Excuses, Excuses, Excuses...

It's a new year and everyone is setting goals and resolutions. The most common resolutions/goals are health related. According to statistics, 74% of the population in this country could stand to lose a few pounds. In January, gyms become one of the most popular places as everyone is rushes in to work off the pounds gained over the holidays; however, by mid-February the gyms return to their normal capacity of 'regulars' only.

So why do most people abandon their fitness resolutions within weeks before reaching their goals?

I think the answer lies in the following question: Why don't people live healthy lifestyles year round?

I've identified three basic reasons:

1. Most people don't care about their health... Until they have a major problem (like cancer, heart attack or obesity). Let's face it, chronic conditions don't just happen instantaneously. People don't gain 30 pounds over night, but most people lack the motivation to do anything about it at the +15 pound mark or even after outgrowing most of their wardrobe. I think the lack of motivation to pursue optimum health and ideal weight is, quite coincidentally, the fact that most people have never truly experienced it. Once you have a taste of what it feels like to operate at a level 9 or 10, you feel continuously compelled to maintain or regain that feeling even in times when you might be stuck in a rut or fall off the wagon. In other words, you can be completely comfortable driving a Ford Focus, until you drive a Ferrari. And once you've driven a Ferrari, there's no going back! And if you lose that Ferrari, you're going to hate going back to the Ford Focus and you're going to work your ass off to get another Ferrari. The Ferrari is not only for pure enjoyment, but it becomes a status symbol as well. There's no absence of vanity in personal physique - that's why cosmetic companies, salons and clothing stores are worth billions. Your body is your vehicle - and you get to choose what you drive!
   

   
2. People claim (at least in their minds) that they don't know how. This causes "paralysis by analysis" - a syndrome in which people spend all of their time contemplating what to do rather than actually doing anything. The how is the easy part, believe it or not. There's no shortage of information on recipes, nutrition, weight loss programs, exercises and training regimens. Information is easily accessible and practically free in the form of web pages, books, videos, seminars and coaching. Just pick something - and do it! See what works for you. Experimentation is the best form of experience. If you don't like how something is going, change it. Keep exploring until you find something you like that gives you the results that you want.
3. People think that they lack the resources. The number one excuse most people will immediately cite as to why they don't live healthier lifestyles is that they lack the TIME. I think that when given serious thought and contemplation, most of us will admit that excuse is complete BS. We all have the same 24 hours in a day - it's how we spend our time that will yield results in our lives and determine our level of success in all areas of life. As far as resources go, they are vital in your quest to achieve optimum health and properly maintain your body. I would be willing to bet there are plenty of affordable resources available to most people in the form of running/walking groups, personal trainers, dietitians, coaches and apps and products such as FitBit. If you can't afford these resources, then cut out something unnecessary or counterproductive in your life such as cable TV or daily visits to the coffee shop. You might find that cutting those things will not only free up $, but also... TIME! 

Life After Death

Do you believe in life after death?

That’s a touchy subject for some and an intensely debated topic for others. For me, it’s a simple rationale. Is it possible to convert the thoughts in your head into tangible text for others to then read? If you write something from your desk at home, can it be shared all over the world in places you’ll never go and with people you may never meet?

Energy is everything. It is the difference between life and death. When you share your thoughts with others through writing, your energy transfers to them as you share a portion of your life. I often write about my grandparents for this reason. Even though they are both deceased, their stories and experiences still live on in my mind. Thinking about them and the lessons they taught me can quickly change my mood from bad to good and convert a scowl into a smile.

Writing and sharing these stories with others has the same effect on a much larger audience. It feels good to know that my grandparents are still remembered and that their life-lessons still hold true. It also makes me feel great to be the author of their stories and the conduit through which they pass on to others.

So are my grandparents still alive? Physically, no; but spiritually, emotionally and mentally, they live on through my words – and the energy in these words can convert into physical actions by others as they emulate them and the lessons they taught. So you tell me – are they still alive?

Giving up SAD

This year I celebrate 21 years as a vegetarian. My mother laughs now, because when I was a child, she remembers cooking delicious meals and casseroles only to watch me pick out all of the spinach, broccoli, celery, and anything else green.  I would have a pile of ‘green stuff’ on the side of my plate that I would refuse to eat for the first twenty years of my life. Now, my whole refrigerator is filled with everything green. 

