Garlic, Honey, and Kombucha/NY and VT

finely chopped garlic and honey

• Garlic

One morning about about two weeks ago I woke up sniffly and was then getting very cold during the morning walk with Mowgli.  Thus I decided to have some garlic, minced with honey to make eating it easier.  I had some more the day afterward, and after consulting with an acupuncturist friend, I decided to continue for a third day.  Doing my best to keep the flu at bay this year.  It seems to be a very bad season.  Hopefully nobody has been offended by my new scent. 
At least one friend whom I mentioned this to said he loved garlic and did not mind at all.  Thank god!  He wound up sitting in the subway next to me.  

A week ago before we left for Vermont for two days of skiing, I had the sniffles again, so I had some more garlic and the sniffles were gone immediately.  This morning I woke up with sniffles, and I again decided to have some.  The weather has been so unpredictable and today the temperature was 18 degrees F, but at the moment it is 30 degrees.  So far so good, I need to keep my immune system strong and dress warm.   

snow in Central Park 

And indeed, I have been feeling quite healthy and strong these last few weeks.  Mat Yoga, Chair Yoga, ChiGong, Dien Cham, breathwork and trying to eat healthy have been the staples. 

During our two days in VT, I followed the same routine as last year.  First thing in the morning hiking on the snowy trail toward Mount Pico (about 30 minutes), then again before sunset (a little longer); in between skiing, a bit of yoga on the chair/mat and Chi Gong, about 30 minutes in the hot tub.  My eating was a bit off, and I wound up having French Onion Soup two days in a row for dinner at the pub of the inn.  I have always loved this soup.  Breakfast consisted of oatmeal with fruit and tea, I had no coffee at all (my bumpy ride trying to go off coffee deserves a post as well - one day soon).  Lunch at the lodge was either a veggie burger (sans the fluffy bun), a baked potato, and salad, etc. and a cookie on one day and again, lots of hot tea.  Then one evening I had very delicious Chinese veggie dumplings, steamed.  I love sampling veggie dumplings at Asian restaurants, they are always different, but most of the time very delicious.    

Mowgli was going crazy on the trail.  Between just standing and listening to the sounds of the quiet woods coming from different directions, he was running in the snow and chewing on sticks that were thrown for him.  The air on the trail, do I need to say more? 
The weather was milder than I have ever experienced it in Vermont in winter, however, it was snowing, raining, foggy, sometimes all at the same time.  The first day, my gloves were soaking wet, and the front of my coat was frozen.  Even my goggles had to be defrosted twice.  I personally do not remember having seen conditions like this.  We did see sunny patches at times on the mountains on the other side.  Those slopes that were open had amazing snow, and we did a few black diamond rides.  
I had no falls, but did not "actively work on my form very much" aside from observing my "arms and pole work" at times and making sure my chest was as open as could be on the mogul slopes (I wrote about this last year.)  In the gondola I had a discussion with R. about the tail bone in skiing.  He has been practicing t'ai chi as long as long I have been into yoga, and we happen to compare notes about our findings.  
He mentioned how he noticed that the recent advancements in his practice had immediate application to running and skiing.  Right on, that is one of the reasons why we practice, to keep learning about ourselves.  
One day, I think, I will do some major research about skiing and techniques, but I think it might have to wait until next year.   

The below is an excerpt, for the complete acupuncture today article click here: http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/herbcentral/garlic.php

"Garlic (da suan)

What is garlic? What is it used for? Garlic is one of the world's most well-known and widely used herbs. It has been used as a culinary spice for at least 5,000 years, and has been mentioned in both the Bible and the Talmud. Hippocrates, considered the father of modern medicine, was one of the first people to realize the medicinal properties of garlic and recommended it for many conditions, including parasites and poor digestion" The active ingredient in garlic is allicin, a sulfur-based compound that when crushed or chewed produces other compounds. Scientific studies suggest garlic supports the cardiovascular system by lowering cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood and reducing the stickiness of platelets. Test-tube studies show that garlic has antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties; human studies show that garlic reduces the risk of several cancers, particularly those of the esophagus, stomach and colon.

bottles of kombucha just filled and a new brew

• Kombucha: I was talking with two good friends about home made kombucha during our Christmas dinner.  A few weeks later, one of them brought me some scoby.  I had a taste of home made kombucha in the past and I thought it was delicious, but honestly I had no idea just how much I would love making it myself and how good it would be.  (Perhaps it is a substitute for gardening, which I love).  At first it seemed very complex, but I am on my third batch now and I love sequencing the details involved once I decide to bottle one batch and start a new one, which reminds me that I need to stock up on brown sugar.  R. has taken a few sips and seems to like it, but is still a little hesitant.    

1. Below are the instructions that my friends suggested using.  I have been using brown sugar, and mostly white tea.  I have added chia seeds to one bottle.  I love the way my kombucha has been tasting.  It is very mild, it reminds me a bit of ginger ale.  http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-kombucha-tea-at-home-17385
2. Kombucha on Wikipedia  
3. Kombucha risks and benefits

Here are some photos related to this post:

S N O W in New York City!

Snow Om in Central Park

skis have changed so much within the last 20 years; I used to have skis 20 cm longer than my height, now they are about the same; they are so much wider now especially in the front and I think the very outside and inside is curved up; we don't own skis any longer, renting is so much better.  I used to own  Blizzard.  I liked the Elan skis we rented.  We got a nice discount as usual.  

I loved this bench and used it for chair yoga at the VT inn we have been staying at; the height was just right and I would love to own one just like that.

Steamed Apples, both my acupuncturist and health coach friends approved! 

Some really tasty salad (Zen Palate) x 2; I can't resist it and its so reasonable.

Birgit Nagele, ARCB, LVCHT™
ARCB-nationally certified Reflexologist 
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