Or, how I pulled a beer from the fridge, and then decided I'd prefer to have a glass of ice water with a little lemon.
Tonight I stepped into the kitchen to make my son Christopher a sandwich. I opened the fridge and there it was -- the last beer. Alaskan Amber one of my current favorites.
I pulled the beer from the fridge and set about making the sandwich. Then I started thinking about my plan to go to the gym tomorrow morning. The first ten minutes of my workout would burn off the calories from the beer -- but would I even feel like going?
I love going to the gym on mornings when I wake up before my alarm, get dressed in my gym clothes and head straight to the gym near my work. My gym clothes are neatly laid out for tomorrow.
I brought Christopher his sandwich and then returned to the kitchen. There next to the ice cold beer was a bowl of lemons, and I picked one up, remembering how refreshing the lime water I'd made earlier this week after reading One Body One Life again. I stuck the beer back in the fridge and filled my 5th anniversary water glass.
Then I started thinking about temptation. What is tempting about working against myself? Does having a beer sound more appealing to me than becoming my most fit and healthiest? Especially when I am so close to being where I want to be...
What if the temptation to be in great shape starts calling to me and in those moments where I am confronted with stuff I used to think of as treats, I just see it as detours to my goal and impediments to my happiness? The more I look at "treats" that way, the less appealing they would be. The less "tempted" I would be to do things that sabotage me. The easier it would be to make the last 10 pounds be the easiest and most enjoyable.
Looking at my near empty water glass, and getting ready to grab a refill.
Salute,
Jennifer
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
The Kind Of Person Who...
Would you like to be the kind of person who is naturally slender. The kind of person who enjoys exercise and looks forward to 30 minutes of exercise as part of their daily ritual? All the things you wish could come easily and naturally to you are the things you want to start believing in.
Visualization is a word I used to shy away from.
But when I was little I lived in the world of imagining what I wanted my life to be like.
As we get older we stop saying, "When I grow up I want to be..."
So, I invite you to spend a few minutes day dreaming about what your life would be like if it were a little bit better than it is now. Maybe, nothing would be different but you'd feel more at peace with yourself. Maybe, you'd be ten pounds lighter or able to lift 50 pounds more easily.
Whatever those things are that you want, imagine yourself already having them. What if you had already figured out how to make it happen? Not focusing on how you did it -- just knowing that you did. Then, what if you can think of something that person would have done to get there.
This week, I am thinking about: every other day treats. I did the no treats for 10 days, and I made it 6 days... and then, well... you know how it goes.
So, now I am thinking one day at a time. If I did really well on one day, and good on the next, and then really well the day after that -- over the course of a year I'd see a lot of improvement.
Just an idea. It might not work. But if it does, then I will be that much closer to living the life of my dreams in the best shape of my life. And that is worth the exercise in seeing if I can indeed make my dreams come true easily and enjoyably.
Happily ever after isn't a passive thing -- it is a conscious choice and a way of being in the world.
Jennifer
Visualization is a word I used to shy away from.
But when I was little I lived in the world of imagining what I wanted my life to be like.
As we get older we stop saying, "When I grow up I want to be..."
So, I invite you to spend a few minutes day dreaming about what your life would be like if it were a little bit better than it is now. Maybe, nothing would be different but you'd feel more at peace with yourself. Maybe, you'd be ten pounds lighter or able to lift 50 pounds more easily.
Whatever those things are that you want, imagine yourself already having them. What if you had already figured out how to make it happen? Not focusing on how you did it -- just knowing that you did. Then, what if you can think of something that person would have done to get there.
This week, I am thinking about: every other day treats. I did the no treats for 10 days, and I made it 6 days... and then, well... you know how it goes.
So, now I am thinking one day at a time. If I did really well on one day, and good on the next, and then really well the day after that -- over the course of a year I'd see a lot of improvement.
Just an idea. It might not work. But if it does, then I will be that much closer to living the life of my dreams in the best shape of my life. And that is worth the exercise in seeing if I can indeed make my dreams come true easily and enjoyably.
