O.K., that used to be more of a buzzword than it is lately, but it's still floating around out there. Sustainability, that is. I think that for me, it's what I'm shooting for when it comes to healthy eating, exercise and well, life in general. Balance is another word that gets overused, but nevertheless, somewhere deep within my being balance is what I'm drawn to. I was recently telling my husband, Jon, that since I've been studying meditation (as taught by Eknath Easwaran, a favorite author of mine) and being deliberate about temperance in all things, I've noticed that I seem to be more sensitive when I have an imbalance in any area in my life. I even subconsciously go about trying to bring balance to that particular area, and don't feel right until I do. My thing with any sort of diet or exercise craze is making sure that in the bigger picture of my life I have balance: enough sleep, exercise, intellectual stimulation, making serving others a part of my life, quality time with my husband and children, time spent meditating and connecting with God, making sure my family is eating nutritious and satisfying home- cooked meals, trying to keep on some semblance of a budget, and keeping order in my home as well as maintaining a sane schedule that allows for all of the aforementioned activities.
Hopefully the length of this post hasