Lisa Johnson

Stressed American Escapes with British Lifestyle Programs

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Blissed-out not stressed-out

There’s no need to go into the details of what’s causing Americans stress. There are way too many. It’s impossible to keep up. This country is a horror show.

A Bloomberg article called Freaked-Out Americans Desperately Seek to Escape the News, says it all. Many of us are probably familiar with what is explained in the article.

“Just this morning I had a guy come in who is so distracted by the news that he can’t get his work done,” said Jonathan Alpert, a New York psychologist. “The levels of anxiety and stress I’m seeing are profound.” Those heightened stress levels are reflected in Americans’ chosen leisure activities.

This phenomenon explains my obsession with British gardening and interior design shows. Season 2 of The Handmaid’s Tale has to wait. I cannot bring myself to tune in.

When I tear myself away from rage tweeting, I’m tuning out the dystopian nightmare that is life under trump. I no longer capitalize that monster’s name.

Anyway, below are three wonderful shows that I’ve been watching on Netflix that will get you blissed-out instead of stressed-out.

Big Dreams, Small Spaces

Love Your Garden

The Great Interior Design Challenge

I’ve also been sprucing up my own indoor garden and hope that my new basil plant will keep growing. It’s quite nice picking a few leaves in the morning and adding them to a salad that I pack for lunch.

Blissed-out not stressed-out

After learning that wild strawberry plants can grow indoors, I’m hoping to add one of those as well.  Just looking at plants calms me down. Sort of like mini forest bathing.

Any good shows that you recommend? Please let me know and have a good weekend!

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Screenshot: Big Dreams, Small Spaces

Day 90 ~ #The100DayProject

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#the100dayproject

Three months! 90 days! The time has flown by!

When I first learned about #The100DayProject, April was just beginning. It was still cold and raw.

Now it’s July. This week is supposed to be humid and well over 90 degrees each day.

I had a few intentions going into the #100DayProject. To take a big leap and try something different. To heal from my father’s death in March. To pay tribute to him and follow in his footsteps. Toward the end of his life, he did some beautiful paintings and his creativity bloomed. To start the process of bringing more art into my life.

This online project has been wonderful and connected me to some local creative people that I’m looking forward to meeting in person. I’m so glad that I joined in!

Today’s watercolor illustration is a wedding cake inspired by a photo of a pressed flower cake by Lori Stern. It may be the most beautiful cake I have ever seen!

One of the things that I’ve learned from this project is that you never know when inspiration will strike or where it will come from. Many days I thought I would create one thing and it ended up completely different.

Starting the process and being open to an unexpected end result is a common theme with artists. Recently, one of my cousins had his first art exhibit at West Medford Open Studios. I walked around and spoke to a few of the other artists that were there as well. Two of them both mentioned how they really don’t know how a piece will end up. It’s usually a surprise to them. Some things are out of their control and as artists they have learned to accept it. A life lesson to be sure.

In my 20s, I would often read the end of the book first, because I always wanted to know how things ended up, so I would be prepared. Oh, dear Lisa — my younger self. So much of the time there is no preparing for the future, even if we know the end.

I found that when I did that, I was often still shocked by how the story unfolded and got to that end that I already knew. There are no shortcuts. Life is the unfolding. The journey. I will be 54 on my next birthday. I’ve learned a few things in those intervening 30 years. If I’m lucky enough to get 30 more, I cannot even imagine where the journey will take me.

{You Pick Six} An Interview with Cookbook Author: Tracey Medeiros

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Tracey Medeiros Author of The Vermont Non-GMO Cookbook

One of the things that I love most about certain books, movies and television shows is when I become immersed in a place. I’m suddenly lingering in a local coffee shop or enjoying the breeze as I ride a bike around the town square.

If you’re a fan of Scandal, at the beginning, the show conjured up their idea of Vermont. It was serenity, the forest and making jam. It was beautiful.

When I drove to Montreal several years ago, I remember driving through parts of Vermont that were so breathtaking I wanted to stop and stay there.

Now I haven’t read through each page of The Vermont Non-GMO Cookbook, but what I’ve read reminds me that I need to make visiting Vermont a priority. Not only is it a cookbook, but it’s a travel guide. The author, Tracey Medeiros, has done a fantastic job of weaving each recipe together with a profile of a local place.

Coincidentally, over the last several months I started buying Butternut Mountain Farm Maple Syrup. I was attracted to the 100% pure Vermont maple syrup label. I love supporting local business and consider the whole New England region as local. This syrup is my favorite right now and it was such a treat seeing Butternut Mountain Farm mentioned in the book! Plus, she paired it with a Maple Milkshake recipe. Yum! I cannot wait to try it!

Can you tell that I’m already a fan of this cookbook? But it’s not just me! The Vermont Non-GMO Cookbook is a finalist for a Readable Feast award in the Socially Conscious category as well as a candidate for their People’s Choice Award.

Since I was intrigued by the concept of this cookbook, I was interested to learn more about the author behind it. Let’s picture ourselves sitting in a cafe somewhere in Vermont with Tracey and resume this ongoing series with the 21st interview of You Pick Six.

