Gabriela's Oats Cookies

Looking for a healthy snack? Try baking these flourless oatmeal cookies courtesy of Gabriela of Nicaragua. This recipe makes 2 dozen cookies. The lack of flour makes them a bit crumbly but as long as the dough isn’t too wet, they stay together pretty well. I added flax meal to absorb some of the extra liquid. If you want a sugar-free option, you could try using coconut sugar instead of cane sugar.

Ingredients

1/3- 1/2 cup cane sugar 

2 eggs

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon of salt

3 cups of whole oats 

1 cup of raw grated carrots

1 cups of raisins

2 teaspoon of cinnamon

2 tablespoon of flax seeds

2 tablespoons of pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup of olive oil

1/2 cup of walnuts

1/2 cup of water

Mix ingredients together in a large bowl. I recommend putting all dry ingredients in first. Heat oven to 350°F.

Paint an oven-tray with a thin layer of butter or and spoon the cookies into the tray. Have a glass of water nearby to sink-in the spoon in between cookies, so it does not get all sticky!

Do not have them too close together so it is easy to turn them upside down. Cook on the top level of oven until cookies are ready, maybe 15 minutes.

Turn them upside down and press them flat so the other side also gets golden-brown. Enjoy!

How to get a deeper squat

The best way to improve your squat is to practice it. The more you do it, the more comfortable you will become in the squatting position. Including some of the drills in your warm up is a good idea, as is incorporating them into your active recovery days. To improve your squat, practice one or a combination of these drills. They will help you to acquire the position, a necessary prerequisite to performing a loaded squat.

1. Wall Squat – Squat down facing the wall with your hands against the wall but no other part of your body touching it. On the way down, send your hips back and your knees out. This will help load up your glutes and hamstrings. Use the wall to help you keep upright whilst you remain in this position for as long as you can manage. On the way up, squeeze your glutes, and drive through the heels to rise.

  

2. Goblet squat - Squat with a kettlebell held like a goblet in front of your body. Keep your elbows pointing down. When you squat down, your elbows should be inside your knees. Focus on pushing the knees out using the elbows to help open up the hips.

3. Pole squat - Squat down whilst lightly holding a vertical pole or you could use a door jamb. Standing arm’s length away from the pole with feet shoulder-width apart. Holding the pole with both hands, sit back into the squat using the pole to keep you upright and keep you from falling backward. This will help you maintain an upright position as you move into a deep squat.

Keeping your feet planted, move your body a little in each direction before bringing your weight back to the center. If you find a particular tight spot, create further smaller movement around that area. Continue for 2-3 minutes. This will help to loosen up and create a better bottom position for the squat. Gradually take less and less of a grip on the pole with each squat, until you are only using your fingertips on the pole. 

A deep squat is a natural position that we have lost as a result of our sedentary lifestyles. Days spent sitting in front of a computer and sitting in the car. Although many joints and muscles are involved in getting to a deep squat, it is worthwhile to explore your own range of motion and figure out what is holding you back from getting into your lowest position. I hope these drills prove helpful in your journey.

What makes Olga run?

I just finished a fascinating book called What makes Olga run? The mystery of the 90-something track star, and what she can teach us about living longer, happier lives. The author, Bruce Grierson, accompanies Olga to track meets as well as to medical-research facilities where he and scientists hope to learn the secrets of her thriving tissues and age-resistant DNA. At 94 Olga is consistently breaking records on the track. The author who is in his forties, can barely keep up with her off the track!

There are many lessons to be learned from Olga and her peers – there are more of them emerging all the time. But in the final analysis, the book lists nine rules from the masters that promote vitality, longevity, and happiness. Some might surprise you; others will likely not.

1. Keep moving – we must move, not continuously, but continually to prevent, or slow, the deterioration of the body.
2. Create routines (but sometimes break them) – routines correlate with academic success and with accomplishing things, and they seem to matter more the older we get. Our bodies crave regularity and routine frees up the mind for the things that matter to us.
3. Be opportunistic – spend your energy wisely; figure out the 20 per cent of every task that’s most important and devote 80 per cent of your energy to it
4. Be a mensch – being kind is an obvious virtue backed up by science. Doing good feels good and it works.
5. Believe in something – believe something rather than nothing, allowing for the possibility that your belief may change over time.
6. Lighten up – exercise may be the best way to de-stress but a healthy mental attitude that says there’s really no time for complaining, only for grace and gratitude will serve us well to limit our stress.
7. Cultivate a sense of progress – we need to feel as if we are improving. As time goes on, it may be necessary to adjust your expectations of yourself, then improve upon them, even by the smallest margin. That’s still progress.
8. Don’t do it if you don’t love it – find something you love and fun doing it. Make whatever you’re doing play, not work.
9. Begin now – One of my favourite quotes is: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago; the second best time is now!” This book shows us that not only is midlife not too late to get into shape, in some ways it is the best time. Our bodies, from whom we may have become disconnected during the middle decades, are calling to us: let’s get back together.

