Tell me if this sounds familiar: You’re driving down the road, radio blaring, sending a text message with one hand (don’t lie!), cup of coffee in the other, when you’re suddenly distracted by yet another sight: a person, or people, hurriedly propelling themselves on the sidewalk, utilizing nothing but their own two feet. Their pace is too quick to be walking, yet too smooth and even to be skipping. On top of that, many seem to be wincing in pain, sweat pouring down their faces, yet they remain undeterred from continuing their forward progression. The audacity of these folks to shun the use of motorized, or even pedaled, means of transportation! Are they crazy!? Who are these rebels?

These people are called “runners.”

And, yes, they’re (we’re) a little nutty.

Running is an ancient sport, probably one of the oldest known to our primate species. Once upon a time, homo sapiens (that’s us) used running as a means of obtaining sustenance, tracking hard-to-catch prey across the plains or through wooded forests. These days, it seems runners are only on the trail of catching their next PR (personal record), or swag goodie bag at the end of a race.

But running remains one of the most effective and gratifying forms of exercise or leisure. Running aids in weight loss and weight management, relieves stress, can be a great social activity, is a form of meditation (on those long runs, one’s mind becomes quite clear), offers a great challenge to oneself, and induces a great natural high (really, the only kind of high we endorse). And, believe it or not, even in the coldest of climates, running can be a four season outdoor sport, though treadmills and indoor tracks do make for tempting alternatives in times of inclement weather. From time to time our Everspring team will be presenting blog entries on the subject of running, covering everything you need to know: from selecting gear and body mechanics, to staying injury free and preparing for races. We’ll even delve into the running lexicon, demystifying such terms as gradual pickups, aerobic intervals, splits, yassos and Fartleks, and how to not snicker when speaking them aloud.

So, whether you are a running novice or a gifted marathoner, there will be a little something for everyone. Feel free to contact us with any questions or comments you may have, and we can try to incorporate those into upcoming blogs.

"Practicing regular, mindful breathing can be calming and energizing and can even help with stress-related health problems ranging from panic attacks to digestive disorders."
-Andrew Weil, M.D.

What could be more natural than breathing? Most people don't realize that breathing, something each of us experiences around 20,000 times each day, can deeply influence our health and happiness on many levels. Our daily lifestyles can be very chaotic and a fast paced life leaves many of us feeling fatigued, anxious and depressed about our daily experience. At times this can leave us unable to cope with the many stresses of daily life. While these symptoms may be negative they are also our body’s way of telling us to slow down and to take a few deep breaths. A daily breathing ‘recharge’ or ‘reboot’ is something we can all benefit from.

Building self awareness is very beneficial when we seek to enhance the quality of our daily life. Before we discuss specific breathing techniques, let’s try to build our awareness of ourselves when we breathe. What kind of ‘breather’ are you- chest or belly- nose or mouth? By changing the way we breath can reduce stress, benefit our immune response thus improving our quality of life.

Try a simple breath awareness exercise: Place one hand on your chest and one hand on you abdomen. Take a normal breath while looking down. Now, if the hand on your chest rises first, then you tend to breathe from your chest. If the hand on your abdomen rises first, you are more of a belly breather. To find out whether you are a nose or mouth breather, unless you already know, just ask a friend or your partner or some in your family. Chances are they’ve noticed if you’re a mouth-breather.

We may also notice that we breathe from the chest and neck when we experience times of stress. When we experience long-term low grade stress shallow chest breathing can become our normal mode of breathing over time which reenforces the cycle. Yet, in as little as two minutes, our bodies will respond positively if we take the time to consciously observe the way we breathe. Deep breathing into the belly, through the nose provides the greatest benefit for calming mind, relaxing the body and helps us to increase our energy during the day. When we breath in this manner we know that science suggests we have improved nitric oxide levels just one of the many supporting constituents of our body's ability to repair from stress.

Let’s practice a very simple deep breathing exercise. We will do away with fancy names and complicated exercises. This is just basic daily deep breathing and with practice you may find that you are letting yourself breathe a little deeper each day while your body and mind are reaping all the health benefits!

Simple deep breathing

The most basic thing to remember is that your breath begins with a full exhalation. We can’t fully inhale until we empty our lungs completely. It is also important to breathe in through your nose as we fill the lungs with fresh air.

