It is no wonder to me why people fail so miserably at bettering themselves. The cynicism slapping us around like a rag doll is relentless. I just speak for myself, but can't image it is much different for anyone else. People just can't wrap their tiny little brains around the success of others and supporting that success.
I have recently made lifestyle changes to be more healthy, which have resulted in some fairly significant weight loss. Yet at every turn when I am asked what I have done and I tell them; I am met with blinding wall of darkness that encompasses the room. It is overwhelming to say the least. Because I didn't immediately answer "I found this miracle drug and the fat melted away!!" they can't be bothered to hear what I am saying or find value in it.
Today I experienced the whole thing all over again. The conversation was revolving around not eating too much junk and portion sizing. Person #1 stated they know someone who stops eating when they are full even if the food isn't gone; like myself. I got excited about hearing someone else understanding what I have be doing to be healthier. So I joined in the conversation with a joyous tone. Talked about portions being enormous and stopping eating when full was the way to go, suddenly the wheels fell off! "I could never do that" was said by another person; followed by, "But I need to lose weight" or "so and so is a bad influence on me". Yet as the words leaked from her lips she was eating her 4th helping of cake! The "bad influence" friend wasn't there so what was the excuse this time? I was left in this cloud of despair and doubt. It was as if the notion of being healthy was unattainable. After agreeing to the concept that society has created an environment where overeating (portion sizes) has become expected they turned around and slid back into the abyss. I couldn't figure out what to feel or do. I am confident to say that I have overcome using other people as my crutch for overeating. I no longer eat emotionally and I try to see food as fuel, which goes a very long way to making better choices overall.
But I left this altercation wondering if I was able to inspire anyone? Doesn't all the research I have done and all the learning I have experienced account for something? Who would listen to me, better yet who would hear me? I have something to say and want to help others and teach others to know it is possible. It is possible WITHOUT gimmicks or fad diets. Push come to shove it boils down to standing up to society and saying STOP TELLING ME HOW MUCH TO EAT AND WHEN!! And more importantly, is to say it with conviction and be willing to accept the confused looks, the attempt to make you feel guilty for being healthy and the negative comments all spawned out of ignorance for doing something that will help you live a better life forever. It is probably the hardest part about the whole process. When everyone around us is a victim of societies laws that govern food consumption we will face the toughest challenges. Everyone wants their eating behaviors to be okay and by pressuring us to join in the gluttony it makes everything okay.
Even though I have found a safe place in my own confidence with my choices, I too, feel helpless at times when all I want is to find a way to help others see what I am seeing. I am not a guru or all knowing, but the proof of what I am talking about is evident in the changes my body has gone through. Hopefully this blog is reaching someone who needs to hear what I have to say.
Struggling through a task will only make the end results that much sweeter. Fight the noble fight and always know your conviction to something real can carry you through if you lean hard on the conviction. It will push people away at first but those that truly care will come around. And those that don't; aren't worth keeping around. Sounds harsh but the truth is we are capable of ANYTHING our greatest supporter thinks we can achieve. Surround yourself with people who build you up and spend very little time with those that tear you down (intentionally or unintentionally).
My Two Cents
Jamie
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Thursday, June 19, 2008
When Giving Equals Taking Away
It’s ironic. We, as this generation of parents, want to provide so much for our children, but is our desire to “give our kids a better life than we had” putting their potential for greatness in jeopardy? Time and time again we see some of the most powerful, influential and successful people in the World having come from very meager or impoverished backgrounds. Take Oprah Winfrey, she battled through some extremely difficult years in her young life; from abandonment to sexual abuse, until finally being reunited with her father who instilled a powerful work ethic in her and provided her the support to do great things. Another example would be Jim Carrey, albeit not a powerful media mogul like Oprah has become, Jim Carrey still has found success after living a portion of his life living with his family in their car. The point is this; history is supposed to teach us something. If you look back on the early years of some of favorite stars, famous people or influential leaders we will often find poverty and hardship. We find they have faced adversity square in the eye and found a way to battle through to emerge a winner. What do we offer our children? Everything and anything they ask for, with a side helping of protective bubble to round out the offer!
Does the phrase “I want to give my child a better life than I had” ring any bells? It should. You hear it repeatedly from parents all over North America. But by giving them a “better life” are we robbing them of their future potential? Shouldn't we be teaching the valuable lessons adversity taught us? I think the problem lies in the subjective phrase a better life; how can we define a better life. The only way we can actually provide a better life is to use a time machine and bring our kids back to the point in time we were of childhood age and raise them there, carving out a better path. Our children live in a different time then we did and cannot offer a better life based on what we deem as a terrible childhood. Think about what you are saying when you proclaim your goal to be, giving your children a better life…you are openly saying your childhood was terrible. Was it truly that bad that you need to provide so much better? I wonder how children are to realize how difficult life can be at times when they never face an adversity or have to own up to responsibility within their lives. As parents we do everything for them. The biggest issue is trying to eliminate their risk and potential for danger at every turn. We try to ensure they don’t get hurt, whether it is physically or emotionally. Is this really giving them a better life than we had? I don’t think so; I think the tough times we faced as kids are what shaped us into what we are today. Our freedom to make mistakes and learn from them helped us understand how to succeed. Also our ability to manage some risk on our own was huge in developing our ability to discern normal risk vs. dangerous risk. I think we are creating a generation of soon to be adults who will not have a clue how to live in the real World. A World where mommy isn’t there to hug you a nanosecond after you bump your knee. A World that isn’t going to give you everything you want simply because you “need” it and a World that will be unforgiving and harsh when they make mistakes. If they are taught how to accept mistakes as a necessity of the learning process and realize that the standard bumps and bruises in life do not require extended periods of time to recover (coddling), then our children will be better equipped to take on any challenge they see fit tackle. I think the mention of Oprah’s father providing support was a key point. Support should be based on the needs of the person facing the challenge NOT the person providing the support. Unconditional support is what you want to aim for. I have said it before; we are all capable of achieving anything our greatest support believes we can.
Basically some of greatest leaders and influential people we look up to did not have everything handed to them, nor were they afforded the opportunity to fly through life without accountability and in fact some battled through some pretty heinous conditions. The Oprahs of the World were bred out of a necessity to do honest, hard work to achieve greatness. They were forced to find their own inner strength (which I believe we are all born with) to persevere through obstacles which set them up for making the leap from a difficult life to a success to an icon. There was no magic formula, simply school of hard knocks learning with a healthy addition of a supportive role model. The supportive role model is the key factor in most cases. Naturally I am not suggesting children need to be beat or emotionally destroyed to be great individuals one day, however, I am suggesting that children need to understand life can be a rough ride at times and MUST be given the chance to discover their own inner strength as children to allow them to parlay that into a functional understanding of their survival skills long before they ever really need them. I am also suggesting we step out of the role of SUPER PARENT protector of children from all that may hurt them as soon as we can and assume the most critical role you will play in your life, #1 supporter. Children will feel safe no matter where life takes them or how far away they are if they ALWAYS know their #1 fan is going to be just that.
My Two Cents
Jamie
Monday, June 16, 2008
Victory Found In A Sea of Temptation
The annual roaming fair kicked off here in Winnipeg this past Friday. Along with the great rides, the fair also came with the intoxicating smells, the dazzling sights, the familiar sounds, the crazy carnies and of course the food, oh the food. My recent efforts to live a healthier lifestyle were going to be put to a very major test. In years past I have not be good at resisting the allure of the carnival food and it's flashy ads and overwhelming scents. Once to the extreme of creating a serious and painful medical condition at the young age of 20. So this year I had my work cut out for me...or did I?
For the past 23 years I have worked/volunteered at the fair raising money for charity with the Knights of Columbus. The fair usually marks and unofficial start to summer fun in Winnipeg. I arrived opening night, Friday, to many familiar sights and sounds and I did my usual tour of the grounds before my shift started and I was surrounded by the regular carnival excitement. I began to look at the food I have come to love way too much (do we see the problem with that sentence, "love" food, not a good idea). But I had a much different process going on my head this year. I was taken by surprise. I was wondering what type of oil they used, were there trans fats, how much salt, and do they have as many calories as I think they do?
I was finding I wasn't overwhelmed by the tasty treats, I wasn't rationalizing why I need to try one of everything and I wasn't planning my week based on when I would eat what! I found myself a little uneasy with all the poor choices people have. I have worked hard to make lifestyle changes which included a major over haul of how I think about food. It appears to have actually made an impact on my approach to eating at the carnival or should I say NOT eating at the carnival. At a place where the temptation is high and many emotions are tied to the big exhibition. I was feeling a break through coming on!
Then I came across a sight to behold, I didn't think the wide variety of terrible food choices could get any worse. With very few choices to maintain a grip on healthy eating I stumble across this abomination. Deep fried Oreos!! I kid you not; they take an Oreo cookie dunk it in batter and then deep fry the little critter! Are you kidding me? The all mighty dollar strikes again. Screw the health of North America let's deep fry some cookies! UGH! The employees in their fake straw hats proudly displaying the Oreo logo. Since the logo is so widely known it draws your attention. Oh the humanity!
Further on down the way we find Pizza on a stick. Yup, some marketing guru thought they should take a calzone and jam a stick up it's (BLEEP) and serve it. Naturally this guru was right, people will eat anything if you stab it with a stick and/or deep fry it! Take the carnival staple; the Corn Dog. A heart stopping hot dog with a stick in it, battered and deep fried. Basically, with pizza on a stick you get yourself a whole pizza to eat and conveniently it can be carried around on a stick like a Popsicle. Wanna lick? Doesn't anyone understand that they are eating enough food for three people? Just wait, what was that...I think I heard some arteries crying out in pain. Society is making us fat is an understatement with the out of control serving sizes people are given to cram into their over stretched stomachs.
