Increase Joy, Decrease Stress

As I approach 40, with a recent diagnosis of hypertension, I am trying to learn to slow down, stop, enjoy, relax. I've always been fairly good at self care, but I've never been good at slowing down. I always tried to run faster, further, stronger; I bet I missed so much beautiful scenery during those countless hundreds of miles of practice runs.

My doctor and I have developed a holistic plan to address my blood pressure and it seems to be working. My BP is lower (granted with help from a medicine, too) and I am working to decrease sources of stress while increasing sources of joy in my life.

We haven't had a good 'ol Sunday Family Dinner in a long time. That always brings me joy. I love preparing meals. The smell of it cooking in the oven, grill, smoker or stove. The joy of plating, then sitting down to enjoy and have conversation over a meal to be enjoyed, not merely consumed is something I try to incorporate regularly. But I've been working a lot. And I've been stressed by work a lot. And I've gotten away from big healthy meals favoring quick, healthy-ish meals instead. Today, that changes. I'm returning to Sunday Family Dinner and you might receive an invitation.


I am also trying to incorporate things I've always wanted to do but put off for this or that reason. I'll be having a privacy fence installed this month (I hope). I have been doing a small amount of landscaping to increase the flowers in my yard, which bring my joy to see bloom. And I am launching a podcast that I've had in mind for six years--since I began my journey as a Licensed Massage Therapist.

And I hope, in doing so, maybe someone else will be inspired to pursue joy and eliminate stress. I'd love to hear back from you on how you're increasing joy and decreasing stress. Please consider leaving a comment below to help inspire me, and maybe even others.

The two pictures I am including in this post are serving as reminders to me to stop, slow down, enjoy.

Have a great, stress free, joyful day!
Donald

Spicy Black Bean Burgers, vegan

If you have read my blog, or if you know me in person, you are probably aware that I am battling hypertension (high blood pressure) and I have also moved towards a Meatless Monday meal plan. Although honestly the Meatless Monday is more like a Roving Veggie Day as it's not always on Monday. But at least one day a week, my diet is plant based, though I do still include dairy usually. 

Anyway, the doc said maybe 30% of my blood pressure issue is from my lifestyle--diet, exercise and stress namely. So I am attacking (or at least attempting) those head on. I already don't use salt when cooking, but I've been buying more prepared and processed foods lately, especially my veggie burgers. While the Morning Star Spicy Black Bean Burger is my fave and is loaded with protein, it also has 330 mg of sodium. So this week, I decided to make my own spicy black bean burgers with a mind for getting that sodium content in half (so 165 mg). It is definitely not under 165 mg, I think it is hovering near 200-250. Still not great, but better! And I think next time I'm going to leave out the soy sauce entirely and see what it tastes like. That would bring it down to less than 100 mg of sodium per burger! (this is me doing my math, certainly not certified or whatever. I'll do the breakdown shortly). Not to mention, they were so delicious, with ZERO preservatives, using REAL and FRESH produce (for the most part), and as an added bonus--they are kid approved! 

Read the labels.
Small changes add up!

I'll post the recipe but I want to be clear that I did NOT make this
recipe up, I got it from the following blog: The Savory Vegan (that link takes you directly to the recipe, I'll post my version below including modifications I did and will do next time). bon apetit!

Ingredients

1/2 yellow onion roughly chopped
4-6 cloves garlic roughly chopped
15 oz can black beans drained and rinsed*
1 cup quick cook oats
1/2 cup bread crumbs*
1-2 jalapenos diced
1/2 cup corn
2 tbsp spicy brown mustard
1 tbsp sriracha
1 tbsp cumin
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari
1 tbsp chili powder
pinch of salt and pepper plus more for topping*
6 burger buns*
OPTIONAL TOPPINGS: lettuce tomato, onion, spinach, jalapeños, banana peppers, BBQ sauce, vegan ranch, etc.

* on the advice of a friend, I dried out the beans a little on low heat (225) in the oven. Another friend stopped over and I forgot the beans so they got too dry. Next time I'll set the time for maybe 10 minutes. I had to add more water back in. 

I used panko instead of bread crumbs as they're lower in both sodium and carbs

We don't eat burgers with buns, again sodium and carbs plus it takes away from the flavor in my opinion. 

I don't salt anything I cook. 

Step 1:

I saute'ed the onions and garlic in water, not butter (as per the recipe), I think next time I'll add some EVOO instead, the burger lacked any fat and EVOO is a "healthy" fat anyway. 

