The premise for this blog entry is from the chapter "Time Alone" in my manuscript Mothers Fulfilled.
One time in my life I was successful at dieting. It came at a time when I was questioning my health, and my cutting down of food and increasing daily exercise was more for health benefits than beauty. When your life depends on it, you find the willpower. My weight dropped to below my high school weight; it was just falling off me. I believe in a balanced weight loss program eating healthy foods from the food pyramid; no fad diets for me. I am a Taurus and have a worker bee mentality. I never expect a quick fix in anything. I put the weight on slowly; I should expect to take it off slowly.
One time in my life I was successful at dieting. It came at a time when I was questioning my health, and my cutting down of food and increasing daily exercise was more for health benefits than beauty. When your life depends on it, you find the willpower. My weight dropped to below my high school weight; it was just falling off me. I believe in a balanced weight loss program eating healthy foods from the food pyramid; no fad diets for me. I am a Taurus and have a worker bee mentality. I never expect a quick fix in anything. I put the weight on slowly; I should expect to take it off slowly.
I was eating everything, just smaller portions. Although I consider myself high energy, at this time, I developed an energy source that was greatly heightened. I felt boundless. I also had more focus, clarity of thought, and creativity. I had not anticipated this and had never experienced it, so it was an odd benefit to losing weight. Having lived it though, I learned the possible intent of fasting required in certain religions. Certainly, part of it is simply to experience what sacrifice feels like. But part of it may also be to get a more focused, clear state of mind. Without clogging and numbing yourself with food, you are sharper. I do not fast, but it opened my eyes to its potential as far as what it can do for your mind. Not stuffing yourself with food you do not need and letting the body run at its optimum level produces optimum results.
The potential of cyclist and six-time Tour de France winner, Lance Armstrong, is probably within all of us. Yet, most of us do not have the commitment or drive of finding it. He is such a fine example of how brilliant and powerful the human machine can be.
The Lion King showed us so beautifully the circle of life and the interconnectedness of all beings on our planet. This one time of successful dieting showed me the circle within my own life. The human body is the most amazing machine we will ever know. Allowing it to run at its peak level of performance can bring energy, clarity of thought, inspiration when listening to that inner voice that can come through if you're not numbed down with food or alcohol or drugs. The best thing to fight mild depression is exercise.
Keeping this year's resolution may be easier done if we're doing it for these benefits, not same old, same old.
(photo: Oat Nuts Park Trail, Portland)
