Crossroads - What to do?

As you have probably noticed, I have not posted anything for a while now. This is because I've been busy, for one. The main reason however is I don't really know what to do about my diet - and hence what to do with this blog? I decided I'd write my thoughts down in hopes that you might be able to help.

In May my husband and I started really craving raw foods and the thought of slaving over the stove just didn't sound appealing. So we ate what we felt like eating, I would say 90% or more of our daily food was raw. This felt good at the time. Soon after, I noticed I was having a hard time maintaining my body weight (116lbs seems ideal for me). I also felt like was not getting enough protein and contrary to what people usually associate with raw diets, I also felt less energetic. End of July we started craving cooked food, like sushi (I replace white rice with millet, in the pic). So we went with that. I lost a couple lbs and got back to my ideal weight quickly after and also noticed a huge increase in my energy levels. It's not like we missed bread or any kind of junk (I'm still allergic to gluten and dairy), just some lightly steamed vegetables and cooked grains now and then. I also replaced my raw pizza crusts with a crust made of water and millet+quinoa flour. I think the reason that I gained weight on high raw was the large quantity of nuts we were consuming. Now that we've replaced most of the nuts with healthy grains, we both feel a lot better. And look better!

I would still like to eat as much raw as possible. I'm finding it hard to replace nuts in raw recipes - it would be a lot easier if I could eat gluten and just replace with spelt or wheat berries. We do still use a lot of sprouted buckwheat. I've tried using sprouted oats, but my body won't tolerate that too much/too often. Lightly toasted or cooked g-free oats I can handle, it's the raw variety that is pretty hard to digest. Lately I've also found that consuming a lot of legumes isn't too good for me either. So my question is, if I can't eat raw nuts or raw/cooked legumes, how do I get enough protein? I do eat raw chia, hemp and sesame seeds. But it doesn't seem feasible to get 50-60g protein (1g/weight kg) from those alone.

Is it so bad to eat cooked millet, quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth and oats? At this point I think not, because I feel significantly better eating the grains.  But what do you think? Are there others out there who can't handle a lot of nuts? Any gluten-free ideas how to replace them in raw recipes? Or any gluten-free, nut free recipe ideas altogether? Savory dishes are what I'm struggling with.

This blog never really was a raw food blog. It will still continue as it was when I started it, as a documentary of my "adventures" into the realms of healthy eating. I'm just still looking to find the kind of diet that works best for me. Hope you'll continue to follow me on my journey. :)

Functional training and stress relief

My life is pretty hectic and exciting at the moment. I mentioned that the New Year would mean new challenging opportunities for me. Recently I was asked to participate in ground-breaking research and formulate my findings into my Masters thesis. This is all happening quite fast, considering that it was only a couple months ago when I finished my Bachelor's thesis and have only studied 2,5 years at the University. Last week I also had a development discussion at work that revealed several interesting career path opportunities for me.

Although all this takes up a fair amount of hours (work, research, studies), I feel fortunate and stress-free. Of course, in times like these stress management skills are essential. Personally I don't think all stress is bad, for example a small amount of pressure can allow you to perform better and more efficiently than usual. However, the moment you notice that you are feeling overworked and it affects your moods daily, it is way past time to do something about it. How do you guys deal with stressful times?

My stress-fighting strategies sound simple: exercise, diet, fun. I find that my new-found form of functional training, Kinesis, has proven to be very effective. For me, it uniquely combines relaxation and releasing tension. This is because I utilize the balance boards/BOSU-balance trainer with every exercise possible. Not only does this provide an amazing way to work out your deeper core muscles while working on other muscle groups, but the deep level of concentration the movements involve allows you to really clear your mind.

Advantages of Kinesis:

+ Activates kinetic chains of muscles, not just individual muscles monotonically like conventional equipment. Resistance varies also with the range of movement and angle (as well as weights).

+ Easy!

+ The design allows you to move freely with minimal interference with the body, especially in 'push' movements.

+ Fast set up

+ Incredibly versatile, even just one machine can be used in dozens of different ways (be creative!)

Some of my favorite Kinesis movements (free video instructions)

-Additional Chest Press Exercises on a Kinesis System

- Lower Leg and Chest 

- Upper back with balance ball

- Core exercise with the above machine, you lie on your back and grasp one handle with each hand. Lift both feet up. Stretch your right leg, and push your left arm back parallel to the floor (away from your head). Without dropping your feet, do the same with your left leg and right arm.

- Using the equipment in the first pick, either stand on a balance board or sit on a fitness ball and extend your arms (like you were boxing). Or use a ball/balance board and stretch your arms, and then open them. You can combine this with lifting one of your legs at a time, while maintaining your balance and strengthening your core muscles.

- With the machine in the lower pic, you can sit on a ball and make a large circle with both your arms holding the handles, a "sun".

Kinesis is especially effective when combined with relaxing and empowering yoga breething techniques,  you breath in when moving into position, and breath out when doing the most strenuous part. This will activate more core muscles and increase strength and effectiveness.

