If you ask me (which many of you obviously haven't) what my life goal is, I am likely to reply, "Change the world" or, if I'm feeling particularly sassy, I might phrase the same end point as "Take over the world" (sound familiar to any of you Pinky and Brain fans?).
But, in all seriousness, that is my goal. The world that I live in has more disease that is almost completely preventable than ever before. One researcher stated it's not our eating or exercise patterns that are killing us....it's our decision making skills. Ouch!
But then here comes Seth Godin to tell us (and there's lots of research to back this statement up), "...most actions aren't decisions at all". We take actions to a large extent based on our personal and community culture.
If you are a person who doesn't like to exercise, it will be difficult to like exercising because it goes against what you believe your personal culture to be.
On the other hand, if you like exercising but your workout on a particular day feels TERRIBLE, you will still exercise the next day because exercise it a part of your personal culture -- it's no longer a decision you make, it's just who you are regardless of how it feels on any given day.
So what's Seth's advice for us? If we want to live healthier lives, we need to change our personal and community culture. Surrounding yourself with people making the changes and living the kind of life you are looking to create puts you smack dab into the middle of a culture that will support, encourage, and provide kicks in the pants when you need them and take you in the healthful directions you are looking to go.
It's that culture that will take you from "This is what I do" (whether that is exercise, eating cleaner, or sitting on your couch every evening and only taking breaks to walk to the fridge) to "This is who I am" (whether that is an Exerciser, a Clean Foodie, or a Couch Potato).
So....who are you? And who do you want to be? Better find a group of others that are the way you want to be and start hanging out with them. Change your culture, change your world.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Thursday, July 18, 2013
The World is a Candy Store....no, seriously....think about it!
Please rethink your environment! Yoni Freedhoff is asking us to take a look at what we think is normal. It may be normal -- but is it helping us be healthy? Nope. Are you part of the solution? Or part of the problem???
Can't see the video? Click here!
Can't see the video? Click here!
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
I love this!!! Thoughts on the idea "Strong is the new Skinny"
This whole post by Fit and Feminist was a positive reading experience for me! I am a firm believer in strength training and this post really resonated with me. Here's the take home:
We don’t need a new “skinny.” We don’t need a new beauty standard, nor do we need yet another physical ideal hanging over our every thought and move like a little black cloud of doom. What we need to do is change the paradigm so that we value our bodies for all of the amazing things they let us do. We need to expand our standards of beauty to recognize that beauty shows up in all kinds of bodies. And we need to get over this idea that the most important purpose we serve on is to be beautiful for other people. We have a right to have healthy bodies, to take up space, to have appetites, to cultivate our strengths in whatever form that may take. Our time on this planet is precious and we will never, ever get it back, so let’s stop squandering it in pursuit of meaningless ideals we will most likely never attain anyway. We deserve so much better than that.
Want to read the whole post? Click here!
HT to Weight Maven for pointing me in this direction!
We don’t need a new “skinny.” We don’t need a new beauty standard, nor do we need yet another physical ideal hanging over our every thought and move like a little black cloud of doom. What we need to do is change the paradigm so that we value our bodies for all of the amazing things they let us do. We need to expand our standards of beauty to recognize that beauty shows up in all kinds of bodies. And we need to get over this idea that the most important purpose we serve on is to be beautiful for other people. We have a right to have healthy bodies, to take up space, to have appetites, to cultivate our strengths in whatever form that may take. Our time on this planet is precious and we will never, ever get it back, so let’s stop squandering it in pursuit of meaningless ideals we will most likely never attain anyway. We deserve so much better than that.
Want to read the whole post? Click here!
HT to Weight Maven for pointing me in this direction!
Thursday, May 9, 2013
So you drink diet soda?
Y'all know I am fairly anti-diet soda. But here's some information based on research (not just my paranoia):
New studies on artificial sweeteners: a puzzle
New studies on artificial sweeteners: a puzzle
from Food Politics
FoodNavigator.com reports two new studies on artificial sweeteners.
The first report says that artificially sweetened sodas do not lead to increased sugar or calorie consumption.
