The Breakfast Lie and Modern Life

Breakfast is not the most important meal of the day.  Is one meal more important than another?  If that was so, then you could skip meals all the time.  You can miss lunch altogether because it's not important.  Does that sound absurd?  That's like saying my electric bill is unimportant during certain months.  Skip the payment.

Breakfast as the most important meal of the day was created by advertisers to boost their products.  I was learning this on a radio program and my initial guess was the Kellogg brothers had schemed it up but it was actually the pork industry.  It needed to drive up sales so the breakfast slogan was introduced in doctors offices by shiny brochures created by the pork sellers.  Everyone needed to eat ham with their eggs in the morning.

Now, if you ask your grandparents they ate a very small meal at dawn and went to work on the land.  Lunch was a huge spread at noon and then another light meal was prepared at night.

Most people instinctively know they shouldn't fill their stomachs first thing in the morning.  People are not hungry.  They don't feel hunger pangs until 2-3 hours after waking.  So, why do we rush to swallow a lot of protein, carbs, and fat as soon as we put our feet inside our slippers?

My theory is we have to run off to work and school.  There is no breakfast time alotted at the workplace or school.  Most folks feel pretty good first thing in the morning and don't get hungry until they've forged about three hours into their day.

But, with our modern work life with assembly line shifts and feeling as if you are being policed every minute of your day, there is not the flexibility needed to promote your own body's health.  Are you allowed to eat a meal when your body actually needs it?  No, most people are told when to eat.  They are told when to use the bathroom and to hold it (too bad) because you're must stay on duty until someone else tells you otherwise.

Part of health is recognizing your body's needs and tending to them.  This does not mean ignore your body.  I'm not going to go down all the occupations and make exceptions.  People do work long hours that runs into overtime.  Medical staff have to perform double shifts.  I get it.  But common sense tells us our health must be a priority or there's nothing left of you for anyone, on or off the job.

So, if you can be more flexible with your meals and snacks while working, please do so.

And dare I say.....If you don't have the flexibility to attend to your health....it's time to make a change in your job/career.

Living live vacation means you are productive and healthy.  It is a partnership, otherwise it is not productive, it is destructive.

More to come.. .

It's Summer: Dive in to Something New

A few posts back I decided the baby steps mantra was bad news.  After studying how Dr. Dean Ornish got people to clean out their arteries without surgery I decided his system could be applied to the Live Like Vacation mind-set.

He threw people into a high intensity program.  No baby steps.  Even babies don't take baby steps.  People practicing baby steps get nowhere.  They stay put thinking they have a lot of time before lifting the leg and eeking out another step.

The exercise schedule, the diet, and group support are intensive.  Meaning, the folks were immersed in the program daily.  No time off.  No delays.  No down time to get you down.  No opportunity to slide backwards.  This immersion helps you develop the new habits to stick with it.

So, once you are sleeping better, and authentically and have daily routine with wiggle room, it's time to immerse yourself in things that bring you joy.

**New **
     Step 6

Yes, it's time for Step 6.     (BTW....here's 1-5 to review)

Step #6.  Get your joy hobby in gear.  (Now that you've ditched the unproductive....Immerse yourself.)

J   join
O  outlet
Y  yearn

J. join others in a social supportive context.  Church worship, charity, exercise group, a class, or just plain togetherness with like minded people.


O. Find your outlet for creativity.  Make things, beautify your home, cook great food, learn an instrument, write, Make your mark on the world with your brain.

Y. Yearn for new information, try new things, read, teach yourself something, find a unique way to tweak your best traits.

It's summer time.  Things are laid back.  So start something new while it's warm and relaxing.  Joy hobbies can be very energizing.    Ready....Set....GO!

Do You Enjoy Your Time Off?

When I have time off, I don't know what to do with myself.  I could do a number of things:

1.  I could catch up on endless chores
2.  I could do go somewhere to shop, browse, eat out, socialize
3.  I could be a slug and lay on the bed watching a Cold Case marathon
4.  I could waste time on the internet reading the news, facebook, etc.
5.  I could spend time on a hobby like writing my book, taking an ecourse
6. I could do something that involves fitness

Or I could do a little bit of all of the above.

I could revolt against myself and find something horrible about each activity:

#1- I could be so involved in chores that I am miserable and resentful, looking forward to my next day back at the office.

#2- I could berate myself for spending too much money.

#3- I could become angry that I accomplished nothing.

#4- More of #3.

#5- I could become engrossed in a hobby and then feel I was ignoring my husband and child.

#6- Work out?  What? ... and accidentally become an exercise addict?
LOL.

What do I usually do on my time off?
I stay up past a normal bedtime then I am tired  and grumpy the next day looking for a nap!

I do enjoy a weekend away from the house when we go on a short road trip visiting family.

Are you too obsessed with your time off?
Do you have a live-like-vacation attitude on your time off?

90 Day Check Up: No Faith in the 21 Day Rule

I've been blogging  about the live like vacation lifestyle since February and can honestly say, I've hit the 90 day slump.

When they say it takes 21 days to establish a habit.........they are wrong!!!!!
Don't believe it.   It takes months!  

If it only took 21 days, we'd solve all the world's problems thousands of years ago!

Here's my assessment and where I think I began to slide.

1.  Still getting enough sleep?  Self  Score  80%
Weekdays I get to bed by 9:30.  One day I had to cram in some paperwork and stayed up until 11:30.  I just had to get it done or I would not have been able to sleep.  Weekends have not been easy.  They day really flies by and who wants to get to sleep early when you could enjoy two or three more late hours......  Maybe my score should be around 70 or 65.

