Saturday, May 19, 2012

Mindfulness & Moderation: Gateways to Future Health



Decisions, decisions! (They matter!)
Sugary snacks, TV, movies, goofing off, eating out at restaurants,
deep fried foods, high fat content...all of these things are meant
only as occasional 'treats' (which is actually a misnomer since we
are definitely not treating ourselves by indulging in things which
are not to our benefit.

Instead, we moved to having big desserts every day. Sometimes
even multiple times per day...just as a 'reward' for things being
tough and life being hard. (Another bad result, say, of giving kids
sugar as a cure-all...when they have a tough day, do tasks they are
supposed to be doing anyway, or do well on a test.)

(To be fair, sugar is one of the most addictive substances.)

No avoiding it; this is BAD food!
We over-indulge.
We medicate.
There's no longer anything saved for 'special' occasions.
No desire goes unsated....no want unfulfilled.
We want what we want, when we want it.

Somewhere in-between absolute consumption and absolute
denial-and-repression-of-desires is a happy medium.

And I'm not denying life is a real Hump-buster sandwich-o-shit,
cuz it is. It's hard and unfair and painful and lonely and rough.
But instead of doing things that actually reinforce our strength
or replenish our needs when times are tough, we are a nation of
trained sheep who indulge in strokes that actually harm ourselves.

The key is to recognize the behavior, recognize what's behind the
behavior, be honest about the ramifications of the behavior, and
become mindful of what we do and why we do it.


Total comprehension and cognizance of every item ingested by my
body is my goal. Learning to cut ties to the childhood indoctrination
about portion size and clean plates is my need. Determining why I
feel compelled to eat--and stopping to consider that before acting--
is my effort.

I want to eat for the nourishment of my body, things that will keep
me in good health and alive. The minute and momentary emotional
and psychological component of devouring sweets and salty fats is
not worth the damage done to my body, which has to last my whole life.
(And, by the way, it is possible to eat well and still enjoy, even love
food!)

Using food to comfort emotions and retreat from a horrible day is
not an actual answer to problems, and in that momentary coddling
tactic, I am avoiding what is really wrong.

More importantly, I am taking an instant to create a problem
for myself that I will have to endure for some time to come.

Self-awareness is the start; self-love is the motivation.

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