Last night (night 3 of the fair) I was on a break and out for a walk around the grounds, when I began feeling I was hungry. I tried to decide what I wanted to eat and discovered one good thing has come from my unwillingness to eat garbage for the sake of eating garbage and that is the extra walking I am getting in during the evening. As I was saying, I was looking for something to eat. I just could not find my way through the signs proclaiming the awesome goodness of "FRIED DOUGH" and "MONSTER DOGS". I decided popcorn was the only viable option; not great but manageable. As I came to my decision I found myself being amazed at the fact they advertise a sweet treat as fried dough, with no thoughts of calling it something fancy to entice more buyers. Nope! Straight up, here it is, fried dough people, COME AND GET IT!
Another amazing thing occurred to me...I have turned a corner. I was not consumed by the atmosphere of the Exhibition; my brain spoke to me with logic. The education of how the body manages food has empowered me to live within a sea of temptation and not give in to the emotion of the moment. My choices about food were being made with clarity and devoid of emotion unlike so many times in the past. I know what I have done in the past few month is something special, I believe it can work for anyone. However, I realize just because it worked for me it may not work exactly the same way for another, BUT I would like to think that my successes would inspire others to believe they too can do it.
Now I have worked on a list of things to change for the rest of the week during the fair. Bring my own food, walk the whole circuit twice each night I work and be proud of what I have accomplished thus far, knowing full well that more work is needed. We all need to continue growing, we have to be constantly looking for ways to improve on who we are. Sometimes baby steps are all we can manage, but baby steps will get you closer to your goals A LOT faster than waiting until all the planets are aligned to take action. Baby steps are forward motion whereas no steps are stagnation.
Take some time to review your action plan and be sure to ACT on the plan you have. I believe everyone who wants something can achieve with some work and determination. Get to work!
My Two Cents
Jamie
For the past 23 years I have worked/volunteered at the fair raising money for charity with the Knights of Columbus. The fair usually marks and unofficial start to summer fun in Winnipeg. I arrived opening night, Friday, to many familiar sights and sounds and I did my usual tour of the grounds before my shift started and I was surrounded by the regular carnival excitement. I began to look at the food I have come to love way too much (do we see the problem with that sentence, "love" food, not a good idea). But I had a much different process going on my head this year. I was taken by surprise. I was wondering what type of oil they used, were there trans fats, how much salt, and do they have as many calories as I think they do?
I was finding I wasn't overwhelmed by the tasty treats, I wasn't rationalizing why I need to try one of everything and I wasn't planning my week based on when I would eat what! I found myself a little uneasy with all the poor choices people have. I have worked hard to make lifestyle changes which included a major over haul of how I think about food. It appears to have actually made an impact on my approach to eating at the carnival or should I say NOT eating at the carnival. At a place where the temptation is high and many emotions are tied to the big exhibition. I was feeling a break through coming on!
Then I came across a sight to behold, I didn't think the wide variety of terrible food choices could get any worse. With very few choices to maintain a grip on healthy eating I stumble across this abomination. Deep fried Oreos!! I kid you not; they take an Oreo cookie dunk it in batter and then deep fry the little critter! Are you kidding me? The all mighty dollar strikes again. Screw the health of North America let's deep fry some cookies! UGH! The employees in their fake straw hats proudly displaying the Oreo logo. Since the logo is so widely known it draws your attention. Oh the humanity!
Further on down the way we find Pizza on a stick. Yup, some marketing guru thought they should take a calzone and jam a stick up it's (BLEEP) and serve it. Naturally this guru was right, people will eat anything if you stab it with a stick and/or deep fry it! Take the carnival staple; the Corn Dog. A heart stopping hot dog with a stick in it, battered and deep fried. Basically, with pizza on a stick you get yourself a whole pizza to eat and conveniently it can be carried around on a stick like a Popsicle. Wanna lick? Doesn't anyone understand that they are eating enough food for three people? Just wait, what was that...I think I heard some arteries crying out in pain. Society is making us fat is an understatement with the out of control serving sizes people are given to cram into their over stretched stomachs.
Last night (night 3 of the fair) I was on a break and out for a walk around the grounds, when I began feeling I was hungry. I tried to decide what I wanted to eat and discovered one good thing has come from my unwillingness to eat garbage for the sake of eating garbage and that is the extra walking I am getting in during the evening. As I was saying, I was looking for something to eat. I just could not find my way through the signs proclaiming the awesome goodness of "FRIED DOUGH" and "MONSTER DOGS". I decided popcorn was the only viable option; not great but manageable. As I came to my decision I found myself being amazed at the fact they advertise a sweet treat as fried dough, with no thoughts of calling it something fancy to entice more buyers. Nope! Straight up, here it is, fried dough people, COME AND GET IT!
