Michael Polan Rules

If I were to recommend one book in this entire world for healthy eating, it would be Michael Polan's Food Rules. This is the best non-diet diet book I've ever come across. When you establish a healthy eating plan, you should pick something you can stick with for...well, for your entire life. Diets that are only temporary are usually inefficient and sometimes unhealthy. Changing your diet for the better should be something you can establish for a lifetime. That sounds daunting, but it's really not. Consider the three easiest diet rules you've ever seen:

Rule Number One: What should I eat? Eat food.
Rule Number Two: What kind of food should I eat? Mostly plants.
Rule Number Three: How much should I eat? Not too much.

1. For the most part, try to eat real food, not processed food. The more "pure" a food is, the better. It's not adulterated, altered, tainted with additives or ground into an unidentified substance. It still provides optimal levels of vitamins and antioxidants.

2. According to the pyramid, the things you should be eating the most servings of are fruits and vegetables. Whole grains are also high on the list. Sprinkle produce all throughout your day and you can hardly go wrong.

3. Pare down your serving sizes. Everything should be eaten in moderation. Pay attention to serving sizes. Don't eat the whole pie, but certainly don't forget to savor your sliver!

I would add Rule Number Four: Never lose an entire food group! Sure, eat food and eat mostly plants, but never do this to the exclusion of carbs, fats or any other portion of the pyramid. You'll miss out on essential nutrients, among so many other things.

What a Nightmare

My little bambino has been mighty sick lately. He's on his way to the doc right now. But the thing that concerns me most is his apparent nightmare two nights ago. I mean, the Lion King hyenas are a little scary and sometimes daddy watches something questionable, but it seems odd that a child with a pretty limited vocabulary and teeny tiny set of experiences could have such a harrowing nightmare that he picked his way in complete darkness to our bedside. He usually doesn't leave his bed until someone goes to get him. Finding him whimpering next to my bed was probably just as scary to me as it was to him to have such a nightmare, because it just kills me when he experiences such angst. Poor little guy.

So, knowing me, I had to Google "toddler nightmares" the next day because I had no idea how to approach this uncharted territory. I don't like to just ignore seemingly arbitrary things like this and I'm all about making things better for my family. The best advice I found is to ask your toddler briefly what's going on, and then change their thoughts. Go downstairs and get a glass of milk and read them another story. I like to check for monsters and pretend to eat them if the little guy suspects there are any lurking under his bed. This seems to reassure him. But there's nothing worse than being short with a toddler, so a little empathy and back-stroking go a long way. We now have a night light for his room and leave his door open so that he feels more secure.

There's a lot of irony with being a parent. While we're busy reassuring our little people that everything is OK, we're secretly worrying about upcoming bills, strange vehicle sputters, the health of our elders, our work relationships, and then some. Those petty nightmares seem to pale in comparison to real encounters with death and poverty. However, it is because of a toddler's lack of experience that those worries derived from nightmares feel just as potent as our biggest adult fears. It really puts things into perspective, as they say.

This incident also provides a lesson in thought re-patterning. I like the idea of acknowledging bad feelings and then redirecting thoughts to other more pleasant and productive things. In the real world, empathy and active listening go a long way too. It's amazing what you can learn from raising a child. More and more, these experiences reiterate the things I've learned in my own life.

This is also a lesson in the active imaginations of children. When we think they're not looking or paying attention, they're really actively absorbing more than we realize. We're going to have to be much more proactive about screening our television and word choices. My husband and I might just have to start playing the quarter game pretty soon too. Our potty mouths might get us into trouble one of these days...

Happy Blogiversary to Me!

Well, today marks the first year anniversary of my first post in the blogosphere and it feels truly inspiring. Not only am I, myself, another year stronger, but so are my words. Sometimes just getting into the habit of writing can be a struggle. But this personal place allows me to explore ideas in an informal, yet sometimes informative way. And once I get into that routine habit of writing, the ideas swirl around in my mind much more freely which, in turn, enriches my life and my writing and the momentum continues to forge ahead.

