Super Bowl parties are notorious for unhealthy food choices. Here is my Butternut Squash recipe that can be served as an excellent side dish or appetizer for any party. Warm, healthy and fresh!

Ingredients:
Cubed butternut squash (I use one package of pre-cubed butternut squash)
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Brown Sugar
Butter
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
Additional ingredients you can add: onions or apples

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Place cubed butternut squash in a large mixing bowl. Add a drizzle of olive oil to cover squash, then sprinkle with cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and a small amount of brown sugar. Toss the cubes to coat with mixture. Add in onions or apples if you want at this point.  Spread squash mixture evenly over baking or cookie sheet and bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and tender.

Once cooked, return squash to a large mixing bowl and toss with a very small amount of butter and brown sugar. Arrange the cubes on a platter with toasted baguettes. Use toothpicks to make the cubes easy to pick up. Enjoy!

Don’t worry, this is not an article about New Year’s resolutions. This is about knowing that you are enough and it is enough. It refers to anything you do in your life. The amount you exercise each day, how hard you exercised, how fast you ran and the work you got done. Also, the chores you finished and the love you provided your children with. When do you decide? How do you decide it’s enough?

Recently, I attended the Woman of the Year celebration in Park City. As I listened to all the accomplishments of the winner, I couldn’t help from thinking, I could never do that much. I could never achieve so much. It seems almost impossible to do so much so well, and from there a sense of failure began to enter my mind. I challenged myself to continue to listen, to support her, to think good thoughts about myself. I found myself continuing to think, “Is this what we are about? How would my daughter feel right now in this room? Hopeless? Incapable? Do we focus on expectations so much we end up missing the moment? Are our standards or expectations so high that we are never able to obtain them? If we do obtain them do we really experience happiness and fulfillment?”

I left full of mixed emotions, wondering how I feel “It’s enough.” I’ve been pondering this question now for a few months listening, thinking, feeling and sensing. During this time I’ve come to wonder  how many of us are lacking self- love and acceptance for whatever we did that day. Often I hear friends and colleagues say, “Oh, I should have run a faster PR. I should have been first in this race. I should have trained harder. I only ran 16 miles today. If I sleep in that’s too lazy. I should add in another marathon because I only did five this year.” These are just a few examples I witness daily.

Many of us are living with expectations and demands that cause us to miss out on the moment. How often have we heard or read the message of ‘being present’? I’m speaking to the depth of the presence, which is to love, to accept and to embrace whatever you have done as perfect and good enough.

Trust me, I’m not suggesting that we shouldn’t have goals or dreams. By all means they are truly important. They provide us with a sense of direction and determination. But even in a goal, when do we feel it is good enough? As I head out the door to run I’m given once again the opportunity to feel, to be present, to witness, to enjoy all that I am in that moment.

Over the past couple months, I have come to realize that one of the most precious gifts I received from The Feldenkrais Method, and in my training is discovering and developing self-image which includes self-regulation, knowing when to stop or back off or when I can go further. It’s trusting my ability to know what is right for me at the moment and that what is right for me, is all that matters. It takes presence, awareness and a desire to be connected with one’s self.

Perhaps you can begin discovering how you know when it’s enough, how you self-regulate and how you honor and love yourself in the moment. It’s enough.

Here are some photos from this weekend’s skiing workshop:

Learn how to better protect your knees by reading this article featured on TriEdge.net.

Knee pain is no stranger to athletes of all kinds. Running, in particular, often gets a bad rap for creating knee pain. However, knee pain isn’t created from running, it ‘s more about the biomechanics while running, cycling, hiking, skiing, and even sitting.

What you do in your daily life makes up your biomechanics. So if you have a desk job, most likely you are stiff and tight in your hips and hamstrings from the continuous habit of sitting. After a long day of sitting, it is challenging to immediately open the hips and lengthen the hamstrings.  So if you head out for a run right after a day at work, you will most likely lean your upper body slightly forward to compensate. You may not even feel it until reading this article and begin to notice. You may even simply jet your head out slightly which will have the same affect. Such a slight bend forward will allow the hips and hamstrings to remain tight which then pulls on the knees.  It is utterly impossible to lengthen your leg behind oneself with tight hips. So the tight hips and hamstrings, keep the knees slightly bent which increases direct pressure through the knees. So is it really the running, or sitting at the desk all day that brings pressure and pain to the knees? The same goes for avid cyclists and skiers. Both of these activities tighten the hips due to the incredible demand on quadriceps and hamstrings. In fact, cycling can be the worst because you never get to fully extend the leg while spinning. Many specialists suggest cycling will help prevent knee problems. I heartily disagree if you don’t properly stretch after a ride or spin class. In fact, sitting on a bike with the hip area closed for long periods of time not only tightens the hips tremendously but tightens the hamstrings, which directly adds pressure to the knee joint.

Over a period of time, without proper stretching, the knees can begin to feel stiff and painful when you have lost the ability to fully extend your leg. I know, how many times have you been told to stretch? Many. So stretch. It is critical to stretch all the muscles deep in the pelvic area to avoid knee pain. In addition, as I mentioned earlier, it is critical to open up the mid-back, thoracic spine area to keep the knees pain free. Think of the entire body. To notice, feel and become aware of how you feel in your upper body as well as your lower body. Are your shoulders rounded? Does your head feel forward? Are you able to extend your leg fully behind yourself?

