Are you a picky eater?

I absolutely LOVE to eat!  When people meet me they usually assume I am not a big eater because of my petite frame.  The truth is I am a very healthy eater, both figuratively and literally.  I can talk about food all day long, even plan my next meal or snack shortly after consuming my last one.  Cooking is one of the most relaxing things to me.  Since I work from home cooking dinner is considered my downtime or “commuting” time.   I am so infatuated with food that The Food Network channel is on while I am working out.

For over five years I have avoided consuming gluten and cow milk for health reasons.  At this point it is rather second nature to me.  The other night I was discussing a place to eat with a friend and she said “I don’t know if the restaurant will have anything for you to eat because you are a picky eater.”  Up until that point I really never thought  of myself as a picky eater!  Healthy and particular yes, picky not really.  This of course lead me into a discussion, partially with myself and partially with my husband about what it means to be a “picky” eater.

The word picky is an adjective and according to the New Webster’s Dictionary it means fastidious, especially excessively so.  I think of children as being picky eaters; for example not eating vegetables or anything orange.   I guess I perceive my specific dietary needs as health related therefore not picky.  To the outsider though people who eliminate certain food categories from their diets can be overwhelming and therefore thought of as “picky”.  Believe it  or not there are numerous restaurants that  can accommodate me and my gluten free, cow-milk free lifestyle.  The lesson for me is that maybe I am a picky eater to others, maybe I am just misunderstood or maybe I am a healthy eater for me.

For the past 5 years I have been actively searching for a new house.  I use the word actively because my search has included 2 house inspections, the sale of my own house (which I later decided not to sell) and too many bids and home showings to mention.  In fact, my current real estate broker knows when my birthday and anniversary are!

So what is it that stops me from “pulling the trigger”?  Up until yesterday I really questioned whether I was ready to move. I am a person who does not embrace change as openly as some others.  My husband on the other hand has mentally moved us into about a dozen different houses already.  I could not help but wonder if maybe he has the right attitude or even envy his ability to move on (no pun intended) so easily.  I also realized that I work from home which means I am the one who usually does our household errands, therefore purchasing a new home looks very different for me than him.

My epiphany came to me when I started to analyze why I say I am ready to move yet when it comes to actually closing the deal I back out.  I am completely ready to move out of my current house but am more reticent about leaving the convenient location associated with this house.  So here lies the dilemma, what do you do when you want a different house yet are not willing to give up your location?  While I am still working on my answer, I can now accurately pinpoint exactly why I want a change, which in my opinion is half the battle of being ready for a change.

Change can be in many forms including moving to a new neighborhood, getting married, having children or even a new job. Sometimes we think we want to change something so badly yet when we have the opportunity we hold back from doing it.  I think certain people find change easier than others yet in the end most of us are happy with our changes, especially once we realize the biggest hurdle we had to overcome was the fear we built up in our minds!

Do you have a favorite machine at the gym? Some people prefer to use the treadmill for their cardio routine while others are more into stair climbing or using the elliptical machine.  It does not matter what form of cardio you do as long as you are increasing your heart rate and hopefully enjoying or at least tolerating your workout.

During the colder months I take my cardio routine indoors and do a combination of walking and jogging on the treadmill.  My gym, like most gyms after New Year’s resolutions, is pretty crowded right now.  There is a sign-up sheet for each piece of equipment and I usually abide by the “rules” and sign up for a time slot to use a treadmill.  I don’t really pay attention to the numbers on the treadmills or even care which one I sign up for as long as there is one available.

Today was an extremely empty day at my gym so I decided to be a rebel and not sign up for a piece of equipment (actually I forgot because there were only 3 other people on the treadmills, leaving 7 for me to choose from).  I was 3/4 done with my workout, you know the point where you can actually think about how good it is to be almost done with your workout, and a fellow gym member approaches me about not signing up for the treadmill I was using.  I should preface there were at least 5 other treadmills to choose from.  This woman could care less about any other treadmill except the one I was on.  At first I felt honored that she wanted my treadmill but then realized it she could care less.  I could not help but wonder, “Is there really a difference between treadmills?  She must have read my mind as I had to change course and treadmills and said “it is my favorite one”.  which lead me to ponder her statement for the rest of my workout, along with kicking myself for not signing up for a treadmill. On the reward side, the television on the original treadmill was not working but it was on her “non-favorite” treadmill.

Remember the first time you fell in love with someone?  That warm and fuzzy feeling you felt inside.  All the wonderful sweet things and gestures you did to show the other person how much you care about them.  How good does it feel to be loved and appreciated!  So many of us are terrific at loving others unconditionally, but when it comes to loving ourselves and bodies, that is much more difficult to do.

