Snow, snow, snow!
February is going out with a bang, indeed.
I got stuck in the driveway yesterday and had to place some wood planks under the back tires to get out. Fun times!!!
Also broke our brand new shovel while shoveling!
Comfort food was in order this morning…
Choco-cado Pumpkin Speltmeal
I have been wanting to try spelt flakes as a hot cereal. I thought I would give it a whirl this morning not really knowing how they would turn out. The spelt didn’t cook as voluminous as oats, so I bulked it up with some pumpkin. Spelt is rich in Vitamin B3, vitamin B1, manganese, phosphorus, and magnesium.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup spelt flakes
- 1/4 cup pumpkin
- 1.5-2 cups water
- Pumpkin Pie spice, to taste
- Pinch sea salt
Toppings:
- Vegan graham crackers
- Cacao nibs
- coconut
- Pure maple Syrup
- Choco-cado pudding (amazing on this!)
The spelt tasted ‘wheatier’ than the oats and it was also chewier. Overall, I prefer the taste of oats, but with some toppings I could barely notice the difference.
Morning pot of Japanese Sencha..zing, zing.
How old do you feel?
Often, I still feel like a university student. One reason why Eric and I are waiting to have kids is because we both still feel so young ourselves. Many days I still feel like a kid myself!
However, this was not always the case. When I was working in my stressful research job while juggling my full-time Master’s degree and teaching position, I felt OLD, old, old. I was stressed out to the max, I started to get fine lines and wrinkles, and I felt like I was at least 10 years older than I really was. I pictured my life as unhappy and stressed out, working at the same job my whole life.
This all changed when I took my life into my own hands and decided to create happiness in my life. After leaving my job, I was even more stressed out, but the difference was that there was now hope. Before, I didn’t have hope because I accepted that I would always be unhappy in my career.
As the months went by in 2009, I started to get myself back. I started to feel energetic, happy, and back to my old self. I started to feel young! I also started drinking Green Monsters and shifted to a vegan diet. I ran my first race and several races after that. I set goals for myself and enjoyed trying to meet them.
I truly believe that to feel young and vibrant, we need to create happiness in our lives one way or another. It is not something that is done overnight; it often takes months, if not years, to get on the path that you desire.
As you may know, some of my favourite books are Dr. Oz’s YOU books. In his book, YOU: The Owner’s Manual, he has a Real Age test. I was curious last night, so I took the real age test online and this is what I got:
I’m almost legal in the US! ;)
I would say that I now feel about 21-23 yrs old most days. When I was stressed out with my previous job and academic career, I felt about 35-38! I’m NOT saying that is old, but what I mean is that I felt like I had much more responsibility than I should have had at such a young age. While I wouldn’t go BACK to my early twenties (I was much more unstable than I am now), I think it is fun to ‘feel’ younger, energy wise.
I took the test several years ago when I was 22 and my score was about 19, so I have brought my real age down by 3 more years since then.
The test asks questions about your health background, your diet, fitness level, family history, drinking habits, etc. It pinpoints areas where you struggle and gives suggestions on how to improve your health.
My questions to you today are:
1) How old are you?
2) How old do you FEEL?
There is a difference most of the time…
~~~
Updates:
Size Healthy around the Blog World:
- Katie: http://www.healthforthewholeself.com/2010/02/size-healthy-contest/
- Pauline: http://eatplaynlove.blogspot.com/2010/02/size-healthy-contest.html
It’s supposed to be a rest day for me, but I have to go shovel the drive-way! Boo urns.
PS- Super scary + nail-bitter ending to the game last night! Very excited for US vs Canada on Sunday afternoon!!!!
Enjoy your Saturday! :)
I’m 26 years old but my body feels about 18!! My BODY feels 18, but my maturity level is definitely more like 40. Does that make sense? I also look about 16 years old..I get the question “what grade are you in?” all the time!!
I’m definitely not looking forward to shoveling but if I don’t, I fear we’ll be trapped inside! LOL
I am 34 but I feel like I am 25…I feel better than ever. I have to admit though, the #34 definitely scares me a bit!
I’m not into this “real age” thing. When you say you felt 35, what does that mean? That 35 year olds are old and feel tired and stressed out? Does this mean that when you are 35, you’ll feel the same way you did when you were working at your stressful job? Age doesn’t mean anything.
