Homemade Pho, Pho You

I created this aromatic, immune-boosting comfort food for Barre3 as their go-to tonic for cold and flu season. Let the flavorful broth warm you from the inside out and kickstart the robust health benefits of a broth-based meal as colder days grow near. With antimicrobial shiitake mushrooms and cure-all garlic, this Vietnamese-inspired dish can also detoxify the blood while ginger and jalapeños enhance your circulation (and excite your tastebuds!).

INGREDIENTS

1- 8oz package  brown rice stir fry noodles

3-4 cups  cooked shredded chicken

10 cups bone broth  (or premade pho broth, found in organic soup aisles, or stock of choice)

1 ½ Tbsp  garlic paste or minced garlic

1 ½ Tbsp grated ginger

2 Tbsp  tamari

1 Tbsp  fish sauce

2  baby bok choy, halved lengthwise

1 ½ cups  shiitake mushrooms

1 ½ cups  bean sprouts

1 large handful  of fresh basil

OPTIONAL TOPPINGS 

 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced

 lime wedges

 ½ a white onion, shaved

 red pepper flakes

 handful of finely chopped cilantro

 3 green onions, thinly sliced

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cook rice noodles according to package directions. Drain and divide among four bowls along with shredded chicken.

2. Using same large pot, combine broth, garlic paste, grated ginger, and tamari over medium high heat until flavors meld and broth is heated through (about ten minutes). Season to taste. In last five minutes, add bok choy and shiitake mushrooms.

3. Divide bok choy and mushrooms among bowls with rice noodles and chicken and top with broth, bean sprouts, basil, and any additional desired toppings.

Pelvic Floor Health

The foundation to your core and deeply connected to your nervous system, emotional health, and well-being.

When considering all the aspects of a holistic wellness practice, it’s beyond important to consider the pelvic alignment, as well as work to balance movement with stillness and strength with softness, especially for women. Both men and women have a pelvic floor and can experience dysfunction, but more women (1 in 4) will experience dysfunction within their lifetime. 

Anatomy of the Pelvic Floor

The pelvic floor consists of bone, muscles, and connective tissue which provides support to the pelvic girdle, spine, and organs and assist in urinary, defecatory, and sexual function. In order for these functions to operate effectively, relaxation and contraction and coordination of the pelvic floor muscles is required.When this balance of contract/relax is impaired, various symptoms can present themselves.

Development of Dysfunction

Over time, both weakening (developing hypotonic muscle tone) and excessive tension (hypertonicity) of the PF musculature can lead to SI joint, hip, and back pain, balance and stability concerns, decreased athletic performance, incontinence, painful intercourse, and problematic pregnancies down the road. Misalignment or imbalance in the surrounding tissue that supports the pelvis can not only cause pelvic floor dysfunction, but issues anywhere in the body from your neck and shoulders all the way down to your feet. 

Most common symptoms

• Pain: low back pain, pelvic pain unrelated to intercourse, lower abdominal wall pain

• Sexual function: insertional or deep dyspareunia, pelvic ache after intercourse

• Urinary function: frequency, hesitancy, urgency, dysuria, bladder pain, urge incontinence

• Bowel function: bloating, constipation, difficulty eliminating, straining, incomplete elimination

I work with many females who are currently working to find their balance with this. And for me personally, I have been working to correct my own dysfunction due to all my years of heavy lifting, cheerleading, lacrosse, hyper-flexibility (which over time has caused my pelvic floor muscles to attempt to stabilize my unstable pelvis), excessive coughing from random bouts of chronic bronchitis, and my lack of time and patience for pooping (also a result of dysfunction - sorry, but truth) 😳. Growing up as an athlete participating in impact sports, no one educated me on the importance of pelvic floor health. And that’s true for so many young athletes. 

Re-Connecting To Your Pelvic Floor

It’s a common misconception that correction to dysfunction begins with kegels. Unfortunately, this might actually be the opposite of what you need. If you’re someone with hypertonicity in your PF, kegels will only further that dysfunction and it’s important to learn how to soften PF musculature. Whether you’re hyper/hypotonic or just starting with connecting to your PF, begin with the Breath.

If you’re experiencing any dysfunction symptoms, I highly recommend seeking out a PF physiotherapist to get an assessment and work in conjunction with a coach who is highly educated on PF health and dysfunction.

PF Connection Breathwork

Note: this is just a breathwork practice to create mindfulness and connection between your breath, diaphragm, and pelvic floor and is just the start to creating a holistic wellness practice for the pelvic floor.

