OneMileOneMeal

In Amsterdam, They Make Biking Look Like It's A Wonderful Life

Everyone, say hello to Amsterdamize aka @Amsterdamized on Twitter, one of the most beautiful blogs I've seen with amazing photography...and btw it's about biking in Amsterdam. I position Amsterdamize this way actually as a high compliment.

When photography is captivating and emotionally grabs you, it can be about anything...and you cannot rip yourself away. This is a testament to how the photographer sees the world, and tells a story. In fact, to me, the best photographers are also amazing story tellers...they just use pictures instead of words.

During the #30daysofbiking April challenge, @bikerly pointed me to Amsterdamize, and I was literally blown away by this particular post called, "A Sunday Photo Walk."

Marc spent a Sunday taking pictures of a typical day in Amsterdam where biking is obviously a huge part of life over there. His post is filled with incredible photos and you must check them out...along with the rest of his blog. You will seriously get lost in the magic of the photos!

Marc happily allowed me to share a few so I could point you all his direction so you can see how biking is embraced in Amsterdam. I'm thinking we Americans can learn much from them over there!

Scrolling through the pictures, I realized that I've only seen biking pictures in reference to exercise or competition like the Tour de France. I've never really seen everyday people in everyday clothes and shoes just biking around town going to work, church, the store, or to meet friends.

In the US, we are so car centric that we forget that biking is also an awesome means for transportation. In fact, in this article from The League of American Bicyclists:

According to the Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey, 25 percent of all trips are made within a mile of the home, 40 percent of all trips are within two miles of the home, and 50 percent of the working population commutes five miles or less to work.

So, if we are all not going that far, then why not do more biking? And especially now since gas is creeping up to almost $5 per gallon. We've gotten a glimpse of how sitting is wrecking us. Biking is such an easy way to get in some exercise.

Over in Amsterdam, they make biking look like a wonderful life. Yes, I am a romantic...and that makes life magical. Even more than ever, I want to get a bike. Saving up my dollars now! How about you?

Homage to Dance: Martha Graham Celebrated In Google Logo

To celebrate the 117th birthday of Martha Graham, Google featured some of her dance moves in one of their famous Google logo doodles.

I LOVE, LOVE that Google honored Martha. In 1998, Time Magazine listed her as one of the most important people of the 20th century. I dance like a white dude engineer, but I can appreciate dance when others can...and magnificently.

More like Martha Graham please!

As Important to Feed The Body: 5 Ways To Start Feeding Your Soul Nutritiously

Earlier I shared an example of how I feed my soul nutritiously, by watching TED Talks. I believe with every fiber of my being, that as important as it is to feed our bodies vibrant foods, it is equally important to feed our souls with sparkling vitality.

Why?

When your soul is feeling healthy and pulsating with feelings of goodness, it results in you being happier which then leads to you being motivated to do healthier things for yourself which then creates an overall well human being. And, as we know, our life is a sum of our choices.

It's all a chain reaction!

So, here's 5 ways to start feeding your soul nutritiously:

• Go play! Take recess. Just because we're grownups doesn't mean we have to be serious all the time. In fact for many trapped in the rat race, I'd ask, when is the last time you let your hair down and just allowed yourself to be goofy and have some play time? Uh yeah! Well go now and get your play on!

• Surround yourself with people who energize you. We all know the energy vampires real well, but in relation to how you spend your day, alott quality time with people who make you feel good, who radiate positive mojo themselves because yes all that radiance is contagious. That vitality is the kind of stuff you WANT to catch.

• Take 2 days, the weekend is perfect for this, and do a media detox. No news. No magazines. No radio (except music). No interwebs of doom and gloom. Shut off the noise for 2 days. I personally don't watch the news on TV any more because afterwards I always feel depressed and down. Much of media is designed to provoke us...not all, but much is it is. So, get away from it for 2 days to help you refresh.

• Spend an hour or two in nature. Yeah, you remember, trees, dirt roads, plants, lakes, bugs, animals, and open sky with fresh air. Mother nature is one of our best resources for soul nourishment....and it's free. Just go outside and if you feel like it, yeah, go hug a tree! If anything, it will get you to laugh because of the silliness.

• Spend 10 minutes with one of your dreams. Often, because of daily responsibilities, stresses...and yes fears... we put our dreams on the back burner and hide them away almost like stuff in the closet we forget about. Pull out one of your dreams, and spend 10 minutes relishing in that dream because it is a gift and it is acknowledgment to your soul that yes, you do care. You haven't forgotten.

