"ideas worth spreading"

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to attend an event known as TEDxUNC. I didn't really have any expectations, which is (for me) sometimes the best way to approach a new experience. For anyone new to the term TEDx, or TED, this is a nonprofit that is dedicated to "Ideas Worth Spreading". Essentially I signed up for afternoon to watch and hear inspiring people from around the globe. I have to say that I left feeling inspired, not sure for what, but inspired nonetheless :)

One of the most fascinating speakers for me was Kavita Shukla, here is a copy of her bio from the TEDxUNC website:

Kavita is the Founder & CEO of Fenugreen, a social enterprise taking on the massive global challenge of food waste with a simple innovation, FreshPaper. Kavita holds four patents, and has received several international honors as an inventor, designer, and entrepreneur, including the INDEX: Design to Improve Life Award – the world’s largest prize for design. Her work has been featured by CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Bloomberg, Oprah Magazine, Glamour, and The Today Show. Kavita was also recently featured as one of the “7 Entrepreneurs Changing the World” by Fast Company and on the Forbes “30 under 30” list.

Pretty impressive for under 30 right? What's more impressive is the message she shared. She encouraged people, young girls in particular, to honor their inquisitiveness and to have confidence to keep pursuing an interest or solution for a problem. Before I give more detail about what she developed, I think it will be more fun to give a quick synopsis of how she did it. 

Kavita visited her grandmother, I believe in India. She had been repeatedly warned not to drink the water, but her junior high brain forgot and she gulped a glass after brushing her teeth. She instantly remembered the advice and then began to worry about getting sick. Kavita's grandmother created a concoction of spices and herbs and told her to drink it. Magically, Kavita didn't get sick. This baffled and fascinated Kavita, so at the ripe old age of 12 she began to experiment with rotting food and spices in her garage back in the States. If I remember correctly, one of her high school science teachers told her she was really on to something and encouraged her to get a patent. Longer story short, after some entertaining attempts during and shortly after college to get her product out there, she, her co-collaborator and an intern landed an interview with Whole Foods. Now you can buy their product on the shelves. Pretty neat to think a garage science experiment is now a product that could have great impact in the world.

So what exactly did Kavita develop? FreshPaper. This product is literally a sheet of paper infused with organic spices that can keep fruit and vegetables fresh longer. If you can preserve fruit and veggies from harvest to kitchen, that might afford people an opportunity to actually consume more healthy foods. She feels this product can chip away at global hunger by decreasing food waste. We (the world) produces a lot of food, yet much of it never makes it in to people's mouths. Click here for this eye-opening infographic on food waste. 

I have yet to try out the product but plan to do so, because purchasing for my own benefit can actually help benefit those who need it most. If you give it a try, let me know what you think. 

I tell you this not to pawn a product but instead because 1. this little invention may help you eat more healthy foods, 2. this little invention could help others eat more healthy foods, and 3. the next great thing can literally come from your own backyard. 

I'm taking this as an inspiration to aim to keep solutions simple. I think this will be particularly important for my career path and personal life. Perhaps it might be helpful for you too.

Until next time :)

The many ways in which time flies.

It feels like I just blogged yesterday. Well, maybe not quite yesterday, but it sure doesn't seem like one month ago. Since I, and perhaps you too, often do not know where the time goes, I thought it would be fun to compile a random list of ways in which time flies. And I promise to make some sort of wellness connection for you :)

But before we get to that, let's check in on any goal setting you did around the new year. What goals did you set? How are you doing? Where are you struggling?

Let's reflect on some of the tips I mentioned about setting yourself up for success. Do you remember what they were?

• Start small. If you've never walked/jogged/run a 5K distance, perhaps hold off on the marathon plan and instead begin with the Couch to 5K program.
• Be true to you. If your friends want to hit up the pool for water aerobics but the idea of luke-warm water on a cold winter day doesn't get you jazzed about hanging with your friends or being active, then think about alternative forms of activity for yourself and perhaps get friend time in some other way.
• It's not too late. Do you feel like you've already fallen off the wagon? What if instead we re-frame the situation? You haven't fallen off, you are just fine tuning your plans and goals to better suit your needs. If you think about it, life is a work in progress. Why would your work toward goals be any different? Truth be told, I often don't meet the goals I set for myself (even for something as small as my daily to-do list. By the way, today's list isn't looking so good...).  But instead of throwing in the towel, I reflect, plan/readjust, and keep on trucking.
• S-M-A-R-T~R goals. Have you laid out a very clear plan for yourself? If not, that is an important place to start. See January's post for a refresher or more details. 

In honor of another month passing us by. Let's look at a random mash-up of ways time flies and keeping life simply nutritious.

Where has the month gone for me? School. The semester started soon after the new year, so a majority of my time has gone to settling back in to school mode. It's the most stimulating brain-drain ever. I have to say I really enjoy my classes and feel they have fun and pertinent projects. One of my most fun classes is Physical Activity Epidemiology and Public Health. If I were you, I'd be wondering what that even means. Essentially I will be getting a broad overview of physical activity and how it impacts the public's health. Now you're probably saying, "Well duh Courtney, it's good for us and we should do it". And I would agree with you. But in case you, or someone you love, is still skeptical- check out this video 23 1/2 hours.

The cool part about this class is that I'm learning much more about the methodology behind where recommendations come from and measuring people's physical activity. The content is also very important and applicable for every day life. On our first day of class, our professor (who also happens to be my mentor) asked us to sign a physical activity pledge. I had to sign a commitment (or contract for you formal, business people out there) with my activity goals for the semester. I also had to pledge to help at least one other person to reach his/her physical activity goals for the semester. Commitments/contracts are a great way to formalize your intentions. Consider creating a commitment of your own. You and someone else could sign on to whatever lifestyle changes you are working towards.