This coming year, I plan to get a little bit more technical with this blog stuff. I know, I know. I need pictures. I need Technorati to pick me up. I need to learn a little bit more about html coding and such so that I can deck these walls with extra emphasis. This is a whole new world to me. That's goal number one.

Goal number two is to blog more frequently. As I said above, the more I write, the more I start to piece things together in my head and the more receptive I am to my environment and world. It's good for the blog and it's good for me. And hopefully it's good for someone else out there.

I blog because I love the freedom of expression it gives me. It's cathartic in some ways and soul-enriching in others. I also love the outlet this blog offers me to express what I've learned to everyday people with similar interests and concerns. I am a complete fitness junkie, devoted momma and writing fanatic among many other things. And my passion is for my words and I to reach out and to make connections with people. So, we move into this second year with abundant anticipation and enthusiasm.

Take a second to peruse some of my favorites from this past year:

1. Add more roughage to your diet with these tips.
2. A personal tidbit about motherhood
3. My Ultimate Thrifty Guide to getting fit
4. My best advice for getting into a fitness habit is writing a note like this to yourself.

You Know You're a Fitness Junkie When...

...You spend over $100 on Amazon in one fell swoop. All on workout DVDs and Yoga decks. No sweat though (well, for the cost anyway). This was my attempt to spend my hard-earned Christmas money (I've been a pretty good girl this year) and capitalize on some wellness moola at work. Score!

On the menu are Ellen Barrett's Barefoot Cardio, some good ole Quick Fix and 10 Minute Solution DVDs, a Bollywood dance workout, Shape Magazine's bikini body workout, a ballet-inspired Reach workout, some Iron Yoga, a small bit of capoeira, and some Shiva Rae. Ooooh. Aaaaaah. Endorphins, my drug of choice.

And as you can tell, I despise workout monotony. I have to refresh every once in awhile or my motivation wanes. I love trying all different types of movements, as you can tell. And if I can multitask while working out, all the better (i.e. learning new dance moves, practicing meditation while I move, getting strength and cardio done in one shot).

Now, I eagerly wait by the mailbox...

Resolutions Smesolutions

I may have mentioned before that I'm not a huge fan of New Year's resolutions. I think that it's important to recognize that you are fully capable of making a resolution right this second, this very day of the year, this singular moment before the next bite reaches your mouth. I think that the "I'll start on Monday" mentality is, please forgive me, lazy. It's a giant excuse not to take control of your own habits, bodies, responsibilities and health that you have full authority over. I like to keep in the practice of making resolutions the second I think of them. I don't wait until Monday, I begin with my next meal or transaction.

However, I do appreciate the freshness that the New Year offers. The feeling of vitality all around you, the fresh outlook, that sense of starting over. Plus every business everywhere capitalizes on the New Year, so you might as well take advantage of those gym fee waivers and exercise equipment sales if you're going that route.

I would like to offer a few tips from my own experience at forming New Year's resolutions every year since I've understood the concept. Hey, just because I don't agree with waiting until the New Year to tackle your ambitions doesn't mean that I don't like to use the date as a great time to re-evaluate where I'm going. So, my advice is to try to:

1. Practice your New Year's resolutions a week or more in advance. This gives you a chance to work out the kinks, rework your schedule, and adjust the picture before you even start. If you plunge ahead on Jan 1 without any practice, it's all too easy to fall for the all-or-nothing cop-out. My resolution for 2011 is to read through the Bible and I started in November so that I have plenty of "padding" for those days I know I'll miss. Given enough time, I was able to find this Bible podcast and these complementary sermons that I can listen to while I'm working. Through this early trial, I also figured out that reading two Bible companions in tandem with the Bible readings is overkill and I know I cannot dedicate myself to that much cross-referencing and reading right now.

2. Jot down every obstacle you can foresee on one side of a piece of paper. On the other side, brainstorm solutions for overcoming those obstacles. Without a Plan B, failure will be that much easier. On the other hand, if you know exactly what your action plan will be, you won't hesitate to keep going. There WILL be obstacles.