Those are some quick examples on nourishing your soul. What is a tip that has worked for you?

If 4th Graders Can Solve World Problems In a Board Game, Can We Do The Same With The World's Health Problems?

One of the ways I feed my soul nutritious things is watching TED Talks. Every time I see someone talking about how they have done something to help make the world a better place, it fuels my own passions and feelings of hope for the world.

TED speakers are prime examples to me of agents of awesome!

I saw this talk by John Hunter who teaches 4th grade, and he came up with this board game that involves role playing and interaction. But what was amazing to me, is that the premise of the game is to solve world problems. This ain't rinky dink stuff.

I absolutely love that this game teaches kids about real life, but that John is not assuming that just because they are kids, they aren't capable of learning BIG things! In fact, the kids can teach us adults a thing or a dozen.

John's talk got me thinking, could we use a board game to help solve the world's health issues? Sure, why not!

I remember playing Rich Dad Poor Dad's Cash Flow board game, and wow did I learn a great deal about my issues and beliefs about money. Playing that game did evoke change for me in a way that was fun and less intimidating then going to personal finance classes.

And maybe these health solving board games are out there already. If you know of any, please let me know in comments or email. If not, there is an idea for someone to create!

Hilarious: We Want to Workout With Pro Golfer Ben Crane

This video on how Pro Golfer Ben Crane approaches working out had me in tears laughing! Dude we are so working out with him.

Yes, be in the now...and beat the crap out of the Bosu :-D

Some Tweet Chat Parties To Meet New Fitness and Wellness Minded Friends

Photo on Flickr by Rosaura Ochoa

Tweeting is like a party at the beach! Okay, maybe not always but sometimes.

One of the things I love about Twitter is the ability to find like-minded people, and kindred spirits almost instantly. In my tips on "7 Ways You Can Be Fricking Awesome on Twitter," I stressed the importance of being social, and meeting new people in all kinds of circles.

Tweet chat parties are basically a bunch people who sit around the Twitter camp fire and chat for an hour or two about a particular subject. The way they find each other and stay on track with all the tweets is through a common hashtag or that pound symbol # with the name of the tweet party.

For example, one tweet chat I visit every Thursday nights at 9pm EST is #bikeschool which is all about biking. To follow along this biking tweet chat just do a search for the term #bikeschool on Twitter or chime in through TweetChat.com to follow along like for #bikeschool it's http://tweetchat.com/room/bikeschool

With all these tweet chat parties, everyone is always welcome so never feel shy. Jump right in!

Here are some of the few tweet chat parties I have participated in or have heard about related to fitness and healthy living.

• #fitblog - healthy living bloggers and tweeters every Tue at 9pm EST

• #healthymomschat - moms into health and wellness every Tue at 9:30pm EST

• #bikeschool - on biking every Thu at 9pm EST

• #runchat - on running every 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month at 8pm EST

• #fitstudio (sponsored by Sears) - on fitness every Wed at 8:30-9:30pm EST

Related (not weekly or bi-weekly)

• #fni (foodies night in) - food related but from time to time they will have eating healthier themed chats (I know because I've been a panelist :) every Mon at 4-6pm EST

• #mamavation - mom's getting fit and losing weight. They have formal tweet chat parties about every 4-6 weeks, but many people will use the #mamavation hashtag on-going during the week so people can share content. I think it's neat when a tweet party hashtag can live beyond just the party day.

So, who am I missing? Got any info on other fitness, wellness, or healthy living tweet chat parties let me know!

 

Sports or Workout Pains Treatment: Have You Tried Arnica - a Homeopathic Remedy?

Photo from Flickr by wadeferd

This is a guest post from Dr. Greg Meyer MD who is an urgent care physician, board certified in Internal Medicine and Urgent Care, and is a homeopathic physician. Greg is also a camper, hiker, traveler, and photographer. He blogs at Dr. Meyer's Blog.

I like Dr. Meyer because he has an integrated background of traditional Western medicine and alternative healing, homeopathy...not to mention, he's a really cool guy! Dr. Meyer is also a firm believer in nutrition and food as medicine so he and I are on the same wavelength when it comes to eating wellness.

Dr. Meyer told me about Arnica when I told him about some pains I was experiencing with my new delve into barefoot running. My heels, ankles, and calves were so incredibly sore a few hours after a run. It was painful to move.