Step 1: 

Meanwhile mash up the beans (I think I'll mash them a little more next time). 

Step 3: 

Mix remaining ingredients in another bowl well (I think I'll give the oats a whirl in the blender next time for a smoother texture that holds together better). 

Step 4: 

Blend the onions/garlic in a blender. 

Step 5: 

Mix ALL ingredients together. 

Step 6: 

Pat out, the recipe says you can get six, but I got seven. My son and I ended up eating 1.5 each, topped with avocado slices and a side fruit salad. This filled us up thoroughly, but not so much we didn't have time for ice cream a little later, of course! 

I Feel Defeated

I am turning 40 in a few months. I am ok with turning 40 and think of it as just another year. Some call it a milestone year, but I don't get it.

Or at least, I didn't get it until I went to the doctor this week.

I began going to the doctor on a regular basis six years ago when I became a foster dad. Part of the process for certification in Kentucky is an annual physical. I mean, I guess it's a good idea to get a baseline of all your numbers and stuff anyway. And those numbers have been relatively steady except for two things: my weight and my blood pressure. Life has been stressful lately and I have an unhealthy relationship with food--in that I tend to eat my emotions, caving in to late night sweets and even chips.

But for the last few years my doctor (Dr. Julie Ellis, one of Louisville's top docs, LOVE HER!) has been monitoring my blood pressure closely. I have never smoked and I gave up alcohol about six years ago. So she suggested I reduce the salt and increase the physical activity. I eliminated salt almost entirely from my cooking, and the physical activity comes and goes. None-the-less, each year my blood pressure steadily increased. She says it's mostly genetics catching up with me with some lifestyle choices thrown in to exacerbate it. I can't change my genetics, but I can change my choices.

Can I be honest here? I feel defeated. Entirely defeated. I am in the healthcare profession. I espouse being healthy in mind, body and soul. My private practice is called Infinite Balance Massage (I made that a clickable link, shameless plug). I run 2-3 times a week and hike 1x a week. Each activity is 2-5 miles. WTF BODY!? Why are you doing this to me!? Maybe 40 is more than just another year. Maybe it's the year my body decides to revolt and implode. I want to change the lifespan and quality of life statistics for men in my family. But my body seems to have missed that memo. At times, I feel paralyzed to do anything. Anything except eat more snack cakes, that is.

I am trying to believe it when I say I'm not going to let this defeat me; I am going to reclaim my life and body. But I don't believe it, yet. I have never considered myself a negative person, but this really has me down. I have a plan in my head, but execution of said plan...well...I don't know, I feel paralyzed. I guess I'll just do what I can do, where I am, when I can and see where the (low sodium, baked) chips fall. I will attempt to celebrate small steps forward while not getting stuck on the small steps backwards. I know I can conquer this challenge, I just don't know if I will. I'm not looking for pep talks or my cheer squad, I'm just being honest.

So here we go, maybe I'll document some of my journey here for accountability. Maybe someone else needs to read it. Maybe I just need to vent it. I don't know, but here it is. I'd like to end this missive with a celebration: I made a small step forward. My yard is a disaster zone (so much of my life seems to be actually). So I decided to reclaim a little of it. There is a section of my yard screaming for some landscaping. So I bought five bags of mulch and some flowering plants on clearance. My son and I spent about an hour weeding (i.e. we used the weed eater to cut the grass to the dirt), plucking small trees, laying landscape fabric, planting five flowering plants (four of which will come back) and spreading mulch. I chose to do only one little section between two trees. It is closest to the area of my yard I call my lanai (for the record, I don't have a lanai) so that when I sit out back, I can see progress. It looks nice and I feel I accomplished something which will bring me some peace and tranquility. I guess that's part of what I can control about my life choices in regards to my blood pressure. Yes. that's it. I will get through this (and one day I'll believe that) because I am owning the 30% that isn't genetics. Today, I am proud that I did something yesterday to that end.

40. In 5 months I'll be 40. Many men don't make it out of 50 in my family and many of those who do do not have the quality of life I desire and deserve. But me? I plan to be different. And that started with planting some flowers.

that is technically my neighbors property and her fence.
The fence has effectively made that my property now.
For three years it has been overgrown. 

But this year, I am reclaiming it.
I am excited to see how these plants grow and flower.
And possibly extending this process through the entire row.