What made me give up my Standard American Diet (S.A.D.) of predominantly red meat and potatoes? Several things – and am I glad that they did!

It was partly my mother’s influence, but it wasn’t her cooking that prompted my change. My mother and both of her parents developed colon cancer during a short period of time. In fact, my grandmother lived the last decade or so of her life with no colon at all. Talk about a reason to change my ways – I didn’t ever want to have to endure what she went through. A colostomy bag is not for me. My mother and grandfather were luckier as they only lost very small portions of their colons. When my mom beat colon cancer only to have cancer return in the form of lymphoma a couple of years later – and then beat that too, I knew I had some strong “fighting genes” in my gene pool, but I also realized I have some genetic predispositions to contend with as well. Thankfully, I discovered that although our genes load the metaphorical gun, it’s our lifestyle that pulls the trigger.

I was also influenced by a good friend of mine who was raised by vegan parents. He had never consumed meat or dairy his entire life. He was also a phenomenal athlete who was a star on his collegiate cross-country track team. He made running marathons look easy and he never seemed to lack energy, stamina or strength. I was so intrigued by his physical ability and absence of past medical problems that I quickly accepted his challenge to “go raw” for 21 days and only eat fruits and veggies. I was already in pretty good shape and had yet to suffer any health problems, but nonetheless my transformation was remarkable.  The increased energy alone was enough to make me never crave animal products again.

It’s undeniable that humans were designed to be vegetarians. The physiological proof starts with the alkaline saliva in our mouths. Also in regards to our mouths, the shape of our teeth (flat molars for grinding) and the movement of our jaw (up and down and side to side also for grinding) indicate that of a vegetarian. Compare our mouths to that of a carnivorous dog and you will find acidic saliva, sharp incisors and pointed molars designed for ripping and tearing flesh as well as a jaw that only moves up and down (no need to grind the meat side to side). The next clue is the dexterity of our magnificent hands - complete with thumbs for grasping and picking fruits and veggies – as opposed to a carnivore like a bear that has massive claws for holding live prey and tearing its flesh from the bones. Human digestive tracts are very long and curvaceous so they can extract all of the nutrients from the living fruits and veggies -while true carnivores (such as lions) have very short and relatively straight digestive tracts to expel the rotting flesh and it’s toxic digestion by-products from their bowels as quickly and easily as possible.

If that physiological evidence isn’t enough to convince you that vegetarianism should be the way of humanity, then try this test. Put a pile of berries and a rabbit in a playpen with a four year old child and observe what happens. Then try the same experiment with a four year old lion cub in a cage. My guess is that the child will eat the berries and pet the rabbit. And in the lion cub’s cage there will be a bloody mess and a pile of untouched berries. Instincts don’t lie. And by the way, anyone who thinks that humans are at the top of the food chain is dead wrong. I invite them to spend the night in the wilderness full of lions, bears, mosquitoes and snakes – or take a swim in shark infested waters. In reality, decomposers such as bacteria and fungi are the ones on top of the food chain.

If most people in modern society had to raise, kill, clean, prep and cook their own meat, there would be a whole lot more vegetarians. Thank God for our modern food production industry – right? Wrong! If slaughterhouses and meat packing plants had windows or an open-door policy, my guess is that everyone would be a vegetarian!

Animal cruelty is a travesty and is prevalent in almost every aspect of the carnivorous side of the food industry, but I’ve found that most people simply don’t care – they don’t want to think about it – they just want their meat neatly packaged or prepared and cooked for them. They don’t even want to know what went into the process. If they only knew or thought about what went into the “meat process” and how it goes straight into their bodies, then they would realize that “we are what we eat” – right?

Maybe the chronic diseases suffered by many people in today’s modern society are simply nature’s revenge for the cruelty that mankind’s carnivorous population is exacting on the rest of the animal kingdom. For scientific proof that animal consumption is linked to chronic disease, I would be happy to direct you to Dr. T. Colin Campbell’s book “The China Study”.

Recently I was having dinner with a colleague who seemed quite perplexed when they discovered I was a vegetarian. Their immediate reaction was “Oh, you don’t eat meat? What do you eat?” My simple response was “Plants and living foods”.

