My New Year’s Resolution Wish for You

If feeling better in your body is one of your New Year’s resolutions, I encourage you to skip the diets, detoxes, ridiculous rules and rigid regimens.

Instead, resolve to be kind to your body.

Really, truly kind.

Here’s what body kindness might look like for you:

• Giving your body enough rest and sleep.
   

• Moving your body in a joyful way (no punishing, compensatory workouts).
   

• Speaking to your body—and about your body—with respect, appreciation, compassion and tenderness.
   

• Honoring your body’s internal cues of hunger and fullness.
   

• Eating foods that equally satisfy your body’s need for nutrients and pleasure.
   

• Dressing your body in clothes that comfortably fit your here-and-now body.
   

• Immersing your body in nature, nourishing it with sunshine and fresh air.
   

• Relaxing your body with deep breathing, meditation, acupuncture, a massage, bubble bath, etc.
   

• Thanking your body every day for everything it does for you (like breathing!).

Staying on Track
To stay on track with this resolution, when making a decision that will impact your wellbeing, pause and simply ask yourself: Am I being kind to my body?

For example:

• I want to watch another episode, but it would mean losing an hour of sleep. 
   

• I should skip breakfast since I ate a big dinner yesterday, even though my stomach is growling.
   

• Running aggravates my knee, but I must do it to control my weight.
   

• I'm compelled to join in when my friends criticize their bodies; it's how we bond. 

Remember, if you truly want to feel good in your body, kindness is always the answer.

My #1 Holiday Stress Buster

While the holidays can bring abundant joy, they can also trigger tremendous stress.

Jam-packed stores, perfect-gift hunting, travel delays, kitchen bickering, family conflicts, unmet expectations and more all lead to stress, anxiety, tension and not-so-merry moods.

I have a foolproof remedy for busting holiday stress that's fast, easy and super-duper effective:

Hug it out.

That's right.

Hug. It. Out.

Instead of squabbling, snapping or snarling, give your partner, kiddo, sister, mom or brother-in-law a big ol' hug. Doing so will immediately dissolve any stress, tension, anxiety and grumpiness. 

In fact, hugging decreases cortisol (your fight-or-flight stress hormone), lowers blood pressure, and releases oxytocin (your bonding and trust-building hormone).

I've personally tested this stress buster numerous times and know firsthand that it truly works not only during the holidays, but every day of the year. 

Give it a whirl.  You have nothing to lose, except your cranky pants!

A Bowlful of Moroccan Memories

I just spent a very memorable few weeks road tripping around Morocco.

It’s truly a beautiful country from its undulating sand dunes in the Sahara, striking mountains and dramatic gorges studded with Berber villages, and coastlines dotted with sardine fishing boats...

...to its endless groves of olive, pomegranate and orange trees, lush valleys lined with date palms and deep-red kasbahs, and imperial cities with their ancient medinas and ornate riads.

Sunset Camel trek in the sahara desert

Local Food Scene
One of my favorite things about traveling is learning about the local food scene, from what’s growing in the fields to what’s cooking in the kitchen. I love talking to locals about what they eat and how they make it (and they love to tell me!).

In Morocco, I was really struck by the simplicity of their breakfast (compared to, say, a green smoothie loaded with a dozen different ingredients).

Numerous Moroccans shared that their typical morning meal consists of tearing pieces off a flat, round, crusty loaf of wheat bread then dipping them in olive oil. This is accompanied by the country’s most beloved beverage, mint tea.

They might also eat bissara, a hearty yet simple soup made with dried fava beans or sometimes green split peas. It’s often topped with a heavy drizzle of olive oil and spices, like cumin, paprika or cayenne.

Bissara was one of my favorite Moroccan dishes. I bought it from a street vendor for around 50 cents. It was deeply nourishing and satisfying.

My first bowl of bissara made by a street vendor in fez.

Soup for Breakfast
I love the idea of a belly-warming soup for breakfast, especially on cold mornings (which occur pretty much year-round in San Francisco!).

While not common in the U.S., many countries eat soup for breakfast, from miso soup in Japan and pho in Vietnam to mohinga in Myanmar.

Eating soup for breakfast is actually something I’ve been thinking about doing for a while. I’ve perused recipes, but nothing tempted my early morning taste buds—until now.

Super Simple, Super Healthy
What I love about bissara is that it’s super simple (and dirt cheap) to make—the recipes my Moroccan friends shared contained only three or four ingredients. Plus, it’s packed with protein, fat and fiber, which will keep you going all morning long.

Now that I’ve recovered from my jetlag, I’m going to cook up a big pot this weekend.

I’ve found a variety of bissara (or bessara) recipes online, some more elaborate than others. I’m planning to start with this one. It includes more seasoning than the basic recipes I learned in Morocco, however, I’m a fan of bold flavors.

Not only will bissara be a nourishing start to my day, it will also be a delicious reminder of my time spent in Morocco.