Albers Down Under: Sydney and the Basics

Traveling can be stressful- airplanes, transfers, people who seem to have never left their mother’s basement.  Add foreign foods, bad coffee, and exposure to almost every germ known to man, and you most likely have the perfect storm for exhaustion and sickness.  But traveling doesn’t have to suck. 

The next several posts will be capturing our trip to Australia, but I’ll also tie in some best practices for health and wellness from our trip down under (and I've’ve become quite the travel authority on traveling in my everyday life, too).  A critical part of overall wellness goes far beyond making sure you eat the right macro and micro nutrient ratios.  It’s about taking adventures and learning to love life (this is the THRIVE part of Ignite.Nourish.Thrive.).  So while we’re in Australia, I’ll be sharing our adventures as well as about how to be well, eat real foods, and make this lifestyle work from the other side of the world.

Enjoy!

Sydney is a beautiful city.  Well, the 8 square blocks that we stayed within for the two days we were there.  But those 8 square blocks- beautiful.  We rolled into our hotel at about 10am in the morning probably looking like death (and possibly smelling worse).  24 straight hours of traveling will do that to you.  Luckily we were able to get early check in to take a shower and change clothes. 

My favorite part about Sydney was the food (no surprise there).  We stayed in an area of Sydney right off the harbor called The Rocks.  The area was built into some natural bluffs, so there were steep hills and hidden staircases everywhere.  

And with any quaint, tourist infested area of any city, there was an abundance of food.  Pubs, pizza parlors, coffee shops, chocolatiers, gelato, coffee, steak houses, fresh seafood, and Asian fusion.  I don’t know that any of it was distinctly Australian, but it was distinctly delicious.  

We toured the Sydney Opera house.

Took a Harbor Cruise.

And walked across the Sydney Harbor Bridge.

A lot of Sydney was a blur because we were still recovering from our mega long trans-pacific flight.  And it terms of setting the bar for our health for the trip, the Buck (or Wombat) stopped there.  As I’ve detailed in previous posts, I have food intolerances as well as a sensitive immune and stress system, so traveling can and will wreak havoc on my body.  Below are my top 5 critical travel behaviors.  These can be applied to everyday life as well as travel:

Get Plenty of Sleep.  This one goes without saying, but there are a couple of items to note here.  The first is to get enough (duh) and somewhere in the neighborhood of 7-8 hours per night is great for most people (some need more, some need less).  You’ll know when you’ve had enough when you awake refreshed.  Now, I know that isn’t always possible especially when you’re traveling abroad and want to make every moment count.  The second part of this is re-setting your sleep cycle to local time.  Our bodies rest best when it’s dark and quiet out, and this is how our natural rhythm will tend to set itself. 

But sometimes these two sleep principles don’t go hand in hand.  For example, when we arrived in Sydney it was 8am local time (we had been traveling for over 30 hours by that point).  It took everything we had to not fall into bed and sleep the day away.  But because I was super concerned with resetting our sleep cycles, we went out sight-seeing and powered through the day (with a little help from some coffee shops and chocolatiers).  But we gave in and went to bed at 7pm.  And although we were really tired, we were both wide awake at 3am (10am our time).  There was a temptation to get up and watch TV or read, but we stayed in bed for an hour until we fell back asleep.  And when we awoke at 8am the next morning, our cycles were basically reset.  From there, we’ve been very intentional to get enough sleep every night. 

I know we all want to party like rock stars on vacation, but if we don’t sleep our Moves like Jagger will start to resemble Moves like Miley.

Drink Lots of Water.  This one doesn’t need very much explanation.  I’m a fan of indulging on vacation, but skipping on the water will make you dehydrated, tired, sick, constipated, crabby, and give you wonky cravings.  I usually try to find a convenience store and buy a gallon (or more depending on how long I’ll be in one spot) and another water bottle to carry with me and refill.  Depending on where you are, you could even use tap water to fill up the water bottle on the cheap.  You’ll want to do some research, though, on the tap water quality.  A simple Google search should provide enough information for you to make a decision.

