The Artistry of Health

Intermission...

noreply@blogger.com (The Art of Health) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 19:11:00 +0000

"Water is the one substance from which the earth can conceal nothing; it sucks out its innermost secrets and brings them to our very lips."

-Jean Giraudoux (1882-1944), The Madwomen of Chaillot, 1946

A Course in Weight Loss

noreply@blogger.com (The Art of Health) — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 00:41:00 +0000

On one of my many favorite trips to Barnes and Noble in search of some new literature, I came across a most profound book. I was specifically looking for a book that broke down the science of detoxing, healthy approaches to detoxing and what specifically happens to the body when it is on a detox. Instead, I came across a book by Marianne Williamson titled "A Course in Weight Loss: 21 Spiritual Lessons for Surrending Your Weight Forever". I was completely wowed because here was a book that took a spiritual look at weight loss and addressed the cosmology of factors of weight gain. The book of course is a spin on "A Course in Miracles", a book that speaks to a spiritual thought system. "A Course in Weight Loss" assists in the reader examining the reasons and root causes of their weight gain and relationship to food.

Once I read the book's summary and review, I instantly connected to it. The book's voice is similar to that of the contemporary world of western medicine whereas other weight-loss books (many helpful and informative in their own right) focus on "the cure" while this book attempts to focus on "the root and the cure". (And a lot of weight loss books do focus on prevention). I have begun to read the book and work through the lessons.

Although to most people I may not look like I have weight issues, the main thing is I alone can identify my own challenges with weight and health, and Marianne's book is helping me sort it out a little bit more in depth. Health is something we all identify with because we live in a world that threatens the vibrancy of our health everyday, and we too contribute to that threat by self-harm through fear, ego, addictions, naivete, and ignorance. I myself am no stranger to any of those. Daily I move to be healthier in mind, body and spirit, and now I have a new book that adds some inspiration to that daily journey. Might I add that it was cool to find out after I bought the book that it was one of "Oprah's Favorite Things of 2010". Oprah has good taste.

Pick up your own copy and Injoy!

Intermission....

noreply@blogger.com (The Art of Health) — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 21:40:00 +0000

"Health is more than the absence of disease; it is a dynamic state of balance and integration of body, mind, and spirit"

- Dr. Deepak Chopra

The Shining: "Don't Look Down"

noreply@blogger.com (The Art of Health) — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 05:59:00 +0000

"The Shining" is the music section of the Artistry of Health blog. Music posted here is inspiring, insightful, and makes you shine on the inside and outside.

Kanye West teams up with fellow G.O.O.D members Mos Def, Big Sean, and friend/ collaborator Lupe Fiasco to tell a tale of letting go and moving forward. Detachment and freedom come as a paradox to desire and compassion, and all four elements are explored to find that balance for the one who fears moving on and the one who promotes it. Love anyone who doesn't want to hold you back... they really love you.

"Don't look down/ It's an impossible view/

Fly like an eagle/ whatever you do/ Don't look down/

it's an impossible view/ Spread your wings/ Aerial...."

- Mos Def

Kanye West Ft. Mos Def Lupe Fiasco Big Sean Don t Look Down

Veggie Brew - New home, new meal

noreply@blogger.com (The Art of Health) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 05:20:00 +0000

After having been laid off a few weeks ago, in search of a new apartment, and rediscovering myself, I have managed to keep myself fed, lol. With this lifestyle change has come a new and refreshed way of thinking and perspective on the world and my life. And boy can I tell you, has the recent change of events been a blessing. And more changes are happening everyday. Nowadays I'm frugal more than ever with money (both me and one of my besties had to save to go see the movie "For Colored Girls....). With a trip to Miami for Art Basel coming in a few weeks, I am buying things sparingly, and conjuring up whatever is in the cupboards. And Viola! Here's my first healthy meal prepared in my new kitchen. The flavor was very robust because of the garam masala and cilantro. See ingredients and recipe below picture.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of Black Quinoa (or quinoa of choice)
1 Salmon Burger

1/2 Sliced Onion

1-2 Scallion Stalks

1 Garlic Clove

1/2 Jalapeno Pepper

1 bunch Cilantro
Olive Oil

1/2 tsp Himalayan Sea Salt (or sea salt of choice)

Garam Masala (to taste)

Tumeric (to taste)

1. Boil 3-4 cups of water. Add quinoa and bring to a simmer. Allow to cook for about 30 minutes. You can also add olive oil to the quinoa to give it a softer texture and of course for added health benefits that olive oil can provide. I recommend adding it the last 5 minutes of the quinoa's cooking time.

