Clover In The City

Reacting vs. Responding

There is a difference between reacting and responding to a situation. When we react to a situation, we behave without first connecting with what we are needing. Our words and actions are automatic, without thought or care given to how this will effect our situation or how effectively the actions will communicate our needs to the other person. We may choose to do and say things that we think will help us, but those strategies that we reach for when we are disconnected from what we are needing will not serve our deeper needs.

When you respond (instead of reacting) to a situation, you are coming from a place that is connected to your deeper needs in the moment, giving thought to a strategy that you imagine will truly meet your needs. For this to happen, we need to slow down our reactions so that we have time to come from a place of understanding. Reacting happen instantly, but responding requires you to slow down and put some thought into what is happening. Responsiveness becomes easier with practice. Each time that you notice that you have reacted to a situation, or are reacting in the moment, you are developing the pathways in your brain that allow for a new habit to be formed. It becomes easier over time to remember to practice this in the moment.

I encourage you to take a look at your reactivity in situations that present themselves today. Are you reacting instantly and behaving unconsciously, or have you given thought to what you are really needing in the moment? If you can, try to remember to slow down your thoughts and actions in these moments. See if you can just be with what you are feeling and allow for your feelings to be there without any judgements about yourself, just noticing them. It is in this spaciousness that we can learn how to give ourselves empathy, and with that comes a true connection to our needs and an ability to choose strategies that truly meet our needs.

If you want to learn more about giving yourself empathy, please see these lists of universal feelings and needs as described in Marshal Rosenburg’s book Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life.

March 10th, 2012 | Category: Nonviolent Communication | Leave a comment

1. I love this post. It’s an earth friendly solution to the not so eco junk mail problem. She even has a tutorial on how to make them look so fancy.

2. Core board & picture frame bulletin board for your home/ home office.

3. Vintage clipboard art display.

4. Mason jar love, and an in-home herb garden! Here’s an handy tutorial for this project.

February 22nd, 2012 | Category: Crafting | Leave a comment

I’m on week three of a family flu, although Dad steered clear this time (as usual). The first week ended with my daughter in the ER for pneumonia, the second week ended with me refusing to leave the house in fear of catching pneumonia, but finally this third week we are all feeling some relief.

During my inability to leave home for two weeks, I have embarked on a new knitting project. I have been feeling irritated with knitting lately, it seems a huge waste of time for a material possession I most likely won’t be happy with anyways. But wasting time is what I am all about right now, and since I have everything I need for knitting something, including some expensive yarn that has been the  material for many started and frogged works, and since I have lots of time on the couch, why not?!

I chose an easy free headband/neckwarmer pattern I found online. Why not knit myself something warm to ward off that pneumonia?!

February 22nd, 2012 | Category: Crafting | Leave a comment

December 4th, 2011 | Category: Triathlon Training | Leave a comment

Coconut Water Kefir Recipe

Ingredients:

Kefir Water Grains (NOT KEFIR MILK GRAINS!)

Coconut Water

Supplies:

Glass jar-quart or half gallon

Non-metal stirring spoon

Towel for covering jar

Mesh strainer

1. Preparation

Reactivate grains if they are dehydrated. See my post on coconut milk kefir for directions. Also make sure your coconut water is at room temperature. Coconut water can be obtained from a coconut, or from commercial coconut water products that contain no sweeteners.

2. Combine Ingredients

Fill your jar with the coconut water, and add the activated live kefir water grains. Be sure to leave a few inches at the top of your jar to make room for the fermentation. Cover the jar with a towel, securing with a rubber band.

3. Wait

Leave the jar at room temperature for 24-48 hours, and no longer than 72 hours.

4. Strain and Start Again

At the desired brewing time for your cultured kefir water, strain and reuse the grains immediately in a new batch of kefir water.

December 3rd, 2011 | Category: Diet, Recipes | Leave a comment

Coconut Milk Kefir Recipe

Ingredients:

Milk Kefir Grains

Coconut Milk

1. Grain Preparation

If you have dried kefir grains (they will be powdered versus the thick moist activated kefir lumps) you have to rehydrate and activate them before they can start multiplying. Place the kefir milk grains in a glass of milk, cover with a breathable lid, and let stand at room temperature for 5-7 days, straining and adding a fresh cup of milk daily. They are ready when the milk smells fermented and thickens up.

If you have active milk kefir grains, no preparation is necessary. You are ready to add them to your coconut milk.

2. Fermentation

Once you have your culture activated, just add the grains to your coconut milk and cover with cloth and secure with a rubber band. Let your batch ferment at room temperature (68-85 degrees) for 12-24 hours, checking on it during that time to see if it’s ready. It’s done when it is thick and sour tasting.

Tips:

Adjustment period: When moving kefir grains from cow’s milk into coconut milk, they may need a period of time to adjust to the new medium. If your batch of coconut milk kefir does not ferment correctly, simply strain out the grains and use them in a fresh batch of coconut kefir. Repeat until your kefir is fermenting properly. You can use the milk from the first batches to cook with.