     Take  Fermented Cod-Liver Oil/Butter Oil Blend.  Alright, I think this may be where some people jump ship, but hang with me for a second.  First, to be clear, you can get it in capsules and it will not make you burp fish oil all day.  Second, this stuff is basically an elixir of the gods.  It’s a fermented food, so it will help to strengthen your gut which means you’re more resistant to getting sick.  It also has copious amounts of Vitamin D (and A&K, which help your body absorb it).  Vitamin D gives you energy, helps regulate your sleep, keeps you from getting sick, and will help manage and reduce sunburns.  And as a bonus, this particular supplement could help clear your skin and make your nails and hair grow. 

But as always, source matters.  I can only recommend getting this from Green Pastures (available on Amazon or at Green Earth Grocers in Edwardsville for my Southern IL peeps).  Green pastures uses quality ingredients and does not heat the oil during fermentation ensuring the nutrient quality is retained.  I should point out, though, that this is not a good source for Omega-3 like most fish oil (I personally don’t take any fish oil, but I can cover that at a later date).

Take Digestive Enzymes.  I know this one sounds gross, but I am totally in love with these supplements.  They also come in pill form and should be taken with food.  These little buggers help break down your food and absorb nutrients.  When we’re stressed (and hey, like we covered, traveling can be stressful) food becomes only a vessel for calories rather than a life giving sources of nutrients.  Also, for those of you with food sensitivities, this can help you tolerate more foods.  I find if I ingest small amounts of gluten and dairy while on digestive enzymes, they do not have quite the number of ill side effects.  But three words of caution on digestive enzymes:

a.       Test them before you get on vacation (like- several weeks out) because they will impact your digestion.    

b.      This is what works for me.  We all have different bodies, so just be cautious if you’re using them to help manage food intolerances.               

c.       Taking digestive enzymes is not a free pass to eat like garbage.  Garbage food is still garbage food.     

You can find digestive enzymes on Amazon- NowFoods Super Enzymes are good quality and have a great reputation.

Get in Some Smart Movement.  When a vacation involves quite a bit of beach time, bar time, or driving/flying, we forget to move.  This doesn’t meant that you need to go on a 5 mile run or CrossFit every day (you can if you want to), but vacation is a great time to get back to something most of us don’t do nearly enough in our everyday.  Vacation is a great time to get back to walking.  Walk on the beach, explore a city, or go for a hike.  Walking is a great way to save money (cab fare is redonkulous) and catch more sights (you see more going 2 mph than 40).  Plus, getting in some solid natural movement will help you feel a little less guilty about that double scoop of gelato.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but using the above 5 behaviors in conjunction with a fun and relaxing week will help you stay healthy, happy, and ready to take on the world when you have to get back to it.  Do you have any go to health or wellness tips that keep you healthy when you’re traveling?  If so, I’d love to hear about them in the comments below!

-Kelsey

My Story- Part 1 (Ignite)

I am a Holistic Health Coach.

(Whew.  There it is.  It feels good to say it.)  Like- not a practicing Holistic Health Coach.  But this is one of those "I think, therefore I am" situations.

As I'm sure you're aware from this blog or other interactions with me, I have a passion for health and wellness.  My personal journey to wellness has been an extraordinary one, to say the least.  I've learned so much about myself, my body, and my relationships.  I've seen the transformative powers of food and have come to believe that what you put into your body for nourishment is far more influential on your health than any workout, medicine, or supplement out there.  As a result of this, I've started down a new path in my journey.  I'm stepping out in faith that what I know and what I've learned has value to others.  I'm taking classes, working on business development, and lining up seminars.  And in January 2014, I will be ready to rock the world of Health and Wellness.

So below is the first of a multi-part series of my personal health journey.  Today I'm talking about where I've been, next will be how I manage my health today, and the final part will detail what exactly a Holistic Health Coach does and my thoughts on what health should look like (don't worry, it won't be a sales pitch).

I believe the first step to understanding where someone is going it to understand where they have been.  Not many people know my journey.

I have Multiple Sclerosis.  I've spent a large part of the past 5 years hiding it from my friends and family.  I always have been, and still am, very uncomfortable with this diagnosis.

