mental game feels just about as important as being physically prepared.

The ride is going to be hot. It’s going to be long. It will start at what I call “dark thirty.” And for me, it will probably end in mid afternoon when it’s really really hot.

The purpose of the ride is to help support research about MS. There are around 20,000 people in Ohio that have MS. There is no known cause. No known cure. And it mostly affects women. (My sister is one of those who have been diagnosed with MS.) In truth, this is one of my favorite weekends of the year because I get to ride bicycles with my friends and enjoy being with a fun group of people. There will be lots of food, laughs and good times.

I’m going to remember to hydrate, use sunscreen and plenty of chamois butter. And to keep my focus on the positive to ride with a light heart.

Look for a recap in the next week or so from me to hear about how it went.

QUICK UPDATE on the following Tuesday: You don’t have to listen to negative thoughts. But after interviewing one of our experts for the podcast, I remembered her saying about “if your heart rate doesn’t drop, you should finish for the day.” Check out my post this coming Saturday to hear what happened!

Kayaking on the Cuyahoga River

August 1, 2019 / Jill McCauslin / 1 Comment

I spent last Saturday with my 25-year-old son. We went kayaking on the Cuyahoga River. The river was calm, nothing like what it was a few weeks ago after many heavy rains. Once the kayak and canoe livery where we rented the canoe took us upriver on a bus and dropped us off, we simply made our way downriver to return to our docking area.

The Cuyahoga River is one of those success stories on environmental change. This is the river that caught on fire in Cleveland many years ago. According to the Plain Dealer, in April 2019, the Cuyahoga River was named “River of the Year” to celebrate its effect on the environmental movement.

To celebrate 50 years of environmental resurgence, the Cuyahoga River has been named “River of the Year” by American Rivers.

The Washington D.C.-based conservation organization works to protect wild rivers, restore damage rivers and advocate for clean water.

In fact, the livery company we used was called Burning River Adventures. I guess enough time has gone by that we can use a name like that.

We were far downstream from Cleveland, however. Dams once contained the river but many of them have been removed. Therefore, the has returned to its natural state and it’s now possible to use the river for recreational purposes.

Kayaking on the Cuyahoga River

Our trip was lovely. A beautiful Saturday in July on the water cruising through lots of woodlands. There was not much development along the river where we were so we saw turtles, blue herons, and ducks. Not the most exotic list of wildlife but still enjoyable.

This was not the most strenuous of activities. I didn’t have to work very hard and because we were using a tandem kayak, my son did the steering. It turns out that he is proud of his kayaking skills and that he learned how to kayak at the YMCA camp we sent him to when he was about 12. That investment paid off!

So, physically, this wasn’t challenging but it was enjoyable and I got to spend some quality time with my son. He left town the next day so it was a fantastic way to end his visit.

Chris wrote about kayaking recently and its growth in popularity. It’s not surprising that so many people are taking it up. Plus, kayaks are pretty easy to transport, based on the number of cars I see driving through the area with kayaks on top.

I thought kayaking on the Cuyahoga River was so much fun that I really want to continue with it. Let me know if you also enjoy kayaking or what new activity you’re enjoying.

Getting Back into the Groove

July 27, 2019 / Chris Brown / 2 Comments

I’m struggling with getting back into the groove of my usual routines and good habits. My planned consistency has taken a back seat to summer social activities.

It’s funny. I looked forward to summer so much so that I could be outside, running, riding and building my physical levels. Looking back over this year (since summer is more than half over now) between the family vacation, reunions, birthdays, a long wedding weekend, kayak trips and camp-outs, my summer has had more social activity and less physical activity than the last eight or nine summers have had.

A regular schedule and a set routine helps ensure I plan my meals, shop for healthy produce regularly, and consistently get solid exercise.

Don’t get me wrong, I love connecting and reconnecting with family, friends and loved ones! But my consistent pattern of working toward my consistency goals has definitely suffered.

I haven’t done as many long bike rides this summer and my big fundraising ride is next weekend. Excuses like “it’s too wet” or it’s too hot” are actually somewhat legitimate. Temperatures and weather events have been epic this summer. Because of social events, even my indoor yoga routine has been inconsistent.

Getting Back into the Groove
I am in the cue for an audio book from the library that always helps me get back on track: The Power of Habit.

I am reminding myself of my word of the year: resilient.

And re-reminding myself to get back into the sync of things with a focus on weight loss maintenance by staying consistent… staying with the #VeggieChallenge in 2019, and continuing to overcome the fear and jitters of new challenges.

