In case you missed it I have been almost only posting hike reports. I think that means it's time to bring Dog Walks Man to a full resolution. That means some summing up and some fessing up along with a little catching up.
What have I learned over the last 3 1/2 years? What is worth passing on to others? What can I still do better? That is what I hope to cover here.
What have I learned? First, there is no better thing I learned than there is a mind - body connection that colors everything else. To be right with others you need to get right with yourself. You need to find positivity inside yourself and you need to eliminate negative factors from your life. The good energy makes you well and the negative energy makes you ill. You can't fix the little stuff until you have a grip on the big stuff. We are all going to have bad days, but keeping the focus on positive thinking is key.
There are people who are used to you being who you were prior to deciding to be better that will get in the way of you getting where you want to go. It is hard to fully accept that, but it is true. They will have their own motives, but you will encounter them. If you are trying to get healthy and eat better some of your friends and even family will be there attempting sabotage. Be prepared for that. Maybe it is about disliking change or the inevitable pressure they will feel to do what you are doing if you succeed - I don't know, but it happens.
Second, If it isn't in the house you can't eat it. You may need to take over preparing your own food or doing the shopping if you don't already do it. If you are like me the wrong stuff gets eaten first. I was a sucker for ice cream and I still have trouble wanting pretzels and stuff after dinner. I do badly when I go to Trader Joe's. I call it my carb stop because they have some of my favorites.
When the carbs aren't around I snack on better stuff like nuts and veggies. It is really simple, but it works. Don't buy it and you won't eat it.
Third, It is easier to stay moving than it is to get moving. Keeping activity as routine as possible makes it easier to keep it up. That is why whatever you pick for activity has to be something you want to do. Don't run if you hate it. If you like walking then walk. If you hate the gym don't go. Design a program you can sign on to for the long term. If you like o bicycle and live in a tough winter place then either get a mountain bike or by a wind trainer to ride inside. So, do what you like, but DO IT.
Skinny is not the same as healthy. There are lots of thin people who are not healthy. Healthy requires you to have good nutrition, activity and attitude. That balance is key. None work without all of them.
I can do all three things better than I currently do. I constantly try to better my diet. I don't eat dairy, red meat or pork with the exception of a little cheese on pizza from time to time. I have cut down on bread and all things wheat quite a bit. I think an interesting test would be to go gluten free for a month to see how it affects me.
The stuff I learned that have been invaluable and that I will stick with include vegetable juicing, eating a lot of kale, and doing as much of your own cooking as possible. The juice gives you instant feedback and vitality that lasts through the day. Kale is this wonderful, life giving food that energizes you, and controlling your food supply by cooking it yourself makes it easy to do what you know is right.
The easiest stuff to avoid are the ones that everyone thinks they'll miss the most. Fried foods and other greasy foods are the first you lose your taste for if you cut them out. Super sweet stuff is the second easiest to avoid and the salty stuff - for me at least - is the hardest.
What I want everyone to know is that you can do whatever you need to do. The trick is to make it a need. If you need to drop some pounds to get healthy than do it. You know you can. Make simple decisions and choices. If French fries are your drug of choice cut them out entirely. Don't have "cheat days" included. Those are really slippery slope days where you can begin sliding back into your old ways. Don't put yourself in that place.
Local, organic food from your own garden is best followed by organic food straight from the farmer and then organic food from stores. You CAN eat that way. It WILL make you feel better.
I will create a hiking blog so you're not getting rid of me yet. I am easy to get a hold of if you have any questions and I am always happy to pass on whatever I can to aid others in their journey. This is a life pursuit - being healthy. It doesn't have a beginning and end date other than birth and death. Everything you have done is over and you can't change it. Today is what you need to focus on. Tomorrow will come when it comes and you can't do anything about it today.
Be very well and thanks for reading. Somehow this blog has had almost 17,000 page views.