Another amazing thing occurred to me...I have turned a corner. I was not consumed by the atmosphere of the Exhibition; my brain spoke to me with logic. The education of how the body manages food has empowered me to live within a sea of temptation and not give in to the emotion of the moment. My choices about food were being made with clarity and devoid of emotion unlike so many times in the past. I know what I have done in the past few month is something special, I believe it can work for anyone. However, I realize just because it worked for me it may not work exactly the same way for another, BUT I would like to think that my successes would inspire others to believe they too can do it.
Now I have worked on a list of things to change for the rest of the week during the fair. Bring my own food, walk the whole circuit twice each night I work and be proud of what I have accomplished thus far, knowing full well that more work is needed. We all need to continue growing, we have to be constantly looking for ways to improve on who we are. Sometimes baby steps are all we can manage, but baby steps will get you closer to your goals A LOT faster than waiting until all the planets are aligned to take action. Baby steps are forward motion whereas no steps are stagnation.
Take some time to review your action plan and be sure to ACT on the plan you have. I believe everyone who wants something can achieve with some work and determination. Get to work!
My Two Cents
Jamie
Friday, June 13, 2008
Trying To Make a Difference
Sometimes I wonder what it takes to make a difference? I see potential in people they don't see in themselves and I want to help them see it too. I am passionate about helping people. I don't mean helping them move or fix a leaky faucet; I am talking about core level help. Helping people to look within for strength rather than to everyone else or something material. Strength comes from us and we have to believe it does. Within each and every one of us is a great person who has all the tools to make a difference in the World. Problem being, most of us have had those tools locked in storage and forget how to use them. We are capable of anything our greatest supporter believes we can accomplish. Surround yourself with great supporters and you will accomplish more than you can currently imagine. I can clearly envision myself speaking to hundreds of people offering a different take on what was all call life. I understand that not everyone will understand my way of thinking, but if just one person 'hears' me and changes their life for the better I will be accomplishing a goal. This different ideal I would venture to say is a much more old school view; one that returns us to pre-societal pressure. A time when believing in our own potential for greatness wasn't a scoffed at. A time when exercising our right to make choices for ourselves wasn't selfish. A challenge I am facing is the disbelief that it can be as simple as it sounds. The reality is it isn't simple at all. It is hard work that takes dedication to your beliefs and the willingness to ignore what others think about you. It isn't simple because we are must live in the World and society dictates how we think. The World of big money and big industry has programmed us over many years to think a certain way. If you don't agree stop reading, you are already lost to the juggernaut that is World marketing.
One other challenge is the truth hurts. So many people are not willing to listen past the first pang of hurt in the words they hear or read. This effectively eliminates their ability to grow. I am becoming less and less concerned about the hurt feelings I may produce with my words. Sounds mean, I know, but I believe I am speaking the truth. Which means the hurt feelings are not coming from my words, but they are coming from the receiving party's inability to accept the truth. If I’m able to offend someone so easily, to me that means they already recognize some truth in what I’ve written or said, but they aren’t ready to deal with it consciously yet. Certain realities are are hard to deal with, especially those close to the heart, I return you to the concept of not allowing emotion to dictate what is best for us. A lot of times the impact of such things is very hard to see or at the very least admit when you are submersed within them. It will often take an outside view to truly see what the root of the problems are.
I struggle with not wanting to upset anyone, however, that is quickly waning. I need to live my life within my own beliefs and not be afraid to express it. I lead a good life, I try and make sound choices that are for the good of my life moving forward. In the process I hope to be enhancing the lives of people around me too. I need to understand their will be casualties along the way, why? Because people are not going agree with everything I have to say, most of whom, will qualify in the "not ready to deal with it consciously yet" group, but so be it.
I have untied the gloves and they are close to coming off. If I am to realize my passion for helping as many people as possible I will need to allow the fire to burn a little hotter and wilder than I have thus far. It's time to make a move.
My Two Cents
Jamie
One other challenge is the truth hurts. So many people are not willing to listen past the first pang of hurt in the words they hear or read. This effectively eliminates their ability to grow. I am becoming less and less concerned about the hurt feelings I may produce with my words. Sounds mean, I know, but I believe I am speaking the truth. Which means the hurt feelings are not coming from my words, but they are coming from the receiving party's inability to accept the truth. If I’m able to offend someone so easily, to me that means they already recognize some truth in what I’ve written or said, but they aren’t ready to deal with it consciously yet. Certain realities are are hard to deal with, especially those close to the heart, I return you to the concept of not allowing emotion to dictate what is best for us. A lot of times the impact of such things is very hard to see or at the very least admit when you are submersed within them. It will often take an outside view to truly see what the root of the problems are.
I struggle with not wanting to upset anyone, however, that is quickly waning. I need to live my life within my own beliefs and not be afraid to express it. I lead a good life, I try and make sound choices that are for the good of my life moving forward. In the process I hope to be enhancing the lives of people around me too. I need to understand their will be casualties along the way, why? Because people are not going agree with everything I have to say, most of whom, will qualify in the "not ready to deal with it consciously yet" group, but so be it.
