November 2019
Welcome
Welcome to our second Bright Fit Newsletter. We hope you enjoyed our first letter and maybe tried a new recipe! 

Thank goodness fall is finally here. What a beautiful time of year this is and a great opportunity for us to spend more time outdoors. Have you and your littles spent time outside admiring the leaves changing? If not, we encourage you to step outside and enjoy the beautiful landscape Mother Nature is painting for us. While you’re doing that, take a moment to pause, and listen. Hear the sounds around you and try to be fully present in that moment. It’s easy for us to get caught up in our to-do lists and homework. We often forget to enjoy what’s right in front of us. That is why we are dedicating this newsletter to mindfulness. 

The benefits of mindfulness are not just anecdotal. A growing body of scientific research shows its positive effects on mental health and well-being. Practicing mindfulness has been shown to improve attention and reduce stress as well as increase one's ability to regulate emotions and feel compassion and empathy. Mindfulness also is widely considered an effective psychotherapy treatment for adults, children, and adolescents with aggression and ADHD or mental health problems like anxiety.

Keep reading for some more information and tips on how to be more mindful this month! 

If you have a favorite recipe or suggestion for a great hiking trail or tip for fun and easy ways to stay active, send it to Sara Mingus at [email protected] and we will add it to our new resource page on the website.

Be Bright Fit!
Amanda Carmichael and Sara Mingus, Bright Fit Chairs
Coaches Ashley Linehart and Jeff McDaniel
Wellness Committee
Recipe of the Month
Being a mindful cook may include looking for ways to sneak in more veggies in your diet. A great recipe that does just that and is a hit with all the kids are Green Monster Muffins. These muffins are gluten free, nut free and can even be made vegan! Feel free to add in anything else you’d like. We like to add blueberries and maybe even a few chocolate chips on top! These muffins make a quick and healthy breakfast on the go.
Green Monster Muffins

1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup coconut sugar or your favorite granulated sugar
1/2 cup almond milk
2 cups packed spinach leaves
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 extra-ripe large bananas
2 eggs**
1 tsp vanilla
**for vegan version substitute 2 eggs with 2 tbsp ground chia seeds and 5 tbsp water.

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease or line a muffin tin.
  • Put 2 cups of old-fashioned oats in your blender and blend until the oats achieve the texture of flour. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl.
  • Add the rest of the dry ingredients to the oat flour (ground flaxseed, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and sugar). Set aside.
  • Blend together until completely smooth and homogeneous.
  • Add bananas and coconut oil and blend until smooth.
  • Add vanilla and eggs and blend until just combined.
  • Pour wet ingredients to dry mixture and stir to combine (making sure there are no lumps)!
  • Fill each well in your muffin tin with 1/4 cup of batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean and the top springs back when touched.

Nutrition
Serving: 1 muffin | Calories: 124.7kcal | Carbohydrates: 16.9g | Protein: 2.7g | Fat: 5.6g | Cholesterol: 23.3mg | Potassium: 87.7mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 415IU | Vitamin C: 3.3mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 0.8mg
Activity of the Month
A great place to hike, bike, and canoe while enjoying the fall foliage is the Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center. It’s a great family-friendly place that’s free and easy to access. They also have an animal sanctuary where you can see wildlife that they have rescued and are caring for. It’s conveniently located, easy to find your way around, and not too large or overwhelming so perfect for all ages and abilities. For more information visit https://reflectionriding.org/www.
Tip of the Month
Beginning last month, kindergartners now spend a part of their outside Fridays focusing on mindfulness. It’s been great to see these energetic little bodies engage in conversation about being aware and sit in stillness and feel its calming effects. Being mindful is something everyone can do. It’s simply about taking the time to be aware of yourself and things around you that you may take for granted. How many times do we actually get to take the time to just be - without thinking about the laundry piling up, that report you have to get out, where the kids need to be, or what you’re going to cook for dinner. It's OK to take a few minutes each day and not do a thing. It’s not only helping you, it’s helping those around you. Did you know that children reflect the nervous systems of the adults around them? To create a mindful environment, first you must focus on yourself. 

Here are three ways to create more mindfulness:
  1. Take a moment to notice your energy, what are you putting out into the universe? Is it positive or negative? What you feed will grow. How can you put more positive energy out, so that your children will mimic it.
  2. What does your body language say? How do you hold yourself physically? Are you rigid and stiff or relaxed and at ease? Find ways to allow your body language to look the way you want to feel. Sometimes we have to fake it until we make it.
  3. Breathe. Try and slow down your breathing and take deep full belly breaths. When we focus on our breath we flip the switch from “fight and flight” to “rest and heal”. Slowing down and focusing on the breath will slow the heart rate, decrease blood pressure, and reduce stress.