WolfDreamer

I have had and made pulled pork sweet potato pancakes. Just peel and boil the sweet potato until it is soft. Then mash and whip with eggs to make it like pancake batter. Cook the pork (unless it's already cooked). Butter a skillet (I use grass-fed Kerrygold butter or coconut oil), then place the pork on the skillet and pour the sweet potato batter over it. Cook until one side is browned to your liking, then flip. My favorite topping for these is Sriracha maple syrup. Absolutely delicious.

Try it. As @tave said, it enhances the flavor of the tea and gives it a little bite. I've also tried it with some coconut oil.

I seek it so that if it ever seeks me, I will be ready.

My cousin trained and competed locally in MMA, and he has offered to train me once a week (for now) on some basic striking, kicking, and blocking. I'm not interested in competing, but I would love to learn some basic self-defense sorts of moves and maybe increase my training to something more specific as I improve. He is qualified to train Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiujitsu, and boxing (which is probably where I will start). He said, "You don't need gloves right now since you won't be sparring with me...yet." Wish me luck.

No snow yet, but finally, we're getting some cold weather. Here's the update: *Today, temps around 30-35 F (1.1-1.6 C) with sleet and icy rain, but I took a 15 minute walk in shorts, shirtless and shoeless. *Still doing WHM breathing every morning for about 15 minutes. *Achieved my goal of $350 for Special Olympics and still accepting donations. *Still taking cold showers every morning. *The Polar Plunge is just over a week away. I'm ready. Thanks @Sylvaa for checking in.

You can do this. Don't let setbacks get you down. Just keep aiming for awesome and celebrate each victory. Let me know if I can support you in any way.

Thank you. This is really helpful.

Just keep being awesome. It sounds like you're making great strides towards becoming healthier. As for the in-laws, talk to your husband. They are his parents, but you are his wife. I don't want to incite conflict, but he should defend you when necessary in a way that is firm enough to say, "Hey, she's my wife," while also still respecting his parents. The first few years of my marriage were tough because my wife and mother are both strong-willed and strong-hearted women, so they often clashed. I kept my mouth shut too many times until my wife called me on it. Your spouse should be your best friend and the most important person in your life. But I'm not a marriage counselor, so... But I feel he should stick up for you when it's necessary. His life is with you now, not with his parents.

For those who do not know, I am training for the Polar Plunge. As one aspect of my training, I have been using the Wim Hof Method to acclimate to cold temperatures. In addition to cold exposure (cold showers, immersion in icy water, etc.) The WHM includes a unique style of breathing similar to the Tibetan Tummo "breath of fire" meditation. While I am not 100% convinced of some of the claims Wim has made about his methods (only because I don't have personal evidence), I will say the breathing has changed my mood and demeanor considerably. I feel so mellow after meditating with this style of breathing. The method is an intentional way to "cheat" the body into feeling stress by hyperventilating and then retaining breath. Wim likens it to the adrenaline and anxiety a person feels right before a bungee jump. For this reason, I combine my WHM breathing with a more "inactive" relaxed form of meditation. There is some counting required for the WHM and while the structure requires focus and mindfulness, it kind of keeps me from being able to "bliss out" and just relax as I breathe. So I follow my WHM breathing with something like a body scan or just sit and breathe and feel. Anything that requires little thought and just sitting and breathing. The method is not for everyone. It comes with disclaimers, the most common being don't do it in water because people have actually passed out while practicing the method. What do you think? Are any of you familiar with Wim Hof and his methods? What are your reactions to it?

Update: Well, the weather since my last update hasn't exactly been conducive to training for cold. Daytime temperatures have averaged 60-70 F. However, morning temps still creep around 30-40, so I am continuing my shirtless/shoeless morning stretches as well as my WHM breathing. Yesterday it was rainy and around 45 F, so I went for a splash in cold puddles, acting like a child in summer. I'm also continuing cold showers in the morning (been doing this since October, so no problem there).

Welcome! You'll love this crew. Let us know if we can support you in any way.

Great, of course. I feel lit up and ready for the day.

Thank you for linking me to this. I haven't heard it yet, but I know about Scott's book. In fact, Scott and I are Facebook friends, and I'm reading the book now. He will also be featured in a podcast run by another friends of mine, James Broderick. If you want to check it out, it's called Ancestral Health Radio.

Update: It snowed last week, about 3 inches. Temperatures were below 30 degrees F Friday. To test my training so far, I took a 15 minute walk outside in minimalist shoes (just slip-ons, similar to Vibram Five Fingers), basketball shorts, and no shirt. I could definitely feel the cold, but I wasn't "cold". This weekend, temperatures stayed in the teens and lowers 20s. While I didn't take another walk, I did spend about five minutes each morning outside shirtless and in shorts (tried shoeless, but that only lasted about two minutes, so I put my minimalist shoes on). Did not wear a jacket at all, even while I was out. Still taking cold showers, starting with warm water for the first ten seconds or so and changing over to cold for the rest of the shower (3-5 minutes). Doing WHM breathing every morning. It's an interesting experience that is difficult to explain, like no other form of meditation I have ever done before. I feel very mellow afterwards, and I can feel warmth and tingling through parts of my body. I'm already at $195 in donations, all going to the Special Olympics.