The second report is about a study that links diet sodas to type 2 diabetes. In a study following 66,000 women for 14 years, it found both sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and artificially sweetened beverage consumption to be associated with increased type-2 diabetes risk.
How come? We still don’t know.
One thing seems pretty clear from such studies: diet drinks don’t appear to do much good for most people and aren’t any better for health than regular sodas.
Water, anyone?
Our study study does not provide evidence to suggest that a short-term consumption of DBs [diet beverages], compared with water, increases preferences for sweet foods and beverages.
If this result proves repeatable, it leaves open the question of why the prevalence of obesity has gone up in parallel with increasing consumption of diet sodas (which it has).
So how come diet sodas don’t seem to help people maintain weight, on average? We still don’t know.The second report is about a study that links diet sodas to type 2 diabetes. In a study following 66,000 women for 14 years, it found both sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and artificially sweetened beverage consumption to be associated with increased type-2 diabetes risk.
How come? We still don’t know.
One thing seems pretty clear from such studies: diet drinks don’t appear to do much good for most people and aren’t any better for health than regular sodas.
Water, anyone?
Thursday, May 2, 2013
I need you to watch this and tell me what you think!
Can't see the video? Click here!
(but then, don't forget to tell me what you think -- is this a more clear message than other PSA's you've seen? Did it provide you with food for thought that you hadn't considered before? Did the video offend you? Talk to me!)
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
What does being sedentary do for you?
There are always consequences to our actions (or in this case inaction).
Move less and you'll be able to move less. Move more and you'll be able to move more. This isn't about running a marathon -- it's about being able to live the kind of life you want to live.
Thanks to Frank for the graphic and Yoni for point me to it!
Thanks to Frank for the graphic and Yoni for point me to it!
Friday, April 19, 2013
Yoni's Making Sense Again....
Comfort. Health. Being the appropriate weight. How does it all fit together? Hmmmm.....
The past 60 years of dieting, both for health and for weight management, have certainly seen a great many different approaches and options. But the one shared commonality is that, for the vast majority of dieters, diets are short-lived, white-knuckled affairs that, regardless of their actual dietary edicts, can be fairly described as planned suffering. And therein lies the rub.
We're not particularly good as a species at perpetual and unnecessary suffering. And just as we have been celebrating and comforting with food since time immemorial, so too have we tended to avoid unnecessary suffering. Ultimately, when life inevitably throws a blindly restrictive dieter a curve ball, dietary suffering tends to fall by the wayside; and when life lets up, the tendency for most is not to pick it up again.
I sometimes think of blindly restrictive dieting like an icy cold lake on an unseasonably hot day. You work up the nerve to dive in and, after the initial shock wears off and numbness sets in, you splash around happily for a while. But once you climb out, the memory of that initial frigidity is enough to keep you warmly on dry land— diving back in is almost never an option.
So instead of adopting a blindly restrictive, icy-cold lake diet, my advice is for you to practice thoughtful reduction. It's not about whether or not a food or an indulgence is allowed; it's whether or not you feel it's worth it to you, where worth isn't determined solely by calories or content, but also by circumstance, desire and the human condition.
This is an excerpt from Yoni Freedhoff's article at Eat+Run (don't you just love that title for a health blog??). Interested in reading the rest? Click here!
The past 60 years of dieting, both for health and for weight management, have certainly seen a great many different approaches and options. But the one shared commonality is that, for the vast majority of dieters, diets are short-lived, white-knuckled affairs that, regardless of their actual dietary edicts, can be fairly described as planned suffering. And therein lies the rub.
We're not particularly good as a species at perpetual and unnecessary suffering. And just as we have been celebrating and comforting with food since time immemorial, so too have we tended to avoid unnecessary suffering. Ultimately, when life inevitably throws a blindly restrictive dieter a curve ball, dietary suffering tends to fall by the wayside; and when life lets up, the tendency for most is not to pick it up again.
