This past year something happened to my body.  I was gaining weight, getting "soft," and generally feeling unhealthy.  All the old tricks the <25-year-old me had used to shed extra weight weren't working anymore.  I couldn't drop five pounds in a week just by eating smaller portions at dinner.  I couldn't eat pizza and ice cream every day without noticing it in my love handles.  I had hit the dreaded twenty-year metabolism speed bump, and I had to make a choice.  Continue living like I had when I was younger and pay the physical consequences, or make a change. 

Change is hard for anyone, especially when the option presented means less free time and less ice cream.  Nevertheless, I decided that I was going to be a healthy adult.  Getting serious about yoga helped bring an overall awareness to my lifestyle, since part of the practice is self-reflection and objective awareness of your thoughts and actions.  I started by examined my eating habits and my attitudes about food. 

How we eat is integral to our overall wellness.  The choices we make about what we put into our mouths, stomachs, and cells are equally as important as bodywork, massage, exercise, and sleep.  However, so many of us still look at food merely as fuel, while it is actually much more important than the 93 octane we pour into fussy autos.  Food is not just fuel on which our bodies mechanically run; the food we eat literally becomes our bodies.

I had always loved going to my friend Alana's house for dinner.  She was an incredible cook, and always seemed to come up with the most creative dishes I'd ever seen, most of them involving fresh fruits and vegetables ranging from common to quite unusual.  Chard and mustard powder sauteed with zucchini and garlic?  I didn't even know what chard was until I met Alana. 

Alana subscribed to Boston Organics.  This subscription service delivers fresh organic produce to your doorstep weekly (or biweekly, if you so desire) for a very reasonable price.

I looked up Boston Organics for myself.  It sounded too good to be true.  This service would save me the time of going to the farmer's market or the grocery and neurotically picking out what fruits and veggies I could possibly use before they went bad.  Because I would psych myself out of risky choices like poblano peppers and beets, I invariably would come home with the same stuff every week.  Lettuce, spinach, bananas, apples, and baby carrots.  You can only eat so many spinach salads before you get sick of them.  I needed to branch out (no pun intended), and signing up for Boston Organics would force me either to sink or swim.

Boston Organics lets you select foods you never want to receive, so if you absolutely hate cantaloupe, no worries, you never have to get one.  They also offer awesome optional add-ons like coffee, eggs, and chocolate that you can (you guessed it) add on to your usual box.  But for the most part, the food you get is a total surprise.  It could include dandelion greens.  It could include plums.  You can go online and check what's going to be in this week's box before it even arrives, so you can start planning recipes in advance.  They also send out a nifty newsletter with recipe suggestions for the more unusual selections in a given week's box.

I spoke with Jeff Barry, owner and founder of Boston Organics.  I was surprised by how much his story of personal wellness and how it relates to the food he eats reminded me of my own.

JS: I read on your website that the idea for Boston Organics came from a similar service in San Francisco that you had subscribed to when living there.  How did that service change the way you ate and lived?

JB: Well, it was really all part of a transformative process for me.  I was just getting into yoga and things like that.  I was young, you know, not bound down by anything, and I had lots of time to explore different options and lifestyles.  When I started ordering from Planet Organics, I thought I knew about fruits and vegetables, but this mystery box really introduced me to foods I wasn't familiar with and forced me to learn how to cook with new things.  Everyone has that vegetable they think they hate.  Maybe they had a negative experience with it as a kid or something.  This introduced me to vegetables I didn't even know I loved.  It also got me more into using simple ingredients and away from processed foods. Overall, I'd say the best thing it did for me was to make me more aware of where my food comes from and more aware of what I'm eating in general.

JS: Did this awareness begin with Planet Organics, or was it something that had been a theme in your life?

JB: I'd always been pretty active, but when I was a student at Tufts I didn't have time to cook.  I kind of did the student thing of eating anything that was cheap and fast.  Then when I was in the Peace Corps teaching English in the Comoras Islands, I got used to everything coming from local farms.  I even helped build a central marketplace where the local farmers could sell their products.  My experience in the Bay Area was sort of a continuation and reaffirmation of that lifestyle.

JS: Why did you want to spread this service when you moved to Boston?

JB: Well, I met my wife in the Bay Area.  She was from the East Coast too and after a while we both wanted to move back here to be closer to family.  She got a job that moved us here and when we settled in, I had to decide what I wanted to do.

I saw a lot of similarities between Boston and San Francisco.  Both are pretty liberal, forward-thinking cities where people love food.  I thought this service would go over well here, so I went for it.  Fortunately, I was right.