At least half of these rules, the author notes, involve attitude.  If personality is fixed, attitude is flexible. It can be adjusted using simple strategies. As   turns out, attitude matters a great deal in the quality and probably even the length of our lives.

On the physical side, the masters tell us to break a sweat daily, differently and with others.  This means the effort must be intense, the movements various, and there must be a social component. The fact that many seniors can move faster and exert more strenuously than people think, is one of the great surprises of this book.

Brierson uses humour and the skillful prose to create a compelling narrative. I recommend this book to anyone interested in aging (and not aging) and longevity. But even if you don’t read it, take the advice of the masters and begin to live better now.

Gabriela’s lentil stew

While I was in Nicaragua, our hosts served us some of the most delicious and healthy meals that, as luck would have it, were also primarily vegetarian. One in particular was so good, I asked Gabriela, our host, if she shared her recipes. She is a very giving individual, so I was not surprised when she said yes. This is one of the first meals I made after I got back from my trip. I was delighted that it turned out as well as hers. I liked it so much, I am passing it on to you. 

Below is Gabriela’s Lentil Stew. You will notice she gives instructions interspersed with the ingredients. Also, although her English is excellent, I would substitute “chopped” for “minced”.

Soak a package of 500 grams of dry lentils for 2 hours and then cook them until they are almost ready.

2 onion cut very small

1/2 carrot grated

1/2 carrot finally minced

1 stick of celery finally minced

2 heads (yes, heads) of garlic finally chopped 

1 red sweet pepper small-chopped (minced?)

1 green (sweet? NOT hot) pepper small-chopped (minced?)

a handful of thin green beans (cut in small pieces)

1 yellow or orange pepper chopped

Stir fry in a bit of olive oil:

the onions for a couple of minutes

then add the green beans for a couple of minutes 

then add the minced carrots,

then the celery, 

then the peppers and last 1/3 of the garlic 

and last the grated carrots.

Cook for a couple more minutes.

Then add 6 fresh tomatoes small chopped into the pan with all the above mix and a 1/2 cup of of water to start making the "sauce".

add a bit of salt, 

plus 1 tablespoon of sugar cane, 

add a teaspoon of "italian condiment" 

but if you do not have it, just add some dry oregano, and some dry basil only.

Add 1 teaspoon of paprika and 1 teaspoon of curry (or Garam Masala if you have)

Cook in a slow flame for 10 minutes and then add the cooked lentils 

and 1/3 of the garlic

and 1/2 cup of water 

and cook for other 15 minutes.

Check that the lentils are ready to eat. Turn the fire OFF and add the remaining 1/3 of the garlic and wait for 15 minutes.

Serve with parsley small chopped or with basil.

Note: You can add more water slowly as you cook in order to have it with a "soup consistency".

Try this recipe and see how you like it. It is chock full of vegetables and lentils for high fiber, high anti-oxidant, plant protein, vitamins and minerals – a complete meal for lunch or dinner. It goes best with Nicaraguan sorghum bread but it was also good with quinoa crackers. 

Gabriela also shared her recipe for wheat-free oatmeal cookies, which I will share in an upcoming post. Enjoy!

Musings on mobility and movement weekend

I spent this past weekend at a seminar presented by Agatsu of Montreal learning about lower body mobility. This is the fourth Agatsu seminar I have attended and I am certain there will be more because they have so much to offer. In November 2013, I took their Kettlebell Certification course at a Victory Crossfit Gym in Ottawa. In February 2014 I took their 5-day Intensive Training course in Montreal at their gym. In September 2014 I took their Upper Body Mobility and Movement Seminar in Ottawa. And finally the Lower Body Mobility and Movement Seminar at the same venue in Ottawa.

Needless to say, I am sold on Agatsu. They are a 2-person operation comprised of Shawn Mozen and Sara-Claire Lajeunesse, true masters of movement. They do not call themselves this but they really are. Their knowledge and ability to share their knowledge, and of course, their physical abilities, are first-rate. I consider myself lucky to have such good teachers.

The primary lesson learned is that anything is possible if you want it badly enough. Pick a skill, any skill that you are passionate about, and if your body is fully functional, you will get there. It is only a matter of patience and consistent practice. Any skill, no matter how complex begins with a simple movement. As you master the simple movement, you layer on a more complex movement, and gradually, you will achieve the skill you are seeking. This applies to any physical discipline be it bodyweight, kettlebells, clubbells, martial arts, gymnastics, lifting, surfing, dance, parcour and the list goes on.