Why are we so hard on ourselves?  Recent studies show that 75% of women are dissatisfied with their size or shape!   The key to our happiness and body acceptance is to slowly start adjusting our habits, or how we treat ourselves.  Next time you are feeling dissatisfied with your body ask yourself this, “Would I treat my friends or loved ones this way, or would I accept them the way they are?”

In my opinion loving our bodies also has to do with feeling grateful, respecting and appreciating what we do offer.   Many people have an image in their minds of what we should or should not look like and most of the time it is based on unrealistic ideas.   How happy we are with ourselves is not always related to weight. Some women can be unhappy with their looks and therefore help themselves feel at one with their bodies by exercising, eating a healthy diet and embracing their beauty.  Sometimes we might need to add a little meditation into our routine to help us refocus our thoughts on what we have accomplished rather than what we want to accomplish.

We have been created in different sizes, shapes and even strengths for a reason.  Unfortunately the media has completely distorted the way we measure up against others.  Yes it is true that comparing ourselves to others is sort of human nature and can even motivate us to work hard.  The problem is when our self-esteem is damaged.  Instead of aspiring to emulate others different shapes or sizes I believe we would be better off duplicating their self and body confidence!  Be realistic with your body and goals.  Find things about yourself to be proud of and focus on them.

I recently wrote a post about the benefits of laughter.  Many people experience a lot of stress and unhappy emotions associated with work and the thought of finding happiness or laughter can seem nearly impossible.  The truth is, we can find laughter in any situation of our life, including work, we just have to look for it.  Here are some tips to help you slip some laughter into your workplace.

1. Wear a playful tie, scarf, piece of jewelry or other item that makes you feel good and fun.  If you have a big meeting, maybe a fun undergarment would be more appropriate that day.
2. Take everyday occurrences and put a funny spin on them.  A good example is typos.  Maybe your coworkers forget to spellcheck their work.
3. At lunch or any other break time make sure you laugh with your co-workers.  Discuss or quote lines from a funny tv show you recently watched.
4.  Keep playful and light-hearted mindless toys in your office for you and others to enjoy
5.  Make-up fun names to make you smile about overwhelming, cumbersome or stressful projects.
6.  Think of something funny during your morning commute and laugh for at least 5 minutes.
7. Don’t be afraid to amuse yourself with your sense of humor.
8. Put a playful spin on the issues at work which annoy you the most.
9.  Laugh and have fun just for the heck of it.
10. Cultivate your innate playfulness.
11. Turn your frown upside down and wear a smile, it makes it easier to laugh.
12.  Stress does not always have to be a negative thing.  Find ways to celebrate it.

Laughing at work helps take away some of the stress and absurdity in our daily lives.  All you really need is an open-mind, sense of humor and willingness to let loose.  When we allow ourselves to laugh we feel deeply, which in turn enables us to live fully.  So go ahead and start laughing at work!

How much do you love a fresh slice of pizza? There is nothing like a fresh out of the oven pizza, oozing with cheese and other wonderful toppings. In the world of celiac disease and gluten intolerance there are some choices for gluten free pizza (Pizzeria Uno on a national level and numerous local establishments across the country). Here in New York I know of at least a dozen Italian restaurants/pizza places. Besides being gluten intolerant, I also am dairy and tomato intolerant, which definitely can be a challenge when it comes to enjoying pizza.

I recently had the opportunity to eat at a restaurant in the city called Slice, a magical pizzeria that caters to the vegan, vegetarian, wheat-free and gluten-free communities. Now you are probably thinking how I ate pizza if I am allergic to tomatoes! Lucky for me Slice has 2 non-tomato sauce options; homemade hummus and pesto (which happens to also be vegan and nut-free). The biggest dilemma for me was which one I should put on my slice. I chose to do one with hummus and one with pesto. Let me just say, WOW!!

Slice is located on 2nd Avenue between 73rd and 74th street. All of their slices and pies are made to order so you can eat as crazy or simple as you want. My pie of choice was half hummus, half pesto with mushrooms, broccoli, goat cheese and arugula. Don’t worry if you are not gluten free, there are several whole wheat pizza options as well. All meat options are free-range. Vegans can delight in rice or vegan mozzarella. If you can’t make it to their upper east side location they recently opened on Hudson street between perry and charles.

Even the menu is fun at slice. You can choose appetizers from the “prerequisites”, pizzas from the “core curriculum or “honors” sections. Feeling daring, become a “genius by building your own pizza. If you are looking for “extracurricular” activities how about ordering one of their egg and dairy free desserts. Are you ready to customize your slice but don’t live in the area? Not a problem because Slice offers a homemade pizza kit online www.healthypizzakit.com. Slice really does offer the perfect food! For more information on slice visit their website www.sliceperfect.com