Of course, there are some big difference between the two climates.  Access to local produce is completely different here.  There's less that's readily accessible, so sometimes we have to be more creative, or go farther away than I'd like to offer enough variety, especially in the winter.  We still get a lot of our fruit from vendors in California, but we are working with farmers in New England to buy more and more locally each year.

JS:  It seems like you put forth a lot of effort to draw from local sources, though.  On the page where it lists the box of the week, we can see where all the produce comes from, and it seems like most of the vegetables are sourced  from the East Coast.

It is a goal of ours to buy as much local organic produce as possible.  In the winter in Massachusetts, this has been difficult, but we increase the percentage of local produce we offer each year.  We've been working to develop relationships on the Eastern Seaboard for this reason. 

Our Dogma Box, which is composed entirely of local produce, has gotten a very positive response.  For us, the Dogma Box is out there like a drishti in yoga, that is, a focal point that the whole business is working toward.

JS: It all goes back to awareness.

Yes.  That awareness of where your food comes from and the awareness of what you put into your body are the flip sides of the same coin.  It's about being good to yourself and the planet simultaneously.  When we're more connected to food, we're more connected to our bodies and the world we live in.




I needed to try this service for myself.  When I decide to do something, I really decide to do it, so I signed up for the hardcore Dogma Box.  My green plastic box arrived right on schedule with a helpful list letting me know exactly what was inside.  My locally sourced cornucopia included apples, lettuce, Yukon potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini, an eggplant, cabbage, kale, collard greens, a green pepper and other goodies.  I was not used to cooking with almost any of these.  In fact, I had never made kale or collards before.  It was daunting, but it turned out the challenge was part of the fun.

I consulted with Alana on the kale and collards, and wound up with a delicious kale and bean soup and traditional Southern collards with bacon.  As for the other veggies, my mom noticed I had all the ingredients for ratatouille, which I'd never made before and which kind of intimidated me.  I'm proud to say I rose to the challenge, and my boyfriend and I sat down to a yummy (vegan!) dinner of ratatouille and roasted golden Yukon potatoes with homegrown rosemary and parsley . 

I never would have made any of these things if the ingredients hadn't literally wound up on my doorstep.  I would have stayed in my safety zone, eating almond butter and hummus and green salads with cashews and dried apricots.  Again.  And again.  And again.  Eventually I would have gotten sick of this monotonous "healthy" eating and going back to the daily pizza and ice cream.  Boston Organics brings a sense fun and adventure to eating well.

Michael Pollan (love this guy) recently said in an NPR interview that the American diet is the elephant in the room in the healthcare debate.  Your personal health and wellness rely so heavily on your own choices, be it at the doctor's office or or in the gym, on the massage table or at the dinner table.

It's your life.  Choose wisely.

This Saturday, September 19th, from 9AM-1PM right is the Somerville Garden Club Sale in Davis Square.  This is going down right down the street from MTW, at the intersection of College Ave and Holland Street.

If you're into pretty houseplants, growing your own food, or just getting into the idea of taking care of something green and cellulose-based, this is the place to be Saturday morning.  Apparently this is one of the best garden sales in the area.

Aside from being earth-friendly and beautifying, gardening is also a good way to get active.  But whether you're planning a full-on Victory Garden or just want a nice basil plant to supplement your spice collection, this garden sale is the place to be.

MTW will also be open on Saturday, so feel free to stop by for a massage before or after you browse through all the greenery.  We'll see you out there.

One of our resident sports massage specialists, Patience Williams, contributed today's Boston Healing Blog entry.


When I worked as a massage therapist for the US Olympic Team from 2007-08, they referred to us as their "secret weapon."  We were ten massage therapists, premiere in our fields, hired to help enhance the performance of these dedicated, elite athletes.  While the athletes themselves had trained and pushed their bodies to astounding levels, our job was to help give them that special edge that would push them over the top. 

You don't need to be an Olympic athlete for massage therapy to help improve your peak performance.  Pre-event, massage warms up the muscles, so you'll be ready for the big race.  Restorative massage post-event ensures the adequate and proper recovery for those muscles, so you don't regret that race for the next week.  Finally, maintenance massage is always useful for keeping the body tuned up and ready to perform during training.

Here's a list of the general benefits and performance related outcomes from massage:

* Increases circulation

* Supports delivery of oxygen rich blood and nutrients to the body in preparation for the event

* Affects the central nervous system

* Supports recovery and tissue health through increased exchange of nutrients for waste materials after workout or event

* Assists in the repair of micro-tears to eliminate soreness and decreases recovery time

* Flushes tissue of edema, which can cause secondary injuries through fluid pressure if the swelling of an injured area is severe

* Decreases muscle tension prior to an event, thereby increasing elasticity of muscle and connective tissue, which prevents injury and supports efficient performance.

