Linchpins, Curried Brown Rice & How to Get Started with Exercise

I often ask clients to identify their “linchpin activity”, or the ONE thing they can do daily that holds everything together in terms of diet and health.  For many people, their linchpin is breakfast.  Meaning that by starting off with a good healthy breakfast, one with protein, or a big green smoothie, whatever it is that works for them personally, then the rest of the day goes on plan food and health wise.

For others like myself, the linchpin is Exercise.  If I work out first thing, then everything just flows – I eat great all day, I do great things in my business, I feel positive and forward-thinking and I have tons of energy.  If I skip my workout, everything usually falls apart and I’m eating cookies for lunch, giving bad advice and running my relationships and business right into the poop-pile.

I actually think that Exercise is the linchpin for a lot of people and that is why I am such an enthusiastic exercise-proselytizer.  Exercise is good for your heart and your body and makes weight control easier.  All that stuff is true.  But exercise is much more than just the physical benefits.  There are HUGE mental pay-offs to working out!  Exercise combats Depression and depressive, hopeless, listless feelings.  Exercise gives you energy!  Exercise raises your self-esteem and your sense of “I can do this”, whatever this is for you at the moment.

But I know that a lot of you are just SO not into it!  Many of my clients come to me with very real physical issues like arthritis (osteo and rheumatoid), fibromyalgia, MS, diabetes and even cancer.  The thought of exercise seems painful and repellent.  I am certainly no doctor and if your doctor has told you especially NOT to exercise, then by all means, listen to him/her.  BUT, most doctors tell patients with these painful conditions, that they SHOULD exercise to alleviate symptoms!  In fact, that without exercise, the advance of all of these diseases will be even worse and even faster!

So how to get up off the sofa when everything hurts?

Well, I don’t generally talk about this, but the truth is, that I too,  live with physical pain.  I am not a natural athlete who just runs around like a gazelle.  I have knee pain and have since I was in high school!  My knees creak and crack and pop and ow all the time.  I often feel like I am walking around with crushed glass under my patella.  It’s probably arthritis.  I also think I  have arthritis in my lower back and neck.  Due to the back and knee issues, which probably affect my gait, I end up with a lot of foot and ankle problems too (although those have been much better since reading Born to Run, taking off my shoes and changing my gait!).

But the point of all of that true confessions/complaining, is that I would be in so much MORE pain if I didn’t exercise daily.  I know because I have tried to not exercise for long periods of time and everything goes to hell in a handbasket.  Exercise is my KEY to maintaining mobility, strength, flexibility and yes, for managing pain!

So yes, I know it hurts sometimes, and I know you don’t wanna, whine, whine, whine.  But I promise you that you will feel better soon if you just get up off that sofa!

Step One:  Start small.  If you are totally sedentary, just start with 5 or 10 minutes of walking, or swimming or yoga or whatever you like.

Step Two:  DAILY.  Do your 5-10 minutes every single day!  I can hear you “wah, wah 3 days a week is enough!”  And I will tell you that no one ever sticks with it if it’s 3 days a week.  They can’t remember which 3 days or they decide that 2 days a week will also be OK, and then 1 and then well, nevermind the exercise.  You eat daily, you brush your teeth daily, your sleep daily, you need to exercise daily.

Step Three:  Increase gradually only as you feel ready.  You will be so surprised and proud at how quickly your body starts to improve in strength, endurance, flexibility.  That said, don’t push yourself and end up injured and side-lined.

Step Four:  Only choose to do exercise that you somewhat like or even can see coming to love.  If you hate it all the time, you will eventually run out of motivation for doing it.  I have shopped around for many gyms before finding one that I actually look forward to going to.

Step Five:  Nike beat me to it, “Just do it.”  You know all those valid excuses you have?  Well, are they helping you?  If not, how about setting them aside and shoeing up like the Hero of your own story.  Because you are.  The Hero.

OK, food.

Curried Brown Rice and Chickpea Salad

1 cup dry brown rice

1 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 stalks celery, minced

2 scallions, minced

3 dried apricots, minced

handful of fresh parsley, minced

handful of fresh mint, minced

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (or other vinegar of your choice)

1 tsp mustard

1 tsp maple syrup or other sweetener of your choice

1 tsp spicy curry paste (optional)

Rinse rice thoroughly and drain.  Place rice in a pot with salt and curry powder.  Toast over medium heat until a nutty smell arises.  Add 2 cups of water, bring to a boil, cover pot, lower heat and cook 40 minutes or until rice is fluffy and cooked.  Open pot, fluff rice and let cool.  Meanwhile, make a dressing of the oil, vinegar, curry paste, sweetener and mustard.  Toss rice, beans, apricots, and all veggies, with dressing.  Allow to sit and flavors to meld.

P.S. As I was writing this post, I got two emails from people who told me that my constant haranguing about exercise has gotten them up off the sofa and into their sneakers.  So YAY!!! WOOHOOO!!!  Go ladies, GO!