Friday Five: 5 (More) Facts About Chocolate

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“It has been shown as proof positive that carefully prepared chocolate is as healthful a food as it is pleasant; that it is nourishing and easily digested… that it is above all helpful to people who must do a great deal of mental work.” – Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Chocolate Easter Bunny @ HomeI didn’t plan to drop off the face of the earth for three weeks and leave you hanging…

No doubt, your life carried on fine without the last five chocolate facts. (If you missed the first list, you can find it here.) I wish I had a really great excuse for going AWOL on my blog for three weeks, but I don’t.

This month has brought several detours into my life. Some good. Some not-so-good. Some I’m not sure about yet.

I’ve spent a lot of time during the past 10 days in deep thought. Living inside my head. I had a potentially amazing and life-changing once-in-a-lifetime business opportunity drop into my lap through some online contacts. You would think that would be a simple decision, but it isn’t. I’m still thinking…

If I jump into this business opportunity with both feet, I will need some help. Lots of it. Let me know if you want to join me. And yes — it pays.

Meanwhile, let’s talk about CHOCOLATE!

5 (More) Facts About Chocolate

6. Research indicates a daily dose (moderate, of course!) of dark chocolate can reduce stress. Dark chocolate also has serotonin. Serotonin acts as an antidepressant and encourages the body to produce endorphins.

7. Several studies show a possible link between eating dark chocolate and mental functioning. One study found a direct connection between the countries with the highest consumption of chocolate and the highest number of Nobel Prizes. (Who knew that chocolate can make you smart?)

8. If you want to get the most benefits from eating dark chocolate, avoid the nougat, caramel and other fillings. Too much sugar and fat will cancel out the health benefits.

9. Contrary to rumor, chocolate doesn’t cause acne, obesity, or tooth decay.

10. The key to getting the most health-related benefits from chocolate is moderation. “Moderation” means one or two pieces a week. The health benefits don’t increase with consumption.

(Source: 10 Nice-To-Know Facts About Chocolate, ACSM’s Health and Fitness Journal.  James A. Peterson, PhD, FACSM)

Based on #7, I could use a little dark chocolate this weekend. I’m planning to take my Precision Nutrition Certification exam before Monday. Hmmm…

Do you prefer your chocolate “straight” or mixed with caramel, nougat, or other fillings?

photo by: Nouhailler

Early to Rise: Day 11 (Be the Change!)

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“Crying may last for a night,
but joy comes in the morning.” ~ Psalm 30:5 (NCV)

There's no such thing as small changeThis morning I got out of bed over an hour earlier than I intended to wake up – 3:13 a.m.

This is NOT a good thing, because I didn’t go to bed until after 10. I also didn’t sleep very soundly for the five hours I was in bed. I was awake for an hour before I finally gave up and got up.

I will pay for this early wake-up call later today.

When I don’t get enough sleep, I have trouble concentrating on the task at hand. Especially anything that requires rubbing more than two brain cells together at a time.

I also eat. My hunger hormones get out of hand when they think I haven’t slept enough. I need at least seven hours in bed to keep them satisfied.

Too late for that now. Tomorrow is another day.

Today’s topic in the Early to Rise book is “Change the world”. Andy begins the reading with a question: “Have you ever been surprised by the impact you’ve had on someone?”

No doubt we all have some sort of impact (good or bad) on people and didn’t even know it. I have had a few people tell me directly that I’ve helped them. I’m sure there are others I helped or inspired.

I’m also certain that I’ve had a negative impact on a few people during my life. Hopefully, it’s just a few.

I think we get caught up with the idea we must do BIG things to make an impact. We don’t realize how a simple smile or random act of kindness can influence other people.

Sometimes, our day-to-day behavior in times of crisis is our opportunity for the greatest impact. Whether we like it or not, people are watching us to see how we react. Will we bring encouragement or discouragement? Will we inspire or inflame?

As for me, today I’m spending the day at home. I’m putting the finishing touches on two grant proposals. I’ll probably never know how far this project’s impact will extend…

What is something you have done to impact someone else’s life? What will you do today?

photo by: chintermeyer
Stack of wooden building blocks spelling HOPE

Hope and a Good Future [Part 2]

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“I know what I am planning for you,” says the Lord. “I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future. Then you will call my name. You will come to me and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will search for me. And when you search for me with all your heart, you will find me! I will let you find me,” says the Lord. “And I will bring you back from your captivity. I forced you to leave this place, but I will gather you from all the nations, from the places I have sent you as captives,” says the Lord. “And I will bring you back to this place.” ~ Jeremiah 29:11-14 (New Century Version)

[This post is Part 2 of a tale that I started telling you a week ago.]

If you have followed my blog for any length of time (like before I started my 30-day Early To Rise book challenge), you may remember me mentioning that I have felt like something was getting ready to happen. I have had the distinct feeling God was getting ready to move tell me to get busy again.

In the two-and-a-half years since I left my previous job in nonprofit healthcare, I’ve wandered in the desert for a while. Spent some time in the wilderness, too.

Meanwhile, I got my Personal Training certification from the American College of Sports Medicine. (No easy task, for sure. Especially for someone whose college degree has “Computer” instead of “Exercise” in front of “Science”. The exam probably isn’t very hard if you’ve spent a few years in Exercise or Kinesiology classes.)

