One Moment at a Time

Even if you feel like you can't do a lot,

every one of us can do a little.

Right where we are, every day, for a little

bit of time...we can make a differnce.

You don't start off a battle by

trying to win the whole war.

It's incremental, slow, strategic, one step at

a time. Taking care of our bodies is a battle.

We are in a war for our well-being.

If you're pressed for time, do

exercises where you're at.

Do squats while you brush your teeth.

Do side bends while vacuuming.

Do isometric muscle tensing while driving.

If you work at a desk, do knee lifts and

foot rotations and neck stretches.

Take stairs.

Walk during your lunch break, even if

just around the building.

When it's cold, walk at the grocery store.

Eat just a little less than normal, once a day.

Eat your last meal a little earlier in the day.

Cut starches just one meal a day.

Do without butter just one meal a day.

Every little decision adds up to an end result.

Don't buy the baloney that you can't affect

real change right where you are, right

like you are. You can start a revolution

without severe cosmetic or financial

or geographic changes;

life happens wherever we are.

One choice at a time.

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Conscious Eating

When it comes to food and eating, we have very little
actual requirements. I'm speaking of our basic biological
requirements.

We need to eat for nutritional intake to maintain our bodies,
health, and mass. (Now, getting specific, the level of protein
you need, the vitamins, etc, is very specific. But our reason
for putting food in our bodies--as a necessity--is very simple.)

However, we are a by-product of a prosperous and spoiled
society, and a technological society, and our eating habits and
motives have become varied. And negative.

We eat because others are eating.
We eat what it is convenient to eat.
We eat the amounts that others give us.
We eat because we are bored.
We eat so as to not have any leftovers left to save.
We eat to fill an emotional void.
We eat to finish the bag.
We eat because we're angry and not paying attention.

But the bottom line on all of these patterns of behavior is
that we are not truly PRESENT in the moment, paying
attention to what we are doing...and more importantly,
the EFFECTS of eating what we are eating.

It's important to recognize the correlation between our
actions and our consequences. Our weight, our health,
our energy levels, our longevity, our very lives are effected
by the quantity and quality of every single thing we place
in our mouths.

Hard as it is, we have to get out of a habitual action of
eating whatever is available, or eating to medicate feelings.
If we are learning to care about self, we must learn to consider
and deliberate what we are doing and how it relates to our
body's actual nutritional needs.

We need plenty of water, vegetables, fruits, and protein.
We need less fats and oils and sugar.
What have we had so far today?
How much are we eating beyond quelling hunger?
What would make me feel better?

Stop. Think. Consider.
We are responsible for our well-being...and we must make
the changes required to adjust to better living.

Paying Attention!

Being aware of what we put into our bodies...being conscious...

is perhaps the most important change we can make.

So often we just eat whatever is available,

or we eat when tired and distracted.

Sometimes we eat to (ugh!) please others,

and sometimes we are just plain not paying attention.

Becoming alert about what goes into a product

(and therefore, HELLO! --what goes into us!)

is a crucial development for successful eating.

To be more healthful and nutritious takes

some investigating and caution.

Below is a link to a great site with tons of

info for reading food labels and how to

interpret them, as well as what items

are most important when you read them.

Always remember the hidden calories and dangers

(sugar, salt, etc) of such 'incidentals' as

toppings, dressings, and other last second

add-ons.

If eating out, assume the worst, and always ask

for sauces to be....ON THE SIDE!

Portion control is everything.

http://www.fda.gov/food/labelingnutrition/consumerinformation/ucm078889.htm

Back On It

What with all the depression and frustration and blah, blah, blah
of recent months, I had made a conscious decision to let my
healthy eating/lifestyle slide.

I rationalized that some food-related comfort was acceptable,
and I might as well enjoy life since I don't know how much
longer I have, etc.
You know the drill!

I was also having trouble finding what foods I needed for
optimum health through the food bank and with my limited
food stamps. (For those not 'in-the-know,' healthier eating
is more expensive.)

Shit 'foods' are readily available and inexpensive. It costs
very little to manufacture the empty calories that are killing
Americans with completely avoidable health problems; diabetes,
hyper-tension, cancer, stroke, heart attack, etc.

The biggest 'convincer' that "some of this stuff won't hurt you!"
myth is that the habit of poor eating is so widespread. Even
after all the nutrition facts and statistics and scientific results,
most people in this country treat their bodies like a garbage dump.

We use white flour because we always have, we use sugar
because it's possibly the most highly addictive substance (besides
nicotine) on the planet, and we FRY, FRY, FRY because that's
the way that's always been done.

So, after stuffing my face with crap and feeling bad the next day
and tiring of seeing my never-ending waistline expansion,
I got real. Again. No more excuses.

