A Friendly Nudge - When It Doesn't Feel Like Work

...because we all could use a little encouragement!

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I love to cook. It rarely feels like a chore. Instead of stressing me out, it’s something I do to unwind.

It hasn’t always been that way. Years ago, I cooked because I needed something to eat and I was too broke to go out to eat, but I hadn’t developed an intuitive sense of cooking, so it was still sort of a paint by numbers sort of thing.

When it began to change for me was around the time that my son was in culinary school or just after he graduated.

He was cooking for his sister and me and we’d bought a piece of tuna at the store. I remember him opening up her almost empty fridge where he found some limes, maple syrup, a gnarly looking piece of ginger and some soy sauce packets that came with some long forgotten takeout.

He made this soy ginger glazed salmon that was amazing and I still remember how proud I was of him and how motivated I was to learn how to do that. Just open up a fridge and make magic.

It didn’t make sense at that point in my career to go to culinary school, but I wanted to figure out a way to up my cooking game. I got introduced to Anthony Bourdain’s work via Kitchen Confidential and quickly followed that up with Bill Buford’s excellent book Heat and Michael Ruhlman’s look inside the Culinary Institute of America, The Making of a Chef. None of these books were how to, they just cemented my determination to begin building a better understanding of how to become a better and more intuitive cook.

Kenji Lopez-Alt’s The Food Lab does a great job of helping you understand why you do certain things in cooking as well as getting you started on how you do them, same goes with Samin Nosrat’s Salt Fat Acid Heat. Dornenburg’s and Page’s, The Flavor Bible helps you figure out how different flavors work together.

I still use recipes to get ideas and for certain types of sauces and baked goods I’ll follow them exactly, but most of the time I’m just looking at what I have in the fridge and trying to follow my son’s advice. He told me that the job of a chef is to help the ingredients shine without getting too heavy handed.

I’m planning on exploring this more in some of the upcoming cooking segments.

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Meanwhile, this week we’re going to put some overripe bananas to work with Chocolate Almond Butter Protein Oat Bars

I see these promoted as breakfast bars but I think of them more as snack or dessert bars. Growing up, I loved bananas but stopped eating them when I was doing keto. However, over the past few years I’ve added more fruit back into my diet and the clincher is that my granddaughter loves bananas.

You can use any type of protein powder, we had some Vital Proteins Chocolate Collagen Powder so that’s what I used.

Ingredients:

Wet Ingredients

2 ripe bananas

½ cup maple syrup

3 tbsp coconut oil or avocado oil

½ tsp vanilla extract

½ cup almond butter

Dry Ingredients

2 cups rolled oats

2 scoops chocolate collagen or protein powder

¼ cup dark chocolate chips or chunks - I used 85% cacao but a lower percentage would be fine, just a little sweeter

¼ cup dried cranberries - virtually all of these are sweetened, some with concentrated fruit juice or some use sugar

¼ cup chopped pecans

Handful of pumpkin seeds

Fat pinch of cinnamon

Pinch of salt

This one is really simple. Combine all of the wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl, mashing up the bananas and get everything combined and then add the dry ingredients and stir well.

Pour into a parchment lined 8x8 baking dish and put into a 350℉ oven for 25-30 minutes until knife inserted comes out clean.

Lift the parchment paper out with the bars and let cool for 15 minutes and then cut them into bars.

Enjoy!

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Now that we’ve acknowledged our sweet tooth, let’s build a workout that will help you get stronger and improve your balance and mobility.

Everyone’s goals are different when it comes to exercise but I think it’s fair to say that most people probably share a goal of being able to more fully participate in their own lives and the lives of people that are important to them.

That’s why it’s so important to start where you are. Don’t try to do an exercise if it feels like it’s too advanced for you. Be patient with yourself and you’ll find more and more of these are doable as you get stronger.

Foam Rolling Duration: As much time as needed

There’s a reason that every week starts with these. Foam rolling is a nice way to begin getting your muscles ready for exercise. When you find a sore or tight spot, hang out for 20-40 seconds. Check with your doc if you have osteoporosis, osteopenia or other health issues. Avoid your armpits, lower spine, neck, front or back of knee.

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Easy Skater Duration: 30 seconds to 1 minute

For this exercise, take a wide step and balance on one foot. This one combines a gentle warm up with a balance drill. If you need something to help with balance you could do this behind two chairs and use their backs for support if needed.

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Side Shuffle Duration: 30 seconds to 2 minutes

This was one of my warm ups in physical therapy and it had been years since I had done anything like this. Don’t get in too big a hurry because we don’t want you taking a tumble. You may need to work up to it or take it real easy. Slight bend in knees, stay balanced and move with some lightness and spring in your step. Outside is the best place for this if you can manage it. This is a great warm up and it helps with balance and agility.

Overhead Carry Duration: 30 seconds with each arm but take breaks if you need them

I’ll have to enjoy this one vicariously through you for a while. Once my new shoulder is healed I’m betting this one will be part of my rehab workout over time.

