Day Fifty-Eight: Antioxidants

If we were to cut an apple in half and sprinkle one side with lemon juice while leaving the other side bare, we'd understand what an antioxidant does.  The side with lemon juice would stay crisp and retain its original coloring. The side without the lemon juice would get a little soggy and brown. The Vitamin C in lemon juice is an antioxidant.

Oxidation is a chemical reaction. It happens when a nail rusts. It happens when an apple browns. It happens in our bodies. While we absolutely need a highly oxygenated system, because oxygen is reactive, it can cause damage. It can harm the structure of cells, causing them to lose shape and elasticity affecting nerve functioning, accelerate aging, and cause changes in memory functioning. That is one of the many reasons why our bodies need vitamins...vitamins from our foods. So where do we find them?

In plants.

Plants have an amazing ability to synthesize their food, vitamins, and enzymes. Most dark fruits contain antioxidants in high quantities...blueberries, cranberries, blackberries, strawberries, cherries, and plums are all high on the list. Pinto beans and black beans are also high in antioxidants as well.

I challenge you to examine your antioxidant intake, making adjustments where necessary.

Day Fifty-Seven: Perspective

"Dad...why does it always smell bad every time we drive on the streets here?" I asked my father on one of my childhood trips to Ciudad Juarez. "Because there's sewage in the gutters of the streets," was my father's response.

Of all of the things I love about being a student, among my favorite is this view. My school is perched on a hill overlooking the city that borders El Paso. Just immediately on the other side is another country, another life. Growing up as a child in this city taught me that no matter how badly I think I have it, all I have to do is look out and see exactly how thankful I should be. Every time I'm given this view, I feel the weight of gravity pull on me. I feel a little less naive, a little more thankful.

Perspective.

It seems absolutely ridiculous as I'm standing on that hill to be worried about eating right or getting in exercise. As I look out and see someone on the other side, I cannot help but think that any food to some is more than what they have, regardless of what its comprised of.

We have the opportunity to eat. We have the opportunity to eat healthy. We have the opportunity to get in exercise, have running water, heat our homes, and receive proper medical care when our children are ill. We have an amazing opportunity to live a fulfilling life, give back to others, and enjoy each day.

Someone else would gladly welcome any burden we have if they could also gain the life that we live.

I challenge you to take a moment to gain some perspective and hold onto it when it feels like times are rough.

Day Fifty-Six: Vices

I find addiction both fascinating and depressing.

Fascinating.....because I'm intrigued by the mind. The human brain is capable of so much, and yet when we become addicted to a substance, we alter it's functioning...sometimes forever. Depressing...because life is so beautiful and such a gift, and so many try to escape it instead of living it.

People lose their jobs, their education, their homes, their families, their mind, their freedom...to try and escape instead of learning how to cope with pain.  If you're like me, you see addiction all around you. Smoking, drinking, drug usage, perscription pills, gambling, sex, shopping, eating, you name it....if it can give a brain a surge of neurotransmitter, it can probably make the list.

We all know what smoking can do to the body, the skin, the teeth....what it ultimately does to the blood vessels, the heart, the lungs...yet so many still choose to do it. We all know what prolonged heavy drinking does to one's liver, their hydration levels, and their sleep....it affects their homelife, their job, their energy levels, their pocketbook....yet it's the most accepted form of escape.

As we move through the year 2011, marijuana is being grown and distributed legally for medicinal purposes. While many adhere to doctor's orders, a much greater population doesn't use this substance as prescribed. Their memory and appetite is affected....many have a sense of arrested development. It can take years of productivity away from someone, the "Rip-Van-Winkle effect" as one physician described to me.

I challenge you to examine any addictions you may have, seeking help to work through them where necessary. It is possible to learn to live without an escape.

That's where living begins.

Day Fifty-Five: Skipping

You're super-busy, bustling around during your day with lightening speed. All of the sudden, you feel a hunger pang and realize that you've not eaten for several hours...

We all get moving too fast, but there's danger in skipping meals.

"All of my morbidly obese clients have one thing in common. They skip meals." Jackie Warner wrote in a recent article. This is dangerous because once you feel a hunger pang, you become a fat-storing machine.

We actually lose weight through eating....when we eat the right foods. Why? Because when we eat something small and nutritious every couple of hours, we don't allow our blood sugar to drop. Keeping it even keeps our metabolism level and keeps us from generating cravings. Also, when we're hungriest is when just about anything will do, and we're most vulnerable to eating food that is bad for us. We also can get cranky or crabby when our blood sugar has dropped, & so do our children.

So, how do we make sure that we don't get caught without? Tips include packing both a lunch as well as snacks for work or school. Snacks should out to equal 150 calories (a cheese stick and an orange, an apple with tablespoon of natural peanut butter, a piece of whole wheat bread & cheddar cheese). If you get caught in a situation where you've got nothing nutritious, gas stations often carry nuts, fresh fruit, and bottled water.

Just don't pull into that Whataburger.

I challenge you to make sure that you've got healthy snacks that balance protein, carbohydrates, and fats on board at all times.

Day Fifty-Four: Accountability

Accountability in our society is almost viewed as a four-letter word. It can make people's skin crawl.

It doesn't have to.

Chances are that one who's not held accountable for something to someone probably hasn't accomplished much. We get married and have friends...we let our spouse and those few we trust into our personal lives, telling them about what we're going through. Part of this is because we desire a witness to our life. Part of this is because we want someone there who will listen and respond to us, let us know when we're not living up to our potential, and challenge us each step of the way.

People who find ways to hold themselves accountable tend to be much more successful than people who flee from accountability. That's not just in the gym or in the kitchen...that's everywhere. We find study partners and seek out advisors in an educational setting. At work, we establish benchmarks for success, figure out how to drive results, and participate in 360 feedback surveys so that we can better understand our areas of needed improvement.

In fitness, there's a saying..."People who tend to find three ways to hold themselves accountable are much more likely to be successful than one who chooses not to be accountable..." I believe that there's at least some truth to this.

Some ideas for holding ourselves accountable include:
-Find a workout partner
-Hire a trainer
-Attend classes and become friends with the trainer and other participants. If you're missing, they'll wonder where you are.
-Blog about it
-Follow a program, join online chat rooms
-Get a mentor...this is a little different from a trainer as they're not in the gym with you

I challenge you to find ways to hold yourself accountable and begin using them.