I also began studying for a Nutrition Coach certification… and one of these days, I’ll actually get around to taking THAT exam!

Part of the reason I haven’t been as focused as I would like is because while I was grieving my dream job, taking care of my family and studying for my exams, I also lost my church. (The church my husband and I helped plant eight years ago went through some changes, lots of people left, and the church faded away.) We had to look for another church.

Eventually (after bouncing around for nearly a year), we found a new congregation.

We almost joined another church, but something held us back. It wasn’t until six months later that we realized why we weren’t supposed to be at THAT church… but that’s another story.

Delays. Delays. As my life went through changes, I began to feel as if I wasn’t supposed to use my personal training and nutrition knowledge in the way I had first thought. I kept going, anyway.

A friend at my new church decided a few months ago to restart a health ministry she had started almost 10 years ago. The health ministry trained and supported parish nurses and congregational health workers in local faith communities. It had gone dormant during the past several years, for a variety of reasons. She now felt led to take a different path and get it going again. She and I have talked about this new path for several years…

This time, we decided to add some preventive care opportunities and support (physical activity and wellness education) to the health screenings.

I’ve been working on two grant proposals for the health ministry – applying for start-up funding – for a couple of months. Research. Write. Research some more. Write some more. Edit. Edit. Research. Write.

During February (just a month ago), I felt as if I was on pins and needles almost all the time. You know that feeling when you expect someone to jump out from behind a corner or a closet and scream, “Boo!”? That’s how I felt. I knew something was going to happen.

And it did.

My friend contacted me three weeks ago to say she thinks the health ministry needs a Program Director for the next year (contract). Someone to tie all the loose ends.

She asked if I would be willing to take on the task.

Perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised. But I was. I also knew this was “the thing” I am here to do. God was putting the pieces together for all these years.

I’m ready.

Are you ready? Do you know what your purpose is? What is that one thing you are uniquely designed to do? Have you figured it out yet? Will you know when the opportunity comes your way?

Friday Five: 5 Facts About Chocolate

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“The superiority of chocolate, both for health and nourishment, will soon give it the same preference over tea and coffee in America which it has in Spain.” 

~ Thomas Jefferson

Chocolate Shortbread With Salted Chocolate GanacheI’ve been craving chocolate all week. I’m not sure which came first – the craving or my bi-monthly issue of ACSM’s Health and Fitness Journal. The Journal included a tasty little article titled “10 Nice-to-Know Facts About Chocolate”.

Here are five of them. (I’ll give you the other five next Friday.)

5 Facts About Chocolate

  1. There is almost twice as much chocolate sold each year than all other nonchocolate candy combined.
  2. Switzerland’s residents eat more chocolate than any other country. Almost twice as much as Americans. The United States ranks 10th in annual chocolate consumption. We average nearly a pound of chocolate each month! (Now I don’t feel so bad about the few ounces I ate this week!)
  3. In its natural form, cocoa (the base of chocolate) can lower blood pressure, improve circulation, and cut the risk for diabetes and coronary heart disease.
  4. Chocolate has many of the benefits of dark vegetables (it IS made from plants, you know!). Just as dark leafy green vegetables are better for you, so is darker chocolate better for you. The darker, the better.
  5. Although dark chocolate has health benefits, it also has health-related side effects that other types of chocolate do NOT have. Dark chocolate has more caffeine, which can lead to increased heart rate, anxiety and irritability. It can also increase chances of kidney stones or migraine headaches.

(Source: 10 Nice-To-Know Facts About Chocolate, ACSM’s Health and Fitness Journal.  James A. Peterson, PhD, FACSM)

Next week, I’ll tell you about the other five facts on the list. Items #6 and #7 are my favorites. Smile

Do you like chocolate? Do you prefer dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or white chocolate?

photo by: jamieanne

Early to Rise: Day 7 (One step at a time!)

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“Tell me in the morning about your love,
because I trust you.
Show me what I should do,
because my prayers go up to you.” ~ Psalm 143:8 (NCV)

AlarmDay7ETR
Confession: I went to bed at 8:00 last night… and the only reason I stayed up THAT late was because I was afraid I’d be wide awake at midnight if I went to sleep too early.

Today’s reading in the Early to Rise book is about making small changes one step at a time.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m studying for a nutrition coaching certification. The textbook gives a couple of interesting pieces of information: 

  • When only people change one habit every month or so, success rates are as high as 80%.
  • When people attempt to change two habits at the same time, success rates drop to 20% for both habits. (Essentials of Sport and Exercise Nutrition, 2nd Ed. p 263)

Another helpful hint for creating change is to think about how successful you think you can be with the new habit, on a scale of 1 to 10. Modify your expectations (such as, set the alarm for just 5 minutes earlier than usual) to something you feel 90 to 100% confident you can do. Once you’ve mastered the small change (5 minutes earlier), try another 5 minutes… or even 10!

(Note to my regular readers: I plan to post Part 2 of Hope and a Good Future this weekend. Once I finish the grant proposals I’m working on, I’ll be writing more “regular” posts. Thanks for sticking with me through the Early To Rise Challenge!)

What type of success have you had with making a new habit? What habit did you change? Did you change one thing at a time or more than one?