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 31… Mentally I feel 25, physically I feel like I’m in my 60’s.
I definitely feel younger than I am … age is just a number, right? I only feel old when I pay the bills. LOL!
K
I’m 17, but really, sometimes I feel like i’m in my twenties!!
I’m fairly cynical, so I have a different sense of humour than a few other people my age, and I’m more mature than your average teenager. For example, I don’t get drunk and party every night…LOL. But I should really let myself live it up while i’m this age!
Such good stuff here. :)
I always talk about how young I feel and I still feel that I LOOK young! I haven’t always felt this way though. Truly it’s been in the last year since I started learning about balance, connecting the mind + body and incorporating things that make me feel nothing but happiness! And..I left my full time, no fun job and am embarking on my DREAM career!
I love all of those books! Thank you so much for introducing me to them!
I’m really 24 but the test said I am 17.5! I like this test :) Maybe it’s my 1st grade students that help me stay young! Thanks for the link!!
I took that test a couple years ago when I was 21 and they said my age was 14.1 and asked ‘want to learn how you can be even younger?’ and I almost died laughing……like I would ever want to return to THAT awkward age again!
My RealAge was 17.5, and I’m almost 22. Most days I feel 10 years older at least! I work a full time job dealing with patients and do some school on the side…let’s just say, it does nothing to lower my stress levels!