Stabilisers, Studies, & Smash

Mindful Movement

Mission Cycles specializes in accesable cycling

Adult Training Wheels

I made a purchase last night that I’ve been procrastinating on. I thought they looked stupid. My ego was getting in the way of a passion I’ve been dreaming about trying to get back into for months. My partner and I went to Bikability months ago to try out adaptive bikes. I fell in love with the recumbent trike but the I looked into acquiring one and the price tag plus the lack of garage to keep it in has kept me from pursuing one further.

We’ve talked about getting a tandem bike, or a less expensive upright trike. I really love cycling and I haven’t been able to do it (aside from on a stationary bike) in more than two years. We live between a river and a canal path, both have smooth, flat bike paths that would be perfect for me if I could get back on the road.

Cue adult training wheels, or as the Brits call them, stabilisers. I’ll admit I was put off at first. How would I look? What would people think? They might look dorky and hopefully people think, “cool, she’s making it work and getting out on her bike.” They should be here next week and I can’t wait to take them out for a spin.

Art + Culture

UAB Arts in Medicine

I’m part of a study being conducted by the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Arts in Medicine program. Funded by the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, the study to understand how well engagement in expressive emotional writing (i.e., storytelling) promotes emotional well-being in adults living with multiple sclerosis.

While much of the Arts in Medicine work is done in person with hospital patients, this study is remote. I get to meet with a teaching artists one on one each week for 10 weeks. She gives me a prompt that relates (directly or indirectly) to living with MS. I write for 12 minutes, read what I wrote, then write a reflection on my writing. I get to share my writing if I want (so far I’ve wanted to,) and then we go our separate ways. The brilliance is in the simplicity of it all. Being able to reflect and then to be witnessed as I share my reflection has been very powerful for me.

According to the Arts in Medicine website: Integrating the arts into the health care environment has been shown to benefit patients and caregivers in the following ways:

Reduced stress levels

Reduction in perceived pain

Improved mood

Distraction from medical problems

Increased self-expression

Increased self-confidence

I’m not sure what, if anything, I’ll do with the writing I produce as part of the study but I’m finding the process very therapeutic.

Get in touch if you’d like the details to sign up to take part.

Oil-free Plant-Based Cooking

Homemade bread for toast + avo smash

I got into the sourdough craze for a while during the pandemic cranking out sourdough bread, muffins, cookies, biscuits and everything in between. While it was fun (and delicious) for a while, the need to feed the starter and not wanting to waste the discard lead to a pressure to cook (and eat) lots of carbs each week. While complex carbohydrates are healthy and a key part of a whole foods plant based diet, it’s best to get from a variety of sources (beans, peas, vegetables) than from bread products alone. That being said, there’s nothing wrong with craving a thick slice of homemade bread fresh from the oven. 

Ingredients 

500g (about 4 cups)  Bread Flour (whole wheat is more nutritionally dense than white)  

1 TBSP (or 1 packet) Rapid Yeast (alternatively dissolve dry yeast in lukewarm water according to package) 

1 tsp sugar

2 tsp salt 

~1.5 cups Water 

Method

This is one of the few recipes in this newsletter that isn’t gluten free, let me know if you have a good, easy GF bread recipe!

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and stir with a spoon or stand mixer with a flat beater attachment until it comes together in a shaggy dough (adding a bit of water if it feels too dry). Once the dough is mixed, dust your worktop with flour and knead for 6-8 minutes until the dough is smooth and bouncy. Pull the dough toward you and fold in half then press away with the heels of your hand. Rotate the dough a quarter turn and repeat. Alternatively, use the dough hook on your stand mixer and mix for 6-8 minutes until bouncy and smooth. Let the dough rise 1-2 hours in bowl with a lid or covered in cling film. You can grease the bowl with a tiny amount of extra virgin olive oil if it seems like the dough will stick. Once it’s risen, deflate the dough and separate into two halves. Knead again 1-2 minutes to form a loaf shape using the heels of your hands by pressing the dough into a flat oval and folding the short sides of the dough into the center. Place the loaf seam side down on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Cover the loaves and let them rise for another hour. Score the loaves either down the center or 3-4 times diagonally across. Bake at 230C for 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely before cutting into it to avoid a gummy, sticky texture. Toast and top with guacamole or avocado slices.

Links

Do you live with a chronic condition?

🧘Join me for FREE Virtual Seated Yoga 
Wednesday at 10am-11am UK / 6am-7am ET
Join Zoom Meeting

🕉️ Join me for FREE Virtual Seated Breathwork and Meditation 
Tuesday/Thursday at 12:30-1pm UK / 8:30am-9am ET
Join Zoom Meeting

Are you a writer who lives with MS?

✍️Join me for MS-UK’s FREE Creative writing Peer Pod
1:30-3pm UK/ 9:30-11am ET Wednesday Nov. 1

Are you a writer in general?

🖊️Join me for FREE daily writing sprints with the London Writers’ Salon
Weekdays at 8am UK/ 8am ET/ 8am PT/ 8am AUS and Saturdays at 9am UK