Finding Your Balance at Any Age

Working on balance is crucial as we age.

Balance is often described as stability and steadiness when standing, sitting or walking. Good balance means one can maintain their body position comfortably while doing different normal activities, such as sitting, standing, going upstairs, etc.

Each year, 25% of adults over 65 years old experience a fall, according to HealthinAging.org. Falls are scary and can cause injuries. Falling can also result in someone becoming more limited in their movements, which impacts how they move, what activities they want to do, and the fears they experience with certain activities or movements.

When I work with clients on balance, I think about how we can work with their relationship to the ground. How can the ground offer support? How can you feel the ground providing that support under your feet? Most of us spend a lot of our time wearing shoes, and we can become disconnected from our feet and have poor awareness, strength and flexibility in our feet.

Often, I’ll start by having clients stretch, move and release the feet. Next, we’ll do other grounding exercises to bring more feeling and awareness back into the feet. We’ll notice the surrounding environment and the feedback that being present brings into the body.

There are so many exercises and ways we can challenge balance, and it can be fun to time these so you can see how your balance improves over time (and it really can improve quickly!). You can start simply by standing on one foot. Feel the wobble. See how long you can stand for.

My goal with Pilates and somatic sessions is to support you in feeling safe in your body. I want you to be able to trust your body in a deeper way, which will allow you to do all the things you want to do and keep you strong and active as you age. You’ll find balance exercises in my virtual mat classes or sign up for a one-on-one session (virtual or in studio) to work on balance in more detail.

Potato, Bacon and Kale Frittata

A frittata is a great way to use fresh veggies and makes a simple summer meal. You can also make it ahead of time and reheat for an easy protein packed breakfast.

The recipe I originally tried used spinach, and you can easily swap out ingredients as you like. This one, with kale, potatoes and bacon, is pretty perfect!

Ingredients:

10 eggs

5 slices bacon

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tsp salt

black pepper to taste

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

2 cups russet potatoes pealed and cut into small cubes (slices work, too)

1/2 cup diced onion

2 large handfuls of chopped kale

1/2 cup cheese (cheddar or whatever you like!)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450 °F

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper and set aside

Over medium heat, cook bacon until mostly done, set aside on paper towels. When cool, chop into bite sized pieces.

In an oven-safe skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add potatoes and sauté for at least 5 minutes, season with salt and pepper.

Add the onion and continue to sauté for a few more minutes.

Add the chopped kale and sauté until wilted.

Turn off the heat and add the bacon and eggs followed by the cheese. Leave the skillet on the hot burner for 2-3 minutes until the egg starts to set.

Carefully transfer to the oven and cook for 15 minutes, or until the eggs are set in the middle.

Enjoy hot or save for later.

I encourage you to try this recipe with different vegetables, herbs, greens and cheeses that sound good to you.

A Few of My Favorite Things

I’m continually amazed at the local options we have here in Charlottesville. Local food is a priority for me, and of course I’m interested in healthy living and wellness. As a small business owner, I also really love to support other small businesses. Here are some of my current favorites!

Gathered Threads

Gathered Threads Farm has amazing teas, salad dressings, marinades, unique garden plants and herbal products. They also have kimchi, which has quickly become my favorite. I use it regularly in my favorite pork kimchi recipe (find the recipe here). In my quest to someday grow my own medicinal herbs, I purchased some starter herbs this year from Gathered Threads, including stinging nettle, which makes a great nutritious tea. It’s planted down near a creek in my back yard and we’ll see how it grows this year. You can find them and all their wonderful things at the Ix park market on Saturdays. https://gatheredthreadsllc.com/

Moon Maiden Delights

I’ve been more consistent with gluten-free eating lately, and sometimes a girl just wants a healthy sweet treat. Moon Maiden Delights makes super tasty, gluten-free and vegan pastries. She’s at the Ix market on Saturdays, but go early because she sells out of popular items fast! Get the turmeric and black pepper coffee cake (I know it sounds weird, but you’ll thank me later!). https://www.moonmaidensdelights.com/

Bellair Farm and CSA

This is the first time in seven years that I am not a member of Bellair’s CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). The only reason for that is I’m hoping to grow most of my own veggies this year. Bellair is great. I can’t say enough good things about their CSA, but you can also purchase veggies and meat products from them even if you aren’t a member. They are at the Ix market on Saturdays and the Meade Park market on Wednesdays. https://www.bellairfarm.com/

Is there a local business you just love? Please share with me!

Spicy Pork Kimchi Is the Best Ready in 15 Minutes Weekday Meal

My goals for weeknight dinners are easy to make, healthy and flavorful. This one is on the regular rotation! The recipe I originally used for this called for pork belly, which was delicious. I like the ease of ground pork, and I find it works well in this dish for a super quick meal. Serve over rice or cauliflower rice. I haven’t tried this recipe with tofu or chicken, but I bet it would work!

Ingredients:

1 lb ground pork

1 large yellow or white onion, chopped

8 oz kimchi (I use one jar Gathered Threads kim chi, available at the Charlottesville farmer’s market at Ix Park on Saturdays)

1-2 tbsp gochujang or chili sauce, depending on how hot you like your food

Salt to taste

Green onions, chopped

Instructons:

Saute the yellow/white onion in a large frying pan until it starts to soften (about 4 minutes), add pork and cook until fully cooked (about 6-8 minutes). Add the kimchi (drain most of the liquid first), and the gochujang or chili sauce, simmer for 2 minutes. Serve over rice or cauliflower rice and top with fresh green onions.

Working With Your Nervous System to Ease Making a Change

Our brains and nervous systems have patterns and habits that have been learned and engrained over our lifetimes. Our bodies hold the memories of what has worked and what hasn’t. Our brains are especially good at experiencing something now, and seeing that it’s like something that happened in the past and then our nervous system responds as if the current situation is the same experience of the past.

This is primarily a way that our brain and nervous system tries to keep us safe, and it’s great that our nervous system is always there to protect us. It is also limiting. If our response is a pattern we want to change, or something that feels reactive or feels like it is more habit and less thoughtful response, this can limit how we respond to something and how we make (or don’t make) changes.

A couple of months ago, I shared a primer about how the nervous system works and how understanding nervous system states is helpful to supporting your health. When working toward a goal and trying to make changes, being aware of your nervous system is key and will help make changes easier.

If you’re someone who spends more time in a dysregulated nervous system state (which is very common, by the way!), it’s going to be harder to make sustainable positive changes because your nervous system isn’t in the best state to support you in trying something new. This nervous system state could help explain if you’ve tried to make changes, but they haven’t lasted; if you want to do something different, but you can’t seem to take the first step; or if you start something new and yet you end up “falling off the wagon” and returning to familiar behaviors or patterns,. Once you determine if your nervous system is in a dysregulated state, you can learn how to support your nervous system to be in a more regulated state, thus creating a stable foundation on which to build the changes you want in your life.

Simple ways to start to bring yourself into a more regulated nervous system state can be as easy as feeling your feet on the ground, really noticing your hips as you’re sitting in your chair, placing a hand on your belly and noticing the rise and fall of your breath.

Spend time in nature, looking at flowers or trees or things that are pleasant and enjoyable to look at. And notice how you feel. You are looking for ways to notice being more settled. A deeper breath. A yawn. A feeling on your body in a different way. This aspect of noticing is a start and a foundation for change.