Health and Fitness has been one of my primary research areas. I am continually finding new information relative to nutrition and constantly working towards improving and changing up my fitness routines. That said, I also am not what you would consider a “natural” at being healthy. My body and mind gravitate towards the sugary-fatty-carb-heavy foods and I also lack the natural ability to stop myself. So, for me, health is constant work. I have to stay conscious about what I’m eating and why. Because this has become such a passion for me, I have decided to blog about nutrition in a multi-part series. I will first address some important basics about nutrition and and then we’ll discuss some different theories on nutrition and how we should be eating to maximize our health and vitality. There are a wealth of different opinions on the subject. After using myself as a guinea pig for many years, I have definitely formed my own opinion about what I believe to be best for my body. This is the first part of the series, an introduction if you will about what I will be writing about in the coming weeks. As an added incentive for change for myself, I am also going to share with my readers my journey on my newest health and nutrition experiment.

Among some of the most important nutrition concepts for me is natural, organic and unprocessed foods. I was a vegetarian for many years because I could not come to terms with what they were doing to (and putting in) the factory farm animals we ate.  However, after many years of additional nutrition eduction I believe that we as humans need to consume meat (although the caveat to this is that we do NOT need to eat as much as we think). Now I choose to buy only grass-finished beef, fully organic and farm-raised chickens, eggs, etc. I will not eat an animal or animal product that has come from the factory-farming system. While there is a definite increase in price for choosing to eat this way, if you eat less animal products than the current American each day, it will balance out fairly well. Natural and organic eating includes fruits and vegetables as well.

Another important aspect of nutrition is balancing the macro-nutrients (protein, carbohydrates, and fat), and staying aware of the nutrient density of your food choices. Nutrient density is a function of the quantity nutrients (micro-nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, amino acids, etc.) contained in the food per calorie. A good example would be to compare something like spinach which has one of the highest food densities to a Twinkie, which has basically nothing (I wouldn’t even consider it a food to be hones). In a cup of spinach is 10 calories and a multitude of vitamins and minerals. Twinkies have 15 times as many calories and no nutrients. Americans tend to eat too many calories… this is a fact that is most obvious to everyone at this point. In addition to our weight problem, we also suffer from malnutrition problems that cause everything from cancer to kidney and liver disease, poor immune system function, to diabetes. Americans eat high-calorie, low-nutrient dense foods.

There are many thoughts about what we should be eating. The macro-nutrient breakdown has been changed and modified and depending on the school of thought can be anywhere from 60% carbs, 15% fat, and 15% protein to 0% carbs, 40% fat and 60% protein. Generally there is some scientific study or book to back up the breakdown percentages. We will discuss these differences and how these macro-nutrient breakdowns can effect people differently. There are also many things that we eat everyday that I think we’re only recently beginning to realize are bad for us. Things like gluten, dairy, and refined sugar. We’ll also talk about how these food-types effect the body and why they may be worth cutting out of your diet.

Finally, I am going to discuss some of the mainstream diets out there that people tend to follow, the pros and cons of each, and then I will discuss some that are not yet mainstream, but are beginning to pick up speed. My next “experiment” with nutrition will be taking one of these newer theories for 30 days and blogging about how it is working.

Too many of us blindly put things in our mouths without stopping to consider how it contributes to our health problems. I think everyone is aware of the connection between diet and diabetes and heart-disease; however, I am a believer that the majority of our health problems in modern society our a function of what we eat. Here is a list of the upcoming posts in the series:

• Macro-nutrients: carbs, protein, and fat and their role in regulating metabolic hormones
• Organic vs. conventional; grain fed vs. grass finished
• Nutrient density; learning how to shop healthy
• Gluten, Dairy, and Refined Sugar- what you should know
• Acid-Alkaline factors- why its important and how you can improve your balance
• Common diets- the good, the bad, and the ugly
• Another perspective- new and different ideas about eating
• A weekly update post about my new health experiment

I hope people will participate in this series. Feel free to ask questions and add to these posts. While I spend much of my free time reading and researching these topics, I am by no means an expert. I welcome other ideas and perspectives! Happy reading.

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This is the time of year where I get a reality check on just how much I have going on and just how badly I manage it sometimes. My two boys have just started their football season, school starts in a week, and of course there is work, the house, the puppy, etc. In the end, I feel like I am so busy that I can’t attend to any of my responsibilities the way I should; that I’m simply running around like crazy just trying to maintain the status quo.

To me, I feel like I’m on a high-speed train and I can’t get off. While I realize that we live the life we choose, I do sometimes need to slow things down- just for a bit- to catch my breath and find a moment of sanity. If there is anyone out there feeling a little overwhelmed, here are some ideas to slowing down your train and getting some much-needed recharge time.