Revitalizing the grains: The grains will need to be put back into cow’s milk for 24 hours once every few weeks to revitalize. You can then use them again in the coconut milk.

Storage of kefir grains: Store the grains for backup or between batches by first rinsing with clean filtered water (some use cooled boiled water to be safe). Then spread them out on a clean cloth and gently pat them dry. Move to another clean, dry cloth and loosely cover them and let sit at room temperature until they have dried up. You can then store them in an airtight glass jar at room temperature or in the fridge. As long as they stay dry, they can be stored for up to two years. However, I suggest reactivating them every few months and drying and storing a fresh batch. Some people freeze the grains but many believe that this can effect the quality of the grains.

December 2nd, 2011 | Category: Diet, Recipes | Leave a comment

I have been buying the overpriced coconut kefir from New Seasons lately, and I am wanting a way to make it on my own. In my research I have found two different ways of making coconut kefir depending on the wether you want to make it with coconut milk or coconut water, and what kind of consistency you would like it to have.

Coconut milk kefir, made with milk kefir grains, is thick like yogurt. Coconut water kefir, made with water kefir grains, is like soda or kombucha. Cultures for Health is a great resource for information, and you can see an article about the differences there.

Importance of kefir grain selection

There are many sources of kefir culture starter grains available, and it’s important to find the high quality active grains. These grains are more hardy and populated, containing 30 live strands of friendly bacteria and yeasts,  and have not been made to be dormant. They can be re-cultured over and over forever! Some of the powdered grains and starter grains  contain only 7-9 strains of yeast and bacteria. These grains can only be re-cultured a few times. So if you want to buy only once, choose the high quality live grains such as the ones offered at Cultures for Health.

Buy your kefir grains, water kefir grains for coconut water kefir and milk kefir grains for coconut milk kefir, and then read my instruction for coconut water kefir and coconut milk kefir.

December 2nd, 2011 | Category: Diet | Leave a comment

I’m on week 4 of my beginning triathlon training program, and it is going really well. I haven’t gotten sick but I’ve come close. I think it’s thanks to taking my vitamins, only working out 3 times a week with a two day rest for the weekends, trying not to restrict my calories, and food choice restrictions. I have been recording my training on mapmytri.

My tips: I’ve gotten into the habit of taking a photo of my list of strength training exercises to do for the day, and set it as a wallpaper on my phone so I can look at it quickly for reference.

I also use a heart rate strap to monitor my heart rate during my rides, the spinners at my gym have your heart rate built in to your workout. I think it’s helping me push a little harder than I would otherwise.

The other thing that I do is take a picture of  the spinning stats after my workout so I can transfer the info to mapmytri later. Otherwise I forget what I did, and  I think it will be nice to see my progress later on. I love the little routine that I am getting into!

My Training Plan: Here is the training plan that I am following, it’s a great 8 month couch to sprint tri for absolute beginners. Even though I am not a beginner, I wanted a plan that started slow and easy. It focuses on gaining cardio strength on the bike before run and swim training.  Biking is really easy for me, and I am able to follow this plan almost perfectly. I have taken a couple of the Fridays off, it seems that I am pretty tired by Friday and not always able to do the long bike ride that the plan calls for. I’m thinking about switching the days so that the long bike ride is more near the beginning of the week when I have more energy.

Diet: I have been trying not to restrict my calories, I think that’s why I have gotten sick in the past.  I eat when I’m hungry and try to stop before I get full. I also cut out almost all sugar (except a square of dark chocolate every now and then) because of it’s effects on the immune system, and I am eating no dairy due to a perceived lactose intolerance and because of it’s inflammatory qualities. I also try to avoid beans and inflammatory veggies, drink no alcohol, and try to eat gluten free. My favorite diet so far has been the body ecology diet, but I’m not feeling prepared enough to follow it strictly right now. I do keep in mind the food list and try to choose from it if I can.

My supplement list includes Vit. D for immunity, Cod liver oil, probiotics, MSM for shoulder joint pain, L-glutamine for protein synthesis (plus I ready that it keeps athletes from catching a cold after an event-worth a try),  B-complex, biotin, and a muti with vitamins and minerals. I’m sure the list could go on and on, but I really don’t like to be dependent on costly supplements and I think over supplementing can tax your liver.

Oh, and don’t forget plenty of water. Most days I use a large 6 cup mason jar to measure water and use it to fill my glass or bottle. It’s the only way I can keep track of my water intake.

Update: I have gained a lot of strength on the bike, I’m able to stand on the spinner for a long time already. Also my legs are getting really toned, those quads are really shaping up! I met with a trainer to get a quick weight routine that I can use throughout my training. She has me doing three days of strength training, giving one day to legs alone.

I’m feeling optimistic today, especially since I’m not as sore after my Monday leg workout as I was last week, which was the first week of the new strength training.  Last week I did take Thursday thru Sunday off because I was feeling really tired and not getting good sleep. Getting back into the daily routine after the holidays helps too.

November 29th, 2011 | Category: Triathlon Training | Leave a comment