The first thing on my list is a website I like called Examine.
Like many people, I have gained some weight during this pandemic. I blame going out less, the homemade bread, the tres-leche cake, the comfort candy. I mean, I’m still hot 😉 but I don’t want my weight to keep going up.
I think using food and drink to comfort ourselves during this stressful time is pretty natural behavior. But I wanted to get a handle on the whole thing.
I never give nutrition advice (since I am not qualified for that) and I never diet (I’m to lazy for that) but since I have started weight training in a more serious way, I wanted to find out how much protein I should be consuming a day. Turns out the answer is quite a lot. I used this simple calculator on Examine to get a rough estimate.
More muscle means a higher metabolism and better strength so I’m all in. There is a disorder called sarcopenia which effects many people over 50, but it is not a ‘natural’ consequence of aging. We can do something about it. As we age we actually need more protein in order to gain or retain muscle mass.
The second thing making me feel better this month is just as sweet but less calorie dense than cake. The comedian Jim Gaffigan has started a youtube channel and I love watching comedy if I find myself doomscrolling. Jim has five kids and they are adorable and his humor is non political and he never ‘punches down’. This is one of my favorite’s.
The third thing this month is reminding me of my beloved Mexico and that makes me feel better. It is the UniMarket Latin food store here in Calgary. This is where I picked up the aforementioned tres-leche cake, Valentina’s hot sauce (which my daughter loves) and dried Hibiscus flowers for Agua de Jamaica.
What are some things that are have been comforting to you during this time? Let me know in the comments below.