For those of you who don't know, Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune condition that causes the immune system to attack the central nervous system.  Symptoms include (but are not limited to) numbness and tingling in the arms and legs, loss of balance, loss of cognitive function, and loss of motor skills.  This last one, loss of motor skills, was the one that struck fear into my heart.  By no means am I nor have I ever been an Olympic level athlete, but I can tell you that I've spent a good portion of my life active or playing organized sports.  The idea of not being able to move scared me to my very core.

Oh, and hey, the other chilling factor of this diagnosis?  The medical community knows no cure.  There are disease managing drugs, but no known medical way to reverse the progression of the disease.

I spent the first two years taking 8 shots per week.  As you can imagine, that got old quick.  So I upgraded my prescription to a brand new oral drug called Gileyna (hot off the FDA presses).  But something didn't sit right with me.  Namely, the list of complications associated with the drug.  Below is a list of side effects according to WedMD (remember- this drug will not cure the disease, only manage it):

Abnormal Heart Rhythm

Abnormal Liver Function Tests

Abnormally Low Blood Pressure

Atrioventricular Heart Block

Backache

Blurred Vision

Bronchitis

Chest Pain

Cough

Decrease in Air Exhaled by Lungs

Decreased Number of Lymphocytes in the Blood

Decreased White Blood Cells

Depression

Diarrhea

Dizzy

Eczema

Feeling Weak

Hair Loss

Head Pain

Herpes Simplex Infection

High Amount of Triglyceride in the Blood

High Blood Pressure

Infection

Inflammation of the Lining of the Stomach and Intestines

Itching

Low Energy

Macular Edema

Malignant Lymphoma

Migraine Headache

Pain in the Eye

Progressive Disease in the White Brain Matter

Ringworm

Shingles

Sinus Irritation and Congestion

Slow Heartbeat

The Flu

Throwing Up

Trouble Breathing

Weight Loss

I'm sorry, but, what?  No.  Just, no.  'Progresssive Disease in the White Brain Matter,' 'Decreased White Blood Cells,' and 'Atrioventricular Heart Block.'  No.  For a medication that will not cure and possibly not even stop the progression of the disease, this was not an acceptable level of risk for me.  Oh yeah, and pre-insurance, the cost of this medication was $40,000 per year (no wonder we all feel overwhelmed and hopeless when it comes to our own health).

So I owned it.  Several months earlier, I was introduced to Paleo and a guy named Robb Wolf by my trainer at the time, Kevin Randall.  What peaked my interest in the diet was the fact that there is some significant evidence linking modern diets to not just MS, but autoimmune issues in general.  By modern diet, I'm referring to high carb, low fat, low protein, with the inclusion of processed foods, industrial seed oils, and most notably- GLUTEN.  Not sure you believe me?  That's completely understandable- but you can check out resources here, here, here, here, here, or here, or do your own Googling.

The remainder of my health journey is a series of test and learn events.  I can tell you, after two years of self experimentation, there is a sweet spot of nutrition, movement, stress, and sleep that keeps me off that cliff.  I have a propensity towards having a very inflamed system and pushing that system means my symptoms start to move back in.  In short- when I eat highly inflammatory foods, get poor sleep, have loads of stress, and train too hard (ie-live a Standard American lifestyle).  And I believe this to be a fact:  I am not sick because I have MS, I have MS because I am sick.  

So I know that I've rambled long enough on this one, and probably the only person still reading is my mom (heyyyyy Mom).  So this is Part 1.  That's where I came from.  The next part will be my formula for health- what I eat, how I move, and how I manage the stress of everyday life. 

And  a side note- if you have a comment or question, please leave it in the comments below!  I love feedback, and I love dialogue over this stuff even more.  

-Kelsey

An Anniversary Gift to my Husband

Today is my 5 year wedding anniversary.  In an effort to save money for our real gift to each other (our trip to Australia in a few weeks), we decided to not spend a whole lot of money on each other today.  So what do you get a guy that already has everything (XBox, future plans to travel the world, and an amazing wife)?  Well, if it were up to me, I would shout it from the rooftop how much I love him and how glad I am to be married to him.  But since our neighborhood consists of elderly women who can't hear and shift workers, I figured that would not be as appreciated as I would hope.  So I'm using the next best thing to a rooftop that I have access to.  Below is a collection of what I think we've learned as a couple over the past 5 years.  Some are funny, some are serious, but all are 100% genuine.  I'm even more in love with this man than 5 years ago today.  I don't know how it could get any better, but I'm excited to find out....