• Absolutely make NO plans on one weekend day. Don’t tell anyone where you are, and don’t make yourself available that day to anyone but yourself. Then, do your most favorite thing (hiking, baking, running, sleeping, etc.).

• Turn your bathroom into a “mini-getaway”. Decorate with candles, add some music, etc. Find your favorite aromatherapy scents and oils and draw yourself a bath. Take your time, listen to the music, read a book… but most importantly be in the moment.

• Go for a walk. Don’t think about what you have to do, what you didn’t do… those are all past and future thoughts. Be in the PRESENT. Only think about what is happening to you in that moment. What do you see? What do you smell? What does the sky look like? Give yourself a break from worrying about everything else and just enjoy the walk.

• Call up a friend that you haven’t seen in ages because you’re too busy and get together. Go see a movie, go play golf- whatever it is that the two of your most enjoy.

• Do something spontaneous. Get in your car and just drive (or get on the bus). Just go. Don’t have a plan, just drive and let things happen however they happen. You might be surprised what your day will turn into if you let it develop on its own.

There are endless possibilities for taking the time to slow down and just… breathe. The main point here is to make sure that you do it. If you never stop to enjoy the present, then what exactly is the point of all that we do? Enjoy the present, worry less about the future and worry NOT about the past.

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Sometimes the hardest part of my day is reminding myself of the present. Probably the most important thing any of us can do is be present in our lives. But that proves always to be easier said than done.

I suspect in simpler times, it was much easier; everything we did had a direct effect on our survival. Everything we did was effecting the present. Now, we don’t hunt for our food, run from predators, or find emergency shelter during a storm. We go to work, sit in cubes, surf the internet. There is little reason for our minds to stay present; after all, we know that we’ll be sitting in that space for the next eight hours and that nothing of any consequence is likely to happen. Now, our minds are free to wander. Free to think about what we’ll do tomorrow. Encouraged to think about what we want for our lives in the next five years, ten years, after retirement.

But, if we’re living in our thoughts of tomorrow, then who is taking charge of our lives right now? Who is driving? Unconsciousness is driving. Unconsciousness in drivers seat of the present means that choices get made (or don’t get made) at a time when they actually matter, but you’re not there to oversee the changes that are (or aren’t) occurring.

The choices we make in the present, effect what happens to us tomorrow. Our ability to effect and change tomorrow depends on what we do in the present. It is simply a matter of seeing that tomorrow and five years from now does not exist. Yesterday does not exist. They are simply concepts and moments of present that have already passed us by or have yet to occur. When tomorrow comes, will we not see that we are living in it? Will we be sitting around thinking about the next tomorrow?

Living in the present means accepting the current moment just as it is. Making the best of the moment, regardless of where it is or what you’re doing. Sometimes, it may bring us to the realization that the present is not making us happy, but that gives us the chance to actually effect what our tomorrow will be, right?

If we are unconscious in the present, then when the tomorrow we are planning for becomes the present, we will be no more conscious than we were yesterday, for we will still be thinking about tomorrow. The present is the only place to make change a reality. Tomorrow will always be a concept in our minds of which we cannot impact unless we turn our attention to now.

So, take a moment every day to practice recognizing the moment. Remind yourself this it is real and tomorrow is not! It is a difficult practice, very difficult because we are all so well versed in thinking ahead.

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What happened in our recent “evolution”  to cause us not only to expect things now, but to feel like we can’t survive if we have to wait for good things to come to us? Instant Gratification. I suffer from it and it’s something that I’m always fighting with because I realize how much disharmony is created in my life because of it.

It happens with everything.. for most of us, right? I mean, you see something you want, you have to have it now. Maybe it’s a car you can’t quite afford. No problem. I’ll just finance! Maybe it’s a dream job. Because some of us don’t have it NOW, we spend endless amounts of time complaining about the job we do have. Or we jump from job to job without thinking things through. Maybe it’s the need to be skinny-minny. The diet-pill market is flourishing because of our inability to set a goal and work towards it. That’s the problem. It’s the idea that we shouldn’t have to work for it. We just want it now. We don’t want to have to save money, or exercise everyday, or work hard at our jobs and learn the skills we’ll need for that dream job. No way! We want it NOW.

I’ve mentioned before my feelings about the consumerism and commercialism in the world today and how it teaches us to think this way. It’s advantageous for them if we think we can get everything we want without effort or cost. Problem is, our instant gratification which must be satiated, only ends up hurting us and our long term goals in the process.