2. After the quinoa has simmered for 20 minutes begin to prepare the vegetables. *This part of the meal (excluding the salmon burger) may also be prepared live.*

3. Chop, slice, and dice the onion, scallions, garlic, jalapeno, and cilantro.

4. Braise the onions in a pan of water for 2-3 minutes. Onions should be slightly wilted.

5. Drain water from pan and add olive oil and garlic. Allow to cook for 3 minutes. then add the jalapeno, cilantro, and sea salt and cook for another 3 minutes. Do not overcook the vegetables beyond this time frame. Remove from heat.

6. Once the quinoa is cooked to where it is slightly moist, remove it from heat. In a bowl, mix the quinoa and vegetables together. Add the garam masala and tumeric to the mixture. The mixture should be moist, but olive oil can be added at the end.

InJoy!

HOME: Our life choices

noreply@blogger.com (The Art of Health) — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 03:57:00 +0000

My mission tonight was to watch "Avatar" since I missed it in theaters. I stayed home today to relax and reflect, and watching Avatar seemed like a good way to spend the rest of my night. Thinking that I had found it, I clicked on a youtube link. As I began to watch the film, I was amazed at the intro and how it really spoke to the earth's landscape and environmental issues. I thought it was an excellent way to highlight and segue into the movie's focus on earth's resources and imperialism. As I watched earth's lush landscapes and listened to the story of it's birth, I wondered when I would see the CG characters that made the movie so famous. 30 minutes into the film, I looked at the title and realized I had not been watching the movie I intended. At 9pm I was not mad that I spent time watching "Home", actually I was content on watching the rest of it because it was so captivating.

"Home" focused on how humanity's activities have effected the earth. It's a sot of mash-up of the films "Baraka" and "Earth" . The words reflected in the awesome narration were both informative and a reminder for me of how I thought of the earth as a child. Without knowing the intricacies of science, ecology, sustainability, and industry, with caution in my heart I somehow understood the basic idea of energy, and how heat, movement, and resources could contribute to the dwindling of the natural wonder of earth. My basic idea was that if buses, trains, planes, and the activity of the hustle and bustle of people in the world, especially in the cities could produce heat, it would make the earth hotter and things would move at an unnatural speed. In addition, that alone could not be the cause of some of Earth's atmospheric imbalances, but also man's deliberate efforts to manipulate and destroy resources. The 9 year old me understood this, and the adult me can have my childhood speculation confirmed. (I would probably call it an educated guess as well since at 8 or 9 years old the recycling campaign was introduced to my generation... and I really took it to heart).

Here are a few things "Home" brought to mind. What if:

We never bought frivolous things that require excessive packaging, we can't use right away, are not biodegradable, or are not earth-derived? (Canal Street in NYC would be a great place to start.)
We bought food harvested locally and seasonally, to harm the land less, and have a little more autonomy on the foods that are available to us?
We provide jobs and communities that would financially and culturally support the people who made a living from what could be our "former" way of gaining food? This would alleviate the anxiety people who work in the current food industry may have about continuing to make a living and re-create their immediate environment with social and cultural abundance as the goal.

What "Home" did for me was sustain my ammunition for remaining a vegetarian. In my continued efforts to research vegetarianism for sustainability, here is a crash course of terms and key points for your understanding. I have gathered this info from a few different sources:

Nutritional Ecology (The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition) :
The term nutrition ecology was coined in 1986 by a group ofnutritionists at the University of Giessen, Germany (6). Nutritionecology is a holisticconcept that considers all links in the nutrition system, withthe aim of sustainability. Thus, nutrition ecology describesa new field of nutrition sciences that deals with the localand global consequences of food production, processing, trade,and consumption.

