Diet Fads and Faux Pas'

I have a Facebook friend who always seems to be posting about a new diet or exercise fad. She swears of everything other than whatever her new focus is on. Right now she is adamant that the Paleo Diet is the only way to go; basically she and her family are eating like cavemen. This diet does not allow cereal, bread, dairy or beans to name a few restricted items. In the past she has trained for marathons and preached that running was the best form of exercise, and outweighed what you eat. Just two weeks ago she was feeding her daughter chocolate all day long.

Am I judging her? If I am honest, probably. I get frustrated when people can’t seem to grasp the simplicity of a healthy lifestyle. I know I shouldn’t be one to talk because I faced and continue to face my own food demons, but even with that or maybe in spite of that, I comprehend it’s not about an all or nothing approach. It’s about living a well balanced life, including exercise, some type of movement. It doesn’t mean you have to hit the gym six days a week for an hour if that’s not what you like to do. It means you do a yoga DVD at home, or you go for a walk, train for a 5K, or ride your bike. You give yourself the freedom to do choose the best form of exercise for you, not what the guy on the P90X infomercial is telling you. If you want a boot camp type of workout, then go for it, but if not, find your stride and be happy with it.

Same goes for what you put in your mouth. Don’t stress because the latest trend paints yogurt as the devil and that’s your go to healthy snack. Guess what, yogurt is a good go-to snack, as it has probiotics, protein and calcium. I recently heard about the newest diet revolution in which you can eat whatever you want but it has to be within eight hours- so from the time you eat breakfast the clock starts. That means since I eat breakfast at 7:30, I need to eat my last bite by 3:30 IN THE AFTERNOON. Maybe that works for some people, but not for me. I prefer a yogurt as a snack at 3:30.

Yes, you should mostly eat lean meats, vegetables and fruit, avoid anything deep fried or creamy, and lay off soda and candy…but that doesn’t mean as TSwift says, never, ever! EVERYTHING IN MODERATION. While I am not into soda and candy, I take great joy in dark chocolate covered almonds, Frosted Mini Wheats cereal, pita chips and frozen yogurt. I eat chicken wings on the weekend too (GASP!) and I am healthy.

I just wish we would stop putting all this pressure on ourselves to be the perfect everything…the prettiest mom, the fittest friend, the healthiest neighbor. I wish we wouldn’t compare ourselves to the trends and fads, that we wouldn’t beat ourselves up because we didn’t finish the six weeks of Insanity DVDS. We all do it, I used to get caught up and jealous of those who run 30 miles a week and act like it’s as easy as brushing their teeth. I tried to keep up for a long time but that pace wasn’t for me. I found a pace that works for me right now.

That’s the thing, life changes. Sometimes you have more time to focus on being healthy and other times you have none. So just go with it, go with the flow.  Educate yourself on health, find what makes you happy, commit to taking care of yourself, set goals, reward yourself for achieving your goals, be kind to yourself when you have an off day, and block out all the outside noise. As another great poet, XTina, sang “You are beautiful, no matter what they say…”

Truth Be Told...

With Lance Armstrong’s recent declaration of the truth, admitting to his lies and flaws, it got me to thinking…do I have amends to make, truths to share?

It’s easy for us to judge others, someone like Lance and be appalled at his behavior, shocked that someone would and could deceive on such a large scale. On the other side of it though, we are all flawed, we are human, and we have made mistakes along the way. Obviously we may not have had worldwide impact with our deceit like Lance, and I am not saying what he did was right. I am just saying that it’s all relative, and if you hurt one person or tell one lie, making peace and improving your character is something we should all strive to achieve.

Looking back on my past, I know I was not always honest or virtuous in my behavior. I made excuses and villianized the other person(s) so my words or actions were justified. I tired to make myself look better, by trying to make others look bad. I didn’t think about other people’s feelings when I made decisions and considered my needs the most important. I shared secrets I shouldn’t have. I did things I knew were wrong so I would be liked and popular.

In reading this, I sound unkind and ugly, and at times I was, and I am sure there will be times again. But at my core I have always been a caring person, and today I strive to make better decisions then I did the day before. I share this with you, because I don’t think there is a person who hasn’t gossiped, judged,  lusted after something or someone we shouldn’t have, told a lie (whether big or small) or hurt someone’s feelings. And before we start pointing fingers at other people and make bold statements that a person doesn’t have a right to a second chance or to apologize, we should look at ourselves. If with only ourselves, we should reflect on our shortcomings, take accountability, and move forward to the best tomorrow we can live.

This is 40?

I remember being a child, getting ready to go to a surprise birthday party for a family member turning 40. The details are fuzzy on the night and how it unfolded, but I clearly remember that at the time I thought 40 was the age of someone who was really grown up. It was the age of someone with their own car and house, someone who could stay up as late as they wanted and make all their own choices.

Fast forward many years later, and my husband is turning 40 tomorrow. As we are getting ready to celebrate this big birthday milestone, I have come to realize some of what I thought as a child is in fact true…we own a home, a couple of cars, and we make our own choices. What I didn’t realize back then is that making choices isn’t always easy, and we don’t particularly like to stay up late. In fact, we would love to have a bedtime of 8:00 most nights.

I also didn’t realize as a child that I would feel almost the same now as I did back then. Sure, I have matured, gained life experience and responsibility, but underneath all of that I have some the same attributes and sense of self. I still don’t like red meat. I can still be terribly insecure and I want to be liked and fit in. I still like to express myself through writing. I still love snuggling in my pjs and watching tv under the covers. I still ask my mom’s opinion on almost everything. I still like to play dress up. I have the same best friend since Kindergarten.  I still think “Growing Pains” and “Who’s The Boss” are some of the best shows ever. I still would love to sing and dance on a big stage on day. I still have my favorite stuffed animals and find comfort when I come across them. I still don’t like confrontation. I still hate that my parents fought a lot. I am still trying to figure out my place in the world.

There are so many similarities to my child and adult self, and I am sure that is the case for most of us. When we or those we love reach these milestone birthdays, it gives us cause to reflect on our lives and ourselves. For me, in these last few days of reflections I have realized that I will probably never be really grown up, no matter my age, and that I cherish my child self, because she is me today.