KinkyShea’s Health and Fitness Tip of the Week

An orange glaze brings out the sweetness in this kid-friendly side dish. Made easier with pre-shredded carrots, this 15 minute recipe is great quickie side dish.

Nutrition Profile: Diabetes appropriate, low calorie, low carbohydrate, low cholesterol, low saturated fat, low sodium, heart healthy, high fiber, high potassium, gluten free, and healthy weight appropriate.

Recipe makes 4 servings, 1 cup each.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 10-once bags shredded or julienne-cut carrots
1 teaspoon low fat butter
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Whisk orange juice, broth and cornstarch in a small bowl. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrots and cook, stirring constantly, until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Stir the juice mixture and add to the carrots along with butter and salt. Cover and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the butter melts and the carrots are tender, 5 to 6 minutes.

Nutrition Facts Per serving: 107 calories; 4 g fat ( 1 g sat , 2 g mono ); 3 mg cholesterol; 18 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 2 g protein; 4 g fiber; 261 mg sodium; 516 mg potassium.

All too often we get so caught up in day to day life. We focus on the needs of other people and often ignore our own. We spend our days running around at work or at school, chasing the kids, cleaning, cooking and a host of other duties. We often forget that nurturing ourselves is more than just good nutrition and physical activity. We must also nurture our minds as well for total well being. Chronic stress has been associated with increased fat in the abdominal area, high blood pressure, high levels of cholesterol, a higher concentration of blood sugar and insulin, as well as metabolic syndromes and an increased risk of heart disease. Some experts, such as Daniel K. Hall-Flavin, M.D. from mayoclinic.com, have linked high stress levels to hair loss. By allocating an area in your home, apartment or yard, you can give yourself a place for quiet relaxation and reflection and help reduce or eliminate the stress from your day. Lifestyle and wellness experts believe that having a sacred space helps us to find the sacred space within ourselves to help recharge and take the time to slow down and focus on taking care of ourselves for a bit. If you’d like to create a sacred space for yourself here are a few tips to get you started.

First designate a space. This can be wherever you want. You don’t need a whole room but if you have that option go for it. This space can be anywhere inside, such as in an alcove, in a basement or near a bookshelf, a corner of a room or a small area with a meditation mat or pillow. The space should be quiet with little through traffic. If you would like your space to be outside you can use a fountain on a patio or a plant or anything to outline your space.

Another tip is to include elements in your space. Use things that are personally relevant or sacred to you. These things can be photographs of special people or places, candles or incense, a fountain, religious symbols or worry beads. Books of quotations or written prayers, shells, flowers, rocks or plants are other great ideas as well. This space is yours so use some creativity to fill it it with things that bring you peace and happiness.

Now that you have your sacred space, how can you use it? Just sitting and reflecting can be quite calming. Sitting on a pillow with your legs crossed, back straight, palms resting on your knees facing up is a great position to sit and reflect as well as meditate. Other activities include yoga, tai chi, singing or listening to music, reading (a favorite book or inspirational writings) or listening to guided-imagery. Also, you don’t need to spend hours in your space. Just setting a goal of a few minutes a day can be helpful. Of course you can always spend more time in your space if needed. Skeptical about the benefits of having a sacred space and quiet time for yourself? Give it a shot for a month and keep a little journal. After spending time on your sacred space write down any changes you feel afterwards (it can be anything from emotions to sleep patterns or whatever). I think you’ll be surprised at to find yourself calmer and less stressed.

Until next week…

KinkySheaPT