In Other Words

There’s been a lot of great content floating around on the Internet lately so this post is a bit longer than some of the others.

Does Your Fitness Regimen Pass The Test? Why You Need To Be Able To Answer Yes! To This One Question
The first of two Nia Shanks posts on my list. I love her no BS approach to health and wellness. This post is short and sweet – she talks about the main criteria of a fitness plan, and I will leave it a surprise for you to go read!

The Best Sources of Vegan Protein
I feel like I need to post something about veg protein sources every now and then so my family knows I will not die eating only plants! This article is really comprehensive and I love that it goes beyond tofu and beans in its list of sources.

How to Fit Exercise into Your Routine—No Matter How Busy You Are
Hopefully you read the Nia Shanks post already, but this is kind of on the same theme. It’s easy to say/think “I’m too busy for…” but we have a lot more time in our day than we realize. I like to use my time to move my body!

Back to the Basics: the Urgent/Important Matrix
ProfHacker is a great blog series for anyone interested in higher education. This post talks about the Urgent/Important matrix from the 7 Habits plan. It’s a great way to look at the big picture of your life, personally or professionally, and make decisions based on what really matters.

Honest Health and Fitness Advertising
Kat Whitfield is another blogger I love for her straightforward approach and critique of the health and fitness industry. This post is amusing and scary at the same time – she rewrites real headlines to reflect a more honest interpretation of the article. This is a must read. 

Let Go: How To Get Rid Of Anxiety Caused By Health And Fitness (And Why Doing So Can Help You Achieve Better Results)
Here is the second Nia Shanks post, and one that I sorely needed to read. I've written recently about my struggle with being too rigid with my health choices, and I realize now that I was desperately trying to control something in my life. I’m healing physically/emotionally every day and finding it easier to relax. My favorite line from this post “What is the absolute worst thing that could happen if I eat (and enjoy!) a PB and J?”

Safe to eat? Common ingredients banned in other countries, but OK here
I typically don’t trust the major news media to report on health and fitness in an accurate and non-salacious way, but I had to share this. It blows my mind that the food industry in the US is still so dedicated to feeding us foods and additives that are harmful to our health. This is why I advocate eating whole, real foods regardless of your dietary preferences!

In Other Words

Recover with 110%
A wonderful short & sweet list of 10 ways to aid recovery from athletic endeavors. The giveaway featured on the post is no longer active, but the information is timeless!

A Visual Guide to Nuts 
I love nuts. All kinds of nuts. This guide from Epicurious shows you what the nuts look like, and has information about the characteristics of each nut paired with recipes. A lot of people are scared of fats, but eating nuts has been shown in myriad studies to be helpful for your health. Do not read this if you are hungry!

How to Pick a Personal Trainer
When my foot is healed I am planning to hire a trainer to help me make a more advanced strength training program and ensure that I’m performing exercises correctly. This amazing post is long but highly detailed and informative. Anyone thinking about hiring a trainer or becoming one needs to read this post.

This Infographic Shows the Phytonutrients You Need to Stay Healthy 
If you can’t tell by now, I love infographics. They’re a great way to deliver information in an easily digestible way. This one discusses food groups by color, as color is usually determined by the type of phytonutrients in the food. This is why I always try to eat a rainbow every day!

Harnessing the Power of Self-Identity
I wrote a post recently about identity and shortly after I came across this much more in depth piece on the same topic. I don’t totally buy into the Primal stuff on this blog, but the posts are always thoughtful. Self-identity is a key to making sustainable changes and this article discusses how we can modify our self-identities.

New evidence linking fruit and vegetable consumption with lower mortality
We are bombarded with scientific studies every day, and can often be misled when we don’t take the time to read them carefully. I heard of one recently that denigrated vegetarian diets, but only had something like 2% vegetarian subjects of a sample of thousands. The short and simple of this one: “Eating seven or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day reduces your risk of death at any point in time by 42 percent compared to eating less than one portion, reports a new study.” This is great advice, and really not especially hard to implement even on a omnivore diet.

In Other Words

Kelly McGonigal: How to make stress your friend
One of the better TED Talks I've seen recently. Watching this made me really think about what stress means and how I can approach it in my life.

What 100 Calories Looks Like: Veggie Edition 
This handy little chart shows how much veggie you get for 100 calories which should make it obvious why I choose to eat plant foods…I can eat more food!! As you can see, 14 Brussels sprouts not only gets you 106 calories but also provides 8.4g of protein!

10 Simple Ways to Eat Healthy Without Thinking
This article is probably different than what you’d think based on the headline. It’s about physical things like the shape/color of your plate and how they influence food choice. Smaller plates cause you to eat less, but not just because you can fit less food on them. Find out why!

How to Foam Roll Like a Pro
I heard about foam rolling well before I actually ordered one, and now I’m mad at myself for waiting so long! Barring this foot issue, foam rolling has drastically improved my ability to recover from runs. It’s like magic. I do it almost every day when I’m training, and find that after work is a good time for me.