Sit in a comfortable position with your hands on your knees. Relax your shoulders and close your eyes slightly so that we are more aware of our body. On your first exhalation, breathe out slowly through your nose, counting to five. Contract your abdominal muscles while drawing in your diaphragm to help your lungs fully deflate. At the bottom of your breath, pause for two counts; now inhale slowly to the count of five. Expand your belly as you breathe all the way in. Notice how your belly is expanding instead of your chest. Now close your eyes and repeat 5–10 times. Think of your diaphragm as the pump and imagine your belly as a flexible balloon filling with air, as if your lungs expand down into your abdomen.

Focus on listening to the sound of your breath. It’s very common that your mind wanders during this practice, but don’t worry. Just let that thought be and refocus on your counting. If you can count 24 deep breaths you are making great progress. As your awareness of your breath increases, you’ll find that it becomes easier to breathe deeply.

Give yourself the opportunity a few minutes each day to calmly be with yourself, to relax your mind for a moment and allow yourself to just simply breathe.

Everspring Living is an online health magazine dedicated to the mission of “Quality of Life Renewed”. The concept of “Everspring Living” is rooted in the belief that every day is a new day, a new spring, for us to seek personal growth and renew a commitment to seek a life more refined.

Our bodies are the single physical tool we use for everything we do. Understanding our physical constitution helps us better understand our potential for productivity. The Everspring Body represents a renewed daily commitment to our body and a desire to better understand our physical resources.

If quality of life is our intention when we discuss healthy foods we should understand that healthy is as much about tasting good as it is being good for us. Too often we consider healthy food to be low in calories or fat or sugar and end up with horribly tasting food that leaves little mystery as to why "we can't eat healthy". Healthy foods give us useful and timely nutrition above all else but truly healthy food also tastes good and adds to the experience of our lives. Let me repeat that, healthy foods give us the useful and timely nutrition and contributes to an experience of not only surviving but thriving.

Simply preventing us from consuming something “bad for us” can no longer be a strategy for healthy eating or healthy living. It is so important for us to use good ingredients in all of our cooking, baking or any other food prep because if the ingredients don’t have nutritional value then the end product - our daily lives - won’t have the value we seek either. We need to change the way we look at the opportunity food provides to truly change the way we benefit from our health.

Today we will consider a simple reduced sugar snack recipe that tastes great and is generally good for us. Like any recipe we should consider allergies or foods that we should be reducing or avoiding within our personal health program.

We hear regularly about the phytonutritional benefits of walnuts as brain food with their healthful oils, good quality dark chocolate for heart health and cinnamon benefitting our heart, blood sugar and blood circulation. This recipe offers a simple amalgamation of these ingredients in a tasty snack along with a comparison to a typical pecan praline recipe. Give mine a try and see if you miss all the sugar.

Pralines

• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/4 cups pecan halves
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

* Estimated total calories from sugar – 2000 for 1 ¼ cup of pecans

Honey Fried Walnuts w/Dark Chocolate and Cinnamon

• 3 cups walnuts
• 2 tablespoons honey
• ¾ teaspoon cinnamon (increase as desired)
• 1 oz grated/finely chopped dark chocolate (I used Callebaut Dark very nice!)

* Estimated total calories from sugar – 200 for 3 cups of walnuts

Instructions

• Using a wok or large frying pan begin heating the walnuts over medium low heat. While heating the walnuts the skins will begin to flake off. Toss the nuts to stir them and help the skins fall off. Remove the nuts from heat from time to time to separate the shed skins from the walnuts, lightly rubbing them will help. Put them back on the heat and continue until the skins that are left seem stable. At this point the batch should be warmed evenly through.
• Clear a space in the pan to add 1 tablespoon of the honey, let it melt, be ready to stir the nuts right away to make sure the honey doesn’t burn. Coat the nuts as best as possible and use the remaining honey to repeat the process to make sure the nuts are coated. They will be shiny when they are fully coated.
• Using the cinnamon (about half) liberally coat the walnuts in the pan.
• Sprinkle grated chocolate and stir the walnuts until thoroughly but thinly coated
• Using the remaining cinnamon coat the walnuts again
• Place on a sheet pan to cool and separate the nuts as best as possible.
• Once cool/dry, finish separating the nuts

As the holiday season revs into full swing it presents us with the opportunity to further our consideration for Everspring Living. When it comes to our personal health and living a fulfilling life we cannot overlook interpersonal health. Interdependence is the root of human existence from our small family units to the world society as a whole. Now more than ever we need to cultivate our interdependence, to cultivate the opportunity for everyone to live their best life.

