by Sam Tackeff | Jul 17, 2014 | Wellness
Today was supposed to be a “rest day” – in preparation for a big race this weekend – the concept of which I think I’ve forgotten nearly 60 days into my 10,000 step a day streak. I spend a lot of time thinking how to optimally operate as a human being, and for me, streaks are a particularly motivating way to instill good habits. 10,000 steps is sort of an arbitrary goal – in the past, I’ve done 10 minutes of exercise a day, 30 (60, and 90) days of eating mindfully, a mile a day running streak that lasted from Memorial Day to the 4th of July. With my Jawbone sleep tracking I’ve also been working to get in at least 7.5 hours a sleep a night, but haven’t managed to keep that one alive for more than a few days at a time, alas.
The side effect of having a daily step goal is that a mile or two extra a day comes naturally – you find yourself taking meandering routes in order to round out the step count. Suddenly the 10,000 step goal is well surpassed and you’re at 12, 13 or 15,000 steps, and you’ve walked the long way at the end of the evening from Boston to Harvard Square because the weather is so nice.
Of course, there’s always room for a little reward – this gorgeous evening called for a micro scoop of Turkish Mocha Toscanini’s ice cream (some of the very best in Boston). An excellent treat. By the end of the evening I’d made it up to 17,000 steps, and now I’m sitting on my couch with my feet up.
Did you make it outside today?
by Sam Tackeff | Jul 15, 2014 | Wellness
For the past few weeks I’ve been learning to cultivate a new morning routine: carpooling into Harvard Square and then making my way into town towards the office by the North End. I’ve been stopping for coffee at 1369 for their cold brew, and then walking purposefully as far as I can get before heat overtakes me. Then, I hop on the MBTA to cut three quarters of a mile from my route in order to make it in time to morning meetings. Usually it’s only the distance from Kendall to MGH, but even that is enough respite from the outdoor sauna these days. (That is, when the T deigns to have the air conditioning on.)
While walking, I’ll have a single ear bud in, partially listening to the world around me, and at the same time listening to a book on tape or a podcast. This week it’s been Ruth Reichl’s Delicious. On the T, I pull out my phone and read books that I determine public transportation worthy, usually of the non-fiction self help variety that I can read a few pages at a time. I’m finishing up Arianna Huffington’s Thrive, which has taken me a month so far, because my T rides have been few and far between as the weather’s been (mostly) lovely.
Today’s chapter was about gratitude exercises, or “intentionally bringing into awareness the tiny, previously unnoticed elements of the day” – a practice of I’m already a big believer in. I found myself highlighting this paragraph, because I’m all about calm at night these days:
“Gratitude exercises have been proven to have tangible benefits. According to a study by the researchers from the University of Minnesota and the University of Florida, having participants write down a list of positive events at the close of a day – and why the events made them happy – lowered their self-reported stress levels and gave them a greater sense of calm at night.”
For me, gratitude practice often comes in a form of a list, but sometimes it’s just the photos I take during the day on my iPhone. The little things that make me pause and smile that I’d like to remember later.
Today, for instance – a particularly funny doge meme outside of J.P. Licks – because Shiba Inus are really the cutest. Which reminded me of course of this picture above that I snapped a few weeks ago of the dog walker in the neighborhood. What’s better than one dog? Six. And then there’s this huge bucket of macerating strawberries that I saw in the windows of Toscanini’s – some of the best ice cream in the world.
I was expecting ice cream on our Data team outing this afternoon, but instead we ended up on the roof deck at Sam’s on the Waterfront, where we shared some appetizers – crispy french fries, edamame hummus with papadums, fried zucchini sticks, and a cheese plate. I’d been craving oysters, so I lucked out with a little plate of my own. There was cold lemonade, a few gin cocktails and a scorpion bowl, and talk of endurance sports – a few of us are crazy enough to want to take on races beyond our wildest dreams –and the prices of cable these days, pregnancy taboos, net neutrality, and childhood films. Two at the table had not seen the Goonies, which we might have to remedy on a quieter work afternoon!
For dinner, we tucked in with sushi and an episode of True Blood, and tonight I’m thankful for the fact that I’m an adult, and while teenage me would have been appalled, I can read a chapter or two of a book and be out like a light before ten p.m. this fine evening.
What are the tiny things that may have gone unnoticed in your day today?
by Sam Tackeff | May 28, 2014 | Challenge, Restaurants, Wellness
For the past few months I’ve been hopping on the #FitFluential Twitter chats, looking to meet like-minded folks passionate about health and fitness.
