Try a new perspective...

So there I was, heating something in the microwave and as I zoned out I saw the whole kitchen reflected in the door (bear with me on this).  I thought how different everything looked - not even really that familiar anymore - the bay window and kitchen table were on the left side now, with the oven, refrigerator and counters on the north side of the house...while everything was identical, it was also very different, chiral, if you will (an Organic Chem term, thankyouverymuch).  Then I got to thinking about how different perspectives can make things - no two people see the same exact thing at the same exact time, and each may have a vastly different interpretation of an event, or occurrence.  Much like when kid #1 explodes at kid #2 and there's a battle afoot...I know I'll have two different perspectives, or sides of the story.  Mostly, by their own claims, both kids are "100% innocent"; all words were said very sweetly - no sarcasm or mal intent meant - so it's completely the other kid's fault.  Sometimes I even think both kids truly believe their own sides of the story, hence the different perspective, but that doesn't really help matters, particularly when I didn't witness the whole incident.  That's what two separate rooms are for...separation works wonders for infighting. 

So where am I going with this? 

We all have our own sets of eyes & ears which are hard wired to our very own gray matter.  What we see, hear, feel, and experience as we grow up shapes us as adults, right?  Some of us can be very stubborn and "set in our ways", while others might be more open to experimentation and trying new things (or somewhere in the middle).  Take for example my Grandfather.  No man I've ever met was more stubborn or set in his ways than he.  There was no point to try to argue or enough money in the world that would change his mind about, well, most everything.  God love him, he was difficult to have any sort of two-sided conversation with - so we just listened to his side of the story (and he had some doozies!) and appreciated his 90+ years of wisdom, whether it mirrored my beliefs or not. 

On the other hand...I've surrounded myself with people who believe that the "sky's the limit" when it comes to health and wellness.  Always eager to learn about and try new things from food to sports...and since I've become part of the group, I guess I have a hard time with the somewhat common "I could never ____" limitation people put on themselves. 



"Bought in July '09/August '05; Never been refrigerated;
Never had any mold; Refuses to decay; Looks like the day
bought; Box and paper falling apart"

So here's my thought:  we as a whole are experiencing an emergency when it comes to our health and quality of life.  Why?  We eat terribly and live a mostly sedentary lifestyle.  I know you've heard it all before, yadda yadda yadda.  But it's 100% true - our food (and lack of exercise) is killing us.  Not only is the quality of our food crappy, but we eat too much...AND we mostly believe we can't live without it.  Or we try to eat a little bit better...but it's not enough...because we just couldn't bear to give up (insert food category here), or life just wouldn't be the same without (insert food category here).  Really?  Our quality of life would plummet because we couldn't eat something?  I hope that sounds absurd, because it is. 
Alright, enough with the negative diatribe...what I'm ultimately getting at here is that we can try new things.  We can reprogram our taste buds to like whole foods - really taste real food.  We can slow down just a little and be mindful of what we put in our mouths [In fact, there's a study out there showing people who chewed their food more times were healthier and weighed less than people who hardly chewed their food at all (link)].  We can prevent some of the very diseases that will likely take us from our loved ones too early. 

Why not try a new perspective on food?  Even if it's using "baby steps" (see my last post), we've got nothing to lose, and everything to gain (or the opposite, depending on your perspective!).

A Resolution for No Resolutions?

Well, the past few weeks have really gotten away from me...Christmas has come and gone, as has New Year's Eve and my "baby's" 5th birthday.  All I did was blink...where in the world did 2011 go?!

Anyway, as I move into a brand new year, I have decided to not make any "resolutions".  New Year's Resolutions have become a joke of sorts in my mind - I've noticed quite a few FB status updates and tweets here and there lamenting that there's no space in the gym or equipment availability because of all the newbies who've made it a resolution to get in shape...but then there's always the snide comment saying "don't worry, things will be back to normal in only a few weeks"...which for all intents and purposes is true.  Everyone knows they can/should "do better" in at least one aspect of life - fitness, food, money, etc.  We might "resolve" to make drastic changes, only to come up short when we feel like it's just too hard to maintain the change...we're so used to our routines and habits, it can seem insurmountable at times.  If we target a specific date...if we psych ourselves up enough...maybe, just maybe, we can leap the hurdle and be home free - a changed and happier person forever!  Not likely.

Don't get me wrong- there are people out there who've managed to cold turkey what ever bad habit they had, and kick it to the curb forever and ever.  But they are definitely few and far between...and who knows their motivation?  Staring death in the face, or some other unthinkable outcome lurking around the corner for sure...

So then, what about the rest of us?  Well, I'm not an expert by any means.  But I do know that drastic changes throw me into a tailspin...akin to torture.  Hence the "no resolutions" resolution.  (Oops - did I make a resolution?!)  It's babysteps for me.  Little, individual changes...slowly introduced one at a time.  Once I get used to something, then I'll bring another small change into the mix...my blood pressure stays relatively normal, I don't get stressed out, and POW!  A change for the better, in the right direction.  All that needs to be done is ignore or talk myself down from the "I want it NOW!" feelings that pop up when, say, my pants feel too tight.  Like right after New Year's Eve.  Let's just say that was my motivation to make a goal to eat a few extra fruits & veggies every day.

So, as I bid adieu and goodnight, enjoy the above clip from "What About Bob".  A true classic.

Happy 2012 to you all!