More that 1/3 of all fossil fuels produced in the United States go towards animal agriculture.
According to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (1), the production of one calorie of animal protein requires more than ten times the fossil fuel input as a calorie of plant protein. This means that ten times the amount of carbon dioxide is emitted as well.
A report in the New Scientist estimated that driving a hybrid car rather than an average vehicle would conserve a little over one ton of carbon dioxide per year. A vegan diet, however, consumes one and a half tons less than the average American diet (2). Adopting a vegan diet actually does more to reduce emissions than driving a hybrid car!
A Smithsonian study estimates that the necessity for more grazing land means that every minute of every day, a land area equivalent to seven football fields is destroyed in the Amazon basin(1).
On average, landrequirements for meat-protein production are 10 times greaterthan for plant-protein production. About 40% of the world’sgrain harvest is fed to animals. Half of this grain would bemore than enough to feed all hungry people of our planet. Animalmanure, which is produced in huge amounts by industrial agriculture,causes high levels of potentially carcinogenic nitrates in drinkingwater and vegetables. Animal production requires considerableenergy and water resources and leads to deforestation, overgrazing,and overfishing.

I hope this information inspires you to have a better relationship with the earth, and I hope in watching "Home" you can understand your power to positively change the damage that has been done to it. We can all do our part to sustain the circle of life on Earth. Now I feel like watching the "Lion King" : )

InJoy,

Nicole

Morning Energy

noreply@blogger.com (The Art of Health) — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 05:09:00 +0000

Hello World!

It's been a while since I've communicated with you. The Earth has kept on moving, we've been breathing, and I've been living. As I strive daily to balance my health, this time around my purpose for good health is clearer than it's been in a while. I can give a heavy nod to a certain sneaker company for keeping their motto in my mind the past few months. "Just Do It" is a gem. It is a reminder, a motivator, and very straight to the point.

Part of my daily motivation has been 1) my "Morning Ritual" and 2) the Bedstuy YMCA.

1) Morning Ritual

At one point in the last several months I attempted to juice around 3 times per week. Due to the mediocre quality juicer I have, it took way too long to obtain an adequate amount of juice from the fruits and vegetables. Juicing is great for overall nourishment as well as cleansing and fat loss (and yes ladies cellulite!) Some of the ingredients for the juice above are:

Morning Juice

Orange juice (fresh squeezed or store bought)

Apple Cider Vinegar

Carrots (4-5 stalks)

Apples (2)

Grapefruit

Kale

Spinach

Blueberries

Cod Liver Oil

*occasionally beets (small, peeled, and slightly sweet can be found at Trader Joes)*

Lately I have switched the regime up a little bit with the following:

Plain oatmeal (with flaxseed, folate, and other fantastic vitamins and minerals) or cranberry oatmeal (both from Trader Joe's) which I mix with Total EHA oil (includes all the omega oils, primose, and other necessary oils the body needs.)
Plain soyprobiotic yogurt with added frozen blueberries and ground flaxseed.
Simply Nutritious Mega antioxidant drink mixed with spirulina.
Calcium/ Magnesium capsules for added nutrition.

2) Bedstuy YMCA
Here's why I like this gym:

- It's inexpensive
- Is community-based and family friendly
- Has a pool, track, weight rooms and aerobic room
- Has a plethora of classes to take that are included in the membership

The Boot Camp class that I have taken for the past two years is a such great motivation because of the intensity of the activities and the group setting. There's a wide range of ages that attend the class and the gym itself and everyone who comes, comes to work! You can't get around it, because the instructor Gary makes sure that you do what you came to the gym to do.

My dilemma and that of so many of us with busy lives has is scheduling conflicts. I will go to class or gym consistently for weeks or months at a time, then when my schedule has to change due to work or other priorities, the gym takes a back burner. The fact is that exercising at the gym or any form of physical activity should be a priority, because without it we cannot live a great quality of life. With being content and finding happiness, our bodies and minds should be physically strong to deal with what life brings our way. My biggest motivations are to just breathe, physically play, defend myself if I ever have to and get my body ready as much as I can for motherhood - the birth and everything that happens after it!

