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HEALTHY FOOD OF THE MONTH |
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Bok choy, otherwise known as bak choi, paak choi, Chinese chard cabbage and Chinese mustard cabbage is a vegetable that resembles celery although it is actually a member of the cabbage family. It has thick, white stalks and dark green leaves that have a round shape.
Bok choy has been cultivated in China for centuries and is now commonly grown in Alberta, Canada and in California, USA. Bok choy is also grown in Europe where it was introduced in the 1700's. It is available year round, except in July and August, and it is best when purchased in the Fall and Winter.
Currently, you can buy bok choy in many ethnic grocery stores and in many larger supermarket chains. It is becoming popular to use for cooking because it has a mild taste, similar to cabbage, and can be used in many recipes, either raw, as in salads, or cooked for use in soups and in stir-fries.
When purchasing bok choy, select stalks that are pure white and firm. Additionally, look for leaves that are dark green and non-wilted. Do not select bok choy that has any brown spots on its leaves, as this type of bok choy is less flavorful. Baby bok choy, which is a younger version of bok choy, should also be purchased according to these standards. Once purchased, you can safely store bok choy in your refrigerator for up to a week. Simply place the bok choy in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer.
Because bok choy is a member of the cabbage family, you can cook it as you would a cabbage. When cooked, it has a sweet flavor and its stalks are firm. Baby bok choy is best when cooked whole and used as a side dish to a meat entrée.
However, when cooking mature bok choy, do not cook it whole. Instead, first remove its leaves from their stalks and cut the stalks into pieces. Next, take the leaves that were removed and cut them into pieces as well. Both bok choy's stalks and leaves are edible. Common uses for mature bok choy include steaming or boiling it then adding seasonings to the bok choy such as soy sauce, ginger, or hot peppers. You can also eat the raw stalks of both the baby and mature bok choy.
Another reason that bok choy is becoming popular to use, besides its similarity to cabbage, is because of its nutritional value. One cup of raw bok choy, which is approximately 112 grams, contains only 20 calories.
Additionally, bok choy contains no fat or cholesterol and is a good source of calcium. It is also low in sodium and high in vitamins C and A. Because both bok choy's stalks and leaves can be used in salads, it also provides a delicious and healthy meal for those who are on a diet.
It is high in brassinin, which some research suggests may help prevent breast tumors, plus indoles and isothiocyanates, which lower levels of estrogen, making this vegetable a double-barreled weapon against breast cancer. A cup will also give you 158mg of calcium (16 percent of your daily recommended requirement) to help beat osteoporosis. A cup (cooked) has 20 calories, 0 fat and 3 grams of fiber.
Bok choy is also easy to prepare. You need only wash the bok choy, chop it, then use it as you desire; for example, you can microwave or steam it for a simple and quick side dish or main meal.
Find it in your grocer's produce section or an Asian market. Slice the greens and juicy white stalks, then saute like spinach or toss into a stir-fry just before serving. |
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The Secret of Getting to Sleep! |
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Music |
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Do you have trouble sleeping? Don't bother with a cup of cocoa or counting sheep -- listening to music at bedtime is the way to get a restful night, Taiwanese researchers have found.
In a paper published in the February 2005 issue of the Journal of Advanced Nursing, a team from Taiwan's Tzu Chi University said they studied the sleep patterns of 60 people aged between 60 and 83 who had difficulty sleeping.
Half were given relaxing music to listen to for 45 minutes at bedtime and half were given no help to sleep.
The team found that those who listened to a selection of soft, slow music experienced physical changes that aided restful sleep, such as lower heart and respiratory rates.
"The difference between the music group and the control group was clinically significant," said lead author Hui-Ling Lai, vice director of nursing at the Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital and assistant professor at Tzu Chi University.
"The music group reported a 26 per cent overall improvement in the first week and this figure continued to rise as they mastered the technique of relaxing to the sedative music."
This research has certainly been borne out in our own experience. The music that we provide with your massage is selected to provide for mental relaxation to complement your massage experience.
The music supplied via cable or satellite can be an excellent sleep aide. One key is to not play the music too loudly. It should be soft enough that it doesn't activate your conscious listening skills-keep it more at a "background music" level.
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PLAN A "STAYCATION" NOW! |
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One of the many benefits of summertime in Phoenix is all of the resorts offering specials. You can stay at many of the finest valley resorts for about half the rate during peak season (winter). And there are so many things to do around the valley that most of us never get around to. After all it's our own backyard right? There are also great restaurants here at home too.
Resort rates still a little rich for your summer? How about camping in the family room? Pitch the tent (minus the stakes please) and roll out the sleeping bags.
Maybe you like to try new food ideas. Check out the cookbook section at Barnes and Noble or Borders Books (or even the public library) and cook up an exotic meal.
However and wherever you spend your "staycation" consider scheduling a massage to make it the best vacation ever.
