Nutrition Tip – Healthy Meals for One

If you are a singleton cook, you’ve probably experienced the boredom of sandwich, ramen, canned soup, or nuked frozen burrito meals. Perhaps your menu rotation needs a refresh to make it more nutritious (and less expensive) than fast food or take-out.

Here are some good-tasting and healthy suggestions for future meals when cooking for one.

• https://recipes.heart.org/en/collections/courses/one-dish-meal
• https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/healthy-meals-one-recipes
• https://www.everydayhealth.com/columns/everyday-dietitian/simple-meal-recipes-for-non-cooks/ 
• https://www.eatingwell.com/gallery/12892/healthy-recipes-for-one-serving/

 In case grocery shopping for one seems like a challenge, here are some suggestions for that task as well: 

• https://food52.com/story/24948-how-to-grocery-shop-for-one
• https://www.allrecipes.com/article/cooking-buying-food-for-one/
• https://outofmilk.com/ideas/single-guys/
• https://aweekendcook.com/how-to-grocery-shop-for-one-person-avoid-food-waste/

Here’s wishing you a happier, healthier time in your one-person kitchen. 

Tech Tip – You can now change your Gmail name!

Gmail recently turned 22 years old. Like many no-longer-teens, Gmail has now realized how immature some of us who’ve used it for a while were when we set up our email accounts that long ago.

Silly email names that were cute and fun back then now look unprofessional and can sometimes be downright embarrassing.

It’s time to fix that. US users can now change their Google account and email name, the part in front of @gmail.com.

The good news is that your old emails will remain accessible, users can still send to your previous name, and you will be able to login under either old or new name. The even better news is that you can make your resumé look a lot more adult.

Note that you can only change your Google account name once every 12 months. But hey, it’s past time to ditch FluffyTeddyBear@gmail.com and switch up to TedJones@gmail.com.

Here are the instructions: https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/workspace/google-account-username-change/

Warning to Chromebook users: you will need to back up your local files, then relog after initiating the name change. You will also need to delete machines connected via Chrome Remote Desktop and add them back under your new address.

Make this name change now, if you need to. Looking at you, 44-year-old SexiBarbiBabi.

The ABA is Not the Same as the ADA

Most people with disabilities in the US are familiar with the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act). The ADA is a civil rights law. It ensures that people with disabilities are not discriminated against in accessing schools, jobs, transportation, and facilities that are open to the public. These protected rights are similar to those provided to persons on the basis of their age, gender, national origin, race, or religion.

But few have heard of the ABA (Architectural Barriers Act).

The ABA is another civil rights law that applies to buildings or facilities used by federal agencies. These include federal office buildings, federal prisons, national parks, post offices, Social Security offices, veterans’ medical facilities, and US courthouses. The ABA also applies to some non-government facilities that use federal funding, such as mass transit systems, public housing, and some schools.

The technical requirements of the ABA are similar to those of the ADA. An accessibility barrier under the ADA is most like an ABA violation if it appears at a federal facility.

The major difference between the ADA and the ABA is in enforcement. The ADA is enforced by several different agencies. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces Title 1 of the ADA. The Department of Justice (DOJ) enforces Titles 2 and 3. The Department of Transportation (DOT) enforces ADA regulations relating to transit. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) enforces telecommunication accessibility.

The ABA is the responsibility of the U.S. Access Board. They handle accessibility complaints related to federal or federally-funded institutions. Reports of violations can be made anonymously.

The accessibility standards that must be met are listed here: https://www.access-board.gov/aba/

The process for filing a complaint is explained here: https://www.access-board.gov/enforcement/

You can also learn what must be reported elsewhere at the above link. 

Tip - Just get started!

It’s easy to procrastinate. Just wait for motivation to kick in before you start on some difficult or dreaded task.

But that’s not really how things work. Action can actually initiate motivation.

This process is called behavioral activation (BA). It’s a therapy often used to deal with depression. Depression leads to inactivity, which causes or deepens depression’s viscous cycle. The purpose of behavioral activation is to break this cycle. 

First you identify patterns in your behavior and list activities you find positive. Then schedule a short, small, enjoyable activity and do it. Often that little serotonin boost will provide enough positivity to allow you to begin what you have been avoiding.

It also helps to consciously break overwhelming tasks into smaller pieces that can be accomplished in a short time frame. Once you have accomplished that first small step, even without motivation, you will often find yourself moving forward to the next step, and then one more.

Although behavioral activation is viewed as a therapeutic treatment for depression, the strategy works just fine for getting things done. You don’t need to be motivated to achieve your goals. You just need to take one small initial action, and often the motivation to complete the project will follow.

Some useful resources:

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/behavioral-activation#ideas

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/behavioral-activation