* Stimulates specific muscle groups involved in athletic function

* Has a sedative effect after the athlete has finished competing, calming tense muscle tissue and promoting feelings of calm and well-being

* Lengthens or broadens tissue

* Eliminates the formation of restrictive scar tissue, which supports flexibility in the range of motion the athlete must use for performance, thus decreasing the chance for injury (Plowman and Smith page 579).

* Supports efficient range of motion and function of joints during training and competition by releasing adhesions that form, thus keeping tissues “unstuck,” pliable and efficient in their respective muscle actions

* Deactivates trigger points caused through repetitive use, strain or injury — which supports full range of motion, full ability for muscle contraction, and release of muscle tension

* Creates feelings of well-being

* Stimulates the athlete’s psyche, promoting feelings of psychological readiness

* Sedates the athlete who feels over-anxious, thus promoting feelings of clarity and psychological readiness

* Supports positive coping strategies and motivation

* Relaxes the athlete

* Decreases overall muscle tension and returns the tissue to a tone conducive to resting and recovery

* Decreases psychological stress to support recovery and prevent injury


If you want to perform at your fullest potential, it's essential not to neglect your body.  I've noticed so many athletes tend to do this, even though they expect their bodies to do so much.  A simile I use often is, "Your body is like a car."  If you want to keep your car in good condition, you have to do routine maintenance.  In my work, I hope to keep athletes running for a long.

-Patience

I was visiting my friend Lacey and her husband Ryan a while back.  Something you need to know about Lacey and Ryan is they're in fantastic shape.  I mean, truly enviable.

While I was staying with them, I noticed they were always drinking these weird smoothies.  I wondered if these were some sort of magical concoctions that took away bags under eyes, cleared skin, built muscle tone, and generally took years off of someone's appearance.  Turns out I wasn't far off.

They were green smoothies, Lacey explained.  "It's a smoothie made with fruits just like any smoothie.  The difference is you also add a large amount of dark, leafy greens.  There's no better way to get your body the nutrients it needs." 

She brought me into the kitchen and proceeded to throw some fresh berries and a cut-up pear into a blender.  She added a little water and set the thing to blend. 

"You don't use yogurt or milk?" I asked, thinking of the popular smoothies sold at the store.

"No," she said.  "Water works just fine.  The fruit tastes great on its own.  Why weigh it down with a bunch of dairy or soy?"

Once the fruit was nearly liquified, she added the piece de resistance.  A huge pile of dark leafy greens, including spinach, romaine lettuce, and arugula. 

"Does that really taste good?" I asked, skeptical of the sheer quantity of veggies going into this beverage.

"I think it does," she said.  "But see for yourself."

She poured the smoothie into a glass for me and I tried it.  It was sweet, not bitter, and tasted extremely refreshing and flavorful.

"I started out making them with mostly fruit and just a little greens," she said.  "Then my tastes changed, and I kept adjusting the ratio.  Now mine are mostly veggie, with just a little fruit for flavor.  It's like your body adjusts to crave more of the good stuff."

Ryan chimed in. "And it makes you feel amazing.  I never liked vegetables that much before I started drinking these.  I thought vegetables were okay, but I mean, fruit was obviously way better.  Now I'm completely hooked.  I hardly put any fruit in my smoothies anymore.  It's all greens for me."

Aside from being an inexpensive and delicious way to get your daily greens, green smoothies also help you absorb more of the plant's nutrients, since the leaves are half digested by the blender already when it hits your stomach. 

The best part, in my opinion, is the customization factor.  You can try a different combination every time you make one.  Pear and spinach?  Berry-banana-dandelion?  Apple-arugula-parsley-carrot-lettuce?  Sure, why not.  If you take any herbs or supplements (spirulina, burdock root powder, garlic, cinnamon, etc), you can also toss them in the blender and make a super-green smoothie. 

Remember, the darker green the vegetable is, the more packed it is with nutrients.  Iceberg lettuce will taste crisp and refreshing, but won't do much for your body's hungry cells

I found this how-to video for the visual-minded.

That looks pretty good, actually.  I think I'll have one for lunch.

Happy blending.

I came across this essay by Michael Pollan (the appropriateness of his name never ceases to amuse me) and it filled me with equal parts inspiration and guilt. 

In the article, Pollan recounts the staggering data put forth in An Inconvenient Truth.  Basically, we have royally screwed our natural habitat, and if we don't cut down carbon emissions pronto, we'll be shaken off like a pesky case of fleas. 