Simple and to the point – when you eat a plant based diet of fruits and veggies, you are eating living foods and thus ingesting life into your body. When you eat meat, it is dead and so you are ingesting death into your body. Plus, the higher up the food chain we eat, the farther we move away from the natural source energy of the sun, the mineral nutrients of the soil and water, and the purity and oxygen from the air.

Look, I’m here to tell you that if I can make the “cold-turkey” conversion from the typical male American meat-and-potatoes diet to vegetarianism, anyone can do it. Having made the transition and having lived on ‘both sides of the food chain’ – I can honestly say without a doubt or reservation that vegetarianism is an exponentially far superior lifestyle to that of an American carnivore.

Forget all the macho B.S. - you don’t need meat or dairy to get protein – I work out harder and longer than most of my meat eating friends and never lack energy, stamina or strength. In addition, I’ve never had a tooth cavity or a broken bone – and that means a lot considering my active lifestyle!

Don't take my word for it try being a vegetarian yourself and experience the awesome benefits. You’ll be happy you did. 

Take Advantage of Technology

You don’t have to go back too far in time to a time when publishing and printing a book was made tremendously easier by typewriters, typeset printers and printing presses. However, these media outlets and communication centers were often controlled by the select few or governed by censor laws of the king, government or religion.

If you wrote about the right things, you may find yourself hard-pressed to find a publisher; if you wrote about the wrong things, you may find yourself imprisoned – or worse.

Enter technology. The advent of devices such as the computer, the mobile phone, digital recorder, video camera, and the internet - coupled with programs and applications such as Word, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube - plus the World Wide Web has made the world seem much smaller.

If you live in a free democracy such as the United States of America, you enjoy limitless freedom of speech which can be broadcast through any number of mediums of your choosing.

Google makes information easily and readily available at the speed of light – for free. Editors, publishers, coaches, consultants and other writing experts are also easily found and readily available to help you in your quest to convey your wisdom through the written word.

Now it’s easier than ever before in the history of mankind to transfer your thoughts into the written word or recorded medium and share them with the world. Take advantage of technology and use it to make your contribution to the information age.

Healthy Writing

Never underestimate the importance of health, even in writing. You may wonder why you need to be healthy to perform a sedentary activity that requires virtually no physical exertion; therefore, I implore you to ponder the following equation.

A healthy body = a healthy mind = healthy thoughts = healthy writing.

When you’re healthier, you naturally have more energy to do what it is that you truly desire in life. A healthy, pain-free body and stress-free mind will foster better concentration, focus, clarity, creativity, thought patterns and energy. This will be evident in your writing. 

Writing Evolution

The human race is separated from the millions of other animal life forms on this planet by many different characteristics; some are physical, more are intellectual. One of these intellectual characteristics is our ability to reason and rationalize. When we speak before thinking, we are not using our ability to reason and obviously not using our brain-mouth connection to its best capacity.

Many animals communicate through sound – such as a barking dog, a chirping bird or a roaring lion. Other animals communicate with scent and smell from the release of pheromones or other chemical communicators. Still other animals communicate through sight – evident by the colorful feathers of a peacock, the elaborate movement of ant colonies, or the fanned-out hood of an erect King Cobra who is ready to strike.

My point is that countless methods of communication are evident in nature, but show me a species other than human that is capable of sitting down with a pen and paper or laptop and creating a literary masterpiece – a poem, a novel or a historical account.

Write Before You Speak

Have you ever spoken before thinking – only to put your foot in your mouth later? Or have you blurted out something in anger, frustration or the heat of passion that you wish you could have taken back right away? We think it’s safe to assume that most of us are guilty at least once in our lives.

When we communicate through writing, we flex our evolutionary muscles as we create thoughtful communication. Writing funnels all of our sensory perceptions into a series of meaningful, duplicable, and transferrable text that others can easily read, share and interpret based on their own beliefs and rationale. The author has the opportunity to think before he writes, then re-read, revise, edit or delete his work before sharing it with anyone. This is quite contrary to the irate driver who honks their horn and then screams out the window to the driver that cut him off in traffic – only to find out at the next stoplight that it’s their boss.

Open mouth, insert foot. Open book, insert thought.