I have untied the gloves and they are close to coming off. If I am to realize my passion for helping as many people as possible I will need to allow the fire to burn a little hotter and wilder than I have thus far. It's time to make a move.
My Two Cents
Jamie
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Our Supersized Life
I read a great article in the Globe and Mail titled Supersized servings, supersized people that had me nodding my head in agreement.
So much is said about our National Food Guide and its guidance for healthy living, but the truth is the guide is a joke. It is backed by every "big" industry you can think of. The furthest thing it accomplishes is helping us eat healthier. In the article it talks about how following the food guide recommendations will only help you gain weight, due to the number of recommended servings. As a side note it also doesn't truly educate a reader about food.
But the real kicker in the struggle against obesity is serving size. Our World has become this sea of massive plates, up-sized fries, cups of soda large enough to drown in and our brains have come to understand that no matter how much we are served it is a regular serving. From the article I learned studies have shown
"Statistics Canada estimates we are consuming nearly 20 per cent more calories each day than we did 15 years ago because of bigger portions."
The same is true in the USA,
"According to research in the United States, portion sizes have grown dramatically over the past 20 years. Two decades ago, a coffee-shop muffin weighed in at 2.5 ounces (71 grams) and had 210 calories. Today, the average muffin weighs four ounces (113 grams) and delivers as much as 500 calories."
This is a significant increase that has created a very difficult pattern to break. It is socially acceptable for one person to eat an amount of food equal to 3+ servings! I think the biggest problem is our inability to only eat what we need as opposed to eating as much as we THINK we need.
The supersized foods of our World are loaded with fat, sugar and sodium. It isn't any wonder why we struggle with obesity on this continent. The article went through some very good tips to try and get a handle on serving control. I also think the ideas about listening to your stomach and to stop eating when you are signaled by the stomach, combined with only eating when you are hungry the portioning and serving sizes go down naturally. Our stomaches are only so big, sure they will expand to fit all the extra stuff you force in there, like those new Glad stretchy garbage bags, but it isn't good for you.
Scale down the servings and the portion sizes to reap the benefits of your hard work at being healthier. Listen to your body, it won't ask for more calories than you can burn. It is fined tuned machine that knows when it needs more fuel and when you can stop providing it. Remember your stomach CANNOT see the size of your plate or how much food you have left, all it knows is you have filled it to capacity...so put down the knife, the fork and BACK AWAY from the table!!
My Two Cents
Jamie
So much is said about our National Food Guide and its guidance for healthy living, but the truth is the guide is a joke. It is backed by every "big" industry you can think of. The furthest thing it accomplishes is helping us eat healthier. In the article it talks about how following the food guide recommendations will only help you gain weight, due to the number of recommended servings. As a side note it also doesn't truly educate a reader about food.
But the real kicker in the struggle against obesity is serving size. Our World has become this sea of massive plates, up-sized fries, cups of soda large enough to drown in and our brains have come to understand that no matter how much we are served it is a regular serving. From the article I learned studies have shown
"Statistics Canada estimates we are consuming nearly 20 per cent more calories each day than we did 15 years ago because of bigger portions."
The same is true in the USA,
"According to research in the United States, portion sizes have grown dramatically over the past 20 years. Two decades ago, a coffee-shop muffin weighed in at 2.5 ounces (71 grams) and had 210 calories. Today, the average muffin weighs four ounces (113 grams) and delivers as much as 500 calories."
This is a significant increase that has created a very difficult pattern to break. It is socially acceptable for one person to eat an amount of food equal to 3+ servings! I think the biggest problem is our inability to only eat what we need as opposed to eating as much as we THINK we need.
The supersized foods of our World are loaded with fat, sugar and sodium. It isn't any wonder why we struggle with obesity on this continent. The article went through some very good tips to try and get a handle on serving control. I also think the ideas about listening to your stomach and to stop eating when you are signaled by the stomach, combined with only eating when you are hungry the portioning and serving sizes go down naturally. Our stomaches are only so big, sure they will expand to fit all the extra stuff you force in there, like those new Glad stretchy garbage bags, but it isn't good for you.
Scale down the servings and the portion sizes to reap the benefits of your hard work at being healthier. Listen to your body, it won't ask for more calories than you can burn. It is fined tuned machine that knows when it needs more fuel and when you can stop providing it. Remember your stomach CANNOT see the size of your plate or how much food you have left, all it knows is you have filled it to capacity...so put down the knife, the fork and BACK AWAY from the table!!
My Two Cents
Jamie
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Society Makes Us Fat
There is no shortage of information about healthy eating and ways to improve your overall health. All hail the Internet! The Internet can provide an endless source of all things good and bad. But what I have found is the Internet provides me the opportunity to empower myself by gaining knowledge. I can read many articles about any given topic, both good opinions and bad. I then can make an educated decision about something.