Since people concerned with holistic wellness are generally pretty environmentally conscious, I assume everyone knows about the climate change crisis.  However, I've also noticed that most of the marketing around the green movement focuses on the same ideals of consumption and personal worth through tangible acquisitions that got us into this mess in the first place.  Organic hemp couture?  Green designer home furnishings?  Is it just me or are these things missing the point?

I've fallen into it myself from time to time.  I own a fashionable Sigg water bottle shipped all the way from Switzerland.  But the fact of the matter is, these are self-absorbed, self-serving, and self-righteous means of "saving the planet."  If we were serious about cutting down on waste and carbon emissions, we'd buy clothes and furniture exclusively from local secondhand stores, or live with the clothes and furniture we already have.  Novel concept, I know, but desperate times call for desperate measures.  Hard as it may be, we need to quell this American-bred compulsion to Obtain at all costs, both literal and figurative. 

The fact is, people can feel better about themselves if they don't need to change their behavior other than to buy a dress from a different store with a label that reads "organic."  They can go to sleep at night confident that they are helping combat climate change without disrupting the nice little system of self-reward they have going.  What we need is a psychic makeover. 

Personal wellness is great and all, but I believe truly WHOLEististic wellness necessarily must extend to the world around us, of which we are a part.  At the end of the day, I want to look at myself in my second-hand mirror and say: "Today, you have done everything you could."  The excuses I've been reciting don't do anything to help reverse the destructive spiral our species has proliferated.  Most importantly, they don't help me to change the world through example, which, I believe, is the most organic (no pun intended) and effective method of changing the world there is. 

But what can I do to further cut down on my contribution to Climate Change and other scary impending phenomena?  I already live in a city, which, despite what (god love them) woodsy hippie-types might say, is a much more sustainable and efficient existence than the sprawling suburbs or country.  I take up less space, drive less, share more with roommates and neighbors, and generally exist and consume more locally than most of my brethren in the rolling countryside of Lincoln and Waltham. 

I have already cut down substantially on my meat intake and buy fruits and vegetables from the farmer's market.  I buy most of my clothes locally from secondhand stores.  I carry my own shopping bags and the aforementioned Sigg water bottle. 

Michael Pollan, obsessed as he is with all things vegetable, suggests that one of the most powerful and important things an individual can do is start to grow his or her own food. If Pollan knows what he's talking about (and popular opinion sure seems to be that he does), growing some, even just a little, of my own food would be the best thing I could do to further reduce my dependence on fossil fuel and be an all-around better human being.  This is all well and good for people in the suburbs or rural areas, but I rent an apartment with three other people in an urban area.  Needless to say, we have no land of our own to till, sow, and reap.    

Boston is a fairly green city, and I'm talking beyond the lovely Common smack dab in its center.  We have trees, parks, and bikepaths galore.  In fact, the Fenway area is home to the nation's oldest victory garden. 

What's a victory garden, you ask?  During World War II, when resources needed to be conserved for the war effort, citizens were encouraged to grow their own food to save resources and fuel.  In cities, these victory gardens became what we know today as "community gardens," but I like the impact of their original title.  "Victory gardens" sound important and even necessary, which they were at the time, and have become again.

I looked and there are plenty of victory gardens to choose from in and around Boston.  If you're ready to make the commitment to growing some of your own food, I would urge you to reserve a plot and get started.

If the hike is too much or you can't find a garden with open plots, you can actually grow food in pots.  A whole victory garden plot was a little intimidating for a beginner like me, and I didn't want to commit to this halfway and have an empty worm playground in a garden somewhere with my name on it.  I have a perfectly good sun porch, so I decided to start out with some potted herbs.  According to Pollan, even something as seemingly small as growing your own herbs can make a significant difference in your consumption levels.

When I do something, I go all out.  My local farmer's market was having a late summer sale on tiny pots of herbs, so I bought five.  They came out to around $2.50 each, which is about what you pay for ONE BUNCH of fresh herbs in the grocery store.  I can see where Michael Pollan is coming from.

Now my sun porch (my roommates laugh at me when I call it my Greenhouse) is decorated with rosemary, mint, basil, cilantro, and parsley.  It's brilliant to eat breakfast out there in the morning smelling the swirling bouquet of all those spices I've grown myself, and nothing beats the satisfaction of pulling off your own fresh basil to put in the family recipe marinara.  (That marinara was incredible, by the way.)

I'm thinking next spring, why not add some spinach, beans, and tomatoes to the mix?

This year, it's already the time of harvest, not planting.  This is the time to start planning for the coming year.  Get some cheap flowerpots at the garden store clearance sale, or left on the curb as someone's castoff during a move.  (The joys of Boston in September.)  Reserve your plot in the nearest victory garden, and start researching what to grow, how, and where.  When spring rolls around again, you'll be ready for victory.