In taking my class commitment one step further, I would love to help anyone reading this. I'll continue to blog monthly and hopefully offer easy-to-implement tips. But if you have anything specific, reach out to me. This commitment process is a play on the goal setting process. I thought it would be neat to share my experience and struggles with goal setting and working to reach those goals.

Here's how it went down: In knowing what my physical activity looked like last semester, I felt it was very important to be realistic about what I could commit to, but I also wanted to push myself to meet at least the minimum recommendations for health. Do you happen to know what those recommendations are?

The 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans state that adults should:

• Avoid inactivity (something is better than nothing)
• Achieve at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity each week
• Do muscle strengthening activities on 2 or more days per week

 My goal is to achieve at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity and at least 2 days of muscle strengthening each week. What is a moderate intensity activity? Walking at least 3 miles per hour (mph) or bicycling 10-12 mph are some of the easier to grasp examples. In order to avoid inactivity, my goal is to mostly stand while I'm at work. I have rigged a pseudo-standing desk that allows me to at least be on my feet.

Now let me further explain my rationale behind my choice for the way this goal is constructed. I chose the lump time of 150 minutes per week instead of saying I will exercise 30 minutes, 5 times a week. I know my schedule and I will need to take advantage of any opportunity to get physical activity. If I can get 40 minutes at once- great- but if I can only get 10 minutes in- awesome. It all adds up. I bring this up as a way to think outside the box and give yourself as much flexibility as possible in obtaining your goals. Just because you usually do 50 minute Zumba classes doesn't mean it has to be an all or nothing. Perhaps you don't have 50 minutes for a class but you have 25 for a walk- go for it. Remember, something is better than nothing!

How am I doing with the goal? I'm moving in the right direction :) Have I hit the mark every week? Most of the time yes, but it has taken daily and weekly adjustments. My activity gets scheduled in to my calendar just like any class or meeting. Mornings work best for me, so I tend to block it in there. Some mornings I don't get to it, so I either look for other ways or times to get it in. My challenge to you is to think about those things you are committed to. Once you know those things you wouldn't consider missing, how can you share that with the new behaviors you are working to make a habit? I also highly recommend working to become more flexible- something is better than nothing. Something is better than nothing (for any goal, not just physical activity).

I have to say that Emma is reaping benefits from my goal. If I could record her snoring, I would. I have been told that on days we have a morning walk, she has to be woken up for her mid-day potty break.

Sleepy puppy.

Time can also fly while planking. Say what? When 2:30 hits at work days (and I'm not in class), it's time for a quick Fitness Break. This started as part of a holiday challenge at our Center, and we have really rolled with it. This 10-minute period turns in to a great bonding, stress-relieving, brain-invigorating, body-pumping time. Have I sold you on it yet? My friend/colleague has created a master playlist of pick-me-up tunes to inspire our activity for the next few minutes. We started simply doing push-ups, wall sits, and planks for at least 30 seconds. Over the course of a month we worked to increase time and repititions. Now we do a variety of things. One of my quick favorites is the 7-minute work out. There is a free app in case you want an animated voice to count and blow a whistle to signal the next activity. What would it look like for you to build in your own fitness break throughout the day? Who would you invite along? What would you do? Just think, you could intrigue and inspire those around you. And a quick mental break will leave you feeling refreshed and rejuvenated to focus on whatever task you face next.

Time flies while watching tv. Many of us spend lots of time watching televisions, tablets, and other sources of media. I bet may of you are watching the Super Bowl at this very moment. Since I'm short on time, I'll come back to it in a supplementary post. But just as a little teaser, I'll share some big news headlines over the past couple weeks.

"Lack of Exercise More Deadly Than Obesity, Study Suggests"

"Can't Exercise for 30 Minutes Today? Any Activity Is Better than None"

"Just how little exercise does it take to get healthier?"

Last, but not certainly not least, birthdays are an indication that time flies. Today is my mom's birthday- Happy birthday Mom! I can only imagine she has reflected a little bit on how her time has flown. I'm hear to tell you that she has yet to slow down. She has a boundless amount of love and energy, and I look forward to a 'roadtrip' visit from her soon.

Listening to my mom's parents sing her happy birthday. I heart facetime.

My mom has taught me the art of "piddling". You might ask what exactly piddling is. I would define it as an inability to sit still for any length of time. It is finding an excuse to move something from the kitchen to a bedroom; it is standing at the counter flipping through a magazine. It is anything that keeps you moseying around the house. As soon as I leave campus, I plan to go home and piddle while the Super Bowl is on, although I think I've missed half of it at this point (thank you biochemistry). Thank you mom for passing along your inability to sit for long periods of time. In honor of my mom's birthday, perhaps you can piddle a more in your life as well :)

Since I can't spend time with her this year, other than a facetime call, I thought I would share a throwback to last year. I realize it isn't #tbt or #fbf, but perhaps I will start #sweetreminiscencesunday.

My mom, my sister and I started the morning with a favorite workout class (BarreAmped) at B3 Fitness Studio. If you are in the St. Louis area, I highly recommend you check it out. The teachers and the people are wonderful. It's a tight-knit little community

And then we met up with the guys (Dad and Josh) to treat my mom to her first waffle since she had to switch to a gluten-free way of eating. Melt you were amazing. Gluten-free for mom, meaty things for the guys, a latte for Mal, and a vegan waffle with avocado for me. It was simply divine.

Yum. No leftovers.

Wow- time flies when I write these blog posts. Time for more homework and sleep!

Don't forget to let me know how I can help you achieve your physical activity goal (or any goal for that matter) over these next few months. We can work at this together! Until next time :)