Life Lessons From Downton Abbey

January 24, 2014 By Leave a Comment

Downtown Abbey smallDownton Abbey is back!

Are you one of the many fans who’ve waited in anticipation for the start of Season 4?

Perhaps, like me, you tune, in every Sunday night without fail, eager to be transported into the drama-filled lives of the show’s characters.

(Did you know you can actually visit Highclere Castle – the British mansion made famous on this hit series? Located just outside of London, it’s open for public tours 70 days each year – you can be sure I’ve added it to my list!)

Personally, here’s what I really enjoy about the show:

  • I love seeing history unfold in the moment & learning what life was like “back then”.
  • I love the interior décor of this mansion studded as it is with antiques and old master paintings gracing the walls.
  • And, of course, I’m immersed in the characters themselves, and their privileged, fictitious lives.

But what can the average person like you or I glean from a TV show like Downton Abbey – as it relates to our own lives?

Quite a lot, as it turns out!

 

EMBRACE YOUR KITCHEN

At Downton Abbey, the kitchen is the hub of the home.

In fact, most of the ‘downstairs’ scenes take place in the kitchen – not too surprising since Mrs. Pattmore  and Daisy are hard at work from the crack of dawn preparing meals for the entire household.

You may have a similar responsibility in your own home – with the added bonus of many modern conveniences!

Yet, how much time do you spend in your kitchen?

If you’ve just learned you suffer from food sensitivities – the kitchen is even more important – it’s truly the [Read more…]

Filed Under: EAT, PLAY Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Hitting The Road

September 27, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Cargo OverloadI’ve just wrapped up a ten-day vacation in Eastern Washington.

The great thing about a road trip, in my humble opinion, is that you can take everything you need with you – without having to deal with limits on excess baggage, or airport security.

For anyone who is Celiac, or dealing with food allergies, that makes a road trip ideal.

Whatever you need, you can bring it along, relying on local grocery stores to stock up on fresh produce and whatever else you might need.

Of course, that also means you might not exactly be traveling light.

In fact, if you’re like me, the words “travel light” might not be in your DNA.

But that’s exactly what makes a road trip so ideal!

For this annual escape, we always stay at the same place – a comfortable time-share condo, that is ours for exactly one week.

When we arrive it is always sparkling clean, and tastefully furnished – and that includes a well-stocked kitchen.

Even though the condo comes with a fully equipped kitchen, in the last couple of years, I’ve started bringing more and more of my own equipment.

Perhaps you can relate.

The big concern here, is cross-contamination.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: PLAY, TRAVEL Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

The Noise In The Room

January 18, 2013 By Leave a Comment

“Every part of your body & every cell in your body communicates with every other part of your body & every other cell. Everybody’s talking at the same time.”

Mark Hyman, M.D.

 

Have you ever found yourself in a crowded room full of people?

Did you happen to notice the cacophony of voices as you found yourself speaking as loud as possible to the person seated right next to you – trying to be heard above the din?

Well, that’s the kind of noise that’s going on in our bodies all the time.

Of course, we’re not aware of this noise in our bodies.

It’s more like a low hum in the background, so faint we really can’t hear it at all.

In fact, the only way our body really “talks” to us – to let us know when something is wrong – is to signal pain or discomfort.

Our energy levels might be low, or we feel tired, depressed or hungry.

We might be running a fever, or experience what’s referred to as “brain fog” (i.e fuzzy thinking).

Truth is, there are any number of ways our bodies can let us know when things are out of whack.

And yet, we don’t always listen.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: EAT, PLAY Tagged With: , , , , ,

Your Body’s GPS

July 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment

At one time or another, we’ve all experienced the gut feeling that tells us when something is right or wrong.

I like to think of this as our bodies’ inner intelligence.

It’s how we know we’re hungry.

Or, if we’ve eaten too much.

Other times, if you’ve made the wrong decision, your body might instinctively become tense.

You might suddenly have a stomachache or headache.

That’s your body trying to tell you something.

Yet, how many of us tend to ignore that little Voice, instead of paying attention?

If you have a tendency to numb your feelings, you may associate that state of numbness as a state of calm, but in truth, you are creating constant tension in your body.

Here’s another way to look at it:

When you are feeling hurt and angry, and resort to food to comfort yourself, do you devour that food with pleasure?

Or are you more likely to polish off a bag of chips, then wonder “how the heck did that happen?”

For many of us, it’s the latter – especially if we’re not paying attention in the first place.

What I’ve become more and more aware of lately, is that the human body is such a finely crafted machine. It always knows when something is ‘off’ – then does it’s very best to try and fix it.

That’s because our bodies are always striving for homeostasis – or balance.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: EAT, HEALTH & WELLNESS, PLAY Tagged With: , , , , ,