A Healing Touch Massage is resort friendly. We have performed massage for guests at many of the valley's fine resorts. Make your plans and give us a call! | |
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 A Healing Touch Massage
A Healing Touch Massage
More than just a name... it's a promise!
Dan O'Clair & Roxie Reimer
480-215-9471 or 602-568-1531
PO Box 3070
Apache Junction, AZ 85219
Providing in-home therapeutic massage to the metropolitan Phoenix area since 2003.
Call for an appointment today! |
I just finished watching the video,YES MAN with Jim Carrey. The story is of a divorced man who has withdrawn into himself. An old friend convinces him to attend a workshop that teaches everyone to say "yes" to everything. He comes out of his shell through alot of amusing situations and circumstances that make for a very funny movie (if you like Jim Carrey)!
Anyway, the movie got me thinking about how so many of us approach life. Now I'm not proposing that we start saying "yes" to everything, but perhaps we say "no" more often than we should. You don't have to go very far to find a great deal of negativity and sometimes that negativity just kind of begins to cling to us making it hard to shake off.
Wouldn't it be nice to spend an hour or a day or even a whole week enveloped in the positive instead? Imagine what it would be like for everything in your life to be moving in a positive flow. The perfect timetable and everything falling into place exactly where it should be. We think, "Wow I could sure use that about now!"
Maybe, just maybe that's closer than it seems. Maybe it's a matter of perspective more than a matter of things. There's an old Chinese parable told of a man whose horse grew old and died. The man had no way to plow his fields and all the villagers came and said how bad that was. But the old man replied, "Maybe yes, maybe no. We will have to see."
The next day his son goes out into the mountains and returns with a herd of wild horses and the villagers came and told the old man how good that was. But the old man replied, "Maybe yes, maybe no. We will have to see."
The son began to break the horses and was thrown one day breaking his leg. The villagers again came with tidings of woe but
the old man replied, "Maybe yes, maybe no. We will have to see."
A few days pass and war breaks out and all the able bodied young men are taken from the village to fight. The old man's son is passed over because of his broken leg and the villagers of course tell the man what a good thing this is and of course the old man replies, "Maybe yes, maybe no. We will have to see."
The story continues on but the point has already been made plainly clear, whether what is going on in our lives is good or bad is usually just a matter of time and perspective.
Many are facing hard times right now, but if you look around, you can still find positive things. And as we collectively think and focus on the positive we will find more for which to be grateful.
An old Persian proverb states it like this, "I cried because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet."
Roxie and I are grateful that we have all of you as our clients and friends. And we are grateful for the talents and skills that we have to share with you in the way of bodywork and massage. |
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The Importance of Regular Body Maintenance |
We use our cars to get to work, to go to the store, to go out for dinner, to go to the movies and for countless other errands. We can't imagine not having it there for us. And when we want to go somewhere we expect it to be ready. Hop in turn the key and away we go. If it doesn't start it's a crisis, a major disaster.
In order to keep our cars running at peak efficiency we have regular service performed on them. Oil changes, tire rotation, balancing and proper inflation, proper fuel octane levels, even keeping them clean are all necessary for optimizing performance and keeping them around as long as possible. But did you know we have something of even more importance than our cars? I'm talking about our bodies.
Oftentimes we take our bodies for granted. We aren't always careful about the fuel we put in them. We don't give them adequate hydration. We don't exercise them properly. We don't give them sufficient downtime. We stress them out. And then we expect them to perform like the finely tuned machine they are and we get frustrated when they don't perform or worse yet, breakdown.
Have you stopped to think that improving your physical and emotional state cannot be accomplished with just one massage? You wouldn't go to the gym just once, visit the doctor or chiropractor just once, meditate just once, get a haircut just once, or even brush your teeth just once, so why would we think massage would be any different?
Like anything else, you need to commit to making your massage sessions a part of your regular routine in order to achieve the optimal results you're looking for. With a regular massage regimen you'll notice significant changes in your mental, spiritual, and physical well being. If you felt better after one massage session, imagine how you'll feel after three or more sessions!
We are always asked, "How often should I receive massage?" Our answer will vary depending upon the issues that you are facing. If you are recovering from an injury we may recommend multiple sessions in a two to three week period followed by more of a maintenance schedule. Even that maintenance will vary with each individual but usually it is weekly, twice a month or monthly. If you are experiencing chronic ongoing pain or restricted range of motion (ROM) we will also encourage sessions closer together to begin with and spaced out as the condition improves. If you are experiencing a high degree of stress (and today who isn't?) a regular massage can go a long ways toward improving your coping skills thereby making life much more palatable.
Whatever is going on in your life regular massage can help you to deal with it more effectively.
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The Renewable Resource Called Y-O-U |
 by Amara Rose
Life Coach, Teacher and Author
Is your future sustainable? Do you take the time and care daily to replenish your own wells--or is the renewable resource called Y-O-U running on empty?
During this high-energy season, I invite you to disembark the "Stress Express" for a train of thought that takes time not only to stop and smell the roses, but to cultivate them as well. Let's amble through the Garden of Spirit and gather a wealth of resources to renew your energy this summer.