Sometimes getting back in the groove feels like being in a rut. In this case, I don’t think so. Getting consistent exercise, sticking with good eating habits and pushing myself a little out of my comfort zone on a regular basis – that’s the kind of life schedule that keeps me feeling strong and fit, both physically and mentally.

How do you stay strong and fit both physically and mentally? Do you find power in routine or are you more of a spontaneous person? Leave a message in the comments below or a voice mail on 330-970-6662. Be sure to reference this article. Thanks!

Adding Vegetables to Breakfast

July 25, 2019 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

So now I’m adding vegetables to breakfast? Really? Why?

Recently, I attended a talk by a local doctor and a health coach. They said most of us need to increase the amount of vegetables we’re eating and said we should get nine to ten servings of vegetables per day.

The only way I can see to do that is by adding vegetables to breakfast.

My typical lunch is a big bowl of salad with a lot of different vegetables on it. I usually start with a bowl of greens, preferably a mix of some kind of lettuce and spinach and then I might add some kale or micro greens in there too. Lunch easily gives me three to four servings of vegetables.

Dinner is when I’m most likely to have some meat or fish. I try to fill my plate with an assortment of vegetables, some raw and some cooked. I might have another salad and roast a variety of vegetables such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and sweet potatoes. So, I can again get three to four servings at this meal.

This leaves me a bit shy of the nine servings of vegetables.

So, I am working on adding vegetables to breakfast. There’s a variety of ways to do that. Sometimes I just reheat leftover roasted vegetables from the night before and maybe top them with a fried egg. This is a delicious meal.

I use my blender at times to make a breakfast smoothie and try to include a few vegetables and fruit in that. Here’s a recipe I posted on my current version of a good smoothie. This smoothie is an easy way to get several servings of fruits and vegetables.

Another easy way to add vegetables is to make scrambled eggs with vegetables. Use whatever vegetables you have on hand, saute them, and scramble them with egg. A great way to start the day.

How do you get all of the servings of vegetables you want to be eating? Is it difficult or a breeze? Let me know how you manage it or what you struggle with.

Scrambled Eggs with Vegetables Recipe for Veggie Challenge

July 24, 2019 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

Scrambled eggs with vegetables is just about the easiest breakfast imaginable. The only thing easier would be omitting the vegetables and just having scrambled eggs but then that wouldn’t work for the veggie challenge, would it?

I often order a vegetable omelet when I breakfast at a restaurant but I struggle to make omelets as good. This dish is similar but easier. There’s something about starting with day with this dish that just makes me feel like I’m off to a good start.

Scrambled Eggs with Vegetables

Assemble the vegetables that you have on hand and chop them into small pieces. Try to make them as close to the same size as possible. In this photo, I used onion, bell pepper, broccoli, and sugar snap peas.

Break two or three eggs into a bowl and whisk until the yolks and whites are blended.

Melt some butter or oil in a small frying pan over medium heat.

Add the vegetables and saute until tender.

Add the whisked eggs and gently fold the eggs as they cook. When the eggs are done to your liking, transfer to a plate.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Enoy your breakfast of scrambled eggs with vegetables.

Notes

If you eat dairy, cheese is a great addition to this dish. You can use cheddar, swiss, or pepper jack cheese. Again, whatever you have on hand is fine.

Greens would be a good addition to this dish. If you have kale or spinach or some other type of greens, consider adding some to the vegetables. Spinach cooks more quickly than most vegetables so you should add it after the other vegetables have started to become tender.

You can also top this dish with some salsa if you have it. That’s an easy way to add even more vegetables to the dish.

Breakfast Smoothie Recipe Veggie Challenge

July 24, 2019 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

I’ve been making a breakfast smoothie frequently for the past few months. I seem to go in cycles on smoothies. At times, they’re great and I enjoy having them. They satisfy me until lunch time and I have control over what I eat.

Because I add the frozen berries and the pomegranate juice, this smoothie is not green. It can turn a pinkish color, though sometimes it’s not an appetizing color. If that happens, serve it in a mug.

Here’s the recipe of what I’ve been doing lately. You can easily switch out the vegetables and fruit. Just use what you have on hand.