Happily ever after isn't a passive thing -- it is a conscious choice and a way of being in the world.
Jennifer
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Sonoma Diet - Day Six
99% of the reason I picked up the Sonoma Diet book was to "get back on track"
Over the past few months, all kinds of exceptionally stressful things came my way. The biggest one by far being a death in my family. The scale started to creep up, and I really didn't care. At first.
Then, when the scale hit 160 and I was now back to the point of saying, "I've lost 95 lbs and kept it off", instead of my "I've lost over 100 pounds..." I crossed the line I had drawn in the sand.
I reached out for all kind of resources to get me back on track -- and I did them all to varying degrees of "perfection".
The past week on the Sonoma Diet has been awesome.
I love what I am eating for breakfast. I love how it sets me up to feel strong, sharp, alert for my morning.
Breakfast - 1 slice of dry whole grain toast, 1-2 scrambled egg(s) depending on how hungry I am -- every day this week. Yesterday Eric added 1/2 an avocado which was delicious.
I love what I am eating for lunch. I love how it sets me up to feel strong, sharp, alert for my afternoon.
Lunch -- mainly chicken breast (curried, grilled, roasted, and a la soup) skinless, with veggies (salad) and a little whole grain.
I love what I am eating for dinner. I love how it sets me up to feel strong, sharp, alert for my evening as I settle in to being home with my family and then allows me to relax let go, and get great sleep waking up feeling alert and excited about my day (and stepping on the scale and seeing a number that reflects my good choices).
Dinner (see lunch)
The biggest changes in what I am doing is 1) no alcohol. 2) no sugar 3) no white flour 4) no fruit 5) no eating after dinner.
For ten days. At the end of the ten days I can start adding red wine, and fruit. That sounds really enjoyable to me.
The scale was back down to 153 this morning. So I have officially lost over 100 pounds. Today begins Day Six of my eating plan and it is going to be that much easier and enjoyable to savor knowing it works and I can do it.
Jennifer
Over the past few months, all kinds of exceptionally stressful things came my way. The biggest one by far being a death in my family. The scale started to creep up, and I really didn't care. At first.
Then, when the scale hit 160 and I was now back to the point of saying, "I've lost 95 lbs and kept it off", instead of my "I've lost over 100 pounds..." I crossed the line I had drawn in the sand.
I reached out for all kind of resources to get me back on track -- and I did them all to varying degrees of "perfection".
The past week on the Sonoma Diet has been awesome.
I love what I am eating for breakfast. I love how it sets me up to feel strong, sharp, alert for my morning.
Breakfast - 1 slice of dry whole grain toast, 1-2 scrambled egg(s) depending on how hungry I am -- every day this week. Yesterday Eric added 1/2 an avocado which was delicious.
I love what I am eating for lunch. I love how it sets me up to feel strong, sharp, alert for my afternoon.
Lunch -- mainly chicken breast (curried, grilled, roasted, and a la soup) skinless, with veggies (salad) and a little whole grain.
I love what I am eating for dinner. I love how it sets me up to feel strong, sharp, alert for my evening as I settle in to being home with my family and then allows me to relax let go, and get great sleep waking up feeling alert and excited about my day (and stepping on the scale and seeing a number that reflects my good choices).
Dinner (see lunch)
The biggest changes in what I am doing is 1) no alcohol. 2) no sugar 3) no white flour 4) no fruit 5) no eating after dinner.
For ten days. At the end of the ten days I can start adding red wine, and fruit. That sounds really enjoyable to me.
The scale was back down to 153 this morning. So I have officially lost over 100 pounds. Today begins Day Six of my eating plan and it is going to be that much easier and enjoyable to savor knowing it works and I can do it.
Jennifer
5 Star Choices
Piece of Cake
Rate with Stars 1 - 5
1) How delicious it looks
2) How delicious it tastes
If you gave the cake 10 stars -- 5 for looks and 5 for how delicious you imagine it will tastes -- you'd eat the cake, right?
