Treat your body as you want to be treated

Our emotions are a powerful driver of what we eat. When we aren’t eating we are thinking of what we will eat for the next meal, or what we will cook. We even snack in between meals when we probably aren’t really hungry, but thirsty! We assume when we feel hungry the need is for food, but I’m sure 90% of the time our body is asking for water! We eat and eat and eat… it’s the western culture. We do not deprive ourselves – even if we eat healthy food.

If you really think about it for a minute, it’s our emotions that drive our eating. Stress, sadness, depression, feeling unseen or heard, the need for love, desire, and I could list 100 more…. Eating with emotions is slowly killing us, making us obese and unhealthy. I’ll write more on this topic later.

Back to overeating. Do you think our bodies need to eat so much? Think about it for a minute. Do you think our ancestors ate like we do? They hunted and gathered and probably didn’t eat for days until they hunted and collected again. Food was even more scarce in the winter – hunting was even harder so eating was few and far between. They had strong bodies and none of them were obese or had gut issues. I could be wrong since I wasn’t living back then, but have to think I have a point to some degree.

Have you tried fasting? Have you tried not to EAT ALL DAY LONG? Our bodies are used to eating so much that the liver and pancreas can not keep up with the demand of their time. They are overworked and tired. We don’t need to eat so much.

If you compare the overworked and tired feeling to your job, then you will begin to get some sort of understanding. I had a job once where I was working 70 hours a week, and in the beginning, I didn’t mind doing it for the “cause” of the organization, but then I slowly began to get sluggish, tired, have brain fog, and didn’t even want to get up in the morning to go to work. It took a heavy toll on every part of my being. I couldn’t keep it up but my boss demanded I do it.

This is the same for your body. It’s tired, overworked, and can’t keep up with the 24-hour pace of the job. But you are demanding your body do it by eating all the time. Yes, you are that boss! You may not want to be that boss, but your eating habits demand it.

I lived in Germany for 3 years and loved the way Europeans feel about work. I was the foreign money teller back when each country had its own currency. I loved the job. When I started, I was given 6 weeks of vacation to start, plus 2 bonuses per year – one in June (vacation bonus) and one in December (Christmas bonus) which was a full month’s salary. That would NEVER happen in the United States. Countries abroad believe in a happy employee. They believe people need a break from their job, promote vacations and in doing so, the employee comes back rested and happy. Happy employees become faithful employees. Happy employees want to show up for work.

Give your body a break. Let your stomach get empty – you won’t die! Don’t eat breakfast and slowly push back your first meal to 11 or 12pm. Eat a big healthy salad with protein. Chew your food 32 times before you swallow it. This breaks the food down so your stomach doesn’t have to work so hard. Take your time when you enjoy this meal. Savor the taste and time away from your job. TAKE A BREAK and give your body a break. Treat your body as you want to be treated. Love and respect.

Here’s to being Happy and Healthy.

Deanna

Feeling Connected

One thing the pandemic did for me was made me further disconnect from life, and others, and made the isolation difficult. I am single so I didn’t have anyone to hunker down with except for my beloved pets during that time.

I am definitely a people person, but I slowly became okay with being quiet, being at home, and pulling away from everyone.

I didn’t get depressed nor had thoughts of suicide, I simply became custom to the isolation.

Fast forward to now, I’m back to being fully connected. I feel so much happier now. I have a fabulous job with incredible co-workers. I feel blessed to go to work every day where we all are working together for the same goal. Everyone helps everyone and there isn’t anyone who feels they are superior and it’s beneath them to help on that level. This feels more like a family. I wouldn’t know how blessed I am had it not been for the isolation and knowing what it’s like to feel like I was alone on an island.

I count my blessings. I feel connected again to life, happiness, and others.

