Is the Food You're Eating Affecting Your Sleep?

Photo by Ashikin Abdulah

Quality sleep impacts our ability to feel and experience life to the fullest. When we sleep well, we feel more balanced at work and at home.

Today, we welcome back Aundrea Tucker who is a Certified Holistic Coach from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. Aundrea prepared some hints for you to help you snooze better. For more information, please visit her website.

You have to sleep well to perform well. Do you know that what you eat affects how you sleep? Some foods contribute to restful sleep; other foods keep you awake.

Sleepers are tryptophan-containing foods. Tryptophan (which is converted to an amino acid called L-tryptophan) is the raw material that the brain uses to build sleep-inducing substances (relaxing neurotransmitters) serotonin and melatonin. Adequate serotonin levels promote deep, restorative sleep. Eating carbohydrates with tryptophan-containing foods makes this calming amino acid more available to the brain. A high carbohydrate meal stimulates the release of insulin, which helps clear those amino acids that compete with tryptophan from the bloodstream, allowing more of this natural sleep-inducing amino acid to enter the brain and manufacture sleep-inducing substances. Eating a high-protein meal without accompanying carbohydrates may keep you awake, since protein-rich foods also contain the amino acid, tyrosine, which perks up the brain.

List of foods for a good sleep:

Foods that are high in carbohydrates and calcium, and medium-to-low in protein are ideal for promoting sleep:

• Organic Soy products: soy milk, tofu, soybean nuts
• Honey (use sparingly)
• Almonds, hazelnuts
• Peanuts
• Banana
• Whole grains
• Beans
• Rice
• Oatmeal
• Hummus
• Lentils
• Avocado
• Sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds
• Papaya
• Mushrooms
• Grapefruit

Sleep-inducing bedtime snacks:

An all-carbohydrate snack, especially one high in junk sugars, is less likely to help you sleep. You'll miss out on the sleep-inducing effects of tryptophan, and you may set off the roller-coaster effect of plummeting blood sugar followed by the release of stress hormones that will keep you awake. The best bedtime snack is one that has both complex carbohydrates and protein, and some calcium. Calcium helps the brain use the tryptophan to manufacture melatonin. This explains why dairy products, which contain both tryptophan and calcium, are one of the top sleep-inducing foods.

Foods that can interfere with sleep:

Some components of food, such as caffeine, artificially wake us up, so it makes no sense to have stimulant-containing foods before bed. Unfortunately, this applies not only to coffee, but to all caffeine-containing foods, and to theophylline-containing foods (like black tea) as well. Chocolate and many soft drinks (including diet soft drinks) have substantial amounts of caffeine. An ounce of chocolate can contain 10-60 mg of caffeine, and a soft drink will usually fall into this same range. Brewed coffee can have over 100 mg per cup, depending on the grind and brewing time. Eliminating these foods from your evening meal routine is recommended for improved sleep.

Some other foods to avoid:

• Alcohol and nicotine. Do not use alcohol to help you fall asleep. Although alcohol may initially induce sleep, once it wears off, the sleep tends to be fragmented. Also, limit nicotine prior to bedtime, as it is a stimulant and will keep you up.
• Heavy meals less than three hours prior to bed. Meals loaded with calories and fat rev up active digestion and can often leave you feeling uncomfortably full or, even worse, cause heartburn or aggravate a hiatal hernia.
• Fatty or spicy foods
• Tomatoes
• Potatoes
• Salt
• Onions

Have you experienced sleepless nights thanks to foods that just won’t let you rest? What did you do/eat to help you go back to sleep?

