Nutrition on the Go!

Let’s face it: life is hectic.  Some might even call it crazy.

Between work, school, family, and every extracurricular activity in between, we are constantly on the go. Whether you are in the office, traveling for work, or simply making that daily commute, we have a tendency to forget about our next meal.  Before you know it, our hangry-side comes out and we make irrational eating choices to solve the problem.  Unfortunately, these poor meal choices take a toll on our body and often leave us bloated, groggy, and down right disappointed with ourselves.

You don’t have to live this way!  There are simple changes we can incorporate into our fast-paced lifestyle to ensure we are properly fueling our body for even the most chaotic schedule.

Eating For Energy

It was t-shirt weather, not the overwhelming kind, but just enough to enjoy sitting outside in the shade behind the Nashville Farmers’ Market. Our Team Green Adventures Nutrition Workshop group sat on picnic tables facing the park as Amber Robertson from Bliss Holistic delved into the Eating For Energy edition of our monthly series.

Stress can be inversely linked to energy. Why? Stress triggers your body to store up as much energy as possible. The problem is that most of us automatically go for the foods that give us the quickest boost of energy– a sugar spike. Those foods aren’t stable sources of energy; first you get a boost and then you crash hard when that spike wears off, leaving you feeling drained.

Delicious, Nutritious… Chocolate!

With Lightning 100’s A Chocolate Affair quickly approaching on Saturday, February 6th at Riverwood Mansion, and Valentine’s weekend shortly after… coupled with your resolutions to lose weight and eat healthier, this is no doubt a very difficult time in your life.

Rest assured, you can enjoy both and not feel guilty about it! We asked Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, Amber Robertson with BlissHolistic, to share with us a few nutrition facts about chocolate.

Here’s what she had to say:

Holiday Stress Busters

The holidays are notoriously the most stressful time of year. Let’s face it, the demand for adulting is high, when all we really want to do is revert to the innocence of childhood and just enjoy it.

The holidays don’t have to be quite so stressful, however. A little planning and a lot of self-care will do the trick, according Drs. Michael and Cassie Major of Major Family Chiropractic, who hosted Team Green’s Holiday Stress Management Workshop this past week. The theme of the workshop was “Overcoming Joy Stealers,” which is exactly what this week’s Adventure Blog summarizes.

Curb Your Sugar Cravings

CURB YOUR SUGAR CRAVINGS

Last week we hosted our most successful Wellness Workshop yet, which really wasn’t surprising since the topic was about SUGAR! We invited Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, Amber Roberston with BlissHolistic (who also teaches several of Team Green’s Nutrition Workshops the 3rd Wednesday of each month at the Nashville Farmers’ Market). Not only did she offer three great tips and a challenge to go along with each one, she also provided some gluten-free sweet-snack recipes without refined sugar. This week’s Adventure Blog recaps all of it!

The first, and most important, thing to understand about your sugar cravings is that often your mind is misinterpreting what your body is trying to tell you. When you experience a craving, before you choose to feed that craving, first step back and think about what your body might actually be saying.

Partner Blog Shout Out!

Over the last few weeks, we’ve been spending a lot of time gearing up for our first-ever Resolution Health & Recreation Fair. Coming up Sunday, January 25th from 11am-3pm, this event will showcase a ton of our local partners and the work they do around town to help Nashvillians lead healthy, active, and green lives. All this prep work has got us thinking about how great a resource many of these organizations really are, so this week, we’ve decided to showcase some of their great work by giving a shout out to their respective blogs and news pages. Here’s a quick list of some of our favorite partner blogs!

Walk/Bike Nashville

The official blog of Walk/Bike Nashville, Footnotes gives readers insight into all things pedestrian happening around Nashville. More than just a great source for news on events, legislation, and more, Footnotes highlights the stories of everyday Nashvillians who have made active transportation a centerpiece of their daily lives. This blog does a great job of showcasing the strength of the cycling community in Middle Tennessee, and is a pleasure to read for anyone who has an active investment in walking or cycling (a.k.a. everyone!).

Climb Nashville

In case you haven’t caught on yet, we’re huge fans of everything Climb Nashville-related, and their blog is no different. The Climb Blog is your one-stop shop for staying up to date on all the happenings at Climb Nashville. With stories on everything from their involvement with local schools to current membership specials, and climbing competition results to squeezing more yoga time in at work, there’s something on their blog for everyone interested in living an active lifestyle!

