Hope
“When the world says, ‘Give up,’ hope whispers, ‘Try it one more time.’ “
~ Carolyn Agrimis
Food you can pronounce
One of my favorite new snacks is truly portable, absolutely healthy and completely delicious. It even fulfills my sometime quest for something dessert-like. And, bonus, I don’t have to prepare it nor is it expensive!
I talked this week with my newsletter subscribers about eating pronounceable food. In other words, food that has ingredients you understand … and actually can pronounce.
Here’s the ingredient list on my favorite variety of this snack: dates, pineapple, unsweetened coconut, almonds, organic extra virgin coconut oil, cashews, orange juice concentrate, orange peel. That’s truly food you can pronounce. And food that will fuel you for a few hours.
Here are just a few of the varieties the snack mentioned above comes in: carrot cake, tropical fruit tart, cherry pie, key lime pie, cinnamon roll. Is your mouth watering? Are you curious how you can eat carrot cake and still be doing your health a favor?
I hope so; that’s what I want: For you to realize you can have your carrot cake (sort of ) and eat it, too!
The snack is a Lara Bar, and they come in all the varieties I mention above and more. And, no, I’m not paid to toot their horn! I simply want to pass on things I find that are easy and enjoyable so you can improve your health and enjoy the journey.
A Lara Bar is one way I can eat healthier even on the go. I grab one to take in the car or put in my purse. It’s a perfect size for between meals (and, yes, I think a snack — a healthy, small one — is a great idea).
If you’ve never had a Lara Bar before, give yourself time to adjust. No, it’s not a piece of carrot cake! But the taste is incredible once you give your taste buds a chance to adjust. Realize that they’ve been hijacked by chemicals and food additives that make you crave more junk. It takes some time to switch from that, but it can be done without huge effort.
Small changes, small bites, small steps forward. That’s how you build a healthy life you enjoy.
The tragedy of life
“The tragedy of life is not so much what men suffer, but rather what they miss.”
~ Thomas Carlyle
Connection counts
Too often, people assume there are only two important parts to being healthy: what you eat and how much you exercise.
But is that it? No, there’s much more to being fully well. You can eat the cleanest diet possible and exercise regularly but still endure the impact on your health of not dealing with other areas.
Several years ago, I survived one of the worst attacks of pain I’ve ever had. All of a sudden, I was crippled with pain that took me to my knees. I actually thought I might be dying. I actually thought of calling an ambulance.
But, being stubborn and dedicated to holistic ways, I really didn’t want to go through the traditional medical system if I could skip it. I didn’t want cut or medicated, unless my life truly was in danger. I called my daughter for help in identifying what might be producing the tight squeeze of pain, and she instantly headed to my home. Luckily, the pain had passed by the time she got through rush-hour traffic.
She researched for me and found that what I’d had matched a gall bladder attack. She went and got items that probably would help me feel better — and they definitely helped. But, in the next few days, I still checked in with my holistic doctor. Yes, it was my gall bladder, he confirmed.
Feeling frustrated — as I led a pretty healthy life at that point — I asked him: “But why? You know how much I do to remain healthy. Why this?” His response: “Cindy, emotions will kill you.” I have no idea where that statement came from. We’d known each other for years and chatted all the time but about things like health topics, politics and movies. Not personal stuff. Still, I realized his statement was right on. Emotions were killing me.
I was in a marriage that was long over. Only nobody would pronounce it dead. Did I think I could endure? Yeah, I did … and I was. But my body had other ideas.
No, I didn’t run out and get a divorce at that point. I struggled with the decision — and more gall bladder problems — for a couple more years. I didn’t want to be the bad guy, but I began to realize that even though some might see it as being a bad guy, it wasn’t necessarily so. I was freeing us both up to lead lives we could enjoy, not lives in which we were making each other miserable. And, on the selfish front, I simply had to save myself.
It’s now a year and a half since our divorce, and I have remained symptom free. Not one gall bladder problem. Apparently, the decision I needed to make was weighing heavily on me and my health. We had been trying to fix our marriage for nearly a decade and probably had mostly given up about two years prior.
Recently, I learned that the acupressure point for the gall bladder also has to do with making decisions. So, there I was — sidestepping a critical decision — and my health was impacted severely. Our bodies try to give us clues, but we too often disregard those, and that’s what I was doing.
I write this because you may be like me — doing a lot to have a healthy life yet still facing health issues. Problems with the important relationships in your life could be your missing piece. That doesn’t necessarily mean you end that relationship. It does mean you figure out what you do need to do.
Just like nutrition and movement, connection counts. Issues in that area can be just as toxic to your health as if you eat fast food 24/7, never get off the couch or take tons of medications. In order for you to be fully well, you need connections. But, more importantly, those connections should be supportive, trustworthy, respectful and honorable.
A powerful life includes change
“It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new.
But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful.
There is more security in the adventurous and exciting,
for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.”
~ Alan Cohen