Now that my work schedule has changed again and I have transitioned to going into work earlier, I can no longer attend boot camp in the morning as I would usually. For the five consecutive weeks I had been going, I saw and felt such great results. As my metabolism started to increase so did my food intake, but alas, as the food intake has stayed along with my schedule has changed, my exercise regime didn't. I didn't watch what I ate for two weeks. It didn't completely reverse what I had done to get into good shape, but I degraded it a little. This brings to light the source of our motivations to nourish ourselves. What you put into it can stay with you if you don't help it to move out whether by our pores or elsewhere. This also brings to light the motivation to move. Not exercise, lose weight, or even cleanse, but to MOVE. When I think of movement and playing I think Capoeira the Afro-Brazilian art form. I think children and their pure sense of discover and happiness. I think of those who are missing one, two, three, or all of their limbs or have them severely injured. Find your purpose for being healthy. Be thankful for your body and celebrate it, and move it just because you can and because it was made to!

InJoy,
Nicole

Veggie Brew

noreply@blogger.com (The Art of Health) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:11:00 +0000

Welcome to "Veggie Brew", the recipe section of The Artistry of Health Blog. It features original recipes created by me. All the food in this section is designed to nourish the body and uses the freshest ingredients and the healthiest preparation techniques. Though I am partial to raw foods, I've decided to incorporate a 50/50 cooked/raw food diet into my life and "Veggie Brew" reflects that. From raw to cooked and somewhere in between, each recipe is executed with healing and love in mind. Think of "Like Water for Chocolate" but it's more like " Like Water for Health".

The first recipe came about as a result of a cold winter day when I was extremely. The hunger was oh so real! Though I love my fairly new rented duplex, I dislike the fact that there are few to no options in the neighborhood to consider food let alone healthy food. Wanting immediate satisfaction, I even toyed with the idea of getting a "salad" (or perhaps some other "veggie" option from the Crown Fried Chicken across the street. And there goes an example of compromising lifestyle choices. But behold, thanks for good and supportive friends! My homegirl Daryl talked me out of opting to hop across the street to the hood's favorite diner, and create a meal from home. What made me even consider Crown's was the winter cold. I wanted something warm and hearty as well to eat. So I pieced together what I had left of some various ingredients and voila, a cozy winter e-mergency meal. See the step-by-step recipe below:

Ingredients:

celtic sea salt

fresh rosemary

cherry tomatoes

1 block extra firm tofu

basmati brown rice

2 leek stalks

1 1/2 large sweet onion

green and yellow beens

baby carrots

scallions

1. Place brown basmati rice in pot of water. Heat at a low temperature. The rice will be done by the time the remainder of the meal is cooked.

2. Slice the sweet onions to 1/2 inch thickness. Place the sliced onions in deep skillet. Blanch the onions; cover onions in water, cover, and bring to a boil. Blanch long enough to soften the onions and bring to a firm wilt. Slice all vegetables and cut the extra firm tofu into 1in blocks.

3. Slice 2 Leek stalks about 1in thick. Drain onions and add extra virgin olive oil to skillet. Add onions and leeks to skillet and sautee on low heat. Sprinkle 2 pinches of celtic sea salt.

4. Add yellow and green french beens, carrots, and chopped scallions to skillet and mix. Add 3 pinches of celtic sea salt. Cook all ingredients for about 10 minutes. The key is to lightly cook the vegetables for a short period of time without losing too much nutrients. While the vegetables are brewing, place extra virgin olive oil in a large pan and add tofu. Sprinkle a dash of celtic sea salt. Lightly sautee the tofu until light golden brown on all sides.

5. Add tofu and chopped tomatoes to veggie mixture. continue to cook for 5 minutes. Add 3 pinches of fresh rosemary and cook for 5 minutes.