Marriage starts with a butterfly in your stomach.  That "I sure I hope that when I cry, it doesn't ruin this mega expensive airbrush makeup for pictures" kind of butterfly.  But that butterfly turns to giggles when your pastor says something quirky and you catch the reaction on your soon to be brother-in-law's face.  And for some reason, the rest of ceremony just seems hilarious (which, by the way, make for great wedding pictures).

After that blissful ceremony, there is a party on the dancefloor and a need to hug everyone at your reception.  And the first dance....  when you forget everyone is watching and you follow your husband's lead because right in that moment, you would follow him to the ends of the earth.  And when he tells you you're beautiful, you know he means it.

Marriage is about taking an adventure.

Exploring faraway cities and foreign lands.

Or even the city closest to home.

Marriage is being a teacher and student all at once.  It's possible to warn the other person not to run over the lawn mower cord (because all you can afford as newlyweds is a cheap electric one), but do it three times yourself.  It's being willing to repeat yourself because the other person was not interested in learning how to use the TV remote until it suited them.

Marriage is learning to be a psychiatrist.  When your other half loses someone they love, you learn to be a listener and shoulder to cry on.  But when they've had a terrible day because traffic was bad, they spilled coffee on their white shirt, and their computer crashed causing them to lose 8 hours of work, it's ok to remind them the world is not coming to an end because there is no ice cream in the house.  

Marriage is about learning to compromise.  The kind of compromise that results from a kitchen without enough counter space, a one car garage, or Halloween costumes.  Or figuring out that Monday nights are for WWE, but Tuesday nights are for NCIS.  And of course everyone watches Walking Dead on Sundays.

Marriage is about becoming cultured and appreciating (or at least tolerating) the other person's likes.  Breaking Benjamin really is a good band.  The Chicago Bears are a better team than the St. Louis Rams.  A black accent wall in the bedroom is a good idea.  But it is never ok to sneak liver into meatballs in the name of health and longevity.

Marriage is about starting a family (even an unconventional one) and learning to parent as a team.  One parent sets a rule (no dogs in the bed) and five years later the rule takes on a life of its own (2 people, 2 dogs, and 2 cats in the bed almost every night).

Marriage is being career support, from playing housekeeper and dog sitter when the other one studies and travels to being a sounding board when a better opportunity is on the horizon.  It's becoming the default Chief Technology Officer, lead editor, default problem solver, and taste tester of a start up nutrition coaching business.    

Marriage is about becoming a caregiver when your other half can't take care of themselves.  It might be bringing them a glass of water when that's all they can keep down.  It might be adding ice to the bathwater because that overhead squat got a little too heavy a little too quickly.  Or it might be going with them to countless doctor visits, holding them when the diagnosis of an incurable autoimmune condition comes in, and sticking them with a 2 inch needle once a week because they can't stomach doing it themselves.

Marriage is about learning how to forgive.  Because when you become so vulnerable to someone, they will have the ability to hurt you (and you will have the ability to hurt them) in ways you never thought imaginable.  So when they unknowingly break your heart, there is a tender part of you that will beg you to forgive them.  I beg you. Forgive them.

People always say "marriage is hard" like it's a badge of honor that they know this.  I'll be honest, marriage is hard.  But that's what makes it so great.  If you want a stronger body, you have to have bear weight and resistance, but too much will break you.  So you need rest and recovery, but too much of that will make you weak.

Because when we're married, we could take the easy way out and avoid conflict, avoid uncomfortable moments and discussion, and create a false reality where everything is just perfect.  But then we would dwell in a house of cards.  One strong wind and it's over.

I am so blessed to have a man who is willing to fight for me when I've lost the will to do so for him.  I have a husband who loves me so dearly he will admit when he's wrong and when he's sorry.  I have someone who I can laugh with, cry with, and dare to dream of a future with.  And my prayer is that when he looks at me, he sees an equal partner.  So my wish today is that one day I'll be able to look back at these musing, smile fondly, because after so many more years of marriage I'll know so much more.

Joel- I love you.  I adore you.  I'm grateful to have you.  Happy Anniversary and here's to a lifetime more of memories.    