The devil is in the details. In physical movement, it is often the small details that make the biggest difference. Therefore learning proper technique with careful attention to detail is important to achieving any skill. The details are not there for detail’s sake, they are there for a reason. If one person does something one way, and someone else does it another way, both might be correct if both have sound reasoning for what they do. There is more than one way to the top of the mountain. However, sometimes one way risks getting you killed while the other one will get you to the top safely.

Safety must come first. What’s the point in training if you’re going to get injured? If you learn how to execute exercises with proper form, you will avoid injury and your rate of progress will be faster. This is why the ability to perform basic movements will bodyweight alone, is a precursor to adding load. The risk of failure is reduced when you have sound basics.

Mobility and flexibility are the first step to safety. Mobility practice should precede all physical activities. Joint mobility is the practice of moving each joint in its given ranges of motion to increase the degree of that range. It can be a means of pre-habilitation, rehabilitation, post-habilitation, workout warm-up and enhancing athletic performance. If you perform consistent mobility practice, your need for rehabilitation has been significantly reduced if not eliminated.

Mobility practice must take place in all 3 planes because life occurs in all planes. You cannot predict what life is going to throw at you so you must prepare yourself for all possibilities. The three planes include: sagittal (front/back), frontal (left/right), and transverse (rotational). We should train all aspects of movement such as strength, balance, speed, flexibility, mobility, and endurance as well as developing the skills to express these attributes in all planes of motion.

The CST system developed by Scott Sonnon talks about 6 planes of movement. In addition to the 3 mentioned, he adds: rolling (bending sideways), pitching forward and backward as in a backbend, and heaving (moving up and down as in a squat). These are valid and important planes but all could arguably fall under one of the main three.

I have been very lucky finding instructors of the highest calibre in my fields of interest: martial arts and physical fitness. As I develop my own skills, my intention is to pass on what I have learned to others with similar interests. And as I do this, I remind myself that I am also very lucky to be healthy and fit so that I can do what I love to do: keep improving my movement and help others so the same. Here’s to healthy and prosperous 2015!

The effects of food temperature

In a climate like ours, where we experience dramatic shifts in temperature depending on the season, it is natural that we must eat differently depending the season. Among all animals, only humans heat their food. But then, humans do a lot of things that no other species does. All human societies use fire for meal preparation which makes cooking a universal custom.

The temperature of the food we eat affects the energy field of the food and thus how it affects us. Life needs warmth to unfold. Heat raises energy, and our inner heat feeds our energy. We keep these energies going by burning up foods during digestion and metabolism. Hot foods will support our metabolic activities especially when the weather is cold and we need to counterbalance its effects. By raising the energy level of foods, we raise our own.

In a cool environment, life slows down. The leftovers in the fridge don’t grow mold as easily as it would if left out at room temperature. It follows that cold slows down our metabolism, as well as counteracting our bodies’ inner heat.

Many people like ice-cold drinks. Beyond combating the outside temperature, the body also must be holding a lot of heat to crave such extreme cold. The food we eat may be creating an excess of internal heat. One possibility is exercising which builds up a lot of internal heat. Barring that scenario, sedentary Canadians may be consuming too many calories (calories are a measurement of heat). Considering that carbohydrates and protein provide 4 calories per gram, and fat provides 9 calories per gram, it is likely that fat might be the source of excessive inner heat. When you consider that we are artificially warmed by heated buildings in cold seasons, we have little use for that extra heat.

When people eat less fat and more vegetables, cold fare may not only be unnecessary, it could even have a negative effect. Food and drinks consumed straight out of the refrigerator have a very low energy field. They tend to lower energy levels, sometimes to the point of sleepiness. The presence of sugar can intensify that effect. Sugar is a partial food whose energy field has been disrupted by processing.

The energy of foods can, of course, be raised by heating, stirring, tossing, adding strong flavourings, such as garlic, lemon, onions, herbs, spices, or by any other active motions of preparation. I do not include microwaving as this disrupts the energy fields significantly. Better to heat foods over the stove or in the oven instead.

Do you start your day with a cup of hot tea or coffee? Very likely that hot beverage gives you more of a boost than the same one drink at room temperature. On consecutive days, try eating two different kinds of lunch and observe how energetic you feel in the afternoon. On the first day eat only leftovers straight out of the fridge; on the second day cook up a hot meal from scratch. Notice the difference in how you feel in the hours afterward. As the sensation of body temperature is highly subjective, you have to explore your own reactions to what you eat.

It’s a good idea to learn to use foods and cooking methods to regulate temperature and to counterbalance the weather of the season. In addition to the temperature of the food, there are other elements to consider: the intrinsic subtle “hot” or “cold” energy ascribed to it by Asian culture; the temperature of the environment; and the law of the pendulum, which turns everything into its opposite. In a future post, I will discuss more about specific warming and cooling foods.