That's another one of my reasons. I want to be less whiny and more adaptable. :-)

On a physical level, it's just to be able to endure the cold, mostly. I think about "what if" scenarios, like what if I had to survive in the cold for a long period of time? There is also growing research that controlled cold exposure is actually good for you (think ice baths, cold showers, etc.). Plus, there are benefits to putting the body through stress and using the body to control that stress (which is what exercise is: taxing the body through workouts, then allowing time to rest and recover, then taxing it even more with more challenging workouts). On a spiritual level, cold exposure requires you to be mindful, especially if you're going to be exposed for a long period of time. There are conscious breathing practices that help with this. So the cold exposure and breathing techniques have trickled into my meditation practices.

I've finally set my goals for my first four-week challenge. 1. Spend at least 5 minutes outside shirtless and shoeless in temps below 30 degrees F (-1 C). 2. Cold shower every morning for four weeks. 3. Practice at least 15 minutes of Wim Hof Method breathing (similar to Tibetan Tummo meditation) every day. 4. Raise at least $350 for the Special Olympics (What does this have to do with winter? Well...) 5. Participate in the Polar Plunge for the Special Olympics. I'm not even kidding when I tell you the date for the Plunge: February 4th, the last day of the four-week challenge. What better way to end my challenge than a jump into icy water? As for my Level Up Your Life Quest, I chose to find and outdoor destination without step-by-step instructions. Preferably in the snow to help prepare for #5. Good luck to all other challengers.

That's so cool. I grew up in the St. Albans/Nitro area, and now I live in Poca.

Welcome to the rebellion. Sounds like you are ready to begin a fantastic journey. You're in good company.

Awesome! Where did you live?

Thank you. :-)

1) My biggest stressor during the holidays is usually how other people view the holidays. All the commercialism and consumerism just bugs me, especially when those who are actually struggling during the holidays are exploited or ignored. I tire of "Christmas is a time for giving," like the other 364 days of the year aren't? And even though I am a Christian, I tire of "Jesus is the reason for the season." If you're a truly devout Christian, then Jesus should be the reason for every season and you shouldn't be claiming that people are stealing "your" holiday. Why save only one day (which isn't even historically accurate) to celebrate the birth of Christ? Double-standards, entitlement, ego...it just mucks the whole thing up. 2) I plan to indulge, but within reason. I've started adding apple-cider vinegar and honey or maple syrup to green tea with coconut oil. ACV has a list of benefits, like it helps absorb nutrients from food, lowers blood sugar, and curbs cravings. So I'm hoping this new habit will help keep some of the extra pounds off and keep me from going too crazy with the cookies. 3) I plan to continue getting outside for walks and short hikes as often as possible. I'm also training the Wim Hof Method for cold adaptation, so on reasonable days I go out in the morning shirtless and shoeless (so far 18 F, -7 C was the coldest) to stretch and let the cold air wake me up. Afternoons I try to get some quick 100+ yard sprints (barefoot if possible). If I'm stuck indoors, then yoga/meditation every day and some bodyweight workouts (bonus points if I include my kids).

Have you tried skyr? I eat Siggi's, which is made from grass-fed cows. It has a slight aged-cheese taste (in a good way, I promise) and has ruined me for other yogurts. Mark Sisson says a bit about yogurt in this post: Is All Yogurt Created Equal? "For the rest of the yogurt-eating world, it’s a staple food eaten throughout the day. It’s a common condiment and a delicious dessert. It’s a cooking ingredient. It’s a dip, a sauce, a dressing. It’s even a drink. And yes, it’s also a breakfast food. Simply, yogurt is just kinda always around and available. Among those who eat it, yogurt is integral."

So I just tried something most of you might turn your nose up just thinking about it. I just put a spoonful of apple cider vinegar in my green tea. Before you think I'm the grossest person ever, hear me out. I actually like ACV. I eat it with my salads, especially power greens like spinach or kale. For a few days now, I've been drinking a glass of water mixed with 1 tbsp of ACV and just a bit of maple syrup to taste. But I read about making green tea with honey and a spoonful of ACV, and it's actually not bad. It gives the green tea a tart taste that may put off those who don't care for vinegar, but it's not enough to put me off. Plus, a search for "apple cider vinegar benefits" will yield many results that essentially say some of the same things: high acetic acid, low calories, kills bad bacteria while strengthening gut bacteria, reduces blood sugar, helps you feel full, lowers cholesterol, and has been linked to a lot of (less-researched) other health benefits like whiter teeth, a sore throat remedy, cancer-fighter, upset tummy soother, hiccup curer, indigestion easer, stuffy nose clearer, bad breath reliever, and even a bruise vanisher. I just know I think it tastes good, and most research does show that it has legit benefits. Just don't drink it straight.

I have the best job ever, actually. I teach for a university collaborative program. My students are in high school, but we are located on a university campus, and my students are also taking college courses. So while sometimes I feel like shaking some sense into them, no desire to strangle (yet). They're very bright students.