5 star choices is about asking more questions to get a better rating of the actual number of stars.
Example
I have a goal of wanting to live a long happy healthy enjoyable wonderful life full of good experiences.
Decision to eat a piece of cake should not be a choice between 2 things
1) Eat the cake
2) Don't eat the cake
Should not be a choice between these other 2 things
1) Desire to eat the cake
2) Desire to be thin
If all I am doing is choosing between two things, in almost every scenario I can think of -- I eat the cake. If it looks delicious, and it is delicious and I like eating delicious things, of course I would eat the cake. I'd be silly not to.
Deciding to eat the cake if it has 10 stars, 5 for looks and 5 for taste is a no-brainer.
If I add a third point value
Rate the cake on it's ability to help me reach my weight loss goal --
If I give it a 1, it is still 11 out of 15 possible points, and I eat the cake.
If I add yet another criteria -- a fourth point value
Rate the cake on it's ability to satisfy my hunger --
If I give it a 1, it is still 12 out of 20 possible points, and I eat the cake.
If I add yet another criteria -- a fifth point value
Rate the cake on it's ability to help me live a long and healthy life --
If I give it a 1, out of 25 possible points -- I now have a total of 13 out of 25
If I add yet another criteria -- a sixth point value
Am I hungry? If I'm not hungry then I am looking at 14 out of 30 points and there are finally more reasons to skip the cake then to eat it.
In the heat of the moment, someone offers you a piece of cake and it makes your mouth water, and the smell of the cake is sugary, buttery, chocolately --whatever your favorite treat//pleasure seeking identifiers. The higher it rates on the looks & perceived deliciousness scale the more likely you are to "indulge".
If I told you, "It isn't really an indulgence to eat something with empty calories." I am suggesting that your ability to rate the cake a perfect 10 is not real.
It is really by applying all 6 of the 5 star questions that you have a chance to really rank whether you want to indulge or not.
If you want to lose weight -- then there are certain foods that aren't going to help you do that. Sugar, Flour (if it's not whole grain whole wheat) are two of the top least helpful foods on the list. If I gave foods 5 stars on their ability to help you lose weight you'd see lot of pictures of vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains. If I added a section of 4 star foods you'd see more starchy vegetables added and less sweet fruits. Then 3 star foods would include all other vegetables and fruits and 2 star choices would be non-processed foods found in nature and 1 star would be every thing else. It could be a really huge book containing countless variations of foods either as individual ingredients or as meals -- but you probably already have the ability to rank foods based on the information I provided above.
The problem is if you are choosing "Eat the Cake/Don't Eat the Cake" and it has 10 out of 15 points it takes a lot of willpower to be able to pass up the cake. If you are evaluating the cake as 14 out of 30 then you may feel in control and happy with your choice. Maybe you need it to be 15 out of 35, 16 out of 40, 17 out of 45, 18 out of 50 to finally get to the point where your decision not to eat the cake feels so good to you that you'd prefer to skip it. If you need to add four more criteria to make it a much more compelling no-brainer kind of choice then add four more questions.
If I add yet another criteria -- a seventh point value
Is cake my favorite treat? If I prefer something else to this indulgence then I am looking at 15 out of 35 points and there are even more reasons to skip the cake then to eat it.
If I add yet another criteria -- an eighth point value
Am I interested in exercising 1 minute for every calorie? If I'm not interested in torturing myself like a hampster on a wheel to burn this off, then I am looking at 16 out of 40 points and there are even more reasons to skip the cake then to eat it.
If I add yet another criteria -- a ninth point value
Would I like to carry this on my body all year? If I'm not wanting to see this "treat" on my belly, bum, thighs, chin, or arms then I am looking at 17 out of 45 points and there are even more reasons to skip the cake then to eat it.
If I add yet another criteria -- a tenth point value
What question would you ask yourself to push it over the edge? If you answer this with 1 out of 5 stars then you are looking at 18 out of 50 points and there are more than enough reasons to skip the cake then to eat it.
