Wobbles, Winter, & Warmth

Mindful Movement

Balancing Act by Colin Harris

Vestibular Retraining Exercises

Dr. Boster gave the definition of balance issues that I’ve ever heard explaining that vertigo is the hallucination that the room is spinning. Your feet are on the ground, nothing is swaying or moving, but you feel like it is. Balance issues have plagued me since being diagnosed with MS in 2021 and I’m taking some steps to get my balance back.

I’ve been following PT Beth Wagner on Youtube, she has a 3-level vestibular rehab program. The vestibular system connects the brain, the eyes, and the inner ear to create a sense of balance, and mine is out of whack. I “graduated” from the neuro physiotherapy my neurologist referred me for because I “didn’t get worse” and heartbreakingly I don’t want to just not get worse, I want to get better. So I’ve booked an appointment with a private neuro-physio for Wednesday. I dream of walking without aids, not needing to furniture surf in my own home and making new neural pathways so I don’t feel like I live aboard a boat. (Although sea shanties will always have a special place in my heart.)

Art + Culture

Winter Camp

Now that we’ve bid adieu to daylight savings time and the evenings are coming fast and furious I can’t help but start thinking about how I’ll survive this winter. I bought myself a sunlamp and was delighted when my friend and fellow writer Brianne Alcala said she’s running her fabulous virtual Winter Camp again this year (starting Nov. 10.) I was a camper last year and really enjoyed the journal prompts, creative conversations, and challenges to eat well and get outside (despite the weather.)

I’m so excited to join again this year. Brianne also has a new offering, a Winter Arts Camp that’s launching in the new year with studio time to create (I want to get back into my painting sketchbook), daily prompts, and a weekly creative exercise. It feels like a nourishing alternative to setting New Year’s resolutions (which not everyone’s a fan of – are you?)

Oil-free Vegan Cooking

Apple Muffins

I have always been more of a baker than an avantgarde chef. I like having a recipe and following it precisely. The chemistry of baking is as exact of a science as you can get in the kitchen, and who doesn’t love the smell of fresh baked bread or muffins coming from the oven? However when I switched my diet to oil-free and plant based , I thought my cake-baking days were behind me. The vegan desserts I had encountered to date had been lackluster and crumbly. It turns out nearly any baking recipe can be transformed into an oil-free whole food plant based version. If the recipe calls for a small amount of oil (a few tablespoons or less) you can swap for an equivalent amount of plant-based yogurt or applesauce. In other recipes you can swap out oil for different types of fruit juices and purees, or avocado. If you do decide to bake with oil, extra virgin olive is best and is safe in the oven until its smoke point 180C/350F when it will start to break down. 

Ingredients 

2 C Flour 

2 tsp Baking powder 

1/2 tsp baking soda/bicarbonate of soda  

1/2 C ground almonds (optional) 

1 tsp Cinnamon 

1/4 tsp Cloves 

1 tsp Nutmeg

1/2 tsp Cardamom 

1/2 C Brown sugar (this is one of the few recipes in this book that calls for sugar – substitute with 6 TBSP maple syrup or 1/3 C agave if you like) 

1/3 C Apple sauce 

1 C plant-based yogurt (we use soy) 

2 TBSP lemon juice

4 medium apples cored and diced - granny smith, golden delicious and honeycrisp are all good choices (I leave the skin of but you can remove it if you prefer)

Method 

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Mix dry ingredients thoroughly in a mixing bowl (flour, baking soda/bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, almonds, spices, and sugar). Mix in the yogurt, apple sauce and lemon juice until incorporated. Fold in the apples then evenly distribute the batter in a lined muffin tin. Bake for 20-25 min or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Makes 12. Let me know if you try it!

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