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What is your favorite quote?
“Kind words can be short and easy to speak but their echoes are truly endless” – Mother Teresa

What inspires you?
I am inspired by the love and passion for my work and the joy it brings me. I am driven by the pleasure of food and the art of cooking – it feeds my creativity. The talented contributors I feature in my books are also a source of inspiration for me.

What is some of the best advice you’ve ever received?
Be humble, work hard, and always take pride in your work – thanks Mom!

What is a favorite simple recipe to prepare at home?
Roast chicken – it’s the ultimate comfort food. I love using the leftover chicken meat in soups, salads, enchiladas and pasta dishes. Nothing goes to waste, I use the chicken carcass and bones to make a homemade chicken stock.

The Vermont Non-GMO Cookbook

How did food become an important part of your life?
I have always loved everything that is food related, even as a child I liked to cook. My dream was to one day study the art of food and its preparation. To this end, I enrolled at Johnson and Wales University where, after graduation, I quickly became interested in the sustainability movement. My love of farmers’ markets and roadside food stands led to the birth of my first cookbook, Dishing Up Vermont. I am also the author of The Vermont Farm Table Cookbook and co-author of The Connecticut Farm Table Cookbook. The fall of 2017 saw the release of my fourth book, The Vermont Non-GMO Cookbook. Each of my books seem to pave the way for my next literary adventure.

Tell me about your book.
The Vermont Non-GMO Cookbook focuses on the non-GMO and organic elements of the food system throughout the entire state of Vermont. The book’s emphasis is on food transparency – “Know What is in Your Food,” simplifying the complexity of the movement with recipes that include ingredients which do not contain genetically modified organisms. All of the farm contributors are certified organic, its food producers are either certified organic, non-GMO, or both. Each of the chefs and restaurants in the cookbook feature organic and non-GMO on their menus. Accompanying each contributor’s recipe(s) is a profile which puts a face on these folks who work so hard to positively impact Vermont’s agricultural landscape.

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Thank you so much for participating Tracey!

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Photos: Provided by Tracey Medeiros.

Disclosure: Tracey provided me with a free copy of her cookbook The Vermont Non-GMO Cookbook. Thank you Tracey!

Free Yoga Boston Survey Results: 5 Things You Should Know

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The results are in! To see the write-up of the Free Yoga Boston Survey Results, take a look at the PDF document by clicking here.

The document guides you through each of the 10 questions that were asked and shows you the results. There are graphs displaying the numbers and illustrating trends. You’ll find dozens of comments shining a light on what’s important to people when taking a yoga class.

The survey was taken from June 2017 through October 2017. 75 people, mostly in the Greater Boston area, answered a survey and dove deeply into their likes, dislikes and feelings when it comes to yoga classes. Most, but not all, survey takers were women ages 25 – 34.

To give you a quick summary of the results, here are 5 key takeaways.

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1. Favorite Weekday Nights

For whatever reason, Monday and Wednesday evenings seem to be the weekday evenings of choice to attend yoga classes. Not surprisingly, weekend mornings were the best for most people.

2. Trends Aren’t So Trendy

Survey takers overwhelming preferred traditionally based yoga classes over the trendier classes. Based on the goat yoga craze, I thought that it might be more highly ranked. But not even close. Substance based yoga is another hot trend. But very few respondents were interested and one person was definitely not a fan. “Bummed to hear of substance- based yoga.”

Speaking of hot. Hot yoga was not a favorite. “Recently took a hot yoga class. I felt like I was going to pass out.”

3. Get The Music Right

Music was quite important to respondents enjoyment of a class. Bad music could be especially problematic. “[S]ome instructors have played very odd music (in my opinion) for a yoga class including those that mentioned “genocide”, “strippers”, etc. and was distracting[.]”

4. Instructors Should Be Hands On

While cost was a factor to some, what’s most important is the skill, kindness and enthusiasm of the instructor. “I love knowledgeable and enthusiastic teachers who create meaningful yoga flows that challenge attendees! I struggle with expensive classes that don’t challenge me physically.”

An instructor who can find the right balance of mindfulness, physicality, flow and intensity will hit the sweet spot for students. “Dislike – when it’s not a good flow and more like a boot camp class.”

5. Nobody Identified As Black

Respondents were asked to describe their race/ethnicity. 11 people did not respond to the question and nobody who answered identified as Black. This result was especially surprising and disappointing to me, as a Black person offering the survey. Did they just not respond to the survey? Did they take the survey and just not answer this question? I have more questions than answers.

I had hoped to show the inclusiveness of yoga here in Boston. Because there are Black people not just taking yoga classes in the Boston area, but also teaching it. From the POC (People of Color) Practice at Hive Soul Yoga, to Afro Flow Yoga®, to Linda Wellness Warrior, Mike Massey at 33 Degree Yoga and more.

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Overall, these takeaways give you a glimpse of the survey results. But they are just an appetizer before the meal. I hope that you’ll dig in and read the whole survey write-up. Again, you can find the PDF document by clicking here.

I’m very interested in what you think of the survey results! Let me know in the comments or send me an email!