Tonight one of the questions was about nutrition trends, a topic that always piques my interest. One person quipped “Now we say “clean eating” is a trend. When I was young, it was called, “eating at home.” And I’m not that old.” And isn’t it so true? Growing up, eating well meant eating wholesome, home cooked foods, free of junk additives. Treats were few and far between, but when we got them, they were savored.
I like to say that I’m not training for any particular race, I’m training for life. And to do that, I think about what I eat often – my goal in life is to eat sanely, well, and with delight. Sometimes it falls in line with trends, and sometimes it doesn’t. My eating is largely seasonal, heavier in the winter, lighter in the summer. At home I cook a lot of mediterranean inspired meals, and many of my home cooked meals fall squarely into the “paleo” or “primal” camp, which I was doing well before things became trendy. I just call it “eating”, and it’s something that I’m excited to do every day.
There’s always room for well-selected treats – tonight was no exception. I couldn’t help a trip to Shake Shack to celebrate National Burger Day. To balance it out, I crossed the street to the brand new sweetgreen in Chestnut Hill to pick up a “guacamole greens” salad to accompany it. Now that’s a good meal!
by Sam Tackeff | Nov 28, 2013 | Fitness, Holidays, Wellness
Happy second night of Hanukkah! Today I slept in, jumped out of bed, and ran for a mile. I’m debating another running streak. I ran a mile from Memorial Day to the Fourth of July this year, and it was a great practice. I love streaks. With streaks, you eliminate the options and have just two choices – continue, or quit. I’m most competitive with myself, so streaks work for me. I’ve been crossing off days on my current squat streak (50 a day), and thought that adding a mile from Thanksgiving to New Years might be a thing I’d like to do. From a fitness standpoint it seems doable, but this winter running thing? I’m not quite sure how I’ll adapt. Winter running requires a whole new wardrobe – long pants, jackets, protected extremities. And you can’t just have one outfit – you have to have several, otherwise you’ll be doing laundry every other day. I’m normally an overheated runner, and it’s clear that I don’t have this temperature control down. Today, at 30 degrees, I wore long running pants, a long sleeved running shirt, a sweatshirt, hat and gloves. My hands and face ended up freezing, and my core was overheating. This is going to require some significant trial and error.
This Thanksgiving, we spent the afternoon with much of my extended family at the same place we’ve been going to for the past three decades. Cousins and second cousins travel in from across the country, and we’re a large bunch. It’s quite a formal event, and I’ve always felt a little uneasy getting dressed up when I’d much prefer to overeat with less constricting clothing. Preferably an elastic waistband. For many years we’d have a second meal at my grandmother’s house, where she’d cook a second turkey, and make her famous cheese pie. We’d change into house clothes, and I’d feel like I could finally kick back and relax. A few years ago we stopped with the second meals, for the best probably, because it was utterly excessive consumption. After we did, I found myself sorely missing my opportunity for “real Thanksgiving” – but I wasn’t quite sure what to do about it. Today there was a small coup – everyone agreed that we love being together, but next year we’d like to have the big meal at a home. Planning started early, and I’m looking forward to next year at my aunt and uncles house, with lots of family, a roaring fire, and Cooper, my cousin dog making the rounds. No one likes breaking traditions, but I’m looking forward to next year already!
I didn’t take many pictures today, but I did snap one that’s still making me giggle.
Things I’m thankful for tonight:
My health, my family, my cousin-dog Cooper, candles, and egg nog.
Also, my camera, my cookbooks, warm fires, tuna melts.
And basketball season, good books, dear friends.
Cozy sweaters, laughter, and dark chocolate almond bark.
Happy Thanksgiving, friends!
by Sam Tackeff | Apr 6, 2013 | Lunch, Wellness
For most people, the weekend is a time for indulgence and excess, but for me, the weekend is about relaxation, rejuvenation, and making healthy choices. For the past few months, I’ve been settling into my work rhythm, trying to balance my new role and responsibilities with my passion for being active. I feel so lucky to be working for a fitness company that allows me to leave early once a week to head to the gym – as long as I’m getting my work done – but I do really miss my noon workouts from when I was working from home. So instead of sleeping in on weekends, I try to get in a double dose, heading in both Saturday and Sunday for what feels like adult recess.