*I am responsible for everything I put in my mouth.
*It is not a 'Treat' to lace my body with chemicals and artery-cloggers.
*Sugar is a drug; stop medicating with it, Robert!
*No more giving in to what's easier; make better decisions.

I have to remember my goals. I have to think of the
long haul, and not be distracted with the momentary pleasures.
It's just like every other addictive and compulsory problem;
except I have to deal with this every single day.

I sort of lost my way, and once you do it, staying lost is easy.
But I have to bear in mind that I care about myself, and that isn't a
part time job. Being conscious and "in the moment" about food
intake--and exercise--is crucial for me to have the kind of life
I want...and deserve.

It isn't magic. It isn't going to fix itself.
It's hard work and will power. But we can do it, once we
decide we need to and we're worthwhile.

This isn't punishment. It isn't an ordeal. I can and do eat fun
and tasty food. Like everything else, I have to stop allowing
myself to be influenced by the majority, and just DO WHAT
I KNOW TO BE RIGHT.

It works out ever so much better in the end!

Peace....

Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say

Often when people say "You should have an
open mind," what they mean is "Why won't
you allow me to convince you how right I am?"

It is one thing to be open to allowing others
their beliefs, as well as potentially
considering that they may be right.
It's another to cave to what others want
in an effort to people please or accommodate.

I have the right to maintain distance from
any ideology I disbelieve or dislike.

I have the right to support and promote
the beliefs I subscribe to.

I have the right to not listen to diatribes or
propaganda, and still be respected.

An open mind works both ways.

And "No, thank you" is still a complete sentence.

More than just complaining

It may seem rudimentary, but it obviously bears
repeating; The Heat Kills.

Please do everything you can to stay safe, healthy, and
alive. This is no time for trying to impress anyone.

The 'common sense' stuff;

Drink plenty of fluids, preferably room temp.

Water, tea, and sports drinks are best.

Stay away from caffeine and sodas and sugar.

Don't eat heavy meals before going into the heat.

Stay inside if at all possible; go out before or after
the peak hot times (12-4 EST) if possible.

Wear light, loose fitting clothes.

Carry a rag to keep perspiration off your face and
out of your eyes.

Wear sunblock.

Don't wear regular hats that block release of heat;
straw hats that are well ventilated keep you aired
out but block the sun.

Wear an icepack (wrapped in cloth) around your neck
to keep cooler.

Carry a cooler with you; don't worry about looking
'un-cool' to friends. Stay healthy.

Keep animals inside or under shelter. Give them
a fan if possible. Keep plenty of water and check it often.

NEVER leave animals or kids in a closed car.

If getting perishable groceries, take a cooler and ice
with you for long drives.

Don't go from severe heat directly into cold air.
Also, dry off and cool down before going inside.
(The severe temp changes cause sickness.)

Eat right, eat light, eat smart.

Take breaks often and don't push past exhaustion.
heat can upset many existing medical conditions
and bring on heart and brain problems.

Break up projects over several mornings, taking it
easy, rather than trying to do it all at once.

Use your mind; don't give in to peer pressure.

Remember; you owe it to yourself to take care
of yourself. There is no amount of proving self
to others worth sickness, suffering, or death.

This is the real deal; act smartly.

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Assumptions

Who told us to think the way we do?


Even after knowing that what we worry about hardly
ever comes to pass, why do we still hold to the
outdated and self-sabotaging ideas that persist in our
heads?


When we hear the phone ring, why do we tense
up and assume the worst?


When people say what their plans are, why do we
think they are wasting their time or doomed?


Our own hearts and minds seem determined to undermine
our own happiness or burden the day.


We don't see even a fraction of what is going on
in the world, and what we do see is filtered through our
ability to comprehend as well as our filters we have
from our limited understanding of our past experiences.


How can we possibly be so unctuous and presumptuous
that we think ourselves capable of comprehending the
make-up of the universe? That we can know what is in
the heart of another human being? That we can glean an
insight into the meaning of life? That we can select the most
accurate philosophy or interpretation of such things?


We imagine ourselves to be the first who will set right
all the yearnings and struggles that all people have had for
centuries. We will select the one true source, the one true
idea, the one perfect example. But perhaps all of this
starts with the assumption that such an absolute exists
in the first place.


Perhaps the human brain is better focused on not
thinking so much. Allowance. Acceptance. Taking
things at face value, even if it brings trouble. Release
of expectation and 'need to know.'

Less absolute, less dogma, less striving.
More contentment, more relaxation, more ephemeral.

There's only one way off the mudball, anyway, so
maybe we can just enjoy the ride, regardless of where
it goes and what it entails. Of course, I'm assuming
that we can change in time for it to matter.


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