For more information contact Aundrea Tucker with Pure Potential Wellness, LLC http://www.purepotentialwellness.com/

Quality Time

We are excited to welcome our guest writer today, David. A consultant, family man, and dedicated friend, he faces many challenges in balancing it all, but strives to find time to enjoy these various aspects of his life. He is a man of many hobbies, in addition to his work and family roles, and is an avid sportsman with archery hunting and fly-fishing being his favorites. We look forward to reading more about David’s perspective on :simple:balance:.
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Photo by i b u

I remember back to when I was 8 or 9 years old when my dad and I spent many weekends at a camp that was located on an oxbow lake in Alabama. Whether we were hunting deer and turkey on the land around the lake, duck hunting in the backwater, or fishing for bass, crappie, or bream, we were spending quality time together. No matter what activity we were embarking on, Dad always would ask me what I wanted to do. Even at that young age, I knew that he was putting my interests first during our recreational times together. Our outdoor adventures are just one example of the quality time spent with my Dad; there are numerous other examples that I could mention where he was totally focused on me. No matter what we were doing, Dad always put forth effort to make the most of our time together.

The time spent with my dad was extremely important to both of us because he and my mom divorced when I was 5, and the custody agreement gave my dad the weekends and some weeks during the summer with me when I was out of school. Dad always welcomed others to join us in our hunting and fishing adventures, and I distinctly remember one of his friends commenting on the quality of time that we spent together. This friend had a toddler son of his own that was not quite old enough to come along, but it was obvious that his comment was not only a compliment to Dad but also a proclamation that he too would make a conscious effort to make the future recreational time with his son good, quality time.

Many years later, as I juggle my own work, extra-curricular activities, civic obligations, and time with my family, I hope that I can be as determined as Dad was to make time with my wife and daughter true quality time. It takes a conscious effort to achieve this, especially considering distractions such as the buzzing of the iPhone or the “big game” on TV. No matter what we are doing or where we are at, there is always opportunity to be distracted.

I often have to remind myself to be intentionally involved in the smallest activities like playing on the living room floor or reading to my daughter. The same is true for time in conversation with my wife or on our family outings. One method that helps me focus on my family is turning the distractions off. Yes, the TV and the iPhone have off buttons (or at least mute buttons), and being able to ignore them, even temporarily, allows me to focus on the current moment. Another tool I have found to be helpful is using the outdoors, much like my Dad did. I find it much easier to get away from the hustle and bustle in the outdoors. Walks in a park or camping trips help me focus on my family more than anything else. In the outdoors, I do not find myself having to concentrate on staying focused on the time I am spending with my family; it just comes naturally.

I have, by no means, mastered making all of my time with family good quality time, and I probably never will. But at least I had a good mentor and good times that I can reflect on to guide me along the journey with my own family. How about for you? What tools have you found or methods do you use to ensure the time spent with loved ones is of high quality?

Can You Ask For Help? Can Someone Ask You For Help?

“Even after all this time,
The sun never says to the earth,
“You owe Me.”
Look what happens with love like that,
It lights the Whole Sky.”
~Hafiz

Photo by flash.pro

Why is support important when it comes to balance? There are quite a few studies showing that social support, coming from family members/friends and work supervisors, helps us feel more balanced and satisfied with many areas of our life (e.g., work and family). Did you know that how much support others are willing to provide is influenced by your personality? It seems logical that if you are easy to deal with (e.g., agreeable) or if you are a little more sociable, you may receive more social support than those of us who are less agreeable and like to keep to ourselves.

For some of us, receiving help may be extremely difficult. We would much rather give than receive! Partially, this is due to the fact that independence is valued highly in our society. Many of us want to be in control of everything we do and to accomplish as many things as possible on our own. We definitely take a lot of pride in being independent. Like with many things in life, there is a downside to the culture of independence. We may be limiting ourselves with how much support we receive and accept from others. In some ways, it is easier to be a strong person who provides advice and support to those around us. There is definitely a skill in opening up to and receiving support. To some extent, it requires some humility and vulnerability to open ourselves up to receive and not just give. But the benefits are great!