6 Offbeat Veggies Worth a Try
If you read my Sunday tip from a few weeks ago, you know that an easy way to make healthy changes is to add new things to your life. This article includes some of my favorite veg with recipes for each one.

What an Average Runner Can Learn From the Winter Olympics 
I collect these links over a few weeks and obviously the Winter Olympics have passed, but I think the sentiment of this article is timeless. Doug’s blog is great if you’re a fellow runner.

FDA’s new food label: much improved!
There has been some great food news recently. This article outlines the changes to US food labels that are forthcoming. I think they’re okay, what I like most is that it tells you what one serving is in several places. Serving sizes are also being updated to more realistic quantities. Other good things: universal school lunches & limits on marketing processed food in schools, and Brazil’s new (amazing) food guidelines.

What Do You Value? 
While I’m not in the best head space right now to self-evaluate, I think that knowing what your values are is extremely important. I included this post because it’s awesome and so I can come back to it when I’m mentally ready.

In Other Words

What are Americans eating?
I've featured articles from Marion Nestle before. If you have any interest in food (which you probably do if you read this blog) you should read her blog and her books. This one is a simple comparison of what American’s buy at the grocery store compared to the recommendations for healthy eating. This reminds me how important it is to share my love of veggies with the world!

Prison Gardens Help Inmates Grow Their Own Food — And Skills 
Several podcasts and blogs I consume have recently shared stories of the American prison system. The US has more prisoners than any other country in terms of total number and per capita, and many of those prisoners have no access to rehabilitation programs. This article details initiatives to have prisoners grow their own food. I love programs like this – they are rehabilitative, reduce costs to tax payers, and educate everyone involved on how to be more sustainable.

How To Make Healthier Food Choices (No Drastic Changes Required!)
I am firmly anti-diet and I know from personal experience that drastic changes in any area of life aren't sustainable, and this is especially true for food choices as we make them regularly throughout each day. There is a great graphic in this article that shows how to move toward healthier choices in your cooking, sweeteners, spices & flavorings, grains and dairy.

Healthy Fats Don’t Make You Fat
We are woefully misinformed about our macronutrients. This is a great guest post featured on Herbivore Triathlete that discusses the different types of fats with their benefits/harmful effects on the body plus examples of each type and a discussion of how this information fits into a healthy diet.

Do You Know How To Suffer? 
A Life Less Bullshit is my new favorite blog. I heard Nicole on the No Meat Athlete podcast and I love her approach to life, health, and challenges. This article discusses the usefulness of suffering and how we can use it to learn about ourselves. This reminds me of my half marathon when I got a side stitch at mile 6 and had to embrace the suffering as my reality in order to finish my race.

15 Ways To Improve Your Health In 15 Minutes
I feel like this wouldn't be complete without a great list! These really are quite easy changes to implement and cover everything from food to health to volunteering. Improving your overall wellness doesn't have to happen in giant leaps – small steps are easier and more rewarding!

In Other Words

Here's what I've been into online lately!

Shocking Infographics Reveal How Modern Grocery Shelves are Monopolized by Big Food Companies
I think we should all know where our food comes from. It amazes me that people will check a bag of dog treats to see where they’re made and don’t ask the same question of their own food. This graphic makes it clear that our food industry is monopolized by a few giants, and explains why it can be so hard to take a different path.

25 Science-Backed Ways to Change Your Life by Taking Better Care of Yourself 
I worked as a crisis consultant for several years and made good friends with several amazing therapists. One of the things we discussed over and over with clients was how important it is to take care of yourself. We cannot be good employees, partners, parents, children, etc. if we aren't in a good place ourselves. A lot of these are quick and easy to incorporate into your day.

10 Nutrients Scientifically Proven to Make You Feel Awesome
I love this post because it shows how easy it is to get nutrients from plant based foods. I read some of the list to Carly and she was amazed by how much good stuff is in plants. Eat more plants, y’all!

Simple Rules to Eat Plant-Based Without Thinking About Calories or Nutrient Ratios
This list is only 5 items long and is easy to follow. My philosophy is that the less stress we feel about our eating, the more likely our bodies are to appreciate what we give them. I had to count calories to get where I am, but I’m so thankful that I no longer have to operate that way to stay trim and happy.

Are These 8 Lifestyle Changes Better Than Drugs or Therapy?
I saw a great TED talk, Hackschooling Makes Me Happy by 13 year old Logan LaPlante, that referenced the work of Dr. Roger Walsh on eight therapeutic lifestyle changes that make a big impact on happiness. I agree wholeheartedly with this list, and know that it’s backed by scientific research. I based some of my personal goals for the year on these changes.

Accuracy, resilience and denial 
Seth Godin is a great writer and his blog is fantastic for short bits of wisdom. This post talks about the importance of resiliency, which I think relates directly to mindfulness and staying in the moment.

Training Tip Tuesday – Loving The Long Run 
Neon is My Color is one of my new favorite running blogs. This list of tips is a combination of sound advice on things like fueling and safety, as well as strategic planning ideas.