Each of these questions gives you POWER
Each of these questions can increase your HAPPINESS
You are able to be the expert on when you want to lose weight.
When you do want to lose weight -- then use this tool as one more tool in your tool kit for being able to easily and enjoyably lose weight.
It only takes a moment to assign 1 number
Think about it.
Is the cake a 1 or 50 on the scale?
Well, you know it is generally going to be an 18 out of 50 best case scenario. That means you are able to say it gets 5 for looks and 5 for taste. That means, if you look at it and want a reason to say no you have 32 reasons to say no, and only 18 to say yes. If that gives you space to really grow and treat your body better to be able to cross the finish line to your goal -- that is awesome. It's ok to eat the cake. It's ok to decide you'd rather not lose weight. But if you are miserable where you are and you are struggling; I want you to be able to have a happier healthier easier path. I want you to live a long healthy happy life. I want you to help make the world a happier more loving kind place to live in. I believe that means we make better choices than always mindlessly saying yes to the cake. We make better choices than punishing ourselves and saying I can't have the cake. What if we don't even want the cake? What if we'd rather have something else? Maybe a walk on the beach with my son, where I can easily run along the surf with him is a million times more "delicious" to me than a bite of left over birthday cake someone has left sitting out in the lunch room. Maybe celebrating another year is about treating ourselves really well, being loving, and not eating a bunch of empty calories loaded with things that aren't going to help us extend our lives and well being.
What if just being able to say No sometimes because that is what we have learned to prefer gives us the POWER to be able to choose and create our HAPPIEST life?
Bon Appetit!
Jennifer
Rate with Stars 1 - 5
1) How delicious it looks
2) How delicious it tastes
If you gave the cake 10 stars -- 5 for looks and 5 for how delicious you imagine it will tastes -- you'd eat the cake, right?
5 star choices is about asking more questions to get a better rating of the actual number of stars.
Example
I have a goal of wanting to live a long happy healthy enjoyable wonderful life full of good experiences.
Decision to eat a piece of cake should not be a choice between 2 things
1) Eat the cake
2) Don't eat the cake
Should not be a choice between these other 2 things
1) Desire to eat the cake
2) Desire to be thin
If all I am doing is choosing between two things, in almost every scenario I can think of -- I eat the cake. If it looks delicious, and it is delicious and I like eating delicious things, of course I would eat the cake. I'd be silly not to.
Deciding to eat the cake if it has 10 stars, 5 for looks and 5 for taste is a no-brainer.
If I add a third point value
Rate the cake on it's ability to help me reach my weight loss goal --
If I give it a 1, it is still 11 out of 15 possible points, and I eat the cake.
If I add yet another criteria -- a fourth point value
Rate the cake on it's ability to satisfy my hunger --
If I give it a 1, it is still 12 out of 20 possible points, and I eat the cake.
If I add yet another criteria -- a fifth point value
Rate the cake on it's ability to help me live a long and healthy life --
If I give it a 1, out of 25 possible points -- I now have a total of 13 out of 25
If I add yet another criteria -- a sixth point value
Am I hungry? If I'm not hungry then I am looking at 14 out of 30 points and there are finally more reasons to skip the cake then to eat it.
In the heat of the moment, someone offers you a piece of cake and it makes your mouth water, and the smell of the cake is sugary, buttery, chocolately --whatever your favorite treat//pleasure seeking identifiers. The higher it rates on the looks & perceived deliciousness scale the more likely you are to "indulge".
If I told you, "It isn't really an indulgence to eat something with empty calories." I am suggesting that your ability to rate the cake a perfect 10 is not real.
It is really by applying all 6 of the 5 star questions that you have a chance to really rank whether you want to indulge or not.