6. Once the rice is finished cooking, top with the cooked vegetables, pour on the juices from the skillet and InJoy!

Heal Thyself
With Love,
Nicole

New Year’s Evolution

noreply@blogger.com (The Art of Health) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 05:41:00 +0000

New Year’s resolution. Many of us know them well. We are so familiar with them that we repeat them, making illustrious patterns of well, disappointments. I plan on losing 10 lbs this year. I will stop drinking soda for the next 6 months. I will get a membership to the gym and attend a regular class there. I will stop smoking. I will be more compassionate. The majority of most of our resolutions have to do with our health and well-being. In essence, we wish to optimize our life experiences by being in better physical, mental, and spiritual shape. The guilt of having gained weight, picking up the habit of smoking, or having a not-so-gracious demeanor invokes us to change. Sometimes we do not recognize the depths of our symptoms until they have reached rock bottom. This is actually an opportunity to dig our deepest and discover at our core the reasons for our imbalances. Making a verbal commitment to ourselves by ourselves is a great first step, but deciding how to make the commitment real involves daily ritual.

I have often shied away from making resolutions all my life. Even as a little girl I just kept things moving as usual and made changes as I saw fit, and I’m pretty much the same way now. This year however, I’m determined to shed my life of relationships with limited mobility, and put all of my artistic gifts and pursuits into full gear. As I move into another phase in life and specifically womanhood, I am determined to learn from my own life experiences. It just so happens to be that I begun to play out these decisions and changes in December; like I said I keep life moving. I have dedicated the last 2 years of my life to consistantly exercising. I got a membership at the excellent Bed-Stuy YMCA , and regularly attend Boot Camp . (Foot surgery has taken me away from class for 3 months now, but I’ve been on the road to exercising at home again.) But this time last year, I was attending class regularly on average 4 times/week. I attended class after the holidays and wondered why class was over-crowded. I wasn’t late that day, so I pondered with a fellow consistent classmate about the boost in attendance. I was actually a little mad and to me the attendance was madness. Then we came to the conclusion that these must be people who made their new year’s resolutions. After the ah-ha moment, I leaned over and said to my classmate, “ most of them will be gone by February"… and they were. Not that I did not believe in them, but this is a SERIOUS class and yes you will sweat! Like any serious commitment, it starts mentally. Like they say get your head in the game...

Again, resolutions are excellent vantage points. The key to the success of a resolution is to start before your “start date”. We are all familiar with “binges” before the "big date”. Consume all you can before you begin. Think of it like this, excess is excess. The more you exceed, the more you have to work and the less your mind is engaged in the transformative process. This is not going cold turkey, which, is more or less a split decision. This is setting you up for failure. A resolution is better reached when it becomes a lifestyle through action based on understanding, and not through mere force. This Is Evolution. We are all worthy of giving ourselves time to reach our destination one day at a time. If we really want to see change, you have to at least plan it in your mind and allow it to be part of you as the understanding of it comes.

Here are some keys to creating your successful Evolution:

Determine the thing you most want to change in your life.
Think about achieving your goal until it feels it is embedded in you.
Consider your obstacles ahead of time, without being discouraged. You will have to overcome them, but need to know what some of them may be ahead of time.
Allow it to be a part of your life. Accept both criticism and praise about your choice and lay it down beside you. Indulging in either one will create an imbalance in your mental scale and thwart your success. Say thank you and keep it moving!
Do it when you’re tired and when you're bored. Your body and wallets will thank you later for the diligence.
Reward yourself along the way as you achieve milestones in your commitment.

On The Road Again...

noreply@blogger.com (The Art of Health) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 19:48:00 +0000

At the beach with my sister

Hello wonderful people! I am back on board from a two month hiatus. After starting on the good foot, I had surgery on the other one, ha (pun intended). It was minor surgery, but surgery none the less. I am very much a physically active person and I love working out at home or at the gym and enjoy being as mobile as possible. The reality of what I was actually getting into did not set in until I was on the operating table and that's when I realized "oh, this is surgery". I am so used to bouncing back from anything that I do, that the post-surgery reality didn't sink in either until day two of me lying in the bed unable to walk... yes I did not walk for five days, unbelievable! That is what catapulted the actual start of the Artistry of Health Blog. The idea was already there but now I had the time to create it with no excuses, I just had to hop to my studio to use the computer.

