Author: Abbie W

Behind the scenes of my sleep struggles…

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My sleep struggles are not new. I once asked my mom why there were so many pictures of me sleeping in my childhood photo album and her response was because you rarely napped so I took pictures of you sleeping to remind myself you really did sleep. One of my favorite pictures of young Abbie is me sitting on the couch with a book in my lap and my neck at such an odd angle it looks like it could be broken.

Not surprisingly, I still fall asleep reading almost every.single.night.

Then I have to wake up and go to bed…and then try to fall back to sleep.

Then I’ll have a vivid dream and be wide awake wondering what it means….and then try to fall back to sleep.

Next up is stressing about how much more time until the alarm goes off…

If any of this sounds like you, you are not alone! I’ve spent months figuring out what works to help me sleep soundly, and most importantly to be able to get back to sleep. There have been trials and errors. I wish I could tell you the one super secret trick to always being well rested. Sadly there is no one magic cure all.

You are in good company if you can’t fall asleep, or stay asleep. I’ve read many articles looking for the one perfect solution with no luck. The Sleep Foundation has tons of good resources. Reading about the importance of sleep, with exercise and diet for our health made me set on finding a drug free solution.

The basics matter! And you can adapt the basics to you!

  • Don’t eat two hours before bedtime….but experiment with what timing really works for you
  • Limit electronics use to avoid the dreaded “blue light”…personally I prefer to read on my iPad rather than read a paper book with a bright overhead light or lamp on
  • Establish a bedtime routine – journaling, prepping for the next day, meditating, etc
  • Get regular exercise – if I miss too many days of exercise my legs are restless, I can’t fall asleep and I’m crankier than normal
  • Practice meditation and yoga – even if you think it isn’t for you!

I’m finalizing my Yoga for Better Sleep program. In the meantime you can grab my free intro guide, with questions about your current sleep and a bedtime routine checklist.

What is your yoga goal?

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Everyone’s objective for yoga is different, and it doesn’t have to be a massive goal. Even better? It can change every time you do yoga. It seems like the social media version of yoga is all about the headstand and crazy, contortionist-like poses. That’s fine for those types of poses to be a goal, but that isn’t what yoga is really about and there is so much more to yoga than trying to achieve a specific shape or push the limits of your flexibility.

Increased flexibility can be a great yoga goal, especially if you struggle to touch your toes or always feel like your body is tight. You can increase flexibility and make great progress in that area and never want to do a headstand.

Improved stability and mobility also help us age better and can be accomplished through an intentional yoga practice. Asymmetric poses can improve balance, and often with our one legged stability focused poses we can find where we are unbalanced. We often don’t even realize one side of our body is stronger or more balanced until we get to yoga class.

It may make me odd as a yoga teacher, but my goal has never been some pinnacle pose that I want to define my practice. My yoga goals:

  • consistency in my yoga practice
  • maintaining flexibility
  • using yoga as a relaxation tool
  • decrease stress so I can sleep better
  • meditate multiple times a week, even if only 2 minutes at a time

My yoga goals for my practice are also different from my yoga goals as a yoga teacher and how I want to teach classes. I love it when a yoga student asks to work on something specific. With that said:

What is your yoga goal? How have your goals changed? How do you see them changing in the future?

woman walking on fence
Photo by Sebastian Arie Voortman on Pexels.com

Instant Pot Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes

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Meatloaf
2 lb ground beef
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 egs
1/2 cup diced onion
2 t garlic powder
1 tsp salt and pepper
Mashed Potatoes
2 lbs potatoes, washed and quartered
1 cup chicken broth (can also use water)
1 cup half and half
4 T butter
1 t garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

  1. Layer potatoes on bottom of pot and add chicken broth
  2. Place rack for Instant Pot on top of potatoes
  3. Combine meatloaf ingredients in a bowl and shape into a loaf.
  4. Wrap meatloaf tightly in foil and place on the rack
  5. Set to manual mode for 25 minutes
  6. Quick release
  7. Remove meatloaf and rack (if you typically apply a topping to meatloaf can do that now and broil for 3 minutes in oven)
  8. Add remaining mashed potato ingredients and stir in while mashing the potatoes
  9. Slice meatloaf and serve with mashed potatoes

Chicken Curry with Rice

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1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Ground cumin
Hot paprika
Use enough of the two spices to cover the chicken
1 cup white rice
1.5 cups water

OR
The cheater version: Jar of Patak’s Tikka Masala or Korma sauce (Safeway version is also pretty good)

1. Throw it all in the pot
2. Set to manual for 12 minutes
3. Quick release
4. Serve with fresh tomatoes on top

Chicken Shawarma

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1 lb chicken
1.5 t garlic powder
1 T all spice
1/2 t hot pepper
1 T cinnamon
2 t garlic salt
1 cup plain greek yogurt (I don’t stir this in until the last minute as I’m shredding the chicken)
Serve with rice or couscous
Top with diced onion, cucumber, tomatoes

1. Add chicken and seasonings to pot
2. Set to manual and 7 minutes
3. Quick release
4. Add yogurt and shred chicken
5. If making rice in the pot with the chicken, use 1 cup white rice, 1.5 cups water and adjust cooking time to 12 minutes

Mongolian Chicken

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1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 T olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 T fresh ginger, minced
3/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup chicken broth (or water)
1 t red pepper flakes
1 cup white rice
1 cup water
Toppings (if desired) sesame seeds and diced green onion

1. Add all ingredients to pot
2. Set to manual for 12 minutes
3. Quick release
4. Shred chicken and serve – could also dice chicken before cooking as well

Ramen Soup with Chicken

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3 cloves of garlic
8 ounces fresh mushrooms
8 cups of water
2 T soy sauce
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/2 an onion, diced
8 ounces ramen or udon noodles
Hard boiled eggs (1 per person)

1. Add all ingredients EXCEPT noodles to pot
2. Set to manual for 20 minutes
3. Quick release
4. Shred chicken
5. Turn to Saute, so broth boils
6. Add noodles and allow them to cook (less than 5 minutes)
7. Serve with Hard boiled egg, Sriracha or other seasonings

Instant Pot Lasagna – Hamburger Helper Style

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1 lb box of pasta
8 ounces ricotta cheese
8 ounces mozzarella cheese
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground sausage (or use 1 lb of same meat, and I’ve made with ground turkey)
32 ounces pasta sauce
32 ounces of water
Pasta seasonings if desired

  1. Set pot to saute and brown the meat, including seasonings if desired
  2. Add pasta, sauce and water
  3. Set to manual for 5 minutes
  4. Quick release
  5. Stir in cheeses
  6. Optional – (I don’t do this, but the recipe I originally used suggested placing in a baking pan and reserve half of the mozzarella to place on top and broil

Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash

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1. Cut squash in half across the fattest part of the squash and remove seeds
2. Season with garlic salt and pepper
3. Place in pot with 1 – 2 cups of water
4. Seal and set pot to manual for 10 minutes
5. Quick release
6. Remove squash with pot holders and scrape out the spaghettis
7. Serve with pasta sauce and ground turkey

Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

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1 lb elbow macaroni
4 T butter
4 cups water
2 t ground mustard
2 t salt
1/2 t black pepper
1 cup evaporated milk (I’ve also used coconut milk)
8 oz white cheddar cheese
8 oz monterey jack cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1. Add pasta, butter, water and seasonings to pot
2. Set to manual for 4 minutes
3. Quick release when complete
4. Add milk and cheeses and stir until melted and creamy