Breakfast Smoothie Ingredients

2 handfuls kale

1 chunk cucumber, skin removed unless organic

1 carrot

1/2 avocado, peeled and seeded

2 to 3 handfuls frozen berries

1/4 cup pomegranate juice

1 cup almond milk

1 serving Orgain Organic Protein Powder, Vanilla Bean flavor

Throw all of the ingredients into a strong blender and blend. Follow your blender’s directions for the best order to put the ingredients.

This makes one generous serving or two moderate servings.

Notes

You can use whatever vegetables you have on hand though be careful if you use a vegetable with a strong flavor. For example, I find the taste of celery to be too distinctive to use in a smoothie.
If you don’t have any avocado, use some other source of fat. That might be a tablespoon of coconut oil or almond butter. Having the fat in the smoothie helps this feel like a complete meal.
You don’t have to use any juice in this. Besides the pomegranate juice, I love adding cranberry to the smoothie. I buy Just Cranberry. It’s made solely of cranberries. No other juices or sweeteners. It’s quite tart.
Adding some green or herbal tea, preferably room temperature or chilled, works well as a liquid.
I don’t add banana to this because the vanilla protein powder makes this sweet enough. If I wasn’t using the powder, I’d consider adding a banana for sweetness.
The frozen berries work well in the smoothie because they keep the drink cold. Of course, you can use fresh berries. Also, sometimes I use only blueberries or raspberries or strawberries. What you have on hand is the best choice.

Protein Bars of 2019 Podcast

July 23, 2019 / Chris Brown / 2 Comments

Episode 38 of Fit Strong Women Over 50

In episode #38 of Fit Strong Women Over 50 podcast, Jill and Chris compare 11 popular Protein Bars of 2019 with protein, carbs, fiber and of course taste.

Find out which ones we liked the best… and the worst!

*We purchased these bars ourselves, nothing was donated to us. All comments are our own and we were not paid for this review.*

Open a link to this image of the Protein Bar Comparison Chart found here.

Download to print a PDF of the Protein Bar Comparison Chart here.

We discuss the pros and cons of protein bars of 2019 and evaluate 11 different bars:

Kind Double Dark Chocolate
Kind Peanut butter
Rx
Luna
Zone Perfect
Quest
Muscle Milk
Think Thin
Power Crunch
Think Brownie
Think Thin Plant

We review the numbers and the taste of each one of these bars. The results surprised us and they may surprise you too!

If you are interested in making your own bars, click here for Melanie Jatsek’s bar, here for Heather Lentz’s bar or here for a variety of other homemade protein bar recipes.

Did we include your favorite bar? Let us know. Disagree with our taste test? Let’s talk about it! You can reach us at our voice mail 330-970-6662 or send an email to Chris@becomingelli.com. You can also find us on our social media accounts @becomingelli. It’s also easy to leave a comment below.

Veggie Salad at Lake Erie – #VeggieChallenge

July 21, 2019 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

We enjoyed a veggie salad at Lake Erie. This time I cheated a little.

Once again I made my famous fresh chopped vegetable salad with olive oil, lemon juice and cider vinegar dressing. It was the perfect salad for staying cool up at Lake Erie. My sister in law made a cucumber salad was really delicious too. Always great to get your vegetables when you’re enjoying the breezes at the beach!

Salad at Lake Erie

Time was of the essence when I was getting ready, so I decided to “cheat” a little by starting with several vegetables all ready to go ahead of time.

My local grocery store sells a type of broccoli slaw in a bag that contains a chopped blend of vegetables. They called it “Rainbow Blend”.
Broccoli
Carrots
Red Cabbage
Kohlrabi
Cauliflower

Grabbing that bag and using it as the base saved me some time, although I chopped all of the rainbow blend much finer so it would have a better consistency in my salad.

To those vegetables I chopped and added:

onion
celery
red pepper
yellow pepper
orange pepper
cucumber

I opened and drained a can of garbanzo beans also known as chick peas to add some protein. I also added about a cup of cooked quinoa for more protein.

Tossed together with salt and pepper.

Delicious and super healthy!

How to Beat the Heat

July 20, 2019 / Chris Brown / 2 Comments

When temperatures soar into the mid 90’s and the humidity feels so thick you can cut it with a knife, staying cool can be a real challenge. Maybe it is my imagination, but I think it has become harder to stay cool and beat the heat after I turned 50 years old.

I’ve had heat problems in June, July and August in the past few years, so I try to be very aware of my body. Don’t be embarrassed to stop if you feel you are getting overheated! If you get the chills and it’s over 80 – definitely stop what you’re doing and call it a day. Some of the organized bike rides have served pickle juice among other things.