I sometimes think of blindly restrictive dieting like an icy cold lake on an unseasonably hot day. You work up the nerve to dive in and, after the initial shock wears off and numbness sets in, you splash around happily for a while. But once you climb out, the memory of that initial frigidity is enough to keep you warmly on dry land— diving back in is almost never an option.
So instead of adopting a blindly restrictive, icy-cold lake diet, my advice is for you to practice thoughtful reduction. It's not about whether or not a food or an indulgence is allowed; it's whether or not you feel it's worth it to you, where worth isn't determined solely by calories or content, but also by circumstance, desire and the human condition.
This is an excerpt from Yoni Freedhoff's article at Eat+Run (don't you just love that title for a health blog??). Interested in reading the rest? Click here!
Monday, April 8, 2013
The Number 1 Skill for Weight Management
Today's post is from Yoni Freedhoff's column at Eat+Run. Enjoy!!
What do you think it is?
I'll start by telling you what it's not. It's not willpower, determination or motivation. It's not avoiding carbs or sugar or fats. And it's not cooking, hitting the gym or sticking to your plan.
No, the most important skill in weight management is learning how to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and get back on with it. Whether it's the predictable—holidays, birthdays, anniversaries or vacations—or the unpredictable—illness, death, marital discord or injury—life has a bad habit of getting in the way of our best intentions. And mark my words, you're going to fall down.
So how do you maximize your chances of picking yourself back up? Unfortunately there's no app for that. Instead you're going to have to rely on these two simple strategies:
• First, you need to respect reality. The fact is, life happens. If you don't respect the fact that as a species we have comforted and celebrated with food since time immemorial, then the inevitable guilt, shame and frustration you're going to feel when you exercise your right as a human being to use food for purposes other than fuel may well lead you to throw in the towel.
Instead of being frustrated that your weight management or healthy living strategies are affected by reality, try to remember that your best efforts vary. The best you can do over the week of Passover or Easter is undoubtedly less healthful than the best you can do the week after. If your goal is your best, you'll never fall into the trap of repeatedly letting yourself down.
• Second, you need to like the life you're living while you're losing. This truism is perhaps the one most regularly forgotten by newly minted dieters. Ultimately, if you don't like the life you're living while you're losing, even if you lose a great deal, you're eventually going to head back toward the life you led before you lost weight.
Putting this in the perspective of reality, when life does up and offer you a reason to stray from your plan, it's going to be that much harder to get back into it if your plan was one you didn't enjoy in the first place. The more weight you'd like to permanently lose, the more of your life you'll need to permanently change. And because "permanent" is an awfully long time, truly the easiest way to evaluate the approach you've chosen for weight management or healthy living is to ask yourself: "Can I happily keep living this way?" If the answer's no, you need to find a new approach.
Put another way, the most important skill in weight management isn't a synonym of suffering, it's one of embracing imperfection, of rolling with life's pleasant and unpleasant punches; it smacks of reality, not reality TV.
The healthiest life that you can happily enjoy sometimes isn't going to be that healthy. Accepting that is weight management's most important skill.
The #1 Skill for Weight Management
What do you think it is?
I'll start by telling you what it's not. It's not willpower, determination or motivation. It's not avoiding carbs or sugar or fats. And it's not cooking, hitting the gym or sticking to your plan.
No, the most important skill in weight management is learning how to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and get back on with it. Whether it's the predictable—holidays, birthdays, anniversaries or vacations—or the unpredictable—illness, death, marital discord or injury—life has a bad habit of getting in the way of our best intentions. And mark my words, you're going to fall down.
So how do you maximize your chances of picking yourself back up? Unfortunately there's no app for that. Instead you're going to have to rely on these two simple strategies:
• First, you need to respect reality. The fact is, life happens. If you don't respect the fact that as a species we have comforted and celebrated with food since time immemorial, then the inevitable guilt, shame and frustration you're going to feel when you exercise your right as a human being to use food for purposes other than fuel may well lead you to throw in the towel.
Instead of being frustrated that your weight management or healthy living strategies are affected by reality, try to remember that your best efforts vary. The best you can do over the week of Passover or Easter is undoubtedly less healthful than the best you can do the week after. If your goal is your best, you'll never fall into the trap of repeatedly letting yourself down.