Bliss Holistic

Offering great content on a range of wellness topics, Bliss Holistic’s blog is a fantastic resource for anyone looking to get healthy in the new year. Focusing on diet and nutrition, this blog decodes a lot of common questions people have on how they should be eating, making complex nutrition topics simple. The Bliss Holistic blog also contains tons of great recipes for you to try at home and includes so many delicious-looking pictures that there’s no way you won’t get hooked on reading it!

Hands On Nashville

Show of Hands, Hands On Nashville’s official blog, is a great resource for anyone interested in volunteering more in 2015. Featuring lots of engaging content on their current service projects, their blog is one of the best ways to stay up to date on the work they’re doing in the community. They also take time to highlight special events going on around town that you can take part in to help support their mission, giving you opportunities to lend a hand (pun intended) even if you can’t make it to one of their many service projects every week.

Cumberland Transit

If you’re in search of some inspiration to get outdoors this year, then the Cumberland Transit blog is for you! Though this gear outfitter is based locally right here in Nashville, it’s staff are most certainly not afraid to get out and do a little traveling outside of Middle Tennessee. With a plethora of adventure stories and pictures, Cumberland Transit’s blog takes its readers on a journey through some of the most beautiful natural areas in the country. The blog also features tons of great stories about outdoors happenings around Nashville as well, providing readers with a great mix of local and global content.

Urban Green Lab

Can’t make it to all of Urban Green Lab’s events in-person? Their news page is a great way to learn about the work they do, as they often take time to recap many of their best events around town (including some of our Engage Green workshops). They also highlight a lot of their ongoing work and showcase many of their community partnerships and collaborations, giving you a well-rounded picture of the work of one of Nashville’s most innovative and dynamic sustainability non-profits. Definitely a must-read for even the most casual of environmentalists!

Nashville Paddle Company

If you love getting on the water, then you’ll want to take a minute to check out Nashville Paddle Company’s blog. With content about all things stand up paddle boarding, their blog is a great way to stay up-to-date on the paddle season schedule, to keep in the loop on SUP events taking place around Nashville, and to see recaps on hilarious happenings like the annual Santa Paddle!

Go Green Home Services

If you’re not familiar with them, Go Green Home Services is a joint venture of Hands On Nashville and Village Real Estate designed to retrofit homes to make them more energy efficient while providing the added benefit of providing financial support for HON’s Home Energy Savings Program. Their news page is a great way to learn about the work they do and to pick up some tips and tricks to make your home more efficient, safe, and comfortable – practical information for homeowners and renters alike!

Love what our partners are doing and want to get involved? You can meet all of these great organizations (plus many more) at our Resolution Fair next weekend! Featuring dozens of local vendors, interactive workshops, great food and drink, tons of giveaways, and more, this event is sure to be a blast. See you all out there!

– Matt (Team Green’s Event Coordinator)

We’ve Got Workshops!

As we noted in last week’s blog, making New Year’s resolutions can be both an empowering and daunting experience. We’ve all got a lot of goals for 2015, whether it’s to improve our fitness, focus on our health, or to be a little greener or more adventurous. Here at Team Green, we want to give you as many resources as possible to help make these goals a reality all year! For that reason, we’re ramping up our regular, monthly workshop offerings to start 2015. Here’s a little sneak peek at what workshops we’ve got coming up and how they can help you achieve your goals all year long:

Sustainability

Want to be a little greener in 2015? We’ve got you covered! Our Engage Green workshop series, in partnership with Urban Green Lab, is designed to give you monthly opportunities to get down and dirty with all things sustainability-related. These workshops are often hands on and will expose you to a range of topics, from gardening to green building, hopefully sending you home with some tips to make your own life a little more sustainable. Topics and locations change monthly, so be sure to check our calendar regularly to stay up to date on what we’re offering. Upcoming topics include a behind-the-scenes look at Metro Water Services’ treatment facility in February and a rain barrel workshop with the Cumberland River Compact in March.
(First Wednesday of each month at 6pm)

Our August 2014 workshop on what makes home brewing sustainable!

Fitness

Looking to work off that extra holiday weight and stay in shape all year? Try our fitness workshop series, in partnership with Metro Parks’ Centennial Sportsplex! You’re guaranteed to work up a good sweat during these classes, where a certified fitness instructor will guide us through an hour-long bootcamp-style workout routine. Each month features a different bootcamp theme, but each workout will be similar in that they all involve a series of fast-paced, high-intensity intervals that work different muscle groups and get your heart rate up. Like our sustainability series, you’ll walk away from these classes with tangible workout ideas that you can do at home or on your own, helping you get fit when it’s most convenient for you! Upcoming classes include a full-body “jungle gym” workout in February and a “booty camp” hamstring- and glute-focused workout in March.
(Second Sunday of each month at 3pm)

Our January 2015 “Get Strapped” Boot Camp workout!