Beat the Heat

Here are my ten tips for regulating body temperature when it is seasonably (or unseasonably) hot! Some are fun, others more utilitarian.

1) Air conditioning – working out at a gym may be warm but if your club has air conditioning, it can be a great way to get a work out in without jeopardizing your core temperature.

2) Multi shower day – On especially hot days, I’ve been known to show 3 times a day. Early morning, mid day and again after dinner. Running the water cold and jumping in for just a few minutes can make all the difference. Getting the body temperature down really helps.

3) Hose – On a super hot day it’s more fun to wash the car or water plants with the hose. Something about the cold well water is more welcome when it’s really hot out. I find lots of things that need to be washed off outside with the garden hose. (I try not to water my garden in the heat of the day as I find that it grows better when the sun isn’t quite as bright. Morning or evening watering is better.)

Presque Isle State Park in Erie, PA

4) Lake – being on the beach or in the water helps me to cool down. I am lucky to live near a lot of little (and big) lakes. Even if you don’t like to swim outside, just wading in and getting your arms wet, then back to the chair under the umbrella with a cool drink helps. Saturday for me was spent up at Presque Isle State Park in Erie, Pennsylvania. Beautiful blue water, clear skies and a big lake breeze made for a cool day.

Last week was kayaking on a reservoir – not a big a breeze, but still cooler than sitting at home.

5) Hydrate – Drink water and watch the coffee and alcohol intake. When you are thirsty, you may want to double up on liquids but make sure you’re getting enough water. I like to put rubber bands on my water bottle to help count how many waters I have refilled that day.

6) Watch the electrolytes – I found that drinking some Gatorade helps, but I know a lot of folks don’t want to have the all the added sugar that Gatorade or Poweraid includes. I find that sometimes the sugar helps me feel better, actually.

I tend to sweat more than most people and really have to watch I don’t get my body chemistry messed up. If I am feeling weird during a super hot day, my go to is Gatorade. I often eat a banana too. I think about the potassium, sodium and magnesium that I’ve been sweating out. Smart Water with electrolytes might make more sense for many people. If it’s a problem for you, what do you use or do?

7) Keep the air moving – Turn on the fans. A rotating fan or a ceiling fan can really help. Sometimes if it is just blowing hot air it feels like it doesn’t help, but blowing air beats still air for me every time.

8) Icy treats – Freeze berries or grapes ahead of time. I like to add them to my water, or just chomp on them separately. They taste extra good when frozen! This is one of my favorite tips when I want to beat the heat.

9) Enjoy the early mornings or evening hours – get up early or wait until the sun is less strong. Often the hot days mean condensation in the morning and it’s the best time for me to weed the garden or even sit on the deck with a cup of coffee. I love early morning bike rides! I have several friends that prefer taking a run after dark. It doesn’t work for me, in that I head to bed around the time it gets dark in the summer, but either way – it’s best to exercise outside not in the heat of the summer day!

10) Basement chores – My basement is much cooler naturally and I try to take advantage of doing basement chores like sorting and clearing out stored items or catching up on laundry when the heat gets unbearable. Notice how this tip is number 10. It’s not as fun as the others!

Recently a warning was shared on the Becoming Elli group of using super cold drinks when you’re over heated. I hadn’t heard of passing out from having something really cold, but I know I can get “brain freeze” or “throat freeze” when I eat something really cold.

While my 10 tips on how to beat the heat might not work for you, (especially if your hose isn’t connected to well water, or your laundry room isn’t in a chilly basement), I’m sure you have a few tips of your own that you use to stay cool too. Please leave them in the comments below or send me an email at Chris@becomingelli.com.

Cucumber Tomato Quinoa Salad – Veggie Challenge

July 15, 2019 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

Cucumber Tomato Quinoa Salad is great when you’re in the mood for a summer salad and perfect for the #VeggieChallenge!

Directions:
Cook one cup of quinoa in one and a half cups of boiling water.
Stir quinoa frequently until water is absorbed. Take off heat and cover for 15 minutes. Fluff.
Peel and remove seeds from the cucumber.

Chop Veggies:
Tomato
Cucumber
Carrots
Sweet Peppers (red, yellow, orange)
Green Pepper
Squash
Celery
Onion
Cauliflower

Toss together.

Add Dressing:
Lemon juice
Olive Oil
Apple Cider Vinegar

Chopping lots of raw vegetables takes a few minutes, but they add lots of flavor and fiber.