A Friendly Nudge - Dial It Up
...because we all could use a little encouragement!
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Last year both of our cars were covered in tree pollen and I decided that I was going to give both of them a quick wash. Nothing on the order of a detailing, just a quick soap, try to get off most of the pollen and then a quick rinse. I kept thinking of Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid, “wax on, wax off” but I wasn’t waxing either car but I was moving with purpose because I only had a few minutes to get both cars de-pollenated. I never felt gassed but I probably broke a sweat.
I remember seeing a notification from my Whoop Activity Tracker asking me to categorize my workout because it detected an increase in heart rate. I wasn’t surprised that car washing wasn’t listed as an activity but thought maybe it should be. I just checked and it still hasn’t been added but gardening, yardwork, house cleaning and babysitting have all been added to the list.
There was a recent Washington Post article about the value of just ramping up the intensity of day to day activities as a way to improve health outcomes. They referenced this recent study in the journal Circulation. It looked at the impact of incidental, moderate or vigorous activity and even just a few minutes of moderate or vigorous activity can start making a difference. That doesn’t mean you have to sprint down the aisles at the grocery store but maybe instead of using the shopping cart to carry that single bag of groceries to the car, you leave the cart in the store and carry the bag to the car.
I like the idea of taking the stairs instead of the elevator and even to push the pace up the stairs. But before you rev the engine too much, if you have underlying health issues or you’re not sure, get checked out by your doc.
Since I have 6 coronary lesions (complements of my years of insulin resistance) I had my cardiologist do a stress test on me to clear me for vigorous exercise. I don’t want to be that guy that freaks everyone out at the YMCA because I have a massive heart attack on the treadmill next to them.
If you’re mowing the lawn just pick up the pace a little, maybe not for all of it, but see if you can make some of it a little more spirited. Same goes with house cleaning, you could call it high intensity vacuuming or power dusting.
If you’re out for a walk, by all means smell the roses and enjoy the fresh air but see if you can squeeze in a little pep in your step for parts of it.
If we can find creative ways to work a little intensity into our daily routines the research suggests that our bodies will reward us with better health and personal experience tells me that you’ll get the yard mowed quicker.
Now let’s make a batch of chimichurri to brighten up this week’s meals.
I made this batch with only the green part of the green onions and by all means feel free to use all of the onion and it would definitely benefit from a couple of cloves of minced garlic.
This version is not approved by the Argentinian Chimichuri Federation, but it is tasty.
The great thing about sauces like this is that they dial up the flavor of grilled meats and veggies and they make a great jumping off point for other sauces and dressings. I added a little more olive oil and some dijon mustard to a couple of tablespoons of it to make a dressing for a cucumber salad. It definitely lends itself to play with your food options.
Ingredients:
1 bunch italian parsley - large stems removed and leaves chopped fine
½ bunch mint - large stems removed and leaves chopped fine
⅓ - ½ bunch oregano - same drill - stems removed and leaves chopped fine
1 bunch scallions - chopped. (I just used the greens but feel free to use all of the onion
3 cloves of garlic - (optional) minced
Salt to taste
Fat pinch of crushed red pepper
⅓-½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil - I’m heavy handed with both the olive oil and the red wine vinegar - feel free to use more restraint
3-4 tbsp red wine vinegar
You’re just going to chop up the mint, scallions, (garlic if you’re using it), parsley, oregano and then add a fat pinch of salt and crushed red pepper in a large bowl and then add a generous glug or two of olive oil and a few shakes of red wine vinegar. Play with the oil/vinegar ratio to get your desired level of acidity.
This is a wonderful addition to grilled meats and veggies but also great for topping fried eggs or omelets. It’s also a great base for other dressings and sauces.
Let me know if you come up with some interesting variations or uses.
Enjoy!
Now that we have a sauce to spice up your meals, here are some exercise snacks to help you ramp up your week.
It’s a lot more challenging to get stronger if you’re injured, so pushing yourself is great but wrecking yourself can interfere with your progress. Don’t bite off more than you can chew.