Begin on your back if you’re new to breathwork or connecting to your pelvic floor. As you inhale, feel the diaphragm contract and move down towards the pelvis, allowing the belly to expand while relaxing and softening the pelvic floor muscles. As you exhale, lift and gently engage the pelvic floor slowly and expel the air out by continuing the contraction up to the lower belly, then to the ribcage, visualizing hugging the spine to fully engage the deeper core musculature. Hold the pelvic floor contraction gently throughout. Inhale while feeling the diaphragm move downwards, the belly expand, and the pelvic floor relax ...

Once comfortable, you can attempt in a comfortable seated position, and then move to leaning against a wall with the pelvis posteriorly tilted and back flush to the wall. 

Let me know…

Are you able to create connection to your pelvic floor? Do you have a regular practice that has helped you with your pelvic floor health?

What other adjustments have you made to your lifestyle to support your pelvic floor health and wellness? Share your favorite tips in the comments below — others in the community might benefit from your recommendations!

Come connect with me on Instagram @running_with_forks

Do you have any questions not answered in this post? Comment below or send me a note so I can continue to add information to answer your questions.

How To Get The Most Out of Working Out From Home - 6 Steps for Success

Let’s be honest, the new reality is that we’re all working out from home these days, whether that’s by choice or state mandate. Take the time to apply these pro tips to make the most of your at-home workouts and build habits that will last you beyond quarantine.

While some of us might always prefer working out at home due to time limitations, schedule, family obligations, the desire for privacy, etc, others might just be making this choice due to the current restrictions and their favorite community facilities being closed. Whatever your reason, the truth is that we all still need to move to keep ourselves healthy, both physically and mentally. And even though working out from home can be convenient and efficient, there are often challenges that arise that we might not have on our radar. Follow these recommendations and you’ll create WoFH (workout from home) habits that’ll leave you feeling like a new human.

Dedicate a specific space for your movement

It might be nice to have a dedicated home gym but realistically, that’s not possible for most of us. Especially if you’re living in a studio apartment in Manhattan. Luckily, all you really need is enough space to lay down a mat and spread your wings. This might mean sliding your coffee table or couch out of the way, and that’s ok! Currently, I have a couch in my dining room ;). Designating a part of your home to use as your dedicated fitness space is a sure way to keep you coming back for more. You’ll waste less time creating a space each time you’re ready to move, you’ll have all that you need in one spot, and your brain and body will begin to recognize this space as a distraction-free zone to move and breathe. Keep this space clean and clear of clutter to help remove any barriers when it comes time for your next workout.

Minimize distractions

Remove all the barriers that may potentially interrupt your workout or ultimately put it to a complete halt. Put your phone and computer in another room if possible, or place them in airplane mode if your workouts are digital so you can be focused and committed without distraction. Let family members know you’ll be taking some personal time to take care of yourself and ask if they can leave you be..

Set a Schedule

Find the best time for you and stick to that routine. Working out from home when you’re working from home might sound convenient, but in reality, this flexibility can often times make it more challenging to prioritize activity. To keep yourself committed, schedule your workouts into your calendar just as you would any meeting, and keep the time consistent. The best place to start if you’re new to working out from home is first thing in the morning. Once your day actually begins, there’s often too many distractions fighting for your attention like computers, iphones, couches, meetings, snacks, happy hour, and the TV. Morning routines can be as simple as a 5-10 minute Morning Breathwork Practice to clear and energize your mind or a Mindful Movement Routine to get your body moving and grooving. If mornings aren’t your thing, schedule a quick lunchtime workout like this 30 minute Feel Good Flow. Getting in quality daily movement doesn’t require a ton of time and if scheduled in during the mini pockets throughout your day, I bet you’ll find you have greater productivity at work and more energy for those other things that are important for your overall health and wellbeing.

Order some basic equipment

While you can get a fantastic workout in using just your body, it can be helpful to have a few staples to enhance the quality of those workouts and to help take it up a notch and make necessary progressions as things get easier. First and foremost, a yoga mat is one of the most widely used pieces of equipment for yoga and stretching and a bonus that it protects your floors and prevents the neighbors below from getting angry in the middle of your high intensity workout. (Manduka Mat Pro is my go-to, but there are plenty of other options). In regards to weights, you can create your own weights and equipment using various household items such as chairs, stairs, water jugs, suitcases, backpacks, and small children, but if you’re looking to pick up a few pieces, I typically recommend one lighter weight for upper body work and one heavier weight for lower body work. Here is a list of my top recommended equipment for home use. (*please note many items are out of stock or low during this time. If there’s something you need or can’t find, please let me know and I may have an additional resource for you). Update: This website still has some kettlebells left in stock or at least the ability to get them soon - order as soon as you can!

