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To
Resolve or Not to Resolve? That is the Question.
With the
dawning of a new millennium, many people are thinking
about getting their Y2K compliant bodies together. But
how to do that? Do we take the old 1990’s route and
just say no to high fat, high carbs, low protein, sugar,
meat, alcohol, and coffee? Do we participate in the
yearly ritual of making and breaking our New Year's
Dieting Resolutions? Or are we part of the crowd that
proudly proclaims our anti-resolution stance and goes
happily on, mired in our old tired ways?
Whatever your
inclination, I’d like to offer some advice about
evaluating your current eating patterns. It's important
to notice how you feel and think about your body.
- Do you have
the energy you need to do the things you want to do?
- Do you have
an adversarial relationship with your body?
- Is your head
always telling you that your body has some flaw or
defect? Do you notice that certain of your bodily
functions are not performing as smoothly as you’d
like?
- Is your mind
filled with snippets of the latest newspaper,
magazine or TV story on the “perfect diet plan”,
which contradicts all the nutrition facts you just
finished memorizing?
You've come to
the right place, because I’m going to tell you to
forget it all. Diets don't work. The latest nutrition
information has been sensationalized and homogenized by
the mass media and now probably means nothing. The movie
and TV images of the perfect body have been air brushed,
rearranged, digitized and manipulated to look that way.
The idealized image of an attractive person has dwindled
from Marilyn Monroe to Ally McBeal.
Give me a
break. I, for one, am not going to be spending all my
spare time trying to fit into a size 2 or 0 dress.
We are all
unique. We all have an intelligence that can guide us to
the right thing for us. Learning to tune into these
messages and evaluate our response to the food we eat is
really not difficult. I tell my patients, “You are
your own best doctor, because who knows more completely
what works for you?” I can make suggestions and share
my knowledge and training, but you are the one who knows
what you will and will not change, what you will and
will not eat, and what works for you and what doesn't.
My resolution
is to be as healthy as I can in this coming year.
- To have the
unique body, size and look that communicates who I
am.
- To eat food
that does not pollute the planet in its production.
- To eat low
on the food chain and to acknowledge that all
animals havefeelings and sense pain.
- To get lots
of good sleep and wake up feeling refreshed.
- To exercise
by doing activities that I enjoy and support me to
be outside in natural surroundings.
- To take as
many vitamins, oils, herbs, and minerals that I need
to keep me functioning at optimum levels.
- To associate
myself with positive, “the glass is half full”
people.
- To volunteer
more of my time to help children. Or to just help a
child.
- To cut
myself some slack.
- To
appreciate the wonder that blesses me every day.
These are seeds
planted in fertile soil to bear fruit when appropriate.
These are possibilities that joy, love and hope can
bring forth. |
