R & R with Rachel (Rants and Raves with Rachel): My Addiction to Power Greens

There is a lot of buzz out in the world about the benefits of eating kale, collard greens etc.. Let me tell you, I am seriously addicted! I have always enjoyed eating spinach but decided to try some of the other greens based on all the hype. I started by purchasing a triple washed package by NewStar that contained spinach, baby bok choy and baby red & green chard.

I prepare it in a variety of easy ways -- sauteing with olive oil and garlic on the stove, spraying with olive oil and putting it in an aluminum foil package and grilling (if we are barbecuing anyway), or simply just placing a big pile in a bowl in the microwave for about 1 minute. Months ago when I starting eating these greens nothing else had changing in my diet nor in my exercise routine yet I lost 5 pounds! Since that time, I have become VERY superstitious about these greens and MUST have some every day! According to the season and what we receive from our weekly CSA vegetable delivery, I also add different varieties of kale and other greens to the mixture. Besides my own belief that they are a calorie burner, there of course are great vitamins in these super foods. Below is a link to a pdf from the Cooperative Extension Service at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. It is entitled: The Health Benefits of Dark Green Leafy Vegetables and contains information about the greens as well as how to select and store them. It also includes a recipe on how to prepare a spring harvest salad. Have a look: www2.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/FCS3/FCS3567/FCS3567.pdf
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So, the next time you are out for a walk, pass by a grocery store and pick up some power greens to try - just make sure that if you live in Port Washington you leave some for me when you do!

Walk on my friends, walk on!

No Pain, No Gain!

Posting as librarians today, we wanted to remind everyone that you can still exercise when you are not feeling well:

--Sorry for the short post but one of us is a little under the weather :(

Happy Father's Day Everyone!

To all you father's out there:

If you play golf tomorrow do yourself and your family a favor and walk the 18 holes. Your family loves you and wants you to be healthy!

R & R with Rachel (Rants and Raves with Rachel): My Love Affair with Sneakers

So I admit it. I love sneakers. I have many pairs. Oh, not as many as I have seen some people photograph, but many more than most of my friends feel is necessary (FYI: According to the Guinness Book of World Records the largest collection of sneakers consists of 2,388 pairs and is owned by Jordy Geller from Las Vegas, Nevada). I have sneakers for running, walking (both in the warm and cool weather), for playing paddleball and going to the beach. I have sneakers that never leave the house and are used solely for exercising in our home gym. I also have a variety of sneakers in various colors and patterns just for hanging out. I am not brand loyal and have had many favorites through the years. Listed alphabetical so as not to show partiality to the sneakers currently in my closet, some of the company’s whose footwear currently adorn my feet are: Adidas, Asics, New Balance, Nikes, Reebok, Saucony and Under Armour.

For many years I loved Gel Kayano’s by Asics. Next, I love, love, loved a pair of Lance Armstrong Nike’s. They made me feel fast, like Lance Armstrong, with or without his taking performing enhancing drugs. They were black with a bright yellow Nike symbol. They were a funky color combination before funky sneakers were in style. When they were too worn down to run in I graduated them to gardening sneakers. Eventually, they became too ragged even for that activity. I donated them to the Nike Reuse a Shoe program where they have been recycled into a playground or basketball court somewhere. If anyone knows their whereabouts please let me know so I can visit! I searched and searched for another pair of these sneakers, but to no avail (if any Nike staff member happens to be reading this blog I wear a size 8 ½).

When the Reebok Runtones debuted I bought a pair thinking they might make my calves sexy (Reebok was touting that they toned your calves). Well, they didn’t seem to help with that, but they did seem to help with my Morton’s Neuroma that I have in my left foot. Morton’s Neuroma involves a thickening of the tissue around one of the nerves leading to your toes. It causes a sharp, burning pain in the ball of your foot. Your toes also may sting, burn or feel numb. So, I was very sad when they were pulled from the market (because they were found not to tone the user’s calves). Recently however, I was in the Reebok outlet and guess what?! They are back! They are no longer being sold as a means to tone your calves but just as the wonderful sneakers they are. I bought 3 pairs just in case they are pulled from the Reebok collection in the future.

So there you have it, I could go on telling you more stories about my sneakers (I actually wrote a story for school when I was a kid about a sneaker, that I might have to share with you some time in the future) but I will end here. I did want to mention before signing off however, one key thing about my sneakers – I wear them all. I would be unable to rationalize spending money on them if I didn’t actively use them. So while I am not endorsing going out and starting a sneaker collection like I have, I am suggesting finding the thing that helps motivate you to get and stay active. Maybe it is an actual item, a particular person (my wife is a key player in helping me stay motivated) or maybe it is just something in your head! Whatever it is.....walk on my friends, walk on!

A photo of some of my sneakers

Great Feedback from a Follower!

Recently we received some great feedback from a follower. She told us that she had a standing desk at work but suffered from neck strain. Then she read our blog entry entitled: R & R with Rachel (Rants and Raves with Rachel): Take a Stand Against Sitting. In it the correct measurements for using a standing desk were listed. She found out that the desk she had was too low and that she was straining her neck by constantly looking down. She followed the recommendations in the article and her neck pain is now gone!

Remember, as taken from the article referenced in that posting, "the single most important thing in setting up your standing desk is getting the ergonomics down properly. Standing helps your health, but standing at your computer the wrong way can give you back pain, shoulder pain, or neck pain. It’s pointless to stand all day but make yourself feel worse by doing so. Get the right set-up! You want your monitor to be at eye level and at a 20 degree tilt and your keyboard to be at the height of your hands when your forearms are parallel to the ground." That’s pretty much it!

If anyone else has a comment or would like to submit an article for posting please let us know!

Now, as written in the wildly popular young adult book The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, as you go about the rest of your busy day, DFTBA*!

*In case you are not cool like us, DFTBA is an acronym meaning "don't forget to be awesome."