Of course, there are also some of us who are open to receiving support but do not have the time/desire/energy to give it to others. Sometimes, we feel that unless it is some big help, others would not appreciate it. However, so many people appreciate little signs of attention and appreciation you can give them. It can be as simple as encouraging a coworker about the work he/she did well. For example, one of my coworkers always has chocolates on her desk and it is so nice to get one every now and then. In return, I share blueberries with her because she loves them. If you cannot go help your friend move to his/her new home, you definitely could find five minutes to give them a call and at least check on them.

Below are some suggestions on how you can receive and give more support, all in the name of balance:

1. Practice the Law of Giving and Receiving at least once a week (e.g., every Monday). This law simply states if you want to love, learn to love. If you want attention and appreciation, learn to give attention and appreciation. If you want material abundance, learn to help others become materially affluent, etc. The key to this law is to give and receive with joy! Here is what you do:

• At least once a week, offer a gift, compliment, flower, or help to someone. It does not have to be big; even a small gesture will keep this law circulating in your life.
• Gratefully receive everything you are offered. Express appreciation when someone gives something of help to you.
• Silently wish everyone you encounter joy, laughter, and happiness.

2. As much as possible, let go of the need to ALWAYS be in control and DO IT ALL ON YOUR OWN. It is OK to get help from your mother, father, friends, or your sibling with whom you may still be in a childish competition with. No, they will not do everything the way you would do it, so make sure you adjust your expectations. But they will do their best and you will have more time to do what you couldn’t have done without their help.

3. Exchange babysitting with your friends and neighbors.

4. Take turns in making dinners for a friend or family member once a month. Many people do it in their neighborhoods and it is a great way to socialize and not have to cook a dinner one night out of the month.

5. Do not assume that your family members and friends know exactly what you need help with. Do not be afraid to ask!

6. Share responsibilities. You may enjoy dusting, while your husband prefers vacuuming. Figure out what each person likes and dislikes, and help each other!

7. When you give or receive help, be very clear about your intentions. People are turned off if they sense that you have a hidden agenda.

8. Express your gratitude! It will make you and others feel good.

I know many of you have a lot more ideas for giving and receiving support. Please share it with others! What works best for you? What gives you the most joy?

:simple:balance: Survey, Part 1

Photo by onlinesurveys

As mentioned in a previous post, prior to launching :simple:balance:, we conducted an on-line survey to learn more about what potential readers of this blog may be interested in. We asked some basic questions about demographics (gender, age, etc.) and what roles people identify with. We also asked about what challenges people have faced when trying to balance their multiple roles, as well as what benefits they find from their involvement in them. We attempted to take a brief peek into people's lives to see what they do to find balance, who they rely on for support, and whether or not their current life situation meets the expectations they had. The results are really interesting and insightful! We discovered that it’s a complicated world out there for all of us, and there are various routes and different ideas being applied to make it more simple. We love what we learned and want to share it with you!

We plan to take a couple of posts to summarize the results (you respondents had a lot of great things to say!), so this is just the beginning. We thought that you might like to learn more about the survey results and about how the feedback gathered will shape the development of this blog. We realize that the day-in and day-out struggles of someone’s life cannot be captured in a few answers to survey questions. So our plan is to expand on these ideas, learn more about what people had to say, and continue to gather feedback from you, the readers of :simple:balance:. So, check out what we’ve learned so far, and add anything else you think is important. We welcome your comments and discussion!

Who were the respondents and what did they say?

Most of the survey respondents were women with an average age of 35 years. Most were married with children, and all identified with multiple roles. “Friend” was the most identified with role, followed closely by employee, spouse, and parent. Other roles included sibling, child, extracurricular activity participant, partner, extracurricular activity leader, manager/supervisor, and grandparent. It was obvious that folks are tapped into a lot of different activities, and by identifying with multiple roles, it is evident that they are all important.

Most people indicated that the biggest challenge to balancing life roles is related to time, or rather, lack thereof. No surprise, right? How many of us have wished for just a few more hours in the day to get everything on our to-do lists done? What remains a miracle, though, is how we prioritize our roles, the responsibilities they entail, and find time to accomplish any of them. The lack of time leads to depleted energy and feelings of guilt – “I never feel like I’m giving anything 100%” was a common sentiment for many respondents. Sound familiar?