• Second, you need to like the life you're living while you're losing. This truism is perhaps the one most regularly forgotten by newly minted dieters. Ultimately, if you don't like the life you're living while you're losing, even if you lose a great deal, you're eventually going to head back toward the life you led before you lost weight.
Putting this in the perspective of reality, when life does up and offer you a reason to stray from your plan, it's going to be that much harder to get back into it if your plan was one you didn't enjoy in the first place. The more weight you'd like to permanently lose, the more of your life you'll need to permanently change. And because "permanent" is an awfully long time, truly the easiest way to evaluate the approach you've chosen for weight management or healthy living is to ask yourself: "Can I happily keep living this way?" If the answer's no, you need to find a new approach.
Put another way, the most important skill in weight management isn't a synonym of suffering, it's one of embracing imperfection, of rolling with life's pleasant and unpleasant punches; it smacks of reality, not reality TV.
The healthiest life that you can happily enjoy sometimes isn't going to be that healthy. Accepting that is weight management's most important skill.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Love this Thought!
The next time you feel lonely, disconnected or unappreciated, consider that unlike many other maladies, this one hits everyone. And unlike other challenges, this one is easily overcome by realizing that you can cure the problem by connecting, appreciating and leading.
The minute we realize that the person sitting next to us needs us (and our tribe, our forward motion and the value we create), we're able to extinguish their aloneness as well as ours.
When you shine a light, both of you can see better.
--Seth Godin
The minute we realize that the person sitting next to us needs us (and our tribe, our forward motion and the value we create), we're able to extinguish their aloneness as well as ours.
When you shine a light, both of you can see better.
--Seth Godin
Monday, March 25, 2013
Can one small difference on a package make a difference in how you perceive the healthfulness of a food??
Think we're rational decision makers? Check out this post from Fooducate:
Take a look at the candy bars above. They are identical except for one small detail in their packaging. The front of pack calorie label is red on one wrapper, green on the other. Obviously there is no difference.
But in a study conducted on close to 100 students at Cornell University, in which they were shown just one of the wrappers, students tended to think that the green labeled candy bar was healthier than the red labeled one. Just another little marketing trick that will no doubt increase sales by a few millions of dollars…
By the way, the current packaging for Twix candy bar is below. Did you notice the color of the calorie information on the bottom left?
Take a look at the candy bars above. They are identical except for one small detail in their packaging. The front of pack calorie label is red on one wrapper, green on the other. Obviously there is no difference.
But in a study conducted on close to 100 students at Cornell University, in which they were shown just one of the wrappers, students tended to think that the green labeled candy bar was healthier than the red labeled one. Just another little marketing trick that will no doubt increase sales by a few millions of dollars…
By the way, the current packaging for Twix candy bar is below. Did you notice the color of the calorie information on the bottom left?
Friday, March 22, 2013
I'm mad and you should be too!
Earlier this week, a friend emailed me this report from WWMT:
"New report breaks down health rankings county by county"
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation just published a county by county health ranking. The report looked at things like rates of childhood poverty, rates of smoking, obesity levels, teen birth rates, access to physicians and dentists, rates of high school graduation and college attendance, access to healthy foods, levels of physical inactivity, and percentages of children living in single parent households.
All that being said, Kalamazoo County ended up coming in #46 out of 82 in Michigan! Really?! This is the best we can do?!
We have a GREAT county! Kalamazoo has 29 parks and linear trails (and perhaps more because this list may not be completely up to date), 6 county parks, numerous city parks, hundreds of miles of sidewalks and bike trails. Two fabulous hospitals (although you know I am more partial to one than the other ;) Dozens of professionals to help you create a healthy lifestyle. Educational opportunities...grocery stores...farmers markets...cooking lessons...an economy that is on the mend (household income is highly related to health outcomes).
But look at what RWJF was measuring:
To a great extent, we are in charge of our health. Sure, there are always those situations that crop up that we can't control -- but these WE CAN.
