Sara Rocks Nutrition

It's a whole new year, new decade, new chance to ditch old habits. Janus was the Roman God of beginnings and endings, choices, and doors (I guess that makes sense). He is also the one for whom January is named, rightfully so. He had two faces, one that looked ahead and the other that looked behind. The week leading up to New Year's is the perfect time to be like Janus; to review this past's celebrations and failures while reflecting on what will make the future better. It's a great time to decide what your resolutions will be and how you plan to create your own "Year of Clarity!" (like we discussed in the last post , remember?) Of course, I want your resolution to stick around longer than old fruitcake jokes, so I've put together some strategies for you! - Be Specific!  Let's say your resolution this year is to eat healthier in 2020. You didn't eat a single vegetable in 2019, so you have a salad for lunch on New Year's Day. Resolution acc

As 2019 winds down with a busier than normal holiday season, I have noticed so many people tell me that they can't wait for it to all be over as this was a "rough year" for them. These are the same people who told me that 2018 was a "hard year" and that 2017 was a "unlucky year." Of course, as someone who wants to help people (but also feels weird about overstepping my bounds), my heart hurts. What is going on with my friends that they are having so many bad years? I’m not without empathy. This time last year, I was that person. In my head, I refer to 2018 as “the year of disappointment” in a loud, booming voice. I began that year in my dream job, which quickly turned to a nightmare filled with car accidents, fights with my husband, sexual harassment, job burnout, tears, blood, anxiety, and depression. Sweat is absent from this equation as I quickly fell back into old habits of inactivity and unhealthy binging. I ended that year mentally brok

We all know that healthy foods and exercise lead to a healthy life.  It isn't always easy, there aren't woodland animals out there coming to help. But that doesn't mean it has to be hard. Simply changing the way you think about health may be the only thing you need to create lasting positive change. What better way to help shift your perspective than to the tune of the songs we all grew up with? Plus, you can hop onto Disney+ and watch the ones that get stuck in your head! A Whole New World Picture it for a moment. You see this whole new world, a dazzling place you never knew. When you are way up here, it's crystal clear. You know that your lifestyle isn't healthy and you need to make some changes. So, you clean out the kitchen, buy all new food, join a gym, and have this brand new routine. Then something happens outside of your control and it all comes crashing down. Instead of making all of these changes at once, pick one or two things and work on those, t

I failed at my goal yesterday.  I give it as much as I could, but couldn’t reach the finish line. It was raining and cold. I had been walking in mud for the last 11 miles straight. My shoes were just mud puddles strapped to my feet weighing down my legs, my clothes were sopped and mud-caked. I made many of the obstacles I didn’t think I would. I had to burpee out at some of the ones I thought I would fly through. But I was on the verge of bonking without food and ill prepared for the cold. I think I could have gone a little further, but my teammate was completely bonked, could hardly stand, and was on the verge of hypothermia. I could have gone on a little further, and maybe could have made the finish line with that coveted medal. But, without my team mate, it would have cost my soul. Overall, I do feel a little pride for everything I did. It was hard, harder than I thought. I may be sad today and time may blur how bad the conditions were, how uncomfortable, tired, and hungry I was.

There is a great scene in Idiocracy where they admit to watering the plants with sports drinks, because it’s got electrolytes, it’s got what plants crave.” And Luke Wilson asks “what is an electrolyte anyway?” (Not a direct quote, just go watch the movie.) Electrolytes aren’t just what plants crave or an REM song, they are really important to keeping you alive. They help regulate hydration, pH balance (as we found out in a previous post ), and keep your muscles and nerves in check. If your levels get too low, you will die. We did an experiment in grade school where we connected a pickle to two pieces of copper and the pickle lit up. We couldn't figure out why at the time, but the key was the sodium in the pickling solution. Sodium can conduct electricity when mixed with water, an electrolyte. Some other examples include potassium, calcium, bicarbonate, magnesium, chloride, and phosphate. When you get a Charley Horse in your calf muscle, it's good to eat a banana becau

Yum, spinach! It’s one of my favorites and a staple in my house. I like to use it as a base for smoothies, salads, and wraps. Occasionally, I do cook it, but only enough so that is turns an even brighter shade of green. My kitten is a fan too, insisting that I give her a leaf whenever I open the bag. Spinach is thought to have originated in Persia and is in the same family as both beets and quinoa (which make for a fantastic veggie bowl, but that's a post for a different day). From Persia, the vegetable traveled to India and then to China, where it was known simply as “Persian Vegetable.” Spinach moved westward, gaining popularity in Europe as it was a vegetable that grew quickly in the early spring.  This Provided a welcome break in the monotony of winter stores.  Most people associate spinach with Popeye. That famous Sailor Man inhaled his canned leafy greens making his muscles explode as he saved Olive Oyl time and time again. As a result, spinach sales during WWII i