If you want to lose weight -- then there are certain foods that aren't going to help you do that. Sugar, Flour (if it's not whole grain whole wheat) are two of the top least helpful foods on the list. If I gave foods 5 stars on their ability to help you lose weight you'd see lot of pictures of vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains. If I added a section of 4 star foods you'd see more starchy vegetables added and less sweet fruits. Then 3 star foods would include all other vegetables and fruits and 2 star choices would be non-processed foods found in nature and 1 star would be every thing else. It could be a really huge book containing countless variations of foods either as individual ingredients or as meals -- but you probably already have the ability to rank foods based on the information I provided above.
The problem is if you are choosing "Eat the Cake/Don't Eat the Cake" and it has 10 out of 15 points it takes a lot of willpower to be able to pass up the cake. If you are evaluating the cake as 14 out of 30 then you may feel in control and happy with your choice. Maybe you need it to be 15 out of 35, 16 out of 40, 17 out of 45, 18 out of 50 to finally get to the point where your decision not to eat the cake feels so good to you that you'd prefer to skip it. If you need to add four more criteria to make it a much more compelling no-brainer kind of choice then add four more questions.
If I add yet another criteria -- a seventh point value
Is cake my favorite treat? If I prefer something else to this indulgence then I am looking at 15 out of 35 points and there are even more reasons to skip the cake then to eat it.
If I add yet another criteria -- an eighth point value
Am I interested in exercising 1 minute for every calorie? If I'm not interested in torturing myself like a hampster on a wheel to burn this off, then I am looking at 16 out of 40 points and there are even more reasons to skip the cake then to eat it.
If I add yet another criteria -- a ninth point value
Would I like to carry this on my body all year? If I'm not wanting to see this "treat" on my belly, bum, thighs, chin, or arms then I am looking at 17 out of 45 points and there are even more reasons to skip the cake then to eat it.
If I add yet another criteria -- a tenth point value
What question would you ask yourself to push it over the edge? If you answer this with 1 out of 5 stars then you are looking at 18 out of 50 points and there are more than enough reasons to skip the cake then to eat it.
Each of these questions gives you POWER
Each of these questions can increase your HAPPINESS
You are able to be the expert on when you want to lose weight.
When you do want to lose weight -- then use this tool as one more tool in your tool kit for being able to easily and enjoyably lose weight.
It only takes a moment to assign 1 number
Think about it.
Is the cake a 1 or 50 on the scale?
Well, you know it is generally going to be an 18 out of 50 best case scenario. That means you are able to say it gets 5 for looks and 5 for taste. That means, if you look at it and want a reason to say no you have 32 reasons to say no, and only 18 to say yes. If that gives you space to really grow and treat your body better to be able to cross the finish line to your goal -- that is awesome. It's ok to eat the cake. It's ok to decide you'd rather not lose weight. But if you are miserable where you are and you are struggling; I want you to be able to have a happier healthier easier path. I want you to live a long healthy happy life. I want you to help make the world a happier more loving kind place to live in. I believe that means we make better choices than always mindlessly saying yes to the cake. We make better choices than punishing ourselves and saying I can't have the cake. What if we don't even want the cake? What if we'd rather have something else? Maybe a walk on the beach with my son, where I can easily run along the surf with him is a million times more "delicious" to me than a bite of left over birthday cake someone has left sitting out in the lunch room. Maybe celebrating another year is about treating ourselves really well, being loving, and not eating a bunch of empty calories loaded with things that aren't going to help us extend our lives and well being.
What if just being able to say No sometimes because that is what we have learned to prefer gives us the POWER to be able to choose and create our HAPPIEST life?
Bon Appetit!
Jennifer
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Stuffed - Stuff Management in the 21st century.
Stuff, in and of itself is a good thing.
You and I and everything in our universe is made up of stuff.
Quote about Stuff from The Tempest,
"We are such stuff/As dreams are made on" Shakespeare
Quote about Stuff from the film The Maltese Falcon:
"The stuff that dreams are made of." Humphrey Bogart
We stuff the turkey,and then we stuff ourselves - every Thanksgiving
We get to the point where we have too much stuff - Yard Sale!