Stuffed Miniature Pumpkins and the Evolution of Cooking

Cooking is a therapeutic activity for me.  After a long and stressful day, I look forward to cooking a nourishing meal for my family.  There is something about taking whole food and turning it into a complete meal.  Often times, I'll catch myself smiling while adding spices or sauteing some meat and veggies.  Cooking is not only the best way to control your food quality and macronutrient content, it is also one of the best ways to connect with what is on your fork.

I haven't always felt this way about cooking.  It is undeniable that there is an evolution to cooking.  My personal journey started with adding ingredients to boxed meals such as broccoli to Hamburger Helper or dry soup mixes.  And to me, that was considered homemade.  Occasionally I would play with super complicated recipes out of The Joy of Cooking, spend all day creating something, and after an exhausting day, swear it off for good.  But for the most part, the cooking I did was made from something prefabricated elsewhere.

But necessity truly is the mother of invention.  When I realized that I had a pretty serious Gluten intolerance, gone were the days of trusting boxed food.  Gluten is hidden in so many things from the obvious offenders such as pasta and bread, to soup and dressing mixes, to canned soups and stocks, to spice mixtures.  Wheat is cheap and flavorless, which means it is a perfect ingredient to increase the yield for food items.  This took most of the prepackaged food items off the table for me.  So this forced me into another stage in the evolution of cooking.  Rather than rely on food scientists to premix and flavor foods for me, I started using cookbooks and exploring spices and flavors to create meals.  I even started making my own soup stock, mixing post workout whey drinks, and brewing Kombucha.

And not so long ago I hit another major milestone in my food evolution.  I entered the era of recipe creation.  I'm not a creative person by nature, but when I've been immersed in something for awhile the wheels start turning.  My goal was to start learning how to take complementary flavors and create delicious meals.  A few weeks ago, I made a chili (from a cookbook) that used cloves.  The clove gave the chili a hard and sweet, almost smoky, flavor that I was fascinated by.  At the same time, a volunteer miniature pumpkin plant in our garden was supplying us with what we would normally use as Halloween decorations.  The wheels were spinning pretty fast and furious at this point.  So I went for it and created the recipe below.  And not to brag, but it is pretty darn tasty!

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef or ground lamb (I used beef because we didn't have any lamb but I think this would be delicious with lamb.  I know some people like to use ground turkey, but I don't recommend this because I think ground turkey is dry and tasteless.)
6 miniature pumpkins- grocery stores have tons of them in stock right now for really cheap
1 bunch of kale
1 tablespoon 100% pure maple syrup
1 onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4 teaspoons cinnamon, split
1/2 teaspoon of cloves (it is easy to go overboard on this, so be careful)
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350.

1.  Cut the tops off the miniature pumpkins and spoon just the seeds out (make sure to leave the flesh on the sides of the pumpkins).

2.  Mix 2 teaspoons of the cinnamon and the maple syrup in a separate dish.  Brush the mixture evenly into the pumpkins.

3.  Put the tops of the pumpkins back on and place them in an oven safe dish.  Bake the pumpkins for 35-45 minutes.

4.  While the pumpkins are baking, saute your onions.  When the onions are translucent, add the ground beef or lamb, garlic, cloves, and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon.  Cook until meat is brown.

5.  While the meat is browning and the pumpkins are pumkining, rinse your kale and pull the kale leaves from the spines of the kale (I really don't know what the technical term is for any of this...  this is just what sounds good to me).  Add the kale to the meat once it is brown.  Mix the kale and turn the burner on low (you'll want to keep this warm, but not keep it cooking).

6.  Once the pumpkins are soft to the touch, pull them out of the oven and let them cool.  Scrape the flesh off the sides into a bowl.  (Note-The flesh should be very soft and easy to scrape.  If the flesh is hard, then you should put the pumpkins back in the oven until they are soft.)

7.  Mix the pumpkin flesh in with meat.  Stir all of it together and then spoon the mixture back into the pumpkins.  

8.  Enjoy!!

I think this pairs well with a simple spinach salad.  The one pictured below is simply spinach, chopped fresh button mushrooms, a pomegranate, with an olive oil/red wine vinegar dressing.  

Have fun with this recipe.  And let me know what you think!!