The fact that Kalamazoo (with its great small towns, festivals, fun city center, great music and arts scene, and I could go on....) is only 46th feels like a personal and professional failure to me! Kalamazoo county should be at the TOP of that list! There is no reason it can't be....
Except that you and I are going to need to get to work. We need to exercise, spend more time in our own kitchens, make use of the great opportunities for education, professional growth, and healthcare. We need to start taking care of ourselves if we want to improve the health outcomes for our next generation -- they are picking up our habits (both the good ones and the bad ones). We need to pull our friends and neighbors into our healthy causes -- get outside and play for goodness sake!
I don't like being 46th out of 82. That's C range -- and for any of you who know me, you know I am an overachiever A student and I love gold stars! There are no gold stars for any of us here :(
But we can get there -- both individually and as a community. We have a GREAT start and a lot of infrastructure in place to help us on the road to better health. We just need to make use of it.
So tell me: Are you with me? Are you ready to make health a greater priority in your life? Are you ready to "Love where you live" because it supports greater health? I am. Let's get started!!!
"New report breaks down health rankings county by county"
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation just published a county by county health ranking. The report looked at things like rates of childhood poverty, rates of smoking, obesity levels, teen birth rates, access to physicians and dentists, rates of high school graduation and college attendance, access to healthy foods, levels of physical inactivity, and percentages of children living in single parent households.
All that being said, Kalamazoo County ended up coming in #46 out of 82 in Michigan! Really?! This is the best we can do?!
We have a GREAT county! Kalamazoo has 29 parks and linear trails (and perhaps more because this list may not be completely up to date), 6 county parks, numerous city parks, hundreds of miles of sidewalks and bike trails. Two fabulous hospitals (although you know I am more partial to one than the other ;) Dozens of professionals to help you create a healthy lifestyle. Educational opportunities...grocery stores...farmers markets...cooking lessons...an economy that is on the mend (household income is highly related to health outcomes).
But look at what RWJF was measuring:
- Childhood Poverty
- Rates of smoking**
- Obesity levels**
- Teen birth rates**
- Access to healthcare professionals
- Education rates
- Access to healthy food
- Levels of inactivity**
- Single parent households
To a great extent, we are in charge of our health. Sure, there are always those situations that crop up that we can't control -- but these WE CAN.
The fact that Kalamazoo (with its great small towns, festivals, fun city center, great music and arts scene, and I could go on....) is only 46th feels like a personal and professional failure to me! Kalamazoo county should be at the TOP of that list! There is no reason it can't be....
Except that you and I are going to need to get to work. We need to exercise, spend more time in our own kitchens, make use of the great opportunities for education, professional growth, and healthcare. We need to start taking care of ourselves if we want to improve the health outcomes for our next generation -- they are picking up our habits (both the good ones and the bad ones). We need to pull our friends and neighbors into our healthy causes -- get outside and play for goodness sake!
I don't like being 46th out of 82. That's C range -- and for any of you who know me, you know I am an overachiever A student and I love gold stars! There are no gold stars for any of us here :(
But we can get there -- both individually and as a community. We have a GREAT start and a lot of infrastructure in place to help us on the road to better health. We just need to make use of it.
So tell me: Are you with me? Are you ready to make health a greater priority in your life? Are you ready to "Love where you live" because it supports greater health? I am. Let's get started!!!
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Food for Thought...
With restaurants portioning out 3-4 times the amount we should be eating (honestly, when's the last time you ate 1/4 of whatever showed up on your plate??), here's a thought about eating out....
Once upon a time, not so long ago, people ate out for a reason. Maybe it was in celebration of an anniversary, a birthday or a promotion. Maybe it was out of necessity to seal the deal with an important prospective client. Or maybe it was the understandable consequence of travel. But one thing's for sure—we didn't used to eat out simply because we could. Eating out was special. --Yoni Freedhoff
Overeating (eating any time you are not actually PHYSICALLY hungry) once in a while is no big deal. Your body will work hard to stay the same weight -- which, in this scenario means it will ramp up your metabolism to burn off the extra calories you took in. However, because we overeat all the time (think about the afternoon soda you're drinking because your bored with the project you're working on), the body can't burn off all of the extra calories -- your body has no other choice but to store them.