If You Could Have Good Health From a Pill, Would You Still Exercise?
Another engaging read from Fit and Feminist. This really gets at the core of why we move our bodies (or don’t). I think that I would still exercise even if I had a magic bullet type pill to keep me healthy because I enjoy what I do. In that vein, the final article for this week is on finding a workout that is best for you!

Find Your Next Favorite Workout
This wonderful infographic from Fit Bottomed Girls makes me want to try some new things! I know everyone isn’t suited to running or Zumba or CrossFit but we should all strive to find something active that makes us happy and feel a sense of accomplishment.

In Other Words

I've built up a nice collection of articles and blog posts to share, I hope you enjoy them!

The 5 Skills That Will Increase Your Happiness
Happify is a newer site that lets you make an account and sign up for tracks based on your goals. Each track includes activities to try and space for reflection. You can also interact with other users. Beyond that, they post some interesting articles! This one talks about using the STAGE method (Savor, Thank, Aspire, Give and Empathize) to increase happiness.

InstaMotivation 
This site is simple, each time you load the page it gives you a motivational phrase. When I just recently loaded it I got “You've got the moves like Jagger.” The site’s tools allow you to easily post your phrase to various social media outlets.

Running Terminology Deciphered 
Forks to Feet is a blog that discusses running and plant based eating. The posts are always short and usually very useful. This is my favorite yet! If you read my blog and are not a runner it will help you understand what I’m talking about when I say negative splits.

Thinking of ‘Working Out' as a Privilege, Not a Chore 
Fit and Feminist is a must read for any woman who has any interest in fitness. The articles are always insightful and meaningful. In this post she talks about the societal changes that have allowed us the ability to work out and enjoy it.

Strong Isn't Really the New Sexy/Skinny 
This article is super long but worth the read. The gist of the post is “There is no one right answer, and we don’t have to disparage one body type to celebrate another. When we recognize and internalize that, we will be free.” Please read!

Can Rotating Running Shoes Reduce Injury Risk? – New Study Suggests Yes! 
Librarians are suckers for scientific research, and I appreciate Runblogger’s use of said research in many posts. This article shows why rotating shoes helps reduce risk AND helps me justify buying more pairs of shoes!

10 Regrets No One Has At The End Of Life
A simple list to remind us of what is truly important in life. I was going to pick a favorite, but they are all gems.

How To Become A Mindful Eater In 10 Days
I don’t think it’s possible to have a healthy relationship with food without mindfulness. Here is a step by step plan to bring mindfulness to your plate.

20 Surprising, Science-Backed Health Benefits of Music
More research! My post on my half marathon playlist discusses the importance of music for my running, and this list applies research in music to many areas of health and wellness.

In Other Words

I have been collecting links again for what I was calling “Couldn't Say it Better” but decided I liked the “In Other Words” title instead. If this is your first time here, this is where I share some links I’ve found that relate to my overall message of health and wellness.

Vegetarians Slimmer Than Meat-Eaters, Study Finds 
This article is really straightforward and discusses one of my favorite research projects: the Adventist Health studies.

The carbon foodprint of 5 diets compared
According to my handy Google dictionary, carbon footprint is defined as “the amount of carbon dioxide and other carbon compounds emitted due to the consumption of fossil fuels by a particular person, group, etc.” I became a vegetarian because I wanted to improve my health, but I gave up all animal products when I realized what a huge impact consuming animals has on the environment. This is a quick read and is very powerful.

6 Jedi Mind Tricks That Convince People To Eat Healthy
Summer Tomato is one of my favorite non-plant based sources of health, wellness, and nutrition information. I don’t always agree with all the content she posts, but I think she makes an effort to present clear and unbiased information as much as possible. I get a lot of requests from people for help losing weight or becoming more healthy (which I love), and I love the simple tricks presented in this article for that purpose.

Half Marathon Training: What I Wish I Knew When I First Started
I recently stumbled across the wellness blog written by one of my library colleagues. She is running a half marathon the weekend before me, and eats a primarily vegetarian diet. I love her blog’s design and short posts. This one has some great tips for (new) runners!

Vegan on the Road: How I've Eaten Healthier than Ever While Driving Across the Country
I've linked to No Meat Athlete before. I wrote a review of the new book. You know I love the site, so go check this great post on how to eat vegan on the road!

12 Indispensable Mindful Living Tools
Mindfulness is a technique that has been subtly taking hold in my life. I’ve read about it in relation to food, relationships, spirituality, and learning. Again, if you’re a long time reader you know I love Zen Habits and this is another excellent post.

Public Agrees on Obesity’s Impact, Not Government’s Role
If you’re not familiar with Pew yet, you might want to explore their website. According to their about page “Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research.” I use their data in my job as a librarian to learn about my users, to build presentations, to add to my own research, and to share with others working on their own research. This report discusses the obesity crisis our nation is facing. It’s clear that Americans are aware and concerned, but not sure how to make changes. Unfortunately, I think things like soda bans are bandaids that don’t address the real issues with our subsidized, highly processed food system. Still a good read!