You want to pull your shoulder blade down your back and keep your chest proud and your core braced.

Start with a light weight and work your way up over time.

Heel Raise with Tennis Ball Duration: Start with 10 and work up to 25.

This is a great drill to keep your feet moving in more of a neutral position during heel raises. It also helps strengthen your calves and engage your big toe and second toe when you’re pushing up off the ground and better understand what that feels like.

ABC Balance Duration: A-Z with each leg

This is a great exercise snack to do with family and friends during holiday or other gatherings.

We all need to play more and this is a way to turn balance improvement into a game. If you’re in the kitchen cooking and waiting on the water to boil, see if you can stand on one leg and trace the ABCs with the other leg.

If you only get to G, no problem, start again at H and keep going.

Now do it with the other leg.

This is something you can do every day.

Push Ups Duration: Focus on quality over quantity. 5 quality push ups is better than 10 rushed partial push ups.

Push Ups strengthen your chest, shoulders, arms, back and core and they’re scalable across a wide range of fitness levels.

You want your chest proud, your core engaged and your arms are about a 45° angle from your body. This helps protect your shoulders.

Here are three options to choose from.

Seated Hip Mobility: Duration - As tolerated up to 1 minute

I am firmly convinced that my knees got less cranky when my legs started getting stronger and my hips and ankles started moving better. When your hips and ankles don’t move like they’re supposed to, that puts additional strain on your knees.

I understand that this one may feel too challenging if your knees or hips are too sore or stiff.

If this one feels too challenging I’ve also included a seated internal rotation drill that may be a little more accessible.

I just take my time with this one and not push into a range that causes pain or pinching.

Seated Internal Rotation: Duration - As tolerated up to 1 minute, working up to 2 minutes.

This is a little easier version of increasing our internal rotation.

You just squeeze the volleyball, soccer ball or yoga block between your knees and then move your lower legs out while keeping the ball or block squeezed between your knees.

2 Minute Wall Sit Duration: Start where you are and be patient with yourself.

I posted this one in response to the Washington Post article and the British Journal of Sports Medicine study about isometrics.

Two minutes can feel like an eternity, 10 seconds is a great place to start and if you’re just getting started keep your butt a little higher up the wall and it will make standing up easier when you’re finished.

You want your abs engaged, your back and butt against the wall and your legs about shoulder width apart. And don’t forget to breathe.

This will give your quads, calves, glutes and core something to thank you for.

Tricep Kickbacks Duration: 8-12 reps

Putting my suitcase in the overhead of the airplane and getting it down is something I want to be able to do in my 80’s and hopefully 90’s.

I guess that means I need to work on my triceps and tricep kick backs are perfect for that.

Keep your back flat and your arm close to your body and take it slow and controlled.

Side Lying Glute Medius and Minimus Duration: 8-12

Your glute medius and minimus are like the rotator cuffs of the hip and they frequently get ignored. Balance, walking mechanics, knee and ankle health, there are lots of reasons that we don’t want to ignore them.

This exercise will make sure they know you’re thinking about them.

Step Up to Balance Duration: 1 minute

As we age, our quality of life, and even our life itself, can depend on our balance since falls are the leading cause of accidental death in folks over 65. So we’re going to make sure that we work on it every week.

If you have a few minutes while you’re waiting on your coffee to brew, spend a few minutes doing this drill or one of the other balance drills we’ve covered.

With this exercise we’re combining balance, coordination and light conditioning.

Focus on the feeling of stability as you raise your leg at the top.

I rushed a couple of mine. Take your time with yours.

If you don’t have a raised step or platform, a stair tread or even the curb will work.

Ground to Standing - No Kneeling Duration: 1 minute

If we’re not able to get up off the ground without help our independence is at risk.

It’s something that we should practice over and over again. And if this exercise isn’t doable, I’d encourage you to work with a physical therapist to see if they can help you build up to this.

It’s so important that we dig the well before we’re thirsty.

Stability Ball Leg Raise Duration: 1 minute accumulated time with each leg and rest as needed

This is a new one and it’s challenging but so valuable.

Sit on a stability ball that is against a wall and engage our core and raise one foot off the ground. This one will challenge your balance, your core, your hamstrings, and your glutes. It is a new favorite of mine.

Please let me know how you like it.

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I’m partial to exercise snacks because they make it really challenging to say that I don't have time for exercise. Who doesn’t have 30 seconds? I’ve started doing 15-25 air squats 5-7 times a day when I do my table slides for my shoulder. I set a timer for an hour and when it goes off before I do my table slides I knock out a quick set of air squats. It’s a great way to make sure I don’t forget about them.

The same goes for equipment. If you don’t have a platform for step ups, you can use the curb and do it next to a street sign or mail box to steady yourself if necessary.

If you don’t have dumbbells yet, a gallon jug of water weighs 8 pounds or half full 4 pounds.

Exercise will change your life.

This week, try setting a timer multiple times a day to remind yourself to do 30 seconds of exercise and of course make time to play with your food.

I appreciate you and look forward to seeing you next week,

Jim