Fitbook seems to work

We have fitbooks in our clinic. And we hear from many of our patients that they prefer the apps on their phone, but here’s a story about one fitbook user who found it really does change things up when you write things down.

I know from apps I have on my phone that it’s easy to ignore the little icon. Appears I’m not the only one who finds actually writing something down has an impact. Will this continue to be true for future generations, I don’t know. I do know that writing works. Which is why we still have those fitbooks in our clinic.

6 weeks in and 15# down

What I’m Eating

…this week.  This is a new occasional series of articles where I’ll share what I’m eating, to help jump-start your meal ideas.  I know it’s hard to come up with meal ideas, especially when you’re switching to a new way of approaching food.

So let’s get to it.  Wednesdays are delivery days for my box of fresh organic produce.  I get weekly deliveries from Farm Fresh to You*.  These are happy days since my meals are easy – just eat whatever came in.  The rest of the week requires a little more thought.

Breakfasts

This is where habit and consistency really come into play.  I have basically the same thing every morning, with slight variations.

Greek Honey Yoghurt with:
local honey & sesame seeds
fresh blueberries and a little raw sugar
raisins or mixed dried fruits
and so on . . .
Cranberry juice (roughly 50/50) with freshly squeezed citrus juice.  Oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, tangelos, Mineolas, mandarins – you name it, I’ll squeeze it**
Hot tea.  Usually Constant Comment but I occasionally stray to Earl Gray or Prince of Wales.

Lunch

I usually end up having my largest meal at lunch, despite the advice that one should “Eat like a King in the morning, a Noble at mid-day and a pauper in the evening”.  Looking at this week, it’s been a veggie week because most of the meals were:

Salad!  But we’re not talking a wimpy side salad here.  I make a large bowl of salad with whatever is on hand, which can include cheese, avocado, fresh tomatoes (right now – it’s tomato season), seeds or nuts, leftover meat or sliced lunch meats, olives, capers and pickles, sliced veggies and eggs.  And, of course, a nice dressing – just not a gallon of it.  I happen to like the flavour of lettuce so a little dressing goes a long way.
Leftover Pulled Pork.  We have a wonderful grill at a local market every Saturday and Sunday.  At least once a month we go there and get a small (ish) container of whatever sounds good.  Right now, it’s the pork.  They also grill chicken and beef though, so our smoky, grilled protein choices aren’t limited.
Since I try to walk the walk, I avoid bread with my BBQ, which means I can actually have more of the yummy meaty goodness – and that’s a good thing!
Sliced Baby Bok Choy with garlic and chicken stock.  I got baby Bok Choy in my veggie delivery last week, so I sliced two of them up and sautéed them in a little butter with garlic and some chicken stock.

Dinner

Most of the week these were closer to snacks than meals.  Except one day when my husband & I had:

Tri-Tip Cesar Salad from the excellent restaurant The Habit.  Highly recommend!

Apart from that meal, I had:
2 eggs over medium, with garlic & cheese

Cheese and sliced meats (we tend to get cold cuts from a local ethnic deli)
Fruit – it’s peach & nectarine season and boy-o are they yummy.  Also, we have grapes.  Well, actually, I have grapes.  My poor husband is missing out on the grapes right now.
And one memorable evening, when I skidded home after a really late night at the clinic, I had a little bowl of gelato.

I hope this helps you come up with some ideas.  As the seasons move on and I start cooking some more, (rather than just tossing things into a salad bowl), I’ll be sure to add recipes as well.

*(http://www.farmfreshtoyou.com/index.php).  If you sign up, use promo code 6164 and please mention that you heard about it from me.  Or come by the office to pick up a brochure with all the instructions included.

** I got a Juiceman JCJ150S 40-Watt Automatic Citrus Juicer with 2 Juicing Cones (you can find it here) and it’s been the BEST kitchen gadget purchase in recent memory

 

Health

What does that mean?

Does health mean physical vitality, mental acuity or emotional stability?  Or does health mean reducing the number of prescriptions in the medicine cabinet or the number of missed days at work?  For each person, health means something different, and is something we must each define for ourselves.

What would health look like to you and your family?

Would there be more time with your significant other or children?  Or would there be more money for vacations or special purchases?  Would it mean better sleep, and so, better days?  Would it mean gaining or losing weight and then being more active, physically or socially?  How would your family benefit if you were healthy?

What would it feel like to have health?

What would it feel like to wake up each morning without the lingering effects of disease (dis-ease) in your system?  What would it feel like to be able to function during the whole month?  Or plan for something three, six or nine months away?

For many people, this is a concept that is so far removed from their reality they refuse to entertain the notion.

For some, they’ve been told absolutely they CANNOT have health.  Perhaps this is true, but what if it isn’t?  What if the diabetic or hypertensive in your family could get treatments and actually “get health”?  What would that be worth to your family?  If you no longer had debilitating headaches or menstrual cramps?  If your back/neck/arms/legs/joints no longer ached/burned/throbbed?

And what holds people back from exploring their options?  Is it fear of failure or fear of success?

There are any number of terrible “invisible diseases” (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome / Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, Fibromyalgia, Lyme, Primary Immunodeficiency Disease and Dysautonomias to name a few) which it would be inappropriate to baldly state could be “cured” but what if the debilitating symptoms could be reduced.  And what is that worth?

A leap of faith?

Three or four visits to a health care provider who treats the whole body to see if you get any relief?

What if it worked?  What if it didn’t?

When counselling adult students returning to school after years in the workforce, I often had to field versions of this question. “What if, after going to school full-time for four years, I don’t go into practice as an acupuncturist?”  And I would answer them “What if you don’t.  At the end of those four years, you’ll have gained a Master’s degree, a whole new way of approaching health – yours and your family’s at least.  And you’ll be four years older.  If you don’t go to school, at the end of four years, you’ll have four years more experience in the world, that’s true, and you’ll be four years older, but you won’t have been exposed to the richness of experience you’ll get returning to school.  If you’re not sure this curriculum is the right one, go talk to other schools.  Maybe you’d rather study mental health, or education, or get a Masters in your current field.  Go take some time, listen to the voice inside you that’s telling you to return to school.  And remember, it’s only four years after all.”

They didn’t always come to our school, some went away and stayed in their jobs and some went to schools in other fields.  But each one of them let me know that they appreciated the reminder.  It’s easy to forget, but time is only time.

So what if you did go to, say, an acupuncturist, for a few visits?  What would you lose?  What might you gain?

What is your health really worth?