Deanna

Beautiful Day

What a beautiful spring day! I feel the warmth of the sun coming through the sliding door, making me excited for the new season ahead.

tulips-bed-colorful-color-69776.jpegDo you look forward to the change of seasons? I know I do. For some reason, I feel its a new beginning for Mother Earth, the animals and all the new change about to happen. I feel that change is vital to growth and rebirth. I am constantly finding opportunities or things that give me growth in all areas of my life. I never want to remain stagnate – I feel that would be death for me.

Enjoy the new season upon us! See the growth and beauty in change. May you grow this season, in a big or small way, but grow!

 

Deanna

 

Living Life

Life on our own terms is more difficult than we imagine. We put masks on to various groups of people in our lives so we feel accepted, not judged. It’s a persona we wear so we are accepted, not left out or cast out, we feel a part of the ‘norm’. Acceptance is sometimes more important than being who we really are.

I went to see the movie “Love, Simon” last week. If you haven’t seen it, I’d recommend it. It’s about a teenage boy in high school who is living the “accepted” life but his deep dark secret is he is gay. He hasn’t told anyone for fear of being cast out, his life will be changed when he decides to live his true self. How terrible it would be living his life as what we deem “normal” as a society, but lying every day or burying his true self for his whole life? I can’t image what that would feel like! It makes me sick to even think about it. I’m so happy he didn’t, that this movie had a happy ending. I know it’s not like that for everyone, but finally a movie shows a positive outcome coming of age and being true to one’s self. Bravo!

One of the top regrets of those that are old, dying, and realizing their lives are about over, is they didn’t have the courage to live they life they wanted, but lived the life others wanted for them.

Be brave. Live your life the way you want, the truth of who you are without regret. There will be people who like you and ones that don’t no matter what mask you wear. So why not simply be who you truly are and find those people who like you. I bet you will live a happier life.

Deanna

 

Character

Building your character. Deep subject.

We aren’t born with character, it’s built. We develop it ourselves. But what kind of character to you want to have? What are your virtues, beliefs, and character? If you left this earth, what do you want people to remember about you? You’d want them to remember you by your good character.

Benjamin Franklin was a man of virtue. He had a notebook that he carried with him containing 13 virtues he strived to live by. Let me share them with you.

  1. Temperance: Eat not to dullness, drink not to elevation. Self discipline.
  2. Silence: Speak only about what will benefit others or yourself. Avoid small talk.
  3. Order: Let all things have their place. Let each part of your business have it’s time.
  4. Resolution: Do what you must do, and resolve with out fail. Face the challenge.
  5. Frugality: Make no expense unless it’s of benefit. Waste nothing. He was a firm believer in living below your means, and saving to grow wealth.

These were his top five.

He was probably one of the first self-made millionaires of his time.

Think about your character. Write them down and look at doing them every day. Speak only to build someone up, not to tear down. What if everyone had virtues like these; what would our country would be like? Respect, love, and communication are keys to having good relationships in every facet of your life.

Deanna

Health is Number 1

I know we have started a new year, and I’ve thought long and hard to determine what’s my first priority. MY HEALTH

I believe everything in our lives starts with our health. We can do anything we want if we are healthy, right? If we have all our senses, a strong healthy body, and clarity, I think we are unstoppable.

On the other hand, what if we aren’t healthy? It makes us feel bad, our minds are cloudy, we are unproductive, and our body isn’t preforming at a peak level and neither are we. It’s a trickle effect! Health affects every aspect of our lives. Health is our first priority.

Are you healthy? IF so, that is AWESOME. I commend you and look for you to be a role model for others. We must speak up more and talk about what’s working and what isn’t.

As a nation, American’s are more unhealthy, over-weight, and diabetic. This has got to change. If you are in this category, as I am, choose to make changes everyday to get better. You have choices everyday. You are in control of what you put in your mouth. Make better choices. Get up and move your body! Start with 10 minutes and work up.

I think if we make better choices every day , AND are consistent, yes consistent, over time it will make a difference. Be mindful everyday of your body and health.

Make your health a priority. I know I am.

Deanna