As I mentioned in the opening our health is becoming a very big topic early in the 21st century. Obesity is a serious problem in North America. I for one have become very aware of my own health. I am not unhealthy per say, but still had some additional changes to make. But having finally got my act together I have lost about 30 pounds and a couple pants sizes. It wasn't an easy process. No wonder drugs or diets. It was common sense, exercise and education about how my body works with the fuel I provide it.
I honestly don't know how anyone can be confident about their approach to healthy living. We are enveloped in societal 'norms' that are anything but healthy. Especially the with regards to food and how we eat. Also, we are surrounded by so much poor information; the worst possible information is the easiest to get our hands on it is compounded by the fact it has such a powerful influence over us. And of course, like anything else, if it is too easy it is perhaps not the best course of action for 95% of people. To find the good information, what I have been relying on has been diligent hard work. Searching for information that wasn't filled with hype and empty promises is, to say the least, like finding a needle in a hay stack.
I can understand the frustration and continued disappointments others have when trying something new someone told them about when all the information they receive regarding this miracle is hype and non typical results. My favorite of the last little while was the "soup diet". For starters it contains the word diet so it can't be good. Dieting is for people not willing to do the work it takes to change your lifestyle in order to become healthy. But how can anyone believe a diet consisting of only soup is a viable option? Our bodies need better fuel than that. Our bodies should be treated like a Ferrari, not a busted up '83 Ford Ranger missing a headlight and McGiver like skills to start.
My advice is always education. Educate yourself and take action based on education. Now let's be clear. I don't mean educate yourself regarding the 'diet' because you will only find hyped up baloney regarding the diet itself, I mean educate yourself about how the human body works. How biology holds the answers on how to be healthy. Our bodies are a series of complex systems all running with synergistic precision. Learning about how our body talks to us and tells us what it needs is key. Think about children, especially before they can talk. Their brains listen to their bodies signals and react accordingly. It isn't until the outside influences they experience growing into adulthood create so much interference they can no longer 'hear' what their bodies are saying. Over eating is the best example. Watch a kid eat; they will shovel it in and suddenly (like a switch) they are done, regardless of how much food is left on their plate. Why? Because their stomach sent a signal to their brains saying "you are full, stop eating". As adults we eat with all the distractions in the World and never listen for the signal. So we eat until all the food is gone or my personal favorite...once we have cleaned our plates!!
Bottom line is this. If you want to be healthier and gain the benefits of healthier living (losing weight, having more energy, sleeping better, etc, etc.) then educate yourself about how your body works and work really hard at listening to what it is trying to tell you and then of course don't ignore the instructions or override them. Without a doubt, the hardest part is listening to your body and NOT the outside influences around you. People WILL look at you strange when you start leaving food on your plate and will think you are starving yourself when you only take an ACTUAL portion of food instead of enough food to fill your plate. If you have to; take a smaller plate and it will look more full for all the critics analyzing your quantity of food.
Well I could ramble on for days about the subject of food and societies role in making unhealthy living easier than healthy living!
My Two Cents
As I mentioned in the opening our health is becoming a very big topic early in the 21st century. Obesity is a serious problem in North America. I for one have become very aware of my own health. I am not unhealthy per say, but still had some additional changes to make. But having finally got my act together I have lost about 30 pounds and a couple pants sizes. It wasn't an easy process. No wonder drugs or diets. It was common sense, exercise and education about how my body works with the fuel I provide it.
I honestly don't know how anyone can be confident about their approach to healthy living. We are enveloped in societal 'norms' that are anything but healthy. Especially the with regards to food and how we eat. Also, we are surrounded by so much poor information; the worst possible information is the easiest to get our hands on it is compounded by the fact it has such a powerful influence over us. And of course, like anything else, if it is too easy it is perhaps not the best course of action for 95% of people. To find the good information, what I have been relying on has been diligent hard work. Searching for information that wasn't filled with hype and empty promises is, to say the least, like finding a needle in a hay stack.
I can understand the frustration and continued disappointments others have when trying something new someone told them about when all the information they receive regarding this miracle is hype and non typical results. My favorite of the last little while was the "soup diet". For starters it contains the word diet so it can't be good. Dieting is for people not willing to do the work it takes to change your lifestyle in order to become healthy. But how can anyone believe a diet consisting of only soup is a viable option? Our bodies need better fuel than that. Our bodies should be treated like a Ferrari, not a busted up '83 Ford Ranger missing a headlight and McGiver like skills to start.