There is another solution -- eat at home...as the rule, not the exception. Don't have time? I don't believe that. We have exactly as much time as we've ever had -- we just have different priorities. What are your priorities?
Once upon a time, not so long ago, people ate out for a reason. Maybe it was in celebration of an anniversary, a birthday or a promotion. Maybe it was out of necessity to seal the deal with an important prospective client. Or maybe it was the understandable consequence of travel. But one thing's for sure—we didn't used to eat out simply because we could. Eating out was special. --Yoni Freedhoff
Overeating (eating any time you are not actually PHYSICALLY hungry) once in a while is no big deal. Your body will work hard to stay the same weight -- which, in this scenario means it will ramp up your metabolism to burn off the extra calories you took in. However, because we overeat all the time (think about the afternoon soda you're drinking because your bored with the project you're working on), the body can't burn off all of the extra calories -- your body has no other choice but to store them.
There is another solution -- eat at home...as the rule, not the exception. Don't have time? I don't believe that. We have exactly as much time as we've ever had -- we just have different priorities. What are your priorities?
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Tony Schwartz talks about Mindfulness
Tony Schwartz, from the Energy Project, has a lot of ideas about productivity, creativity, and reenergizing our work. One of his keys? Mindfulness......
How to Be Mindful in an 'Unmanageable' World
It seemed fitting to me that Arianna described the challenges so many of us face in our work — and in our lives more broadly — by using the language of addiction. Her words rang especially true because I happen in the midst of reading a book by Bryan Robinson titled "Chained to the Desk: A Guidebook for Workaholics."
The addiction of our times is digital connection, instant gratification, and the cheap adrenalin high of constant busyness. The heartening news is that more and more leaders in big companies are beginning to recognize the insidious costs of moving so relentlessly and at such high speeds.
Wisdom 2.0 focused on technology — a primary driver of the increasing unmanageability of our lives. The conference was launched three years ago as a meeting between people from the meditation community and the tech world in Silicon Valley to discuss how to use technology more wisely.
Paradoxically, the most important solution I heard is to use technology less frequently, and more intentionally. Or, as Sherry Turkle, a professor at MIT, put it in her talk: "There need to be places in our lives and in our organizations that are device-free zones."
Just below the surface of our shared compulsion to do ever more, ever faster, is a deep hunger to do less, more slowly. I saw proof of that a couple of weeks ago, when I wrote an article for The New York Times titled "Relax! You'll Be More Productive." It focused on the growing scientific evidence that when we build in more time for sleep, naps, breaks, and vacations, we become not just healthier and happier, but also more productive. The piece prompted an avalanche of response, much of it poignantly describing the sense of overwhelm people are feeling at work.
The search to find ways to deal with these issues was evident at Wisdom 2.0. Padmasree Warrior, the chief technology and strategy officer at Cisco, described in compelling detail the behaviors she's built into her life to take her out of rapid-fire analytical, "doing" mode. She meditates for 20 minutes every day. On the weekends, she paints and takes photographs. Even when she tweets, she often does so in haikus — as a way to put herself in a more creative mode.
Jeff Weiner, the CEO of LinkedIn, talked about how compassion has become a centerpiece of his management style. More specifically, he described how compassion requires slowing down and taking the time to truly listen to others. It means understanding where they're coming from, caring about the struggles they're facing, and the baggage they're carrying.
Bill Ford, the executive chairman of Ford Motor Company, talked about the harrowing experience he went through when Ford nearly declared bankruptcy several years ago. Taking time to meditate each day was critical. "The practice of mindfulness kept me going during the darkest days," he said. He also took time each morning to "set an intention" to deal with whatever arose that day with a sense of compassion and kindness.
In my own life, I've found that both my productivity and my sense of well-being depend more than ever on building more time into the day to renew, reflect, and connect with others. Two such experiences at Wisdom 2.0 had to do with taking time to get away from the activity of the conference itself. The first was wandering over to a chill out room sponsored by Google, lying down on a mat next to several others doing the same thing, and taking a nap. When I got up 45 minutes later, I felt refreshed and able to fully reengage in the conference.
