UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology Message:
Some of us eagerly anticipate the holidays; others can't wait till they are over. Either way, the pressures of consumerism, gift giving, and family expectations all add up. You have probably heard the old joke: Why do our families know how to push our buttons so well? Because they installed them.
Source: Oregon Book Report
Can we use mindfulness to weather the holidays with grace and ease? Absolutely.
There are several practices we recommend for the holiday season.
1. Make sure to meditate.When we are stressed we often let go of that which is most supportive. Put extra effort into having a daily practice during these weeks.
2. Don't forget STOP. Stop, Take, a Breath, Observe, Proceed. This acronym can take us back to center when we're lost in a whirlwind of worries or concerns.
3. Supplement presents with presence. Most of us think we want things, but in truth, happiness comes from connections with others. Give wholehearted presence to family members and friends.
4. Go for the simple things. Take walks in nature. Stay home rather than going out. Be with a few friends rather than many. Find what supports you in staying connected to yourself and make sure to do it!
5. Practice gratitude. Even a few minutes of reflection on what we are grateful for can counteract sadness, comparison, and the sense of "I'm not enough"
I remember when I first discovered the Dragonfruit, I had just graduated college, left the country for the first time, flew on a plane for the very first time and here I was in China, to learn more about my heritage and to see where my parents grew up. It was in a regular supermarket where I first laid eyes on this curious looking fireball fruit with my younger sister. It was mysterious, rare, tropical and dangerous looking, it was really love at first sight. It was dangerous yet I couldn't get my mind off of it. So many questions ran through my mind, "what does it taste like?", "how in the world do you open it?", "do I dare try this thing?", "is this really a fruit?", "can you REALLY eat this thing?".
I had so many expectations, first of all, I was shocked to find that it was white on the inside. I had never seen a white fruit before. When you first bite into it, you are left a little confused, it's juicy, but it's not very sweet like most fruits, the seeds are crunchy like a kiwi and it reminds me of a cross between a watermelon and a cucumber. When I discovered this fruit grew off of a cactus, it all made sense. Imagine if you were in a dessert or in the humid tropics and subtropics, you would crave something full of water, juice and something that isn't overwhelmingly sweet. When I was finally able to appreciate the flavor I was separated from this rare fruit.
I did not see this fruit again until a few years later when I moved to Florida to study medicine. This is when I was reunited this majestical fireball and introduced it to my boyfriend, Robert, aka bboy Fantum, who instantaneously was enamored with its exoticism as I had a few years prior.
In fact, he loved this enchanting fruit more than I did. We both fed off of each other's obsession and went searching for more at every supermarket and farmer's market we could and ate as many as we could before it was out of season. We even discovered different varieties of this fruit and found out that there were pink and yellow ones!
There are many ways you can enjoy this refreshingly mild fruit, you can eat it plain, mix it in a fruit salad or one of my favorite ways - in a smoothie! I feel that I can appreciate all of the flavors the best when it is homogenized into the form of a smoothie. I love eating it and I absolutely love drinking it. It reminds me of watermelon, I love eating it, but there are bitter parts when you get closer to the perimeter and base of the fruit, when you blend it all together, all parts taste equally delicious!
Here is our video with step by step instructions on how to make the smoothie:
The dragonfruit is incredibly juicy, all you need to do is to make sure that your fruit has chilled in the refrigerator or what I like to do is to keep some frozen so that when you mix it in your blender you get a very cool smoothie. We used a vitamix blender but feel free to use any blender you have!
This idea was created by Bboy Fantum (Robert) and Mary. We came up with this idea when Fantum started posting some of the food we were eating on his Facebook and had some friends comment and ask how to make it. Many people ask him for his advice on what to eat to sustain his lifestyle as a bboy/breaker/breakdancer.
Mary, on the other hand was making green smoothies on a daily basis when she got her hands on an old used Vitamix that her younger brother was no longer using.
Mary is currently a medical student and began posting information that she was learning in school. Over time more and more knowledge and information began to pile up and the only logical step was to begin to organize the vast amount of information into a blog.
We share vegan, raw-vegan plant based recipes that anyone can make and of course we like to make it a fun and easy experience.
Get Your Health Up encompasses every aspect of health, from food, fitness, knowledge, grocery shopping, general shopping, leisure, wellness, laughter, stress, love, friends, family and community. Get Your Health Up means the health of your life as a whole and not just one isolated aspect.
We also share the benefits of food and the latest research regarding food and health to prevent disease, to allow people to truly live to their fullest potential and to help people understand what they are eating.
We would like to share this lifestyle with everyone and to show that it is very achievable. This is not our full time job and we are both very busy people, but we would like to show you that this is something anyone can incorporate into their lives.
Thank you for visiting our blog and we hope this can be a fun and enjoyable resource for you.