My advice is always education. Educate yourself and take action based on education. Now let's be clear. I don't mean educate yourself regarding the 'diet' because you will only find hyped up baloney regarding the diet itself, I mean educate yourself about how the human body works. How biology holds the answers on how to be healthy. Our bodies are a series of complex systems all running with synergistic precision. Learning about how our body talks to us and tells us what it needs is key. Think about children, especially before they can talk. Their brains listen to their bodies signals and react accordingly. It isn't until the outside influences they experience growing into adulthood create so much interference they can no longer 'hear' what their bodies are saying. Over eating is the best example. Watch a kid eat; they will shovel it in and suddenly (like a switch) they are done, regardless of how much food is left on their plate. Why? Because their stomach sent a signal to their brains saying "you are full, stop eating". As adults we eat with all the distractions in the World and never listen for the signal. So we eat until all the food is gone or my personal favorite...once we have cleaned our plates!!
Bottom line is this. If you want to be healthier and gain the benefits of healthier living (losing weight, having more energy, sleeping better, etc, etc.) then educate yourself about how your body works and work really hard at listening to what it is trying to tell you and then of course don't ignore the instructions or override them. Without a doubt, the hardest part is listening to your body and NOT the outside influences around you. People WILL look at you strange when you start leaving food on your plate and will think you are starving yourself when you only take an ACTUAL portion of food instead of enough food to fill your plate. If you have to; take a smaller plate and it will look more full for all the critics analyzing your quantity of food.
Well I could ramble on for days about the subject of food and societies role in making unhealthy living easier than healthy living!
My Two Cents
Friday, June 06, 2008
CBC = Clearly Braindead Corporation
What the hell is the World coming to! I am stunned, appalled, stupefied, and madder than a wet hen (whatever that means)!
Does the CBC actually have people running the show over there at HQ? Or is it a bunch of retarded monkeys? It was reported yesterday that the CBC is planning on dumping the hallowed Hockey Night In Canada theme song! Are they nuts!?! Somebody has been eating stupid pills down there at HQ. It doesn't matter what the cost is to the composer, it is all that is sacred and holy about hockey in Canada. I suppose the new price might carve in to the fat cat salaries down there at the CBC. Hey boneheads, without viewers you have no job at all! Have a little vision!
I suppose CBC is rolling up shop, closing the doors and shipping everything they every stood for over to TSN. They lost the Grey Cup to TSN, why not give up hockey too. I just can't wrap my head around what went on in the board room to think dropping the HNIC theme song was a good idea. Are they thinking no one will notice?
I can clearly remember my children's reaction when they were young to the Saturday night tribute to a Canadian tradition. I would turn the TV way up and nanoseconds after the first hint of the widely popular HNIC opening ditty, I would hear those little feet motoring over to the living room. They would drop everything and anything they were doing to be in the room while the theme song ran its course. Before they evening knew what the significance of what they were hearing was they were mesmerized. I too still love to hear that song, it gives me goose bumps every time I hear it. It is a shame there are no hockey fans in the board room of the CBC. Anyone older than 5 years old can INSTANTLY tell you what song is playing even if they don't watch hockey, why? It is a part of our culture. Sounds stupid, but it is reality. It is a very popular ring tone too! Every time my phone rings in public someone makes a comment and smiles. The HNIC theme music brings feelings of joy, family, happiness and fun. Many can tie heart felt memories to HNIC and the theme song brings it all back with each and every instance we hear it.
With Bob Cole stepping down and the theme song potentially dead, what is the point to being set in your big-ass recliner 15 minutes before puck drop? Perhaps I will simply join the game already in progress. This is a sad day not for hockey or the HNIC, but for how easy it is to dismiss tradition and how money can eliminate people's vision in the blink of an eye.
Let's hope someone down at the CBC and the composer of the theme song get their collective heads out of their asses long enough to hammer out a deal that is fair. Thus, keeping HNIC building memories for many more years to come.
My Two Cents
Jamie
Does the CBC actually have people running the show over there at HQ? Or is it a bunch of retarded monkeys? It was reported yesterday that the CBC is planning on dumping the hallowed Hockey Night In Canada theme song! Are they nuts!?! Somebody has been eating stupid pills down there at HQ. It doesn't matter what the cost is to the composer, it is all that is sacred and holy about hockey in Canada. I suppose the new price might carve in to the fat cat salaries down there at the CBC. Hey boneheads, without viewers you have no job at all! Have a little vision!
I suppose CBC is rolling up shop, closing the doors and shipping everything they every stood for over to TSN. They lost the Grey Cup to TSN, why not give up hockey too. I just can't wrap my head around what went on in the board room to think dropping the HNIC theme song was a good idea. Are they thinking no one will notice?
I can clearly remember my children's reaction when they were young to the Saturday night tribute to a Canadian tradition. I would turn the TV way up and nanoseconds after the first hint of the widely popular HNIC opening ditty, I would hear those little feet motoring over to the living room. They would drop everything and anything they were doing to be in the room while the theme song ran its course. Before they evening knew what the significance of what they were hearing was they were mesmerized. I too still love to hear that song, it gives me goose bumps every time I hear it. It is a shame there are no hockey fans in the board room of the CBC. Anyone older than 5 years old can INSTANTLY tell you what song is playing even if they don't watch hockey, why? It is a part of our culture. Sounds stupid, but it is reality. It is a very popular ring tone too! Every time my phone rings in public someone makes a comment and smiles. The HNIC theme music brings feelings of joy, family, happiness and fun. Many can tie heart felt memories to HNIC and the theme song brings it all back with each and every instance we hear it.