Strictly from a human development standpoint most of us are likely aware of the benefit interpersonal cooperation presents to ourselves and to our surrounding social environment. We shouldn't need the research to show how the act of giving cultivates our interpersonal connections and most certainly plays a role in healthy living.  Nonetheless research has shown that when we show interpersonal connection (e.g. an act of generosity) both the giver and receiver show biological benefit via improved blood chemistry similar to that which is shown during stress reduction practices.  At the same time should there be an observer of the act of generosity then the individual observing the act also benefits from a change in blood chemistry, an experience many of us can relate to even while watching a movie.

A great personal example of healthy living via healthy giving is the Jimmy's Kids program out of Detroit, MI. For over 20 years Jim Tuman along with 100's of volunteers have been making sure the children of Detroit are not forgotten. The program began when Jim decided one day that he wanted to help a group of 22 special needs kids at Dewey Elementary in southwest Detroit. He bought gifts and a Santa outfit, so he could play Santa's helper, and set out to share an afternoon with these kids so that even for just a short period of time these kids would feel safe and loved.

Now 20 years later serving kids in schools, churches, community centers and individual families the Jimmy's Kids program has ebbed and flowed with swells up to over 25,000 kids in a single season.  What is important about the Jimmy's Kids program with regards to healthy living is that it focuses on interacting with the kids not just dropping off toys and wishing the kids the best. The toys serve only as the vehicle for interacting, for the relationship, with the kids and that is what makes the program such a great example for Everspring Living. The program doesn't have fancy offices or even employees, it is a simple volunteer organization that has experienced success because they understand that it is all about the relationship.  It is in the relationship where healthy giving becomes healthy living.

One of the most influential memories for me was when I was dressed up as Winnie the Pooh for a Jimmy's Kids event. The outside temperature was well below freezing and unfortunately the facility could only allow for a certain number of guests inside at any one time yet the line to get in went around the block for hours. At this event we offered food for everyone along with toys and clothes for the kids and as the kids were playing I remember watching a guest crying as she shared her story with another volunteer. This guest was so happy and grateful that for just a brief period of time her child was getting fed, staying warm and playing with other kids. Mind you I was in a giant Winnie outfit so was not able to directly interact with her but the barrier of the costume presented me with a fly on the wall experience where I was able to observe how something seemingly simple to so many of us changed this woman's life.

It was through this experience that I began to understand how having the ambition to change the world is so much less daunting than what many of us may believe it to be. Changing the world is simply, genuinely, compassionately changing the current experience for another person even if for only a moment. Since that first experience I have spent almost ten years working with the Jimmy's Kids program and time after time I am reminded of the fact that the single most important thing to do is to show up. It is easy to say we are busy because we are all busy but if our intent is to change the world then we must show up and share our time and our lives with another human being. So as this season progresses but more so as our lives progress we need to think about how Everspring Living manifests in our choice to reach out to connect with and share in the reality that healthy giving is most certainly a part of healthy living.

Jimmy's Kids is a 501c3 organization that accepts donations of toys, clothing and funding throughout the year.  Please visit their website www.JimmysKids.com to find out how you might help or how you can host a Jimmy's Kids event in your area.

Sleep! No vegetable, no exotic fruit, no secret potion will out perform a good night’s rest. Sleep is the most effective source of antioxidants we can find not to mention the dozens of other health benefits sleep provides. Get to sleep by 10pm for even a week and see how it changes our life.

Reduce stress! Take some time to relax, sit, be quiet and enjoy being who we are. If we can’t be content sitting still, sitting quietly for more than a few minutes, this is a sign we need to sit still for more than a few minutes! Take 2 mins out of every hour, 5 mins out of every 2, whatever the formula we should shoot for 30 mins of down time everyday (down time = zero stimulus) and see how it changes our life.

Eat well! It is a must that we enjoy our food. No single diet has a corner on the market and we should be cautious of generalized diets that suggest highly eclectic or exotic content or restrictive methods. The most successful short and long-term diets include simple whole foods and focus primarily on vegetables (60% or more). They will include a variety of simple dishes with small servings of whole grains, spices, fruit (usually best not with other foods) and limited high quality natural grazing lean meat. 2/3rds full + warm fluids (e.g. tea) = enough for one meal (i.e. if we feel full we have eaten more than we need). Simplify and diversify and see how it changes our life.