I typed in "Stuffed" in google search and was offered a choice between Teddy Bears at Target and Dictionary Definitions. Even the dictionary definition offered a header section with sponsored links.
Stuffed - sponsored links - Teddy Bears with Photo - Add a Favorite Photo to a Stuffed Teddy Bear - stuffed animals - Find stuffed animals Online, Free Shipping $50 on 100,000 items Wholesale Stuffed Animals - Shop Lions, Tigers, Bears & More! Free Shipping on Orders $349 and Up.
If I had gotten up out of my chair, grabbed my dictionary I would have avoided this whole world of information I hadn't been seeking -- but part of what I am thinking about this morning is all about all that extra stuff we get bombarded with at almost every waking moment we are connected with the outside world (via internet, tv, radio, our phones, the stores we shop at the things in our cupboards and hanging on our walls.)
We are made up of and surrounded by stuff.
One man's trash is another man's treasure -- but at the end of it all, it is all just "stuff".
I passed over the sponsor's kind opportunities to consume and went straight to the choice I had been searching for. Warning -- just like the word itself, the definition of the word stuff is incredibly broad.
Free Dictionary Definition of the word Stuff:
stuff (stf)
n.
1. The material out of which something is made or formed; substance.
2. The essential substance or elements; essence: "We are such stuff/As dreams are made on" (Shakespeare).
3. Informal
a. Unspecified material: Put that stuff over there.
b. Household or personal articles considered as a group.
c. Worthless objects.
4. Slang Specific talk or actions: Don't give me that stuff about being tired.
5. Sports
a. The control a player has over a ball, especially to give it spin, english, curve, or speed.
b. The spin, english, curve, or speed imparted to a ball: "where we could watch the stuff, mainly curves, that the pitchers were putting on the ball" (James Henry Gray).
6. Basketball A dunk shot.
7. Special capability: The team really showed its stuff and won the championship.
8. Chiefly British Woven material, especially woolens.
9. Slang Money; cash.
10. Slang A drug, especially one that is illegal or habit-forming.
v. stuffed, stuff·ing, stuffs
v.tr.
1.
a. To pack (a container) tightly; cram: stuff a Christmas stocking.
b. To block (a passage); plug: stuff a crack with caulking.
c. Basketball To block (a shot or an opponent who is shooting), especially before the ball leaves the shooter's hands.
2.
a. To place forcefully into a container or space; thrust: stuffed laundry into the bag.
b. Sports To shoot (a ball or puck) forcefully into the goal from close range.
c. Basketball To dunk (the ball).
3.
a. To fill with an appropriate stuffing: stuff a pillow.
b. To fill (an animal skin) to restore its natural form for mounting or display.
4. To cram with food.
5. To fill (the mind): His head is stuffed with silly notions.
6. To put fraudulent votes into (a ballot box).
7. To apply a preservative and softening agent to (leather).
v.intr.
To overeat; gorge.
Idioms:
stuff it Vulgar Slang
Used as an intensive to express extreme anger, frustration, or disgust.
stuff (one's) face Slang
To eat greedily.
Our bodies are formed by a complicated symphony of our thoughts and actions. According to quantum physicists we are literally made up of what we are around, as matter is not the solid material we see, the things I surround myself with become part of me. Deepak Chopra addresses this idea beautifully in his book Perfect Weight. Obviously in addition to the more out there concept that I may be made up of parts of every person who lives and who has ever lived on this planet -- I am also made up of what I have eaten and what I have drunk. I am made up of what I have not eaten and what I haven't drunk as well.
Every choice I make over the course of today has an impact on what I will look like tomorrow. When I look in the mirror dark circles under my eyes would reflect my stress or lack of sleep. If the scale goes up I may be reminded of what I have been eating lately beyond what I needed for the amount of energy I expended. If I am building muscles, my muscles are made up of the water I have drunk, and the weight I have lifted. My form during the workout, the weight of the weight, the amount of time I spent all work together to create my physical body, and my mental well being.
In the 21st century, in the United States of America, and in "developed" countries around the world we are faced with an epidemic of over consumption.