So between then and now, I went back to the 9-5 and spent the remainder of the month searching and looking at apartments (shout out to to Tiffany for walking at snails pace with me the whole time!), and actually moving in. For most people that I know who have had the surgery, I am having the most speedy recovery. Could I attribute that to mentally not wanting to feel and be so dependent and having the will to do so? Since I was going to the gym regularly attending boot camp, could my body handle op and post-op better? I could concur that it was these things, but by no means has it been mentally or spiritually easy. For a quick moment I understood what it is like to not be able to use your body to full capacity. Now after walking for 20 minutes, I have to sit and rest, but indeed, I can walk.

The opposite foot pre-surgery

In my case, having to have the surgery was in my opinion partially hereditary. Take one look at my feet and you see my mom's and grandmother's feet. Not really appearing deformed, there was much pain and aggravation, to the point it had been affecting me at least since 2005 when a college friend reminded me that I spoke of the issue even then. Though I looove a great pair of high heel leather boots, which I buy a new pair every winter/fall, I only where heels and shoes on occasion. I have even been accused by my students of not owning any because I wear kicks so much. In later research that I did post surgery, I came across this website: http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/mpacms/at/article.php?id=28075 . It discusses the relationship between bunions, sugar, and the spleen. Of course too much of anything is not good, and a high consumption of sugar is connected to inflammations in various areas of the body, and the article details how it is connected to bunions. Could my infamous sweet tooth be the cause as well? My instinct tells me yes. Could I have prevented surgery and most of all inflammation had I moderated my sugar intake? My instinct says yes. There have been times when I cleansed and/or regulated how much sugar was in my diet and inflammations of every kind simmered down.

Always preferring to take the non-medical and non-medicinal route, having the surgery is something I still ponder about mainly because I did not research all my options, "alternative" methods of treating the bunion,or seeking a podiatrist who would inform me of other options pre-surgery. Now that i have been taking the time to help my foot heal correctly, here are some resources in regards to bunions, surgery, and "alternative" methods (both eastern and western):

products for correcting bunions -

http://www.footsmart.com/general-foot-lower-body-care-avoid-bunion-surgery.shtml

http://www.everythingfeet.com/index.php?dispatch=categories.view&category_id=1

http://supports4less.com/bodyparts/toe/index.htm

General bunion information -

http://www.stlfootandankle.com/_webapp_2000206/Bunions

http://www.submityourarticle.com/articles/Dr%20Andrew-Schneider-5004/bunion-surgery-77693.php

Health Thyself!

With Love,

Nicole

City Eating

noreply@blogger.com (The Art of Health) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 04:33:00 +0000

I am a city girl to the heart...New York/Jersey City that is. As I continue my efforts to travel as many places as I can on the globe (I've trekked France and Nicaragua), I still appreciate home and some"down home" cooking. Yes my family has deep roots in the South, but down home for this health conscious earthy-yet gritty girl born in the South Bronx may look like food picked straight from a grandmother's backyard. Food made with Love and Health in mind.

As an urban chameleon living in BK (Brooklyn for you who may not know) apartment living doesn't easily lend itself to the world of food harvesting. So as one part of the compromise to city living, I enabled myself to stay abreast of the best Vegetarian/Raw food eats that New York City has to offer. As I make my regular pilgrimages to my other favorite cities Washington D.C. and Philly, I'll add many more physical destinations to my life's journey and take you there with me through food, movement, and art as reflections of a holistic lifestyle. So to kick it off I would like to serve up just a taste of some of my favorite spots to eat in NYC:

Quintessence

Uptown Juice Bar

Cafe Veg

GoBo

Pure Food and Wine
Vegetarian Paradise

and of course for on the go....Whole Foods

Check 'em out, and inJOY!

P.S. Look for my upcoming reviews of these cool places.