My second revelatory experience was a lunch I shared with two new friends who were also attending the conference. We ended up spending more than two hours together, free of digital interruptions, just talking, reflecting, laughing, and hanging out. How often do most of us take the time to truly connect with work colleagues — much less friends — and how much richer are we for it when we do return to our work?
Speed, distraction, and instant gratification are the enemies of nearly everything that matters most in our lives. Creating long-term value — for ourselves and for others — requires more authentic connection, reflection, and the courage to delay immediate gratification. That's wisdom in action.
Friday, March 1, 2013
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Monday, February 25, 2013
Something to think about....
From Weight Maven's blog:
A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they’d be asked the “half empty or half full” question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: “How heavy is this glass of water?”
Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.
She replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.” She continued, “The stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything.”
It’s important to remember to let go of your stresses. As early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don’t carry them through the evening and into the night, and day after day. Remember to put the glass down!
A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they’d be asked the “half empty or half full” question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: “How heavy is this glass of water?”
Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.
She replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.” She continued, “The stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything.”
It’s important to remember to let go of your stresses. As early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don’t carry them through the evening and into the night, and day after day. Remember to put the glass down!
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Friday, February 15, 2013
He did it so well!
Get ready for a rant, Ladies and Gentlemen!! Normally, it would be me going off about our responsibility to the kids around us but Jamie Oliver did it so well, I decided to give you a break from reading and give you this TED talk to watch.
My favorite bits??
In the length of this video 4 Americans will die --- DIE because of the food they eat.
"The power of food has a primal place in our homes that binds us to the best bits of life."
"We spend our lives being paranoid about death, homicide, murder.....when heart disease, cancers, and stroke are BY FAR the biggest killers in America." And they are DIET RELATED diseases. YOU can do something about them. In fact, you do something about them EVERYDAY -- 220+ times a day you make choices that will either make you healthier.....or not.
But before I just transcribe all the bits of this video I like -- watch it. AND REMEMBER: it's not just about you. The choices you make today, as adults, are impacting EVERYONE around you. And they have the biggest impact on those most vulnerable -- the kids who are learning from your choices and values. What are you teaching them?
HT to Pete at Runblogger for point me in this direction!
My favorite bits??
In the length of this video 4 Americans will die --- DIE because of the food they eat.
"The power of food has a primal place in our homes that binds us to the best bits of life."
"We spend our lives being paranoid about death, homicide, murder.....when heart disease, cancers, and stroke are BY FAR the biggest killers in America." And they are DIET RELATED diseases. YOU can do something about them. In fact, you do something about them EVERYDAY -- 220+ times a day you make choices that will either make you healthier.....or not.
But before I just transcribe all the bits of this video I like -- watch it. AND REMEMBER: it's not just about you. The choices you make today, as adults, are impacting EVERYONE around you. And they have the biggest impact on those most vulnerable -- the kids who are learning from your choices and values. What are you teaching them?
HT to Pete at Runblogger for point me in this direction!
Friday, February 8, 2013
Normal
I've been thinking a lot about "normal" lately. If you were at my presentation last week at The Best Fitness Center in the World, you already know I talked about how our "normal" eating patterns are making us fat.
A couple weeks ago, I talked to a very interesting woman who is a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association. She said this it is so "normal" to be on blood pressure medications and/or to have had a stent (or 4) that people do not make the connection that either of those things mean you have heart disease. Heart disease -- think about that! Heart disease in a large proportion of our population doesn't seem normal -- even though we are perfectly accepting of blood pressure meds (and yes, "just a water pill" counts, too) because it's "normal".
And here is another quote from Weight Maven:
Metabolically healthy people do not need to be on macronutrient restrictive diets. Metabolically dysfunctional people may need to follow restrictive diets, but their long-term goal should be to return the body to healthy metabolic function, and the primary way to do that is regular physical activity.