Heart Of My Energy
H.O.M.E. is an acronym for "Heart Of My Energy," with "om" as the calm center. We come "om" by creating a plateau of peace, a home within that can't be shaken no matter what's going on externally. Think of it this way: work, regardless of the form it takes, is applied energy. Sustaining your own energy means working with yourself as a renewable resource.
Here are nine realistic rituals you can adapt to your life to help you come "om" to yourself in a more contemplative way:
Rise 'N' Rhyme: I follow an indigenous calendar, recording each day's "energy signature" in the form of an affirmation in my journal. I then sing this energy into my cells as I bounce on a mini-trampoline, morning and evening. My physical and spiritual muscles get a healthy workout, and I start and complete my day with a practice that's easy, fun, fast (I bounce for ten to fifteen minutes) and invigorating mentally and emotionally.
Tree I.D.: Get into nature at lunchtime. Trees are anchors in stillness, keeping silent council with their frenetic human brethren. Even their to-do lists are rooted in an ancient rhythm. ("Monday: 1. Photosynthesize. 2. Send stored water to branches. 3. Bud seventeen new leaves.") Emulate one. Stand tall, get quiet, be open, and listen with your whole being. Sway with the winds of change so that you bend, rather than break.
Password: One woman I know likes to blow soap bubbles to relieve stress and reconnect with her child-like wonder. When she's feeling off-center, she thinks "soap bubbles!" and allows the joy of that image to revitalize her. You can use a password anywhere. Striving to complete a task by an "impossible" deadline, juggling a personal crisis with other responsibilities...silently invoke your password, and allow yourself to come "om."
Yes To Recess: Whether it's crocheting afghans or shooting hoops, reading mystery novels or strumming your six-string, indulge in pleasurable pastimes. An hour spent in pure enjoyment is more restorative to the spirit than engaging in a practice you aren't drawn to, simply because you think it will ease stress.
Soul Food: Let workday meals become an opportunity for community. Here's a radical reframing of the old adage, "Eating us out of house and home": "Eating our way into the heart of 'om.'" Whether you're dining solo or en masse, imagine that with every bite, you are ingesting serenity, order, energy-whatever's needed in the moment. If the group is receptive, you might all join hands and express your gratitude out loud. As one mediator/minister I know suggests, "The real World Wide Web is not in cyberspace. It's in the meeting of eyes and the holding of hands." A link-up of hearts and minds creates an energy loop for all participants.
For Your Eyes Only: Did you build forts as a child, secret places only you and chosen chums would share? We all crave sacred space. Turn a corner of your workspace, bedroom or living room into an altar. A few special totems can help replenish your well when you're feeling depleted. Ideas: seashells or stones you've collected; something your child made for you; a photo of your family, pet or an inspirational teacher; a candle; fresh flowers; a goblet of water. Be creative. If you're an ardent baseball fan and you retrieved the homer that won the championship, this is some power object! It'll be radiating energy for seasons to come.
Beginner's Mind: Keep a beloved children's book in a desk drawer at work, or in your car. When the going gets tough, open at random and read a passage. Some classics that bring me "om" time and again: A Wrinkle In Time, The Velveteen Rabbit, The Little Prince, The Phantom Tollbooth, and Momo.
Funny Business: We have casual dress days, but how about costumed workdays-when it's not Halloween? Try this with your colleagues and enjoy the responses of others. Distribute Groucho glasses to everyone in your group. Or crayons and drawing pads. Celebrate staff birthdays and other milestones with gag gifts, such as a singing gorilla. Whatever brings you belly laughs is healthy, because laughter oxygenates body and brain, strengthening your "amuse" system.
Service With A Smile: The transformational times we're living in are like a closeout sale on the mind. All of our dearly entrenched beliefs and behavior patterns are becoming cosmic compost, as we seek new models of collaboration that transcend artificial competitive boundaries in favor of the collective good. One of the best ways I know to sustain ourselves and come "om" to the heart of our energy is to wholeheartedly serve another, whether with project assistance, a listening ear, or a change of attitude. The energy of the infinite flows through us when we live from generosity of spirit.
Welcome "om".
Copyright © 2000-2009 Amara Rose. Used with permission.
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Amara Rose is a metaphysical "midwife" for our global rebirth. She is the author of the eBook series, What Shines: Practical Wisdom for Unleashing Your Inner Brilliance, available from RadiancePublishing.com, and offers life purpose coaching, e-courses, playshops, talks, CDs, and an inspirational monthly newsletter, What Shines. Visit LiveYourLight.com to learn more. Contact Amara by email or phone at 800-862-0157.
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Hope you found something of interest in this months musings. Let us know you think. We always enjoy hearing from you.
Remember to take care of yourself this summer. Drink lots of water to stay hydrated in this heat. And don't forget to call us for your next massage!
A Healing Touch Massage |
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