3. Write about your efforts, vocalize your goals, and gather your cheerleaders. If you keep your resolutions inside your head, you have only yourself to hold you accountable. When you put your plan in print, you are solidifying it and making it real. You are reminded of your efforts with every glance where memory may have failed you. Start a blog centered around your resolutions like her, write a few goals on a Post-it® attached to your computer screen, or enlist a friend to check in on you. The more you talk about it, the more concrete the idea will be in your mind.

4. Visualize yourself successfully completely your goals with every inch of your being. Taste the sweat, hear the crowd cheering and those compliments, touch the rope at the finish line, see yourself in your new fitted clothes and experience the entire thing down to the sensory details. If in your mind you've already succeeded, then you know for sure that success is not impossible. And once you immerse yourself in that feeling of accomplishment, nothing will stop you from getting there. It feels too good.

5. Do some research. It's a whole lot easier to jump into something on Jan 1 when you know what will be expected of you. Print off that 5k training plan, read others' success stories, track your spending for a month or two before implementing a budget, and become familiar with the terms and equipment at the gym so you can nail your resolutions head-on, without hesitation. Know exactly what you're getting yourself into--or out of!

6. But don't over-plan! You are not likely to be successful at losing weight if you immediately plan to track every morsel down to the almond, subscribe to three magazines, join every online weight loss community you come across, buy piles of complicated equipment, join a gym and forgo entire food groups unless you have some sort of rare iron-clad dedication. You're setting yourself up for failure if you plan to form a million new habits at once. The most successful dieters use baby steps to achieve their goals. Implement one new measurable strategy per week such as drinking two extra glasses of water, walking 2,000 extra steps, putting away 25 extra dollars, sending out three extra resumes, or using a smaller dinner plate. Continue with what works, chuck what doesn't. I can practically guarantee that by December, or maybe even July, you will reap the rewards of all those baby steps put together.

7. Don't let your imperfections or shortcomings derail your entire plan. Who says you can't change or rewrite your goals in February to better suit your lifestyle? Certainly not me!

The Writing Structure and its Builders

Great writers know that reading is one of the most important things that they can do to improve their craft. And here's another reason why. It's not always the content itself that inspires writing, but the form the writing takes. I remember reading a book in high school and the teacher asked us to write about one thing we learned from the book. I wrote about how the book opened me up to a completely different style of writing.

The book in question was written completely in vignettes. It didn't read like a regular book with a build-up, climax, and falling action. The vignettes were sort of scattered, but still contributed to the overall story. I remember thinking: "this is truly brilliant." I can do that! That's how my mind works anyhow, in bits and scattered chunks.

In college, we read poems and then copied their forms or subjects in our own way. Recently, I read a book that I've mentioned before called Wear More Cashmere. The style of that book and its celebration of womanhood has spawned some amazing writing ideas inside of me, but that I would like to express in my own way.

I can't wait to get started!

Sugar Sugar Everywhere

I'm so excited for Christmas. My home has been decked out for weeks, the sugar cookies have come and gone, about half of the gifts have been wrapped and placed under the tree. Every evening I come home and turn on a Christmas CD while I try to figure out what's for dinner. I love showing people how much thought I've put into celebrating them as a person by choosing gifts with meaning. I've taken my son to see many-a-Santa (but he's two, so he hasn't quite caught on that he looks different each time). The snow is falling in pure white blankets. The goodwill is so thick in the air you can almost taste it. But instead of taste it, you stop to check the calories...

I'm here to petition that we do not take the cheer out of the holiday treats. Everywhere around me, I keep hearing people grumbling and then taking fistfuls of treats almost reluctantly. At my lunch break exercise class, there was moaning during the walking lunges about how we'd better treat ourselves to extra pecan pie for this. There's something just so wrong with this picture. We shouldn't be lamenting these bountiful gifts from friends, family, business vendors, etc.

Please, by all means, have fun with the outpouring of Christmas suga'. Grab a few chocolate-covered pretzels and really enjoy each roll across the tongue. This is a rare once-a-year treat. Take an extra lap around the building before grabbing a cookie if you must, but please grab a cookie! Maybe not ten, but at least one or two. The more you fight it, the worse off you're going to be anyway. This is a time to celebrate, to enjoy, to indulge. What's to celebrate if you're too busy worrying about that monster chocolate cake you just bit into?