We are stuffed. Our minds are stuffed. Our bodies are stuffed. Our houses are stuffed. Our computers are stuffed. Our lives are stuffed.
Stuff Management in the 21st century.
Your Body
•Become a Pleasure Seeker - Stop eating and drinking stuff that doesn't maximize your pleasure
•Become more like an Athlete - Stop being a Couch Potato
Your Mind
•Be able to distinguish between Wants and Needs -Stop buying "stuff"
•Be clutter-free --Stop buying stuff to stuff your stuff in
-- sorry Container Store, there is something wrong with a world where you are needed!
Your Spirit
•Be able to disconnect from the outside world
Stop getting bombarded with stuff - take a break from information overload
•Be loving, love-able, and love yourself and others
And now, it is time to go make some coffee!
Jennifer
You and I and everything in our universe is made up of stuff.
Quote about Stuff from The Tempest,
"We are such stuff/As dreams are made on" Shakespeare
Quote about Stuff from the film The Maltese Falcon:
"The stuff that dreams are made of." Humphrey Bogart
We stuff the turkey,and then we stuff ourselves - every Thanksgiving
We get to the point where we have too much stuff - Yard Sale!
I typed in "Stuffed" in google search and was offered a choice between Teddy Bears at Target and Dictionary Definitions. Even the dictionary definition offered a header section with sponsored links.
Stuffed - sponsored links - Teddy Bears with Photo - Add a Favorite Photo to a Stuffed Teddy Bear - stuffed animals - Find stuffed animals Online, Free Shipping $50 on 100,000 items Wholesale Stuffed Animals - Shop Lions, Tigers, Bears & More! Free Shipping on Orders $349 and Up.
If I had gotten up out of my chair, grabbed my dictionary I would have avoided this whole world of information I hadn't been seeking -- but part of what I am thinking about this morning is all about all that extra stuff we get bombarded with at almost every waking moment we are connected with the outside world (via internet, tv, radio, our phones, the stores we shop at the things in our cupboards and hanging on our walls.)
We are made up of and surrounded by stuff.
One man's trash is another man's treasure -- but at the end of it all, it is all just "stuff".
I passed over the sponsor's kind opportunities to consume and went straight to the choice I had been searching for. Warning -- just like the word itself, the definition of the word stuff is incredibly broad.
Free Dictionary Definition of the word Stuff:
stuff (stf)
n.
1. The material out of which something is made or formed; substance.
2. The essential substance or elements; essence: "We are such stuff/As dreams are made on" (Shakespeare).
3. Informal
a. Unspecified material: Put that stuff over there.
b. Household or personal articles considered as a group.
c. Worthless objects.
4. Slang Specific talk or actions: Don't give me that stuff about being tired.
5. Sports
a. The control a player has over a ball, especially to give it spin, english, curve, or speed.
b. The spin, english, curve, or speed imparted to a ball: "where we could watch the stuff, mainly curves, that the pitchers were putting on the ball" (James Henry Gray).
6. Basketball A dunk shot.
7. Special capability: The team really showed its stuff and won the championship.
8. Chiefly British Woven material, especially woolens.
9. Slang Money; cash.
10. Slang A drug, especially one that is illegal or habit-forming.
v. stuffed, stuff·ing, stuffs
v.tr.
1.
a. To pack (a container) tightly; cram: stuff a Christmas stocking.
b. To block (a passage); plug: stuff a crack with caulking.
c. Basketball To block (a shot or an opponent who is shooting), especially before the ball leaves the shooter's hands.
2.
a. To place forcefully into a container or space; thrust: stuffed laundry into the bag.
b. Sports To shoot (a ball or puck) forcefully into the goal from close range.
c. Basketball To dunk (the ball).
3.
a. To fill with an appropriate stuffing: stuff a pillow.
b. To fill (an animal skin) to restore its natural form for mounting or display.
4. To cram with food.
5. To fill (the mind): His head is stuffed with silly notions.
6. To put fraudulent votes into (a ballot box).
7. To apply a preservative and softening agent to (leather).
v.intr.