There are several ways to stretch effectively. One is to go to a stretch class, or a yoga class. Secondly, you can stretch on your own. To do so, you must make the time; go slow, and be consistent.  What is most important is to stretch after the activity whether it’s running, skiing, cycling, or just a long day at the office. Here are a few simple “active” stretches you can do at home:

The first one will help determine how tight your hips are. Lie on your stomach. Begin by bending your right knee so the right foot is directed towards the ceiling. Slide your right hand, palm up, under your right hip joint; this is where you will feel the front of the pelvis and the gap where the femur inserts into the pelvis. Now, press down with the hip, bring pressure onto your hand. Most of us will notice immediately, this area is away from your hand.  Some of you may find it very difficult to press the hip down onto the hand. This tells you how tight your hip is.  Repeat this movement holding down for 10-15 seconds then releasing. Repeat 5-10 times.

Once this becomes easy, then take your right hand out, and grab your right ankle with your right hand.  From here, you will continue the same idea, pressing the hip down, once this is achieved, then you can allow the right knee to lift 1”-2” away from floor.  Allow the arm and shoulder to lengthen behind you, so know you are getting length in the arm, in the hip as well as extension in the spine.  Repeat this pull and lift 3-5 times.  Roll onto your back and notice how free the right leg and hip feels and how loose the lower back feels.  Return to stomach and repeat on the left side.  In time you will be able to finish by grabbing both heels behind you, press both hips into the floor, lifting both knees, lengthen the arms and arch the entire spine.

Return to bent knees, feet standing, slide right foot behind left knee, grab again right ankle with left hand, pull right ankle/foot up to left buttocks.  Begin to roll pelvis to right, so left side lifts up to roll to right, this will allow the right thigh to open up and stretch.  Make sure to keep left knee and foot standing, so left knee stays pointed towards ceiling as you roll pelvis to right.  Then lengthen right arm up by your head, back of hand on the floor, now continue to pull right foot under gap, and you roll pelvis and self to right coming to lie on right side.  Still left knee standing straight up.  Here you will feel an incredible diagonal stretch. Roll 4-5 times to the right side. Then return onto your back.

From your back, lift left foot to place on right thigh, then open left knee out to left side.  Lay on your back opening both knees.  This is a huge hip opener.  Slowly undo legs and repeat with the left leg/side. Remember while doing this active stretch, you are also opening the upper body and your spine, which can contribute to freeing up your knee pain.

What is pacing? Read this article featured on TriEdge.net to learn how pacing can improve your running.

What is pacing, really?  And how does someone learn to pace when running? Learning to pace may not only be the key to a faster run, but a faster run with less effort.  A concept we can all appreciate. When I think of pacing, I immediately think of breathing.

Breathing is such an interesting topic, and there has been much discussion on the right way to breathe. What I’ve learned from The Feldenkrais Method, which is the Method I teach, is that breathing is the one thing that is truly wired into us as human beings. We are an advanced mammal and there are many things we must learn however, breathing is not one of them. Breathing occurs automatically. In saying this, it is in the how we are breathing or perhaps not breathing and our ability to self-regulate our breathing, which allows us to breathe in a rhythmic, smooth, effortless way. Our environment (i.e. what we are doing) plays a large part in how we breathe as well. So if we are sitting watching T. V., our breathing is much quieter than if were running. What about swimming for those of you who are triathletes? Have you ever noticed how your breathing is completely different when swimming than running and you never think about it do you? Because we self-regulate. But often there is tension around our self-regulation, therefore, dramatically affecting our ability to carry out the action or sport we are doing.

So how does one find their pace, their rhythm, and their breath? How does one self-regulate? First and foremost I believe it is crucial to start your run off slow. Allowing yourself to warm up gives you time to get into a rhythm for yourself. If you start off to fast you may miss this opportunity to notice. Once you are running for a few minutes you begin to listen; listen to your inner self, not your head/ your thoughts, the traffic, or your headphones. You can have that all going on, but you learn to draw your attention inward and feel your breath. Ask yourself, “How is my breathing?” Notice if anything is feeling difficult including your breathing. Once you draw awareness, you will notice.

Awareness is the first step and the key ingredient to finding your rhythm, finding your pace. Is your breath fast? Is it choppy, is it rushed? Are you exhaling? Which by the way is critical because it is automatic to inhale. Continue to ask, are my legs heavy, do they feel tired, and do I feel tired? It is important to ask these questions for if any part of you is working too hard, it will directly affect your breathing.

So now what do you do?  Once you become aware, the great news is, change is already happening. This is why awareness is so important. Now you have the option to either shift your pace to slow down so you can regulate your choppy breathing to a smoother breath, or you can slow your pace to allow your legs to feel lighter and less heavy. So you have options to start self –regulating. I personally choose to shift my breathing. I find if I slow my pace down just a little I allow my breath to become fluid, rhythmic and smooth. Once this has happened, I find everything in my running becomes lighter, easier, smoother and more free. My whole system has self-regulated. I continue to notice the shift staying there for a few minutes before I increase my speed. I allow myself the time to adapt to the new effortless pace. So as you pick up the pace, your breathing will become faster, and faster is okay as long as your breathing is smooth and continuous. Then I look for the next moment when I feel so at ease with my pace and my breathing that I know I can increase my speed again.  I add the increase, and return to noticing my breathing and  rhythm.  Can I keep the quality of breathing with this new increase of speed? The answer must be yes to be able to run with ease, if the answer is no, I must back off a bit.

Over the years my ability to self-regulate is quite natural and very quick. Practicing such self-regulation has led me to not only find a great sense of ease in my runs, but with the ease a faster pace that I can sustain for long runs. I may self-regulate 10 times over the course of a 20 mile run. It doesn’t matter how often, what does matter is the ability to notice so you can shift yourself.  You should also notice where you are placing effort. I’ll shift my attention to all different areas; my feet, my legs, my shoulders, my arms, just asking the inner question: “How does this part of me feel right now?” Again, as you notice, change is in the works.

Hopefully these tips will help you become even more self aware. My hope is, through such self awareness you will develop a deep inner connection with yourself, thus being able to self-regulate giving yourself the best runs ever!