Health and Wellness

Our wellness workshop series, in partnership with the American Cancer Society, is designed to answer any and all questions you might have on a range of health topics. We’ll bring in wellness experts from around Nashville, connecting you with the professionals who know how to best help you get healthy and tackle any issues you might be having. Our first workshop in this series is coming up later this month, where we’ll learn about the benefits of massage therapy (be ready for hands-on demos!). Other upcoming topics include Understanding Cancer in February and Indoor Air Quality in April.
(Fourth Thursday of each month at 6pm)

In addition to the series mentioned above, we’re also working on putting together a food and nutrition workshop series with the Nashville Farmers’ Market, as well as occasional outdoor gear workshops with Cumberland Transit. Keep your eyes on our calendar in the coming weeks and months as we continue to post more workshops and topics! Have topic suggestions of your own? Feel free to leave a comment below to let us know the kinds of things you want to see us cover! We love extra input, and are here to help you achieve YOUR goals.

See you there!

– Matt (Team Green’s Events Coordinator)

Start a Home Garden, You Won’t Regret It!

We love the flavors at the farmer’s market, and we hate the price of organic produce at the grocery store. The only way to make delicious, fresh and organic produce and save money is to start your own garden!

Team Green Adventures works with different sustainable organizations around Nashville to teach the community how to garden and grow produce. We also use our gardening skills to help those who don’t have access to fresh and healthy food. Hands on Nashville’s Urban Farm and Urban Green Lab are two organizations Team Green partners with to promote gardening and healthy living.

You’ll Save Money

Believe it or not, growing your own garden is cheaper than going to the grocery store. Packets of seeds usually cost less than a dollar. You can preserve the produce you grow through the winter by drying, freezing, or canning fruits and vegetables. You will also be less likely to throw out food because of the effort it took to prepare everything. You will have access to numerous nutritious plants with extras to share with your friends!

Your Body Will Thank You

Envision being able to walk out to your backyard to find an array of healthy fruits and vegetables. A garden will allow you to have easy access to healthy food with higher nutritional value. Vitamin content is strongest right after being picked. The taste of homegrown produce is guaranteed to be better than old fruits and vegetables that have been traveling for a while before they make it to the grocery aisle. Your homegrown food is also less likely to be contaminated. Jocelyn Jones, owner of Generous Earth Gardens, said, “One of the best parts of having your own vegetable garden is that you are taking responsibility for what is nourishing your body and soul.”

Help Reduce Contamination & Pollution

Air and water are polluted with pesticides and herbicides. Your garden would play a part in reducing the use of these chemicals while also avoiding unnecessary transportation to deliver produce from far-away places. The EPA estimates pesticides contaminate the groundwater in 38 states, polluting the main source of drinking water. The average child receives four times more exposure than an adult to at least eight commonly used cancerous pesticides in food. As Lester Brown, Founder and President of Earth Policy Institute, says, “We have not inherited the Earth from our fathers, we are borrowing it from our children.” Raising a family to practice gardening is a great way to reshape the next generation.

Burn Calories & Relax

The raking, weeding, cultivating, and trimming required in the garden burn up a lot of calories. While gardening is a physical activity, it is also relaxing. In the garden you can de-stress, center your mind, and get fresh air and sunshine. You’ll look forward to working in the garden because you know that all of the hard work will pay off in the end when you make a delicious meal full of fresh and tasty vegetables.

Try Container Gardening!

Container gardening is perfect for beginning gardeners. You can easily avoid pests by keeping plants separated, and the buckets will keep animals from trampling over your garden or eating the produce. The containers are mobile if you move locations or need to move the plants indoors for a cooler setting. Container gardens can be placed on a porch, windowsill, boat, or even in a truck bed! Check out some photos from our recent small-scale gardening workshop with Urban Green Lab, Second Harvest, and Gardens of Babylon where we learned how to make our own self-watering container gardens!

There are many varieties of self-watering container gardens, but this is just one basic example to get you started!

10 Great Container Garden Vegetables:

1. Tomatoes
2. Peas
3. Potatoes
4. Squash
5. Lettuce/salad greens
6. Peppers
7. Cucumbers
8. Radishes
9. Arugula
10. Eggplant

Look for our Engage Green and Urban Farm Workshop events on our calendar to learn more about gardening and sustainability. We’ll be working with Hands On Nashville’s Urban Farm on May 10^th, and we’ll be hosting a workshop on community-supported agriculture with Urban Green Lab and Second Harvest on July 2^nd, so we hope to see you there!

– Kate (Team Green 2014 Summer Intern)