Special events for 2015

I have many special events in the works for the year ahead. My intentions for this year are multiple: to offer sessions that will interest the everyday athlete, to provide cross-training in the winter months, to add some purposeful activity to anyone’s fitness regime, to teach new skills, to teach techniques you can do on your own and expose active people to a variety of unconventional methods for keeping fit. By unconventional, I mean, unusual, different and most of all functional. But my ultimate goal is to expose people to the variety of ways it is possible to have fun with functional movement on the road to getting or staying in shape.

To kick off the beginning of the New Year, I am very excited to announce two new Fit Forever events for January. First is a Cardio-Kettlebell-and-Core Turkey Blaster to help you start the year off right, working heart-rate and muscle endurance to help burn those extra calories taken in over the holidays. Let’s face it, cardio can be boring. Working out on a step machine, an elliptical or an indoor trainer isn’t exciting and it does nothing for building strength. Why not work strength and endurance at the same time?

This Cardio-Kettlebell-and-Core session will start out with full-body joint mobility preparation, a light warm-up to get the circulation going, followed by a kick-ass kettlebell circuit incorporating movements you have likely never seen before. Some experience with kettlebells is recommended for this workout. We will review each new exercise to be sure you are executing it with proper form, and after that we will be going at it full swing. You will leave this session feeling both tired and exhilarated.

On January 25th, Fit Forever presents Freedom of Movement Seminar Part II: Lower Body Mobility. During this session, we will spend time working on ways to recover full range of motion in the lower body. Following this we will start to add load to the legs using various types of weights, followed by a short cardio session of battle rope training to get your heart rate going. As always, we will cool down with some stretching.

Other upcoming events in the works for the year include: 

• Introduction to Strength Training
• Introduction to Clubbell Training
• Introduction to Kettlebell Training
• Full body mobility and movement seminar
• Cardio strength training
• Kinetic chains: Upper and lower body: making the connection

Whether you have your own fitness program or not, anyone can benefit from these sessions. Find exercises to add to your regime, discover new training methods, or just supplement your regular training with these monthly seminars. The ultimate goal is full body movement and body control. I am very excited about these programs. Stay tuned to Facebook or fitforeverottawa.com - dates and times will be posted monthly. Hope to see you this Sunday!

New Year's in Nicaragua

One year and 7 days ago I started this blog. It was my New Year’s resolution for 2014. I started out with gusto writing a blog a day Monday through Friday. It was timing-consuming and a lot of work. By May, I backed off to writing 3 times a week and come summer vacation, I wrote only when I felt like I had something to say. I started to write more regularly again in the fall, but usually only twice a week. Now I am writing my first blog of 2015 having spent the first week of the new year enjoying the warm sunshine and beaches in Nicaragua.

I went there to take surfing lessons and to take part in a New York-based Yoga retreat. We met some lovely people. The place where we stayed is called Equilibrio. It is best described as a retreat. It is not a hotel or a resort but an oasis in the jungle. Not Costa Rica style jungle, the trees there are much smaller, but it is overgrown with trees everywhere you look. Equilibrio is the brainchild of James Womack, a native New Jersey-ite and his Argentinian wife Gabriela Prado. Together they conceived and created this place that fits so well into its natural surroundings while at the same time providing all the comforts of a 5-star resort.

Each lodging called a casita, has its own private grounds fenced in with dried fronds and bamboo. The lodging itself is spacious, clean and comfortable. The bedroom area is in the front. The walls are about 3 feet high and the rest is screening. The cone-shaped roof is almost 25 feet at the apex, giving the room even more feeling of spaciousness. You can lie in your bed and look up listening to strong wind moving through the trees outside the screening and the various chirping of birds. If you are lucky and the moon is full, it lights up the jungle and you may have to wear a mask to keep out the light when it’s time to sleep.

In the back of the casita is a small fridge, a counter and walk-in closet with a mirror and a huge bathroom. There are two round, screened windows and a wooden plank door with a sliding bolt. It leads out back where a stone path leads you to the outdoor shower.

Also on the grounds is a space for yoga that is covered but open-air. It can be enclosed with a curtain at night if the bugs are bad. There is also a sweat lodge that you crawl into and sit around the steaming rocks. A short walk from there is the eating area which is right by the river. It is circular-ish and has the same roof construction as the casitas. If you look up to the very peak of the roof from inside, you can see a disco ball attached to a cable and a winch. Yes, it lowers to the ground and you can swing from it.

The owners will accommodate your every wish if they can. They arrange for transportation, help you find things to do, take you to the beach by small outboard motor boat, adjust mealtimes to suit your schedule, make food according to your tastes, and of course, they offer daily yoga practice. The grounds are secure and although they give you keys for your place – your entrance gate and your front door has a lock – they are not necessary. Nothing has gone missing in their ten years in business.

If you are looking for a place of peace and tranquility in a warm climate, I highly recommend Equilibrio and Nicaragua. Namaste and Happy New Year!