2.  Is my day systematized?  Self Score  90%
I am giving myself a higher score on this because I do like my routines.  The downfall however is that this is still worker bee stuff and i am locked in busyiness and not seeing any forward movement in work or hobbies.  I seem to be locked in some stagnation.  I feel calmer and more easy going, but would like to be more productive.

3.  Knocking out the unproductive  Self Score 70%
I could do more with my time in the evenings.  I waste a lot of time reading on the internet, short fluffy things like Facebook.

4.  Make your work joyful to yourself and others   Self Score 90%
I like my work days.  I feel less overwhelmed.  I work with my members where they are and try to teach them new things.  I would like to be more creative however.  I could offer more services, but I need to plan it out with some type of system that will still allow for individualized attention.

5. Wiggle Room and Taking Control of My Plate Self Score  90%
 I have wiggle room in my day.  I have taken some things off my plate lately.

6. Domino Effect Self Score  95%
I've resumed more healthy habits that have provided a ripple effect in my day, activities.  The sleep factor has been impactful.  I've been more focused on diet/fitness.
(Future topics in the works here)

7. The Principle of Comfort Zone Inertia  Self Score  60%
Yeah, I show no mercy to myself here.  I want to do more, learn more, be more creative, pursue a spiritual vocation outside of my work in health care.   It's still on the back burner.

I want to develop this blog more.  I haven't unveiled the radical health makeover portion that I have hinted about.  I am experimenting on myself, obviously, the work is ongoing.

My average score is 82%.  Is it a reliable, valid score?  Who know.....but it was fun to look back at the last 90 days.  I would say the last 30 were a bit regressive because I wasn't blogging as often as I did early on.  For that reason I should lower  my score.

So, definitely toss out the 21 day rule.  Keep the focus....daily.

More to come.

What's a Clock Cushion?

(Check out these cushions.)
When you admit you are human and not super-human you use a clock cushion.

A clock cushion is extra time set aside in your day to handle unplanned things that come up.

A clock cushion is when you over estimate how long it takes to run an errand to take into consideration driving time, traffic hold ups,  getting interrupted, running into someone you hadn't seen in a while.

A clock cushion is when you set aside time to go to the bathroom.

No joke!  There are days when it seems nearly impossible to get a bathroom break.

The clock cushion is sort of like the Principle of Wiggle Room, but the clock cushion is for smaller time frames.

The Principle of Wiggle Room should be a reminder to not over book yourself.  Don't bite off more than you can chew......

It Has Not Been a Live Like Vacation Week: Enter Wiggle Room

The last 2 1/2 days didn't go as planned.  I was overbooked, over tired, and had to make a late evening bank run.  There was a sick kid, paper work not done.......and I was wolfing down lunch.  At least it was a salad.

Not all days are relaxing.  Some days are downright irritating.  But you keep pushing forward.  It doesn't last.  I remained focused enough today to get the paperwork finished and clean up the mess on my desk.  The recovery period doesn't take too long if you keep up with the steps.   One day isn't going to throw you off track.

This is where the Principle of Wiggle Room comes in.

If you leave space in your schedule for down time or catch up time, you can prevent the untimely melt downs that make you declare you had a bad day.

You do it for bigger events in your life, so do it for the daily plans.

When you take a long drive you schedule in time for rest stops or slow traffic.  It helps to apply the principle of wiggle room to your routine.

Melt downs can be averted.  Use the Principle of Wiggle Room.

Okay, so I don't sound original.  It's just the same as taking extra breaks during your day to relax or catch your second wind.........  if you're ready for fast balls, the minor upheavals won't sound like major upheavals.

What You've Been Waiting For.................Radical Health Makeover

So, I said a month or so back that I was going to write about the health aspects of living like vacation and specifically, diet.

When you're starting out on the Live Like Vacation challenge, mind-set, goals, whatever you want to call it, you have to get a handle on sleep and diet.

I haven't added anything yet in the steps about diet, but now it is probably time.  If you get steps 1-5 under your belt and feel good about your progress, diet can be approached with a not-too-scary anticipation.

Time needs to be rearranged in the schedule, (you've worked on this already) in order to avoid excessive eating out and changing to eating more meals made in the home.  The time rearrangement will help you be better prepared for this.

I know when it's the end of the day and I'm tired by the time I am home, I am not in my best frame of mind to think about nutrition.  This part of the day my will is pretty weak, so I will crave chocolate and anything I can eat quickly.  Not a good idea.  That's why you want to feel organized and efficient throughout the day, so the evening is not a crash and burn session lying on the couch zoned out as if your brain left the planet.

Lunches are difficult, too.  When you don't have something packed it's time for the mad dash to some fast food place that will give you a flour and water concoction wrapped up in wax paper that will make you sleepy for the rest of the afternoon.

Breakfast is also a perilous time of the day because I am about to tell you that all the traditional favorites have to be given up.........

Oh Boo!  I've ruined all your taste bud fun!

Let's get right to the crux of the matter.  There are foods you will have to give up.  Yep, it's going to be sad.  It's like sending that big bowl of pasta on a space ship to Mars.  Farewell, old buddy.  Hope you make it, because you're never seeing earth again.

Terrified?   No, you're not.  You already made a commitment to the Live Like Vacation mind-set, so this is a piece of cake.   Oh, Sorry.

Let's take the baby steps here.  Can you give up the junk food, soda, and  reduce the coffee and eat more at home?  You will feel a difference in energy level.

Once you do that we can talk more about diet.

There is one issue here that needs discussing.  Eating better foods is not enough.  The body has to heal from the trauma induced by years of damaging foods.  If this damage is not healed, the body can't absorb the good stuff, so poor health will continue due to malabsorption.

Once folks experience some small benefits, the radical health transformation is not impossible.    Keep looking forward.