I took some of the Arnica as Dr. Meyer mentioned, and I was amazed how fast the pain went away. I've tried homeopathic remedies beore so I'm open to the concept of "energetic medicine", but never before had I experienced pain vanishing like that so fast. I'm a believer now! ...and so I begged asked Dr. Meyer if he'd do a guest post :)

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Of all homeopathic remedies, Arnica montana has to be one of  the most useful, or at least the one to try to convince you homeopathy is a useful complement to regular medicines. Homeopathy works under the idea that "like cures like". Arnica montana has the "feeling" or energy of: hit, bruised, swollen, and don't touch me.

Arnica is useful in almost any type of blunt trauma or impact. So, stubbed your toe? Sprained your ankle? Got knocked off your bicycle? Fell in kickboxing class and bruised yourself? Had a rough football game? Bangs and bruises from any sport or accident–basically any type of direct trauma will feel better after a dose of Arnica. It will speed the healing and reduce swelling, and bruising.

Arnica is a first-aid treatment that can actually help the body heal itself. It doesn't just cover-up the pain. Homeopathic remedies don’t interfere with other regular medications because they contain no strong chemicals, drugs, or even herbs or vitamins, so chemical interactions are not possible.

Homeopathy has a long, safe history, and is regulated with standards by the FDA. Here is a simple explanation of FDA standards and for the more technical, here's an abstract on FDA standards.

I recently recommended it to a marathon runner. After pounding the pavement for 26 miles the front of his thighs were especially sore. After his last marathon he took some Arnica. He called me later the same day to say how effective it was in reducing the soreness and speeding-up the healing.

Arnica 200C is inexpensive, a vial of pellets runs about $8, and has enough for at least 20 doses, and can be purchased in places like Whole Foods or your local Natural Foods store. Pop 3-4 Arnica pellets under your tongue and in seconds to minutes the severe throbbing will subside, the swelling will reduce, and actual healing of the injury begins.

Follow Dr. Meyer on Twitter @DrMeyerMD

LIKE his Facebook fanpage Meyer Homeopathy

Two Awesome Healthy Eating Food Blogs With Recipe Picks

Because of Noshtopia my food blog where eating healthier is fun and flavorful, I check out many, many, many food blogs and posts to see what people are cooking and eating.

Did I mention many?

Admittedly, I have a very high bar for the blogs I go back to and would recommend. My criteria includes remarkable content, gorgeous food pictures, creativity, healthy angle which includes organic and/or all natural ingredients, and a cool person with a positive attitude.

Here are two food blogs that are favorites of mine:

No Recipes by Marc Matsumoto

Marc is one of the most creative of the food bloggers out there, and I love his concept of not being a stickler of recipes because I'm the same way. I look at recipes, but I end up tweaking or making up stuff on my own. I also love his ability to blend western and eastern ingredients and concepts.

His food photography is outstanding! I can't tell you how many times I wanted to take my fork and dig into my screen. Some recipes that stood out to me:

• Shiitake and arugula ravioli. He uses marscapone and tahini which I thought was really creative. And hello, we all know how much I LOVE arugula.

• Vegetarian version of Korean Bi Bim Bap. Marc's version is a healthy meatless alternative of this traditional mixed rice dish with marinated broccoli and pickled raw beets.

• Sweet Miso Glazed Black Cod on a bed of brocoli rabe and natto. Natto originates in Japan, and has a definite take it or leave it kind of taste, but it has numerous health benefits and is high in protein. It's not often that you will see natto used in American dishes, so I really loved the application here.

Follow Marc on Twitter @norecipes

Like No Recipes Facebook Page

Good Life Eats by Katie Goodman

Katie's site is a happy place. You know how you go to some blogs and it just feels good there, well Good Life Eats is one of those places...at least to me.

Katie's palate is very similar to mine, so I really appreciate her recipes and take on food. Her photography is also vibrant and makes you drool. Some recipes that stood out to me:

• Multi-Grain Banana Bread with Flax. I like how she added barley, and oat flour along with the flax. The cool thing with this recipe is that you can also make it vegan by replacing the butter with Earth Balance Soy-free version, the yogurt with a coconut-milk yogurt from So Delicious, and the eggs with one banana or 1/4 cup applesauce for each egg.

• Homemade Pearsauce. I'm not a fan of applesauce either because it reminds me of bad diet food. But I love pears, and there are many varieties of pears so you can mix this recipe up. This pearsauce is also vegan.

• Sweet and Spicy Turkey Curry Soup. I dig the combo of gala apples, sweet potato puree, and a wild and brown rice blend with the turkey and curry. You can also use chicken instead of turkey.

Follow Katie on Twitter @GoodLifeEats

Like Good Life Eats on Facebook