My contention is we've forgotten that moving is NORMAL. Sitting for hours on end is ABNORMAL (yes, I mean you! And only because I know what I do in a day....I work at an FC for goodness sake, I workout, and I keep a clean house....and I sit much more than I should! Research shows I'm not the only one!)
So you can tell yourself that you're active enough ... and if you're a triathlete training for an Iron Man, I will believe you. But if you're just about anyone else, maybe your kind of active but you could do with an additional boost to your activity levels (especially this time of year -- at least here in the Midwest).
Let's get back to Weight Maven's quote:
The goal of a "diet" and exercise should be to return your body to balance and health......not look better at the May wedding you have to attend. But that's not really how we look at weight, is it? And that, my friends, is why most of us return to our heavier-than-we-want-to-be selves once the wedding is done.
We looked great -- goal achieved -- back to our "normal" non-wedding selves.....and the weight. The weight comes back on because that is the "normal" we've chosen to put our energy into. We've chosen to believe we can be healthy without moving A LOT. We've chosen to believe that we can eat more than our body burns so the excess needs to be stored as fat -- and that nothing bad will come of it. We have created fantasies around our "normal" that many times turn into nightmares. Is this really the way you want to live? Which begs the question: What do you want to be normal for you?
A couple weeks ago, I talked to a very interesting woman who is a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association. She said this it is so "normal" to be on blood pressure medications and/or to have had a stent (or 4) that people do not make the connection that either of those things mean you have heart disease. Heart disease -- think about that! Heart disease in a large proportion of our population doesn't seem normal -- even though we are perfectly accepting of blood pressure meds (and yes, "just a water pill" counts, too) because it's "normal".
And here is another quote from Weight Maven:
“If you’re inactive, you probably don’t need much in the way of carbs. But humans aren’t metabolically normal unless they’re active on a regular basis. So the healthy solution isn’t to go low-carb, it’s to increase activity level to the point where you need the carbs” (Amber at Go Kaleo)
The relationship between metabolic health and exercise is one primary focus of my blog here, so when someone else says so succinctly what I believe is an important and far too often completely and willfully ignored truth, I think it’s worth highlighting. …
Metabolically healthy people do not need to be on macronutrient restrictive diets. Metabolically dysfunctional people may need to follow restrictive diets, but their long-term goal should be to return the body to healthy metabolic function, and the primary way to do that is regular physical activity.
My contention is we've forgotten that moving is NORMAL. Sitting for hours on end is ABNORMAL (yes, I mean you! And only because I know what I do in a day....I work at an FC for goodness sake, I workout, and I keep a clean house....and I sit much more than I should! Research shows I'm not the only one!)
So you can tell yourself that you're active enough ... and if you're a triathlete training for an Iron Man, I will believe you. But if you're just about anyone else, maybe your kind of active but you could do with an additional boost to your activity levels (especially this time of year -- at least here in the Midwest).
Let's get back to Weight Maven's quote:
The goal of a "diet" and exercise should be to return your body to balance and health......not look better at the May wedding you have to attend. But that's not really how we look at weight, is it? And that, my friends, is why most of us return to our heavier-than-we-want-to-be selves once the wedding is done.
We looked great -- goal achieved -- back to our "normal" non-wedding selves.....and the weight. The weight comes back on because that is the "normal" we've chosen to put our energy into. We've chosen to believe we can be healthy without moving A LOT. We've chosen to believe that we can eat more than our body burns so the excess needs to be stored as fat -- and that nothing bad will come of it. We have created fantasies around our "normal" that many times turn into nightmares. Is this really the way you want to live? Which begs the question: What do you want to be normal for you?
Friday, February 1, 2013
Call to Action!
Alright, Ladies and Gentlemen:
What you do today matters! Just because we can't see the results of all of our actions, doesn't mean doesn't mean they don't exist!
How are you going to make the world a better place today?
(Can't see the video? Click here!)
Thanks, Erika!
What you do today matters! Just because we can't see the results of all of our actions, doesn't mean doesn't mean they don't exist!
How are you going to make the world a better place today?
(Can't see the video? Click here!)
Thanks, Erika!
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