What really stood out in the survey, though, was not the struggles that folks identified. Rather, despite the challenges, people indicated that having multiple life roles is enriching. A variety of daily experiences, relationships with people involved in each role, and being fulfilled on many levels (mental, physical, emotional, spiritual) were some of the benefits noted. “I may not be able to do it all, but I enjoy doing all I can” sums up what many people said.

So what does all of this mean?

We learned that trying to give all, be all, and do all just is not possible. But that doesn’t mean that we should neglect parts of ourselves or our lives just because it is difficult. Finding our niches in the different roles we identify with is well worth the challenge; we thrive in this juggle because of the fulfillment we get from those different roles. If I decided that having friends took too much time, and rather spent my energies on work and family only, I would be missing a huge part of what satisfies me and makes me who I am. And that would probably have a negative impact on my job and my family role.

So, if we were to use one phrase to summarize this first phase of the survey results, it would be this: It is tough. But because it is tough, and because people still engage in all the roles they do, it must be worth it. There must be something reinforcing in all that hard work, or else people wouldn’t do it. Our plan is to take this information, continue to solicit more through the :simple:balance: community, and shape it into simple recommendations that work. So, continue to join us on this journey of finding ways to make the juggle more simple. Because the more simple we can be in our approach to struggles, the more balance we will find… and that will allow us to thrive in all of our life roles.

More to come...

Stay tuned for more results from the survey and ideas gleaned from it. In the meantime, take a few minutes to answer these questions and reflect on them in your own life: (1) What do you find to be the biggest struggle to balancing your various roles?; and (2) On the flip side, what is the most rewarding?

Shredded Summer Salad

To follow yesterday's post about nutrition and balance, here is a recipe to try while summer is still upon us. Many of the ingredients are in season and can be found at a local farmer's market or in a backyard garden. Easy and good for you - a perfect balance! Let us know what you think about the Summer Shredded Salad, or share another good recipe that you like. Enjoy!

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour
Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients:
Salad:
1 summer squash or zucchini
1 small seeded cucumber
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
½ tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
½ jalapeno pepper, finely diced
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
½ bunch cilantro, chopped
½ lime, juiced
2 tablespoons sesame oil

Topping:
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 tablespoon cumin
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1 ½ tablespoons tamari
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
½ cup brown rice syrup

Directions:
- Grate summer squash and cucumber, place in a bowl and sprinkle with sea salt. Place the bowl in the fridge for 45 minutes to 1 ½ hours. Remove from the fridge and drain off excess water. Squeeze the squash and cucumber to remove more liquid.
- Place curry, cumin, oil and tamari in pan on medium heat and stir until all flavors blend. Add almonds and pumpkin seeds and stir until all nuts and seeds are evenly coated. Add the rice syrup and cook until liquids are completely evaporated and the mixture begins to brown. Remove the mixture from heat and spread it on a cookie sheet. Set aside until it cools and becomes crisp. When completely cool, chop coarsely.
- Mix the ginger, jalapeno pepper, celery, cilantro, lime juice and oil in a large bowl. Add the pressed squash and cucumber and mix well. If time allows, let salad marinade in fridge for 20 minutes. Add 1 cup of topping to salad.

Notes:
Substitute almonds and pumpkin seeds with your favorite nut or seed.
The remaining topping can be saved for other uses for up to 3-4 weeks in an air tight container.

Unwinding Bad Habits, One Step At A Time

Our environment has a huge impact on how balanced we feel while trying to manage the ins and outs of our daily lives. One of the easiest ways to impact our feeling of balance is through what we put inside of us - our nutrition. It seems natural that more balanced food will create a physical satisfaction that improves our mental state and allows us to balance responsibilities and roles more easily.