With Bob Cole stepping down and the theme song potentially dead, what is the point to being set in your big-ass recliner 15 minutes before puck drop? Perhaps I will simply join the game already in progress. This is a sad day not for hockey or the HNIC, but for how easy it is to dismiss tradition and how money can eliminate people's vision in the blink of an eye.
Let's hope someone down at the CBC and the composer of the theme song get their collective heads out of their asses long enough to hammer out a deal that is fair. Thus, keeping HNIC building memories for many more years to come.
My Two Cents
Jamie
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
It’s Amazing How We Miss Them
I couldn't resist another short blog today about my kids, humor me to ensure I remain sane!
My kids have been out in the wonderful World of Mickey and Goofy for the past week with their Mom. I have been very excited for them as this trip approached. I expect to hear all kinds of stories of fun and craziness. I didn't expect I would miss them so much! DAMN! They return today and I am beside myself.
I find myself tracking their flight back and impatiently awaiting their return. I know they will be home later this evening, but I am not sure how to get from now to then without going nuts! It isn't like I haven't been away from them for extended periods of time or something or that I am worried about them. Perhaps their age has something to do with it? They are at that cusp age for truly enjoying Disneyworld. Not too old to not be able to be a kid and not too young to not remember any of the great things they will experience.
But needless to say I am excited they are coming home and can't wait to hear about their trip.
My Two Cents
Jamie
For The Health Of It
I am happy to announce I have finally got something through my thick head! Exercise completes the puzzle.
I spent the better part of the last two years making some serious lifestyle changes regarding my eating habits. The goal was to be healthier overall and improve my ability to be a positive role model for the two sets of VERY BIG eyes that are always watching. It is like living in the movie Lord of the Rings, the eye is always watching, except I have 4 four eyes watching. For the most part the major changes included eliminating unnecessary calories, nothing drastic, just obvious empty calories. Over time it became easier, but I never really looked at portions or listened to my body very well. I felt healthier, but my weight never changed, so I was frustrated.
It wasn't until a few months ago that I finally took the plunge and started exercising at least three times a week. I always rested on my once a week hockey as my exercise, but once a week isn't enough. For a year I thought about more exercise and always had a reason I couldn't do more, be it not enough time or money or energy or whatever. Excuses are crippling to progress. Finally I dove in and the first week was hard. I felt terrible, like ten miles of bad road! During the work out, after the work out, day after the work out, my goodness, who knew exercising, was such hard work!! But of course, I turned a corner in the third week and then I felt great; better than in a long time.
My body has been changing over the last few months and it is now becoming noticeable to others around me. I get asked all the time "have you lost weight", "you are looking good" and of course "what did you do?" I think most people are looking for some miracle answer like a special diet of rocks and twigs or a wonder drug that instantly melts fat away. But, honestly it is nothing more than changing my attitude about food and exercise. The exercise I added a few months ago and eating habits has been a long process, which I tweaked again when I added the exercise. I try to always think of food as fuel for my body and I only eat when I am hungry and stop when I am full; sometimes that means leaving food on my plate. If I am leaving food behind, it means I need to be better at how much I put on my plate. This hasn't meant depriving myself of food, on the contrary. I love food and can eat loads, but I have to listen to my body, it won't ask for more than it can use. It has been a learning curve and certainly not one that has been simple. I guess it was a retraining of the brain. Learning to let my body, NOT my emotions, decide when and how much I eat. Just so you know, boredom is an emotion; who knew?! I have eaten everything from pizza to ice cream to french fries and even fast food. I have lost about 30 lbs in three months. But it isn't about the weight for me, being healthy is way more important; giving my body the best possible shot at working properly. I still have more work to do, but it is a process that involves a change in my lifestyle.
I have done an enormous amount of reading over the last six months which has led me down the course I am on. I am starting to compile some of source material and in the weeks/months to come I will slowly add the links to my blog. Perhaps something in those pages will inspire someone to take back control of their health.
I say, don't make your goal to lose weight; make your goal to be healthier. I say, don't make your goal to eat less; make your goal to stop when you are full. I say, don't make your goal to join a gym for exercise, I say make your goal to simply get more exercise (walking is exercise too). Get active and think healthier and the weight and portion sizing comes as a side effect of healthier living. As I have written before, if you don't enjoy the lifestyle you live while you are "losing weight" then you will not stick to it. Instead make lifestyle changes that you enjoy and won't want to give up, this way you are healthier long term and the side effect will be losing weight.
Make YOUR health your #1 priority above all else.
My Two Cents
Jamie
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)