To overeat; gorge.
Idioms:
stuff it Vulgar Slang
Used as an intensive to express extreme anger, frustration, or disgust.
stuff (one's) face Slang
To eat greedily.
Our bodies are formed by a complicated symphony of our thoughts and actions. According to quantum physicists we are literally made up of what we are around, as matter is not the solid material we see, the things I surround myself with become part of me. Deepak Chopra addresses this idea beautifully in his book Perfect Weight. Obviously in addition to the more out there concept that I may be made up of parts of every person who lives and who has ever lived on this planet -- I am also made up of what I have eaten and what I have drunk. I am made up of what I have not eaten and what I haven't drunk as well.
Every choice I make over the course of today has an impact on what I will look like tomorrow. When I look in the mirror dark circles under my eyes would reflect my stress or lack of sleep. If the scale goes up I may be reminded of what I have been eating lately beyond what I needed for the amount of energy I expended. If I am building muscles, my muscles are made up of the water I have drunk, and the weight I have lifted. My form during the workout, the weight of the weight, the amount of time I spent all work together to create my physical body, and my mental well being.
In the 21st century, in the United States of America, and in "developed" countries around the world we are faced with an epidemic of over consumption.
We are stuffed. Our minds are stuffed. Our bodies are stuffed. Our houses are stuffed. Our computers are stuffed. Our lives are stuffed.
Stuff Management in the 21st century.
Your Body
•Become a Pleasure Seeker - Stop eating and drinking stuff that doesn't maximize your pleasure
•Become more like an Athlete - Stop being a Couch Potato
Your Mind
•Be able to distinguish between Wants and Needs -Stop buying "stuff"
•Be clutter-free --Stop buying stuff to stuff your stuff in
-- sorry Container Store, there is something wrong with a world where you are needed!
Your Spirit
•Be able to disconnect from the outside world
Stop getting bombarded with stuff - take a break from information overload
•Be loving, love-able, and love yourself and others
And now, it is time to go make some coffee!
Jennifer
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Sonoma Diet - Day Two
I am always on the lookout for the next good idea. This one crossed my path a few months ago and I was in the midst of the Eat To Live olive oil is evil phase of my weight loss journey. Now that I have landed in a more main stream territory, I was happy to read the Sonoma Diet book again.
I have paraphrased it for coffee room conversations this week.
No, it isn't the drink lots of wine diet -- although that did make me crack a smile.
This plan is almost exactly like Eat Clean diet (lifestyle) without the eating every three hours.
Here's what it looked like Monday and Tuesday
Breakfast - scrambled egg and slice of whole grain toast
Lunch - hearty home made chicken soup
Dinner - bed of lettuce with curry chicken and rice
Tuesday is a lot like Monday but I reversed the lunch and dinner.
So far I am feeling really good.
By really good, I mean my energy is steady and I am not feeling food deprived.
The first 10 days of the plan are without fruit, alcohol and starchy veggies. No processed foods are part of the plan even after 10 days.
Simple, enjoyable and the scale is doing that thing it does when you shake up your system.
Enjoy!
Jennifer
I have paraphrased it for coffee room conversations this week.
No, it isn't the drink lots of wine diet -- although that did make me crack a smile.
This plan is almost exactly like Eat Clean diet (lifestyle) without the eating every three hours.
Here's what it looked like Monday and Tuesday
Breakfast - scrambled egg and slice of whole grain toast
Lunch - hearty home made chicken soup
Dinner - bed of lettuce with curry chicken and rice
Tuesday is a lot like Monday but I reversed the lunch and dinner.
So far I am feeling really good.
By really good, I mean my energy is steady and I am not feeling food deprived.
The first 10 days of the plan are without fruit, alcohol and starchy veggies. No processed foods are part of the plan even after 10 days.
Simple, enjoyable and the scale is doing that thing it does when you shake up your system.
Enjoy!
Jennifer
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