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The Significance of Now and a New Whole30 Fiesta Frittata
I actually gasped as I received a work meeting invite yesterday for a Q1 business review scheduled just a few weeks from now. Although, I spend plenty of time with my calendar, it provided me with an alternative (and startling) perspective on the fact that we are already halfway through the third month of the year – which served as a powerful reminder that there truly is no time like the present. One thing I have started trying to do consistently over the past month is to observe what Gretchen Rubin calls the “One Minute Rule.” In her book, The Happiness Project, she talks about her commitment to automatically do…
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What in the World is a Whole30 (and More Importantly – Why Would Anyone Choose to Do One)?
As you may have noticed, many if not most, of the entrée recipes that I post are tagged as Whole30 compliant and you may or may not know what exactly that means. In short, the Whole30 is an elimination diet which outlines specific rules and recommendations around foods which are commonly problematic for many people as they tend to violate at least one of the “Good Food Standards” outlined by Dallas Hartwig and Melissa Hartwig in their book, It Starts With Food. I recently reread this book, and was surprised by how much of the fine detail I had forgotten. The book is a robust review of research in the…
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Choosing the Bigger Life :: A Second Dog and Paleo Almond Butter Blender Muffins
I would generally consider myself someone who really likes to have clear expectations set, be in control, know the plan and stick to it. I would not consider myself to be very spontaneous, but I suppose moderately flexible. Since I am an Upholder, I sometimes find myself hesitant or reluctant to take on new things because I don’t want them to crowd out the things I have already started on because of course, we all have limited resources (time, attention, money, etc.) and I am not one to commit to something unless I know that I can see it through to the very end. When I take on a new…
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The Benefits of Being Optimistic :: Dairy-Free, Vegan and Paleo Queso Dip
Optimism is something I really never gave too much consideration to. I have always really prided myself on being a realist – not overly pessimistic or cynical, but definitely not an unfailing hopeful (although I suspect many people may choose to classify themselves in this way, just as everyone insists they are a “better than average driver.” Except me. I am a terrible driver and I don’t care. I blissfully have not attempted to drive in about 3.5 years now and I love it). However, I have the opportunity to work for one of the most eternally optimistic people that have ever walked the earth. My boss is unfailingly positive…
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It’s the Little Things and Whole30 Buffalo Broccoli
Throughout the past year, I have devoted a large proportion of my reading time to studying the topic of “happiness” deeply in order to gain minor subject matter expertise. Although there may be some discrepancies as to the actual weights which should be ascribed to each category depending on the study, by in large, all psychology presents “Happiness” formulaically as an equation: H = S + C + V, where H is your enduring level of happiness, S is your set range, C is your life circumstances, and V includes activities and actions under voluntary control. Much has been written on the topic and to really even scratch the surface…
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Energy Boosters: Sunshine, Tackling Nagging Tasks, and Whole30 Swordfish with Pistachio Gremolata
As the winter **hopefully** approaches a turning point, I have been thrilled with the slightly longer days as opposed to pitch darkness starting around 4:00 PM. I find it amazing the extent to which exposure to light has been shown to impact our moods – something which certainly rings true for me. In a cross-cultural study of participants from four different countries at varying distances from the equator, Kuller et al., found that those subjects which were located furthest north experienced “significant variation in psychological mood over the year that did not occur in the countries closer to the equator… [and] the light and color of the workplace itself also…
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Happy Memories and Whole30 Broccoli Cheese Soup
Just as we tend to overestimate what we can do in the short term and underestimate what is possible over the long run, it can also be challenging to objectively measure or recognize our progress even when we are consistent. It’s like watching a plant grow every day or bringing water to boil. We can kind of tell things are headed in the right direction, but when we wake up each day with ourselves, it’s often hard to see the small and slow changes that are being accumulated. I recently realized that I am over halfway through my year long Happiness Project and therefore stopped to consider whether or not…
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Learning to Savor, Appreciating the Now and Paleo Brownies with Sweet Potato Chocolate Frosting
Over the past month, I have been running on extra high energy and enthusiasm, making good progress on some pretty big projects. If you know me, you know that I love working towards goals and positively thrive on getting.stuff.done. I am now starting my eighth month of my Happiness Project and the daily resolutions tracker has gotten long. This weekend as my husband and I sat together for breakfast at home, I was working my way through the list and mapping out my strategy for the day. He is more than well-acquainted with the particulars of this project (and my general achievement orientation) and made some comment to the effect…
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Be Consistent – Those Small Steps Add Up :: Whole30 Chicken Pesto Pasta
As always, the time that I spent back home with my family for Christmas was fabulous (although already becoming a faint memory) and went by MUCH too quickly. Especially whenever I am with my sister, it seems that we have a million and one things that we want to do and accomplish, but never have nearly enough time. Although we had a lot fun and I wouldn’t have changed a thing, we had wanted to meet up with more friends, visit a Christmas lightshow, check out a new restaurant, take a barre class together, and so on. I guess time does fly when you’re having fun. And in many ways,…
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Reward, Intrinsic Motivation, and How to Make Ghee!
Most people are probably aware of the basic framework for habit formation and more or less familiar with some version of what Charles Duhhig has termed the “Habit Loop.” We can learn to automate a particular behavior by establishing a relationship which involves seeing the stimulus or cue, which invokes a routine with a specific action, in order to attain some reward. Of course, this is true, but I think that in many ways our idea of what exactly constitutes a “reward” has become a bit misconstrued. Ultimately, we need to ensure that said rewards are appropriate for and aligned with the habit we are trying to form. As someone…
