Better than 80/20 - Exercise

(Warning: Remember to disregard what I said about writing shorter blog posts until after this one's done!)

Here it is, the last installment in my update on things going better than they were back when I posted about 80/20 being an improvement. We’ve already covered supplements and diet. Today’s focus: exercise. But the thing is, I hesitate to call it exercise, as I’m beginning to think of it more as movement. (To loyal reader P, pat yourself on the back.) I am “working out” less, but moving more. (But still working out. Keep reading and this will make sense.)

I saved this one for last because while I fully recognize the importance of regular physical movement for good health, I believe that for me, diet and supplementation are currently getting me the biggest bang for my buck. However, movement is not negotiable. At all. (And it is certainly getting me some bang for my buck.) If we think of health as a three-legged stool, diet and supplementation are only two legs, and without this critical third one, that stool is gonna fall down.

(I’m not going to get into specifics, like I do this many planks for this many minutes, or do this many sets of this many reps with this much weight. I’m not qualified to give advice about that, and also, I don’t want anyone laughing at me if I’m “doing it wrong.” I’ll give you the general stuff I do and why I do it. But you best believe nothing I do involves pink dumbbells.)

Better than 80/20 -- Update!

Me, circa 10/2014.

I am not actually this slender.

My housemate took the photo at an 
odd angle, and I look “longer” than I am. 

That being said, not too shabby!

Remember a few months ago, when I announced to the world (or, rather, the teeny tiny portion of it that reads this blog) that I felt like a fraud because my dietary off-roading was becoming the rule, rather than the exception? Well, I’m happy to report that I’m doing much better these days—and more than that—I feel fantastic.

Perhaps it’s in poor taste for me to talk about how good I feel and how well things are going, considering the recent passing of my mother. But if anything, I am now more determined than ever to start enjoying my life, and that wasn’t really a promising proposition until I made some of the changes I’ll talk about in the next few posts. Having more experience than I care to admit with feeling bad about myself, I know that having a positive outlook and feeling like the glass is half full is not as easy as just “faking it ‘til you make it.” When you’re stuck in a gloomy, gray box—self-imposed though it may be—it can be darn near impossible to find the lid and climb out. You can’t fake it. I know. I tried. For years. While you are capable of acknowledging that you have things to be grateful for, and that, in many ways, you have a pretty easy, charmed life, your spirit’s response is, “So what?” It doesn’t matter if the glass is half-full when you’re not even thirsty. Recognizing that you are blessed doesn’t always translate into actually feeling good about anything.

Sometimes we need a little help there. And there’s nothing wrong with that. I only regret that it took me so long to find the combination of things that is working so well right now. Will it continue to work in the long-term? I don’t know. But I’m thrilled with things at the moment, and if a time comes when I’m feeling not-so-thrilled, I’ll reassess and retool.

So what’s going on?

Once Upon a Time...

Hey Everyone,

The four or five consistent readers of this blog may have noticed that it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything. There’s a reason for that. How about I share it with you in story form? It starts with “Once upon a time,” but I’m afraid the ending is a bit different from “happily ever after,” at least, for now. I do believe that will be the ending, eventually.

Before I start, let me say that I am telling this story for two reasons, one selfish and one altruistic. First the story, then the reasons.

Warning: as per my usual, this post is long. Really long. (Cut me some slack this time; I’ve got over two weeks of absence to make up for.) Read it in pieces if need be.  Go get yourself a cup of coffee halfway through and come back. If you’re a cubicle-dweller and I’ve given you a way to kill some time at work, you’re welcome.  ;-)

Vitamin J: A Missing Link?

Warning: This post might ruffle some feathers. It’s a bit speculative on my part, but I’ve had some things running through my mind a lot lately and I’d like to get them down “on paper” here and see if any of them resonate with my readers. (All four of you.) It’s a little metaphysical, and maybe even a little “woo-woo.” It’s not about biochemistry or physiology. (Well, in a way, but not predominantly.) It’s about things that affect our health that we can’t measure.

This post is born of something I’ve come to realize after digging very deep into my own feelings, and also things I’ve observed in clients—particularly the ones with “stubborn cases”—the people who are seemingly doing everything right but aren’t getting to where they want to be. Their diets are spot-on. They get enough exercise. They don’t feel particularly stressed out. So why can’t they drop those last ten pounds? Or why do they still have trouble sleeping?

Just Testing You!

Wasn't it hilarious in my last post when I went out of my way to mention my writing aspirations and then proceeded to publish a post with so many typos? I guess that was the inevitable result of waiting until late at night to jot off a post, and being so happy at doing some impromptu writing that I may have jumped the gun a little. In my defense, I’d already put in a full day with the Twilight Zone my day job at the cube farm, and instead of crashing on the couch when I got home, there was all the kombucha wizardry, plus the homemade pesto experiment (result: disappointment) and the homemade turkey meatballs (result: success!). 

In answer to the question you might rightfully be asking, yes, I did proofread it before hitting “publish.” Apparently my pesto making skills aren’t the only things that need a little honing. (I have attempted homemade pesto three times now, and while they’ve all been edible, they weren’t what I’d call “company worthy.” And certainly not better than what I can buy in a jar. I’m not giving up, though. There’s far too much insanely beautiful and fresh basil at the farmers’ markets this time of year. Maybe it’s the lack of pine nuts? I can justify buying expensive olive oil, but pine nuts are…well, those little morsels are pricey! [Also, weigh in: is it farmer’s markets, or farmers’ markets? I lean toward the latter, since there are usually multiple farmers present.])

Anyway, the errors have been corrected. At least, the glaring ones. There are probably a couple I’ve missed even now, but I went back and fixed the ugliest ones. So for the three of you who subscribe by email (since the emails seem to go out immediately, without any time for me to snatch them back from the interwebs), you can rest assured that my counting skills are up to par, and my yield was, in fact, seven bottles of kombucha, rather than six.

And as long as I’m here, I might as well put a little more goodness out into the universe and share some incredible links with you.