This past five weeks, I’ve been competing in the CrossFit Open, pushing myself to the upper limit of my athletic ability. Week one we tackled dreaded burpees and snatches, week two had me pushing hard with the 75 pound shoulder to overheads, week three I got in more than a hundred wall balls at 20 pounds when I had previously been using an 8 pound ball in workouts. Week four was my absolute nemesis, fighting multiple days to get the *single* rep I needed to move on to round five. 95 pounds was 10 more than my PR for the clean and jerk, and my form (not the weight itself) was holding me back. It was a collective gym effort to get me to that rep – and after days of no success, Coach Steve helped me make magic happen and I got it done. This week was a deadly combo of thrusters and chest to bars. I’ve been able to muscle a handful of chest to bars this week, but couldn’t manage them after the first set of thrusters. But I’m getting there. And with each new PR, I feel stronger and more confident to keep pushing myself. Every single day I feel thankful for how far I’ve come, and for how it makes me feel as I set about conquering life.
Unlike my grandfather, who used to barter gym time for a donut and a cigarette – I like to reward myself for my workouts with a cup of black coffee, and a highly nutritious meal. (I do think that he’d have been amused and proud of my athletic achievements, given the turnaround from my sedentary teenage hood.)
I make sure I’m getting in lots of greenery – pounds of leafy greens, especially if I haven’t been the most attentive during the week. I’ll usually cook up a large bag of collards or what Trader Joe’s calls “power greens”, sometimes with a bit of bacon, or plain with a little bit of garlic, shallot, and cider vinegar, and use them as the base for the majority of my meals.
I’m particularly fond of making salmon salad (see above, with the heaping portion of broccoli raab and garlic), or opening up a tin of sardines, and making a dressing with the fish infused olive oil and some fresh lemon juice. The photo has them served over some steamed green cabbage, and sprinkled with some bourbon smoked paprika. I try to eat little fishes at least once a week, but sometimes I’m negligent. Really, you can’t go wrong with sardines.
On cloudy or cold days, I go with soup. This was a beef, tomato, and carrot soup I picked up from Formaggio Kitchen a few weeks ago, and savored it while simultaneously reading my Kindle, flicking through Twitter, and with my computer at arms reach. Some of my habits are less healthy than others.
And then, there’s my favorite lunch staple: the avocado. I went nearly three weeks without avocado last month, and it was a travesty. Here’s my new favorite – avocado halves with sherry vinegar, salt, and a sprinkle of black pepper. If you can find a nice ripe avocado, try eating it this way, you won’t be disappointed.
by Sam Tackeff | Dec 30, 2012 | Wellness
I’m taking a break from errands and typing up my lists of intentions (and maybe even putting off a little workout) to provide you with this!
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Friends, one of my goals for the new year is to create some e-courses revolving around good food, health and happiness – but I’m not quite there yet! So, I thought I might share with you a few e-courses that I know will be stellar that other people are leading in the next month or two. Many of them are starting in just a few days, so if you are inspired, sign up right away! All are under $100, and some are free! I’m not taking all of the courses (even though I want to!) but I’ve taken courses or worked with every one of these folks in the past – and none of these are affiliate links* – consider them all highly recommended!
Charly’s Delightfully Well E-Course – I went to high school with Charly but fell out of touch, and I’ve just been so thrilled at how wonderful a life she is creating for herself and sharing with others. She’s a health coach, yoga teacher, and writer, and would be a wonderful guide. (Note, this starts in two days, so you’ll have to sign up by the 31st!)
An online cooking class at Stone Soup Virtual Cookery School – Jules of The Stone Soup offers these wonderful video cooking classes, as well as some excellent pdf’s that I find myself buying (often). I really enjoyed ‘Mastering the Art of Cooking on a Budget’.
A Whole 30 or the Balanced Bites 21 Day Sugar Detox – for folks interested in a Paleo eating style, these two courses are some of the best ways to ease into things. And by ease I mean, well, cutting out processed food 100% is never easy, but you’ll be munching on fabulous whole foods, planning your meals, and eating better than you have in a while. {I hear that Nom Nom Paleo is going to be the cruise director for the next Whole30 – which is reason enough to jump aboard!}
Rachel Cole’s Ease Hunting – Rachel is a beautiful human being, inside and out. She’s hosting a course from February through March, and it will undoubtably be wonderful. I spent a moving afternoon with her and other women in Providence last year on her Well-Fed Woman Retreatshop, and it was one of the best things I did all year.
Chookooloonks Create.2013 – Karen Walrond is an excellent guide, and I’m excited for this course on intentional creative pursuits. Her blog is one of my favorites, and I’ve enjoyed some of her photo-courses, journaling advice, and general creative inspiration. She makes me want to go out there and DO.
Are there any courses that you’ve signed up for that I should know about? (Or that you are leading? Plug them in the comments!)