I personally, am not sure that I’m in a career situation where I want to be long term; however, I also know there a multitude of skills that I can acquire where I’m at. If I were to be upset, anxious, and bitchy over the fact that I’m not in my dream job I then sabotage my ability to improve myself now. Similarly, if I rush out and take the first job I find that’s different than the one I’m in, I have no idea what I’m getting. In the end, trying to achieve that dream job NOW sabotage’s my ability to go out and get it later. Same with the dieter. No matter how many pills and potions you try, none of them really work or we would all be skinny. That said, taking all those things only serve to reinforce in the dieter’s mind that he/she doesn’t really have to eat right and exercise to lose weight. In the end, it sabotage’s the possibility for progress which will not only provide results, but teach proper habits.

So, while I recognize the problem, and I have my own opinion about how we got here, that leaves me with the question of How do we Get Out of this? Because this has been something that I have been thinking about often for a long time, I will tell you that there are some things that I try to ask myself to re-train myself not to think this way. Instead of Instant Gratification, I think of it as Mindful Achievement; obtaining something you want in life through mindful planning and presence; you know, working towards something.

1. I am spoiled. I have everything I could ever possibly need and more. Chances are, you’re just like me if you have internet and can read this! Put yourself in some perspective and think about people in other places in the world without clean drinking water, food, shelter and electricity. Kinda makes that second ipod (“I have a 4 gb, but an 8gb sure would be nice) seem a little less important, right?
2. What are my goals in life? Remind yourself what is truly important to you. This may be world peace, it may be your morning espresso. Whatever it is, be sure that you know what those things are so that when the itch to have anything NOW arises, you can easily assess whether or not it is part of those goals. If it isn’t, then it’s a lot easier to just plain walk away from it.
3. Do I really want/need that? If the answer is yes, then what is the best approach to obtain it? Maybe it’s saving up money, maybe it’s doing some research on nutrition. Whatever the case may be, make a plan.
4. What is the Personal Cost to me if I decide that I can’t wait to have this? For example, buying something you can’t afford because you don’t want to wait and save up for it means you’ll be paying interest. Maybe you quit a good, secure job for something different (but not quite right) because you thought it would resolve your restlessness in your career, only to realize that you traded job security for a career question mark. Force yourself to see that there is a down-side to instant gratification. While you’re at it, think about how great it will feel to achieve something without looking for the “easy way”.
5. Instant Gratification is Temporary! I won’t deny, it can be a great feeling when you get something that you want so badly… it’s almost a rush if you allow yourself to believe you need it. Problem is, that rush fades away. Quite often, you’re left with something you hadn’t thought of. A loan you can’t afford, pills that make you sick, or a job that isn’t what you had in mind.

Change is never easy. It takes constant presence and awareness to prevent your brain from falling into familiar patterns. Finding ways to achieve the goals you want without the added costs that come with having to obtain something NOW will reward you with time, money, patience, and pride. Once you’ve stepped through the process a few times, and felt the reward of mindful achievement, you won’t want to go back.

Image from: http://www.conciseguidelines.com

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While I am sure there will be things of more substance than this to write about in the future, I have to say that I have been gone from this place too long. Of course I still have a million things zipping through my Google Reader everyday; I am still fully entrenched in the blog world; I just haven’t been contributing for a while. I was (and still am) having a little bit of an identity crisis.

I know why I blog and why I read them. I want to feel connected and understood. That is to say, I am looking for ideas and connections with people to help me achieve my personal growth goals in life. So, I found myself asking “how can I blog and contribute the very thing I am myself looking for”? I felt a little bit like the “man behind the curtain” because many days I sat down to blog and felt completely lost in the craziness of life. I myself was (and will always be) a work in progress. What occurred to me though is that is the perpetual motion of personal growth. No self-respecting personal growth enthusiast, writer or reader could say they were an “expert” on the subject, because the very idea of person improvement is a life-long continuous process.

So, I have stayed away from writing because I simply did not know what to write about anymore. That said, I find my fingers itch to write and to be a contributor again. So tonight, I’m writing just to be here; a contributing (albeit ranting) member of the blogosphere. I suppose that the things that are most on my mind these days are the things that are most worth writing about; in life we are all connected and maybe the things that I struggle with can help others find the same answers to life that I seek.

I once wrote a post about making life changes when you’re in a “rut”.Although it is one of my favorite posts and I feel very connected to it, I recently awoke from my sleepwalking life to find myself in a rut. It happens to me when I get too busy with all the bullshit of everyday life to remember the bigger picture of, “how can I be a better person every day?”. And, naturally, I get so busy with everyday life (what am I going to feed the boys for dinner? Do I have time to go to the gym? Did my son get his homework done?) that I  am not ever present enough in the moment to realize it. So, I guess that is what I want to write about. How I can grow and change and find a way to be a better person today than I was yesterday. A better Mother, friend, sister, daughter, employee, lover and human being? That is the ultimate journey of my life.

So, I expect I will find myself here much more often, spewing out ideas and thoughts. It’s not answers to life that I wish to provide here, but rather a sounding board that can initiate that answers to come from anyone who reads this blog.

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