90% of all health conditions simple or serious can be positively influenced via better sleep, stress management and a healthy diet. These lifestyle practices help our body recover when our body is weak and they help us further refine our health for greater productivity when our body is strong. No other resource is as effective as these three resources, which is why they need to serve as the foundation of our personal health and quality of life. If we need help we should seek out practitioners that support these three lifestyle practices as the foundation of our health program.

Antioxidants, phytonutrients, micronutrients, vitamin this, mineral that – health supplements are everywhere these days. We find them on the counter at the gas station, we spend premiums on them at our local nutrition store, we get 2-for-1 at the discount store and we can even buy them in our bottled water. But do they work? If they work, do they help? If they help, what are they helping?

For those that care the debate on supplements is actually good for the economy as it keeps a lot of people busy defending one side or the other. But what about our personal benefit? Which side is right? Are we buying supplements or wasting our money on expensive pee? Below is a great graphic of supplements versus research effectiveness further fueling this debate. How many of the supplements listed do we use each day? Where do they fall on the graph?

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The single most important fact to note with regards to supplements is that they must be used at the right time, in the right dose and for the correct diagnosis for them to be optimally effective. Notice that the term symptom was not used in the previous sentence instead we used diagnosis. If we are looking to end the debate and maximize our outcomes as well as our investments the use of supplements must begin with the appropriate diagnosis. Very rarely does a single symptom lead to an effective diagnosis. Often it is a more subtle secondary symptom(s) in conjunction with the primary symptom that confirms the appropriate diagnosis.

Without the appropriate diagnosis we are literally taking random shots with hopes of curing what is ailing us so it is not difficult to see the significant discrepancy in research regarding supplement effectiveness. Then throw in factors like questionable sourcing of the product, quality of processing, authenticity of product and tens of billions of dollars in tempting revenue it becomes rather easy to see how we have a seemingly endless cyclical debate on supplements.

Keeping in mind that exceptions play a key role in personalized health. The following points should serve as a personal caution that should be further discussed and developed into a customized program with a well-trained practitioner.

• Without the correct diagnosis we are rolling the dice. The value of this is ultimately personal, however, we should keep in mind that the wrong supplement is absolutely potentially dangerous, it costs us money, it may not offer any actual benefit, and when it fails to offer benefit we tend to take it personally.
• Be aware of self-diagnosis. A well-trained practitioner will have a thousand of hours or more of training. The best practitioners will always ask for our subjective personal experience along side the objective experience of signs and symptoms. Why? Because when pursuing personalized health subjective information is just as important for making the appropriate diagnosis.
• Significance equals greater caution. The more significant the ailment the more important the appropriate diagnosis becomes and more likely a specific customized program will be the best course of action. Significance of an ailment should be measured against one’s quality of life, the more it impedes or influences quality of life the more significant. For urgent matters we need to seek emergency care. No supplement will stop a heart attack in progress or save us from a car crash.
• Be cautious when considering single supplements (especially single herbs). Most single supplements are not effective enough for use on their own and most will have some sort of side effect or secondary influence. This is especially true for single herbs.
• Do not use supplements to "balance the equation"! Far too often we have a bad day or decide to go back for that second piece of cheesecake then when the guilt sets in or the stress is too much we decide to "balance the equation" by doubling or tripling the dose. Some us are probably guilty of dosing by the handful to make up for our transgressions. This is flat out dangerous and should never be done.
• Herbs should not be considered a daily supplement. If we can’t use an herb in our daily diet, meaning prepare our food with them (e.g. spices), then we don’t need to be taking that herb in a capsule every day of our lives. This is probably the most customizable statement provided here and should be discussed with an experienced practitioner. Most herbs have a reason or a season and should not be considered as a daily supplement unless a diagnosis is made and someone can monitor the progress of the program. The practical point here is that if we can’t use an herb in our daily food prep but feel we need it in our daily supplements then we should be questioning our priorities as there may be something more significant we are neglecting. We will never consume our way to quality of life.

If our practitioner violates these concepts this should be a personal notice that we may need to find a more appropriate practitioner or hold our current practitioner to higher standard. It is time for us to hold ourselves and our practitioners to standards that allow for a quality of life that is better than we might currently expect, one that is more affordable and where peace and productivity result.

Living for today and embracing the concept we suggest as Everspring Living isn’t going to always equate to enjoyment and enjoyment isn’t always going to be a reliable a benchmark for fulfillment. In fact there are many examples in our modern experience where enjoyment isn’t found to be very fulfilling but where fulfillment is almost universally enjoyed. There is a tendency for us to think that a fulfilling life is one where "fun" is the prevalent experience or that fulfillment comes via a connection to some sort of physical token (trophy, money, etc).