Set a goal

Setting a reasonable challenge for yourself can keep you motivated, hold you accountable, and keep you pushing forward each day . This might be aiming to get in 20 minutes of movement five days a week, doing 5 minutes of breathwork every night before bed to help with your sleep, or building your strength up to do a full pushup or pull-up by adding one extra rep of an exercise that complements that goal each day. What’s even more important though, is that we’re setting goals to do things we actually enjoy doing. If you don’t enjoy it, it’s highly unlikely you’ll stick to the plan. Continuously setting small achievable goals of movements that leave you feeling good keeps motivation high as you improve on your journey.

Find a program or coach for guidance

In addition to creating the time and dedicated space for exercise, two of the most common hurdles for maintaining a home workout program are motivation and accountability. We all need someone to hold us accountable for reaching our goals, myself included. Find a friend to schedule virtual workouts with, join an online challenge, or hire a coach to create a customized program just for you that you’ll be more likely to stick to. If you like strength training, download a fitness app like the Nike app, Aaptiv, or Obé for virtual classes. If you’re more of a cardio lover, order a trainer for your bike, hop on the Peloton bandwagon if that’s within your budget, or head outside for a socially-distanced run or ride. Whatever you prefer, just keep moving.

Move anywhere and move often.

Working out from home can be convenient, efficient, and effective, and at the same time pose many challenges. Taking the time to create a designated workout space, minimizing any possible distractions, setting a schedule and a routine you can stick to, ordering some basic equipment, set realistic and fun goals, and finding a program or coach that holds you accountable to those goals can significantly improve your success in maintaining a routine in the comfort of your own home.

Women's Health Week // Mental Wellness

It’s Women’s Health Week and studies show that while women today are leading healthier lives physically, there are still quite a few missing pieces to the overall picture of health and well-being.

Over 6 days I’m sharing scientifically proven tips on taking charge of your overall health and wellness.

DAY 6 // MENTAL WELLNESS

Women wear so many hats these days and often times aren’t getting their own needs met, aren’t taking time for themselves, aren’t able to ask for help, and have a hard time taking a moment to stop, breathe, and share with others what’s going on internally for them.

First off, know that it’s OK to not be OK all the time. It’s absolutely normal, despite the fact that it’s not talked about openly. Thankfully, light is beginning to seep through the cracks on this topic, but it’s still not enough.

I most definitely have bad days and sometimes life just feels so goddamn hard. But that’s the stuff that makes life interesting in my opinion, and the frustrations and struggles, are all the things that make you stronger and help you figure out who and how you’re meant to be in this world.

Wellness is not just the physical exertion we do or the food we put into our bodies, but the personal work we put in daily to better understand who we are and what we need. And while the work itself is your own journey to take, sometimes it takes guidance, an ear to listen, someone to reflect with, or perhaps someone to unintentionally shine light on an area of ourselves we’ve kept hidden in the dark for far too long. As hard as it may be, let that light come in.

My recommendation:

Dive in deep with yourself. Every day. The more you know about yourself, your mind, and your individual behaviors and how to change them, the more likely you are to succeed in being the best version of yourself.

We all need support and outlets. Find what works best for you and seek someone to share openly with… a therapist, a friend, a family member, a ladies group.

Express and bring light to what’s on the inside — the positive, the negative, and the in-between.

Notice your thoughts .. notice your feelings .. notice your behaviors .. ask yourself what you need .. what do you want .. what is your inner voice saying.. what is your inner critic saying .. what drives you .. what holds you back .. what pushes you further .. what calms you .. what keeps you on track .. what makes you choose Y O U ?

And choose you. Make time for the things that fuel you and fill your cup.

“Staying positive doesn’t mean you have to be happy all the time. It means that even on hard days, you know that there are better ones coming.”

Love you guys. xx

Day 1 - Hormones. Are. Real.

Day 2 - Nutritional Biohacking

Day 3 - Lift Heavy and Periodize

Day 4 - Pelvic Power

Day 5 - Sleep Specifics

LET ME KNOW…

How do you best take care of your mental well-being?

What other adjustments have you made to your lifestyle to support your overall health and wellness? Share your favorite tips in the comments below — others in the community might benefit from your recommendations!

Come connect with me on Instagram @running_with_forks

Do you have any questions not answered in this post? Comment below or send me a note so I can continue to add information to answer your questions.