Because Kinesis is a form of functional training (works on several muscle groups with one exercise), it saves time. Especially the movements requiring balance will activate muscle groups traditional gym equipment never would.    

My typical gym ruitine:

30min in-door cycling (interval training, 5min cycle seated with resistance, 5 min standing with added resistance)

30min Kinesis exercises as circuit training (no resting in between)

Sometimes I run instead of cycle, and sometimes if I don't have an hour I opt to cycle in slightly higher gear for 20min and do Kinesis for 10-20min. Once a week I usually run 15min for warm up and participate in a Kinesis Core class for 45min. When it suits my schedule, I also enjoy pilates and different yoga forms. Typically I go to the gym 3-4 times a week with my husband. The days I don't go, I get my minimum of 30 min exercise by cleaning, playing with my daughter, going outside with the family, etc.

I will not go too deep into diet in this post, after all all my past posts have been about diet in one way or another. Yet I will say that in times of stress, it is sometimes a good idea to indulge a little. No, I don't mean diving into a bar of chocolate or eating a bag of chips. Instead, dry making some raw chocolates (click here for an easy recipe) with your partner or friend, and sip some delicious Yogi tea. Relax and talk!

Images from:
http://www.technogym.com/
http://www.balance4lifetimmins.ca/Grand_Opening_-_Kinesis.html
http://www.puravidaclub.com/kinesis_denver_files/_dsc3473-2-600.jpg

My professional background

Hello everyone, hope your New Year has started off well! Mine certainly has, and I am looking forward to many great things this year will bring. If all goes well, I will get my Bachelor's degree in the Spring. I have already successfully completed my thesis, so I just need to finish rest of the coursework. So far I have not much discussed my education nor professional background, but perhaps I should elaborate a little. I study Bioinformationtechnology, which is an exciting new field combining medicine, science and engineering, biology and computer science. To this date, I have studied sufficient mathematics and physics to constitute minor subjects.

My main focus in University is in biomedical applications, especially imaging and instrumentation, formally my major is biological physics and medical technology. My Bachelor's thesis focused on electroencephalography (EEG) measurements of brain activity. I was fortunate to take part in research at the Cognitive Brain Research Unit of Helsinki. This type of technology is of great interest to me, and I hope in future to participate in developing and improving diagnostic tools. At this moment, I am working for a company which develops software and machinery to administer radiotherapy. This type of an engineering orientation requires elaborate knowledge of medicine and how the body functions physiologically. These studies have prompted my interest in nutrition, which I study on my own time from the vast collection of studies available to me from the university libraries.

In this blog I have many times emphasized the importance of balanced nutrition and a wholesome lifestyle. Both are key in the prevention of serious illnesses, such as cancer. Unfortunately, they are not always sufficient. Although I do understand how "medicalized" our society is and how easily and excessively drugs are both prescribed and used, I do still believe in medicine and science. Studying at this level is very intriguing to me and I truly do love what I do for a living. It may sound hyperbolic, but I truly believe that I have helped and will continue to help cure many people. I am gaining the knowledge to give people second chances: to add healthy years to a patients life, relieve debilitating symptoms, and truly give a reason to have hope. Especially as a mother, it gives my life great meaning to be able to help treat or even cure sick children.

On this note I wish to encourage all of you to make the most of this year and your lives. We all can make a difference in our own way. There are no big deeds or small deeds, both are steps forward in the bigger picture.

1. Think about the way you consume and live. Is there something more you could do to conserve our planet's natural resources?

2. Could you do something to help another person in need? Even if you don't have much money, you might have a shirt or another piece of clothing you don't ware and could donate to a charity.

3. Could you help bring joy to someone? When did you last really sit down and talk with your (grand)mother/father?

4. Instead of complaining about what is wrong in the world, could you contribute to making the change? Maybe start up your own petition for a cause you believe in? I started my petition against using the controversial artificial sweetener aspartame in infants antibiotics and will continue to campaign for it. You can join me just my quickly signing it online.

5. Could you help change someone's life for the better? Probably since you are reading this blog, you are pretty interested and educated in healthy eating and balanced. Don't be afraid to share your knowledge with others and don't give up too quickly! For example, my mother is suffering from a painful illness, and she is pretty reluctant to change anything. With persistence and a gentle approach I have succeeded in getting her to eat organic and she is taking small steps forward. As a birthday present, I got her a package with all the natural remedies for her condition (MSM powder and sea mussel extract etc). I will continue to buy her these if she benefits from them but is for some reason hesitant to re-order them herself.

And finally, don't be afraid of challenges. If you think you don't have enough of them, set them for yourself. They help you feel better about achieving your goals. With persistence and motivation, you will achieve them sooner or later. The New Year is a good time to write down an action plan. Don't leave out goals you find impossible, because you have much greater abilities than you can imagine when you believe in yourself. One person can make a difference, and you can make a difference.

My philosophy in life is: inhibitions are impediments, keeping you from living your life to the fullest.

EEG picture: http://www.medconsulting.de/images/eeg1.gif