Today we are excited to share guest writer Aundrea Tucker. Aundrea is a Certified Holistic Health Counselor from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. She has great ideas about how nutrition plays a role in life balance and she is sharing some useful information with us today at :simple:balance:. You can learn more on her website, Pure Potential Wellness.
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Photo by La Tartine Gourmande

How many weeks, months or years did it take for you to gain excess weight before your health started to hold you back or until you noticed you didn't feel so hot any more? It didn't happen overnight. The reality is that the changes took place, little by little, one lifestyle change turning into a habit, one step at a time. Is it time to rewind?

Taking that same perspective to get healthy, it wouldn't make any sense to attempt to change everything in one fell swoop. You'll be setting yourself up for disappointment when life interferes. Attempting to maintain dramatic changes over a long period of time is often just too difficult.

So, how do we begin to move into the right direction? You guessed it. One step at a time. Believe me, it's much easier this way. It may not sound as exciting as a “total make-over,” but this is really how transformations occur. Eating right, exercising, getting enough rest and water doesn’t necessarily have the appeal of "lose 7 pounds in 7 days," but neither do erratic moods and temporary weight gain/loss that come with deprivation, denial and restrictive dieting.

Here is a simple plan to get you started:
· Pick ONE goal to focus on for one to two weeks
· Once you’ve accomplished the first goal, reward yourself with a non-food celebration, and then...
· Choose another goal to focus on

Here are some suggestions to try:
· Drink more water (drink half your body weight in ounces daily)
· Exercise for ten minutes a day (and increase the time gradually)
· Eat regular meals (three distinct meals, with two to three healthy snacks)
· Eat fresh veggies in at least one meal a day (increase fruits and veggies over time)
· Start the day off with a hearty breakfast (avoid sugary breakfast foods)
· Pack a nutritious lunch for work twice a week (and increase to at least three days)

Pretty simple, huh? But each step is important. It adds up and begins to create a lifestyle that builds health and reduces your waistline. The hardest part is just getting started … one week in, and you’re on your way!

What suggestions do you have for unwinding not-so-great diet and lifestyle habits?

Self-Awareness: Are You in Touch?

Photo by cUpCake

To find balance in your life the best place to start is within.

Self-awareness is an indication of how conscious we are of our thoughts, actions, needs, and desires at any given moment. Most of us follow the same patterns every day. We use the same route to go to work, we talk to the same people, we eat the same range of foods, watch the same TV shows, get into arguments over the same topics. “Why does it matter?” you may ask.

There is no doubt that we need some routine to function as human beings and not be overwhelmed by the constant stream of new information. It is comfortable to get in the car and know exactly what you need to do without re-learning every time you need to drive somewhere. However, some of our familiar patterns may be in the way of fulfilling our desires, being more creative, and feeling more balanced in life.

Research shows that on average we think 50,000 thoughts a day and that they are very repetitive in nature. Moreover, most of our thoughts are either about the past or the future. If we are re-living the dead past or worrying about the uncertain future, what’s left for now, the real present?

There are several benefits of paying attention to your SELF:

• You may discover that a lot of your energy is wasted on thoughts and actions that are not relevant to what you really want.

• You may be able to get rid of a habit that you have been struggling with for a while.

• You may find that you are less reactive and less likely to fall into the familiar argument with your partner, family member, friend, coworker, etc. As a result, your relationships may improve.

• You may discover answers to problems that seemed unsolvable.

• You may be more creative with how you approach situations at home and at work.

• You may be more present for those around you.

• You may feel less stressed and more peaceful.

Here is how you can get to know your SELF better (and it is a learning experience that requires some practice). Practice all or some of these exercises for at least a week (or for as long as a lifetime!):

• Whenever you have a moment (driving, sitting in traffic, sitting at your desk), notice you breath. You don’t have to change it, just notice your inhale and exhale. Try to do it a few times throughout the day.

