Recipe For An UpBEET Life

What does it  mean to live a life of wellness?

Of course there is no one right answer because each of us needs to uniquely decide what that means in the context of our own lives.  However, there are 4 basic ingredients to living healthfully and mindfully.

1. Exercise: Every day you need to use your body as it was intended, and that is with movement.  Whether it’s running, yoga, dancing, volleyball, walking, gardening, house work….you need to move your muscles and your joints to get the blood flowing through your body. Your physiology feeds your psychology so exercise is equally important to mental as it is to physical health.

2. Nutrition: Feed your body kindly with a balanced diet of protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Concentrate on whole foods,  minimizing refined sugar, red meat, processed food and you should be able to manage your weight as well as fuel your body and mind to function optimally.

3. Stress Management: Long term stress is extremely toxic to the body and mind.  High levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, lead to long term illness, increased blood pressure, decreased metabolism, and impair the brain from producing feelings of happiness, satisfaction, and peace.  The most important thing you can do for your mind body wellness is to get your stress under control (with Happy Hour not counting as stress management!).

4. Loving Support: Study after study shows that individuals who feel supported by a community or family system live longer, happier lives.  Not close with your nuclear family? Support groups, friends, and social networks can provide the same kind of love.

While the focus of my coaching practice and my passion lie in the aforementioned #3, (to help people identify and work through their stress in order to lead the lives they dream possible), I also love to cook easy, healthy, and delicious food.  So, in honor of #2, feeding your body mindfully, here is a recipe full of all the healthy stuff your body and mind need to feel good.

Rosemary Scented Lentil and Beet Salad with Goat Cheese

2 Beets, cooked and thinly sliced (available at Trader Joes)

2 cups, cooked lentils (available at Trader Joes

4 oz Goat Cheese

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

4 sprigs of fresh rosemary or 3 TBS dried rosemary

1. Pour olive oil in skillet over medium heat.  Once the oil is hot, add the rosemary.  Cook, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes or until the rosemary just starts to toast.

2. Toss the olive oil, rosemary, lentils and beets together in a bowl.  Add the goat cheese.

***If you are entertaining, toss the olive oil, rosemary and lentils together and arrange on a serving platter.  Top the lentils with the sliced beets.  Garnish with crumbled goat cheese and rosemary sprigs.