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10/29/2018 0 Comments

Finishing Strong

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'In high school I was known for my negative splits in the 400 m dash.  Okay, well, maybe I wasn't known for them but my coaches, teammates, and my dad thought it was awesome.  If you're not familiar with track and field lingo, a negative split means that I ran the second half of the race faster than the first.  This is challenging for the obvious reason that you are more tired in the second half.  It's a fine line between starting too fast and hitting that dreaded wall or holding back too much and not being able to make up the distance in the second half.  Boy did I piss a few components off chasing them down those last 200 meters while my dad screamed from the side lines "Get 'em Meliss!"

For the most part, I've carried that same ability into my adult years and have been able to dig deep in much longer running events such as marathon and ultra distances.  Imma "come from behind" kinda of gal and damn does it feel good to cruise by folks at the end of a race (with a healthy dose of encouragement as I pass them of course).

Now, what does this have to do with November and December?  It has everything to do with these last two months of the year.  You see, by now, most people have "fallen off the wagon" so to speak in terms of those lofty New Years resolutions they set back in January.  As we roll into the holidays, the popular attitude is "meh, I'll just eat and drink and be merry (okay, maybe not the merry part as eating and drinking too much for 2 straight months rarely leads to joy) until the end of the year and then hit reset in January."

I've fallen into this trap many a times.  I've over done it in so many ways--be it sugar, alcohol, spending, commitments...I've been there. And you know what?  It doesn't make me happier and it for sure doesn't make me healthier.  As a matter of fact, I usually get sick right around Christmas and start the New Year off with a killer cold. 

How am I doing it differently this year?  I'm choosing to focus on mindful movement and mindful eating.  I will absolutely enjoy a few holiday treats but I'll do so with mindfulness and gratitude.  Instead of the "all or nothing" attitude, I'll slow down, realize that I can have that pumpkin pie... but I'm also going to drink that green smoothie and chomp on that hearty kale salad.  It means that I'm going to make a strong effort to get enough sleep and drink enough water.  It means that I'm going to lovingly move my body each day so that when January 1 rolls around, I feel good in my body and my mind is peaceful.  It means I'm going to say "no" when it feels like too much.  It means I'm going to help me kids understand that they don't NEED all the toys.  It means loving myself enough to compassionately practice self care in a season that can be all together overwhelming and gluttonous.

Want to join me?  My next round of Beet Camp Starts next Monday, November 25.  It is the perfect way to finish the year with mindful movement, simple nutrition, and evidenced based stress management techniques.  I'll help you establish sustainable morning and evening routines that you will carry into the New Year with ease.  

Click here to sign up!  

Let's Finish 2018 Strong, Friends!
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10/26/2018 0 Comments

Facing the Holidays as an Eating Disorder Survivor

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I'll never forget that first Thanksgiving after I had spiraled into the dark hole of Bulimia.  I was 17 years old and my family was hosting Thanksgiving for my large extended family.  We had some out of town family members staying with us so my mom had brought home Costco muffins. Have you had Costco muffins before?  They are ginormous and less like a muffin and more like cake.  Seriously, they are so big and so cake like.  For a 17 year old with an eating disorder, they were Satan himself to me.  

I don't remember how many of those ginormous cake-muffins I ate that morning but I ran to play flag football with my friends anyway... I rarely purged by vomiting but usually chose to torture myself with hours upon hours of exercise and restriction all while feeling like dying because I had binged on all the things.   While playing football that morning, I was closed lined and my nose hurt like a mother.  I was sure it was broken.  So there I was, sure that everyone could see the 8,000 calories of muffin-cake I had eaten and my nose was swollen.  

I hid in the bathroom, my mom outside the locked door trying to lure me out.  I honestly don't remember how she convinced me or what happened the rest of the day.  I'm sure I struggled to maintain conversations and felt tortured by the excess food.  You see, food controlled me.  More than once, I considered ending my life because I felt like I was doomed to a life of Bulimia, depression, cutting... 

Fast forward 13 years.  I say I'm "recovered" but the truth is, I'm actually still "recovering" and always will be.  For me, my eating disorder was like an addiction...it is something that I continue to guard myself against.  That means catching myself when I'm going down that dark path and CHOOSING every single day to not allow myself to be engulfed by it again.

So, the holidays...well, for someone who has or has had an eating disorder, they can be really freakin' hard.  Although I have completely changed my relationship with food and my body, I still get anxious and stressed about the food. I still feel the shame gremlins sneak up on me if I go back for seconds.  Until this year, I have felt like it was just something I needed to "get through" each year.  Suck it up, cook all the vegan food, eat all the vegan food, drink all the wine...

Here's the thing though.  I don't want to "get through it."  And while this might change next year or in 10 years,  this year, I'm not doing it.  I'm choosing to reclaim Thanksgiving for myself and my boys.  No more overwhelm.  No more glutenous, shame filled, obligatory gatherings that leave me feeling depleted.  This year, we're opting out.  I've reserved a mountain yurt for our little family of 4.  We'll play games, eat simple but delicious foods in a healthy dose, and snuggle under the full moon.  We'll thank our lucky stars for all the abundance in our lives and for each other.  

What do you do for Thanksgiving?  How do you cope with the excess of food?  

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10/26/2018 0 Comments

Pumpkin Pie for Breakfast

 I have never been crazy about pumpkin pie.  I was always more of an apple pie gal...or pecan if we're being honest.  Truly, I didn't like pumpkin pie...until I made this one.  The filling is just the right amount of sweet and spicy, the crust, simple and satisfying.

We've made this pie twice already this fall.  Once for Fall Equinox and the second time we made mini pies with my cute as pie homeschool cooking class. Check out an adorable video of my class over at The Tiny Chef Kitchen. The kids gobbled this one up and I didn't feel at all bad about feeding it to them.  Full of healthy fats, nourishing pumpkin, warming spices, and a bit of maple syrup, we have been known to eat left overs for breakfast.

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Ingredients
Crust:
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1/2 packed cup pitted dates
  • pinch sea salt
  • 1/3 cup unsalted almond or peanut butter
  • 2 TBSP almond or other non-dairy milk
Filling:
  • 2 cups fresh pumpkin pie puree or 1 15 ounce can of pumpkin
  • 3/4 cup raw cashews
  • 1.5 tsp arrowroot powder
  • 2 tsp pumpkin spice blend
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup 
  • 1/3 cup almond or other nondairy milk
  • 1 TBSP lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract 

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Lightly coat a pie plate with a bit of coconut oil (a little will do!).
  2. In a high speed blender, combine all the crust ingredients and blend until the mixture becomes sticky.  Transfer the mixture to the prepared pie plate and push into the bottom and sides of the plate.
  3. In a high speed blender, combine all the filling ingredients and blend until smooth, scraping the sides as needed.
  4. Pour the filling mixture into the crust and smooth evenly.  Bake for 10 minutes and then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 25 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before slicing!
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    Melissa ~ Sweet Beets Owner & Coach

    I integrate diet, exercise, career, relationships, and spirituality to support clients on their journey toward wholehearted wellness.

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"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing" ~ Jack Kerouac

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