Ask the firefighter, the ER doctor, the pastor, the teacher or anyone else whose chooses to serve others in their daily role despite the distinct possibility of working outside the “value” of their pay. Ask them if “fun” is the reason why their life has meaning and most likely they will respond by recognizing their opportunity to make a difference in their own life by making a difference in the lives of those around them. The reality is that working hard with meaningful intention however we personally define it changes the way we look at our day and the moment in which we live.

The challenge of course is for us to look at our own role and see the available opportunities within our day. The challenge is to see ourselves working at a job, even if it seems to be dead-end or temporary, and see a greater opportunity to improve who we are and what we do to make our impact. There is an opportunity for a fast food fry cook to see the opportunity to make a customer’s day a little better by making sure they get the best possible burger and fries. There is an opportunity for a school custodian to see the opportunity to keep kids safe versus having to just clean up their mess as a means of getting a paycheck. There is an opportunity for a CEO to think big in project scope and yet still find ways to validate the effort of those who will be doing the work.

Here is the kicker, we will always have reasons to justify excusing ourselves from making our days more meaningful (boss, pay, customers, time, energy, etc.) but working through that very experience is the path towards fulfillment. A fulfilling life is the result of letting go of excuses, embracing our true nature and seeking out the opportunities in our daily life. This leads to a reality that inherently puts responsibility in our own lap as well as the guidelines for living our best life. By embracing our true nature and the opportunities in our day we begin to discover our role in this day and in turn our role in this life. By finding what is meaningful and then finding our own way to genuinely share that experience with those around us we begin to find that a fulfilling life is not defined by that which makes us standout. Rather a fulfilling life is the resulting experience of our effort to stand up for a better life for ourselves and for those with whom we come in contact. The value of living for today lies in the personal reward of a fulfilling life.

Spices are one of the best ways to help digestive issues and can help us address conditions from high cholesterol, to acute or chronic pain, to insomnia and fatigue. When addressing personal conditions it is important for us to meet with an experienced practitioner who can help develop the most effective program to support our specific needs. The intention of this article, however, is to help us recognize the value in something as simply using spices in our daily diet as a means of improving the quality of our lives. This is the whole concept behind Day-E-Living – gaining diverse benefits via simple practices.

Spices that offer consistent long-term benefit through daily use include the following – coriander, cumin, turmeric. By mixing them in a ground spice formula of 3 parts coriander, 2 parts cumin, 1 part turmeric we have a great base mix that can be used alone or mixed with other spices. This spice mix is a base for many cultural dishes ranging from Mexico to the Mid-East to India and on into Southeast Asia. While it may be ideally recommended for us to use this spice mix with fresh homemade dishes they can help make frozen pizzas and out-of-the-box meals taste so much better while adding much needed nutritional value.

Other spices that can be used as desired to help take the formula mentioned above much further include Fennel, Basil, Oregano, Parsley, Thyme, Saffron, Sage, Garlic, Nutmeg (be aware of allergies), Cloves, Fresh Ginger (especially with meat), Black Pepper and Salt. (Note: salt should be used to bring out other flavors and should not be the only flavor we taste.) Again most, if not all, of these herbs can be used with fresh, frozen or boxed meals. They taste great together and offer a distinct benefit to our daily nutritional intake as they are a great source antioxidants along with trace vitamins, minerals and other phytonutrients.

Most of the spices mentioned thus far usually can be added at the cook’s discretion keep in mind that more does not necessarily mean better but when consistently incorporated over time they can provide distinct benefits. And never forget first and foremost food should taste good!

Furthermore, spices that should be limited depending on one's personal experience include hot peppers (Cayenne, Habanero, etc.) Mustard Seed, Hing, Fenugreek, dried Ginger among others. While many of us enjoy these spices with a kick and some of us can really benefit from these spices they can also aggravate conditions like pain, headaches, insomnia and digestive disorders. Everything has a time and place it is our responsibility to seek the benefits of healthy eating and healthy living.

Note: Some of us may find ourselves mildly or even substantially allergic to some spices and we should take the necessary steps to accommodate those needs. This reemphasizes the concept that what is good for “us” may not actually be good for us as individuals. Finding an experienced practitioner often can prove to be helpful as we refine our personal lifestyles.