Here at The Pilates Center, we have a lot to be grateful for. We’ve successfully weathered (and are weathering) the pandemic, we’ve got an amazing team of passionate instructors, and our Pilates community is growing stronger by the day. It can be easy as we come into the Thanksgiving season to relegate this season of gratitude just to a holiday, but we shouldn’t! Focusing on what we’re grateful for is actually a scientifically proven way to improve your life year round! A growing body of research is showing that expressing gratitude--even going through the motions of it if you don’t feel it--can make almost every aspect of our lives better--physically and mentally.
Like Pilates, Gratitude is a Practice Don’t get me wrong. These times we’re all going through right now are really tough. But if you’re worried that there’s too much going on in the world right now that makes you feel worried, stressed, or unhappy, it’s important to remember that gratitude is a choice. We can choose to be grateful even when we are experiencing hurt, resentment, or anger; even when our circumstances or life situations are challenging or difficult. Gratitude doesn’t have to be something that just wells up inside us, and you don’t necessarily need to feel it to practice it. Choosing to focus on what we can be grateful for is a choice we can make at any moment. And if you can make that choice, the benefits are enormous:
So what are YOU grateful for? Next time you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed this holiday season, take a step back and think of three things that you are thankful for. Have you tried this practice? Share your comments on our Facebook page!
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Superfood Focus: The Sweet Potato
Fall is upon us: the season of red and yellow leaves, cooler weather, and all things pumpkin spice! It’s also the season when people go nuts for a food I like to incorporate into my diet year round: the sweet potato. Guys, let me tell you- this baby is the unsung hero of the vegetable group-- she’s full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and healthy carbs! A true a staple in a healthy diet, which is important to see the full benefits of a Pilates life. Pilates and nutrition go hand in hand! Sweet Potato Nutrition Highlights You’ll be amazed at all the vitamins and minerals in these bad boys. 1 large sweet potato (baked, skin on, about 200 grams) contains just 200 calories and is a powerhouse of the following nutrients: Healthy Carbs: 41g Protein: 4g Fat: 0.3g Fiber: 6.6g Vitamin A: 769% of your daily value (DV) Vitamin C: 65% of the DV Manganese: 50% of the DV Vitamin B6: 29% of the DV Potassium: 27% of the DV Pantothenic acid: 18% of the DV Copper: 16% of the DV Niacin: 15% of the DV The Sweet Health Benefits Protection against free radicals Sweet potatoes are rich in antioxidants that protect our bodies from free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules that can damage DNA and trigger inflammation in our bodies. Free radicals speed up our aging process, and have also been linked to chronic illnesses like cancer and heart disease, so antioxidant-rich foods are very good for our health. Promotion of gut health & a healthy immune system These days you REALLY don’t want to be getting sick. The sweet potato is awesome for promoting gut health and a health immune system. The fiber and beta-carotene in sweet potatoes is very advantageous to gut health (our “microbiome”), a topic that is getting a lot of coverage these days. An imbalanced microbiome--or dysbiosis, as it is scientifically called-- is being linked to all sorts of things: depression, anxiety, eczema, rosacea, psoriasis, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, autoimmune diseases, allergies, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and osteoarthritis! Sweet potatoes have both soluble and insoluble fiber, and these fibers are fermented by the bacteria in our colon, creating compounds called short-chain fatty acids. Short-chain fatty acids fuel the cells in our intestinal lining to keep it healthy and strong. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that adult females age 31-50 get 25.2g of fiber per day (22.4g for females age 51+), and adult males consume 30.8g (28g for males age 51+). Sweet potatoes are one of the richest sources of beta-carotene, a plant-based compound that our bodies convert into Vitamin A. Vitamin A is critical to a healthy immune system and the maintenance of healthy mucous membranes-- especially the lining in our gut. Recent studies have shown that vitamin A deficiency increases gut inflammation and reduces the ability of our immune systems to respond properly to potential threats. Support healthy vision Beta-carotene is also used by our bodies to form light-detecting receptors in our eyes. One cup of sweet potato with the skin provides more than seven times the amount of beta-carotene needed by the average adult! Ways to incorporate sweet potatoes into your diet
How do YOU love to incorporate these into your healthy diet? |
Heather GradkeI'm BASI Faculty and Certified Pilates Instructor by day, somewhat competent mom by night. I am married to the love of my life and somewhat charismatic Rustin Gradke. I have 4 kids that are wonderful sometimes but mostly they just eat a lot. I'm a lover of God and movement and the occasional bowl of queso. Archives
January 2025
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