Great point! I guess I was referring to the fact that being in my early to mid twenties I felt like I had the world’s weight on my shoulders when I should have been living a carefree and fun life. I don’t mean that all 35 year olds feel this way, but I do think with age comes more responsibility. I agree that age is just a number. It is how you feel.
Sorry if I came off as snarky, but I do think that the Real Age thing lets people attribute vitality and health to youth and fatigue and stress to aging, which is too bad. Hopefully we’re all doing the best we can at every age and not pining for something that is relatively easily attainable at any age.
No need for a sorry, I totally get your point! I think it is easy to define how we feel by a number…but it makes so much more sense not to use a number and to instead describe exactly how we feel.
I need to invest in some boards because we got stuck in our driveway again today.
And for the questions:
I’m really 28 but I feel about 22. I feel like I can still hang out with the college students in our community and not be old enough to be a mom to a 10 year old like some people think I am when my 10 year old cousin visits.
I took the Real Age test a year ago and it said I was 2 years older than I actually am…retook it just now and now i’m 6 years younger than I actually am due ot improved diet and exercise and general well-being :) Too fun…There are days I feel every year of my 33 years, other days, I feel like I’m 21 again….Just important to listen to your body and treat it as it feels…. Thanks for all the great posts :)
I’m 20, but still feel 17 or something. It’s weird when people refer to me as a woman because I still feel so much like a girl!
I’m 22.3 but apparently my real age is 14.9.
Can’t say I’m excited to be considered pre-pubescent… :P who needs all those problems? I’m quite happy to be 22.3 thank you very much!
I’m 20, but I’d say my real age is probably 25. Not stress-wise or anything, I’ve just always been called an old soul and can’t wait to settle down! As much as I love college, I’m happiest with a relatively quiet, routined life!
Thank you so much for sharing this info- I am going now to check out my real age. I hope its not like the Wii Fit, which purposefully tells you an older age to get you to workout more- UGH!
~Christie (http://rollerkoesterrun.wordpress.com/)
I think Eic and I score 75 yrs oldon the Wii fit balance test! hahaha
Yikes! My real age is almost eight years older than I am. Gotta work on that, I guess.
And I laughed that you wrote “boo-urns!” “I can say boo-urns.”
I am 25 and I got 17.5 on the test, whoa hoo- I’m back in high school. I actually got 20 on the Wii Fit test, so I like these kind of tests they make me feel good haha. I don’t know how old I feel, it’s sort of hard to say. I mean, I don’t feel I thought I’d feel at 25, but I also don’t feel 17 because when I was 17 I was just so different. I feel healthy though, that’s what counts right?
Making that choco-cado pudding today!!!! Bought my avocados and everything!
I am 23 (24 in May). And last year at 22 I felt old. Like 25, because I had a full time job, was making my own money and had a personal trainer ha. But now that I’m a student again and totally not supporting myself I fell about 18. HA!
I am 21 years old, (22 in May), at one of the most exciting points in my life. I haven’t gotten the results to my test yet, but I’d assume that I’m older than that. The uncertainty of my future often stresses me out and as a perfectionist, I can really give my mind, body, and soul a run for it’s money. I am constantly reminding myself to sit back and enjoy the ride though, because, well, like I said, I’m at one of the most exciting points in my life :) and I suppose living, as a whole, shouldn’t be taken for granted no matter what age you are on paper. Great post!
I am 27, and I feel about 17 :-)
I love those real age tests … I can’t wait to do this one!! I hope I come up younger than I am!!!
I took the test and it came back that my “real age” is 33.4. I am 31 years old. But, I KNOW a lot of the way the test came out has to do with my weight and inactivity of the past several years. I am already trying to eat healthier and exercise, but the results are still a ways away. So, physically I definitely feel older than I am.
Mentally, though, I feel MUCH younger, like in my 20’s. This may be due to the fact that I am just now finishing up my college degree (and hopefully going to be going on to graduate school). But I don’t know if I’ll ever really feel like an “adult”…
I look very young for my age (people always think I’m 17!) But I feel around my age, mid twenties.
I took the test a little while ago.
I’m 28.8 and the test said my real age is 37.9! Not good!
I think it would help if I changed a few eating habits and got more daily exercise.
I’m 19, but I feel older most of the time because my life situation is not that of a typical 19 year old. I’d say I feel 23 most of the time.
i took the test- i’m 24 but my “real age” is 16! 8 years difference! to be honest though, i feel way better (healthier) than i did at 16.