• The next time you have a food craving, pause and explore how much you want it. Why do you want it? In addition to the mere desire of having something, are there any other emotions or feelings that you notice in your body/mind?

• Every few days try to change something in your routine: take a new route home, sit in a different place in a conference room at work, wear something different, brush your teeth with a different hand, re-arrange something in your home.

• See if you can catch yourself before you are getting ready to react to someone’s comment or before you are getting into a familiar argument with someone. Pause for a second, notice what you feel and where you feel it (e.g., your heart rate may be going up, your throat may feel constricted, you may feel a spasm in your stomach). If you choose to proceed with the same argument, be conscious of your decision.

• If you are not able to catch yourself prior to reacting, reflect on the situation or an argument at the end of the day. Try to remember what was going through your head and how your body felt at that moment.

• Spend a few minutes in silence every day (e.g., without TV, radio, phone or computer). You can even do it as you are driving. What do you notice about yourself?

• At the end of each day (or as often as you can) before going to bed close your eyes and try to “watch a movie” of your day, i.e., watch yourself going through the motions of your day. For example, “I got up, brushed my teeth, went for a run, etc.” It can be as detailed or as general as you want. If you prefer, you can journal about your day. The point is to watch your day as an observer instead of a participant. You may notice some things that entered your consciousness, but you were not aware of them because you were too busy participating.

Try these exercises out and let us know how self-aware you think you are. What does self-awareness mean to you? What did you notice (if anything) when you were doing these exercises?

Welcome to :simple:balance:

Photo by Pink Sherbet

…a blog aimed at being a handy resource for ideas on balancing life’s juggle, as well as a community of people providing support and suggestions for finding balance in life. Managing multiple roles and trying to keep up with the demands of those roles can be a struggle… but being involved in various activities and aspects of life can also be fulfilling, if approached with a sense of balance and simplicity. That philosophy is what will drive the development of this blog. Let me take some time to introduce you to us, our ideas, and our vision for :simple:balance:.

Who are we?

We are two women who are interested in how finding balance in multiple roles can enhance one’s life. We work in business and in healthcare, have families and friends, are involved in community and extracurricular activities, and are always looking for new ways to learn. We both researched work-life balance while in graduate school, and since then, have been striving to apply what we learned then (and have continued to learn since) to our own lives. We are fortunate to be working with some amazing guest writers, as well, who will share their perspectives on finding simple balance here. We also look forward to getting to know you, too.

What are our ideas?

Because of our academic backgrounds, we believe that “the proof is in the pudding,” so to speak. Research is such a valuable tool that allows us to learn more about what works and what doesn’t, but it is not always easy to figure out how to apply the findings. One of our goals for :simple:balance: is to provide a forum in which we translate some of the important and leading research in the area of work-life balance into everyday, understandable, and usable information. “How can I implement that into my life?” is a question we will strive to answer in each post. We recently completed an on-line survey to solicit feedback from potential :simple:balance: readers on the struggles they face with balancing life roles and issues that they would be interested in reading or learning more about. We will share more about the findings of that survey soon, and plan to use the feedback shared there in the development of :simple:balance:.

What is our vision for :simple:balance:?

We recognize that finding balance is related to many different aspects of life – health, nutrition, social support, self-care, time management, relationships, and spirituality, to name a few. We hope to cover a variety of topics here that have applications for your life that you can implement today. :simple:balance: is a labor of love, truly, for us. We plan to develop ideas and insights as we go, while maintaining a focus on finding balance simply. We also strongly encourage your participation via comments to the posts. Our goal is to create an online community for sharing ideas, experiences and insights – so we look forward to hearing from you! We plan to post a couple of times per week to start off, and are excited about getting started!

Please join us…

While finding balance is not always easy, it can be simple. Juggling multiple roles is complex – that’s just the nature of the beast – but returning our focus to simplicity will allow us to fully engage ourselves in those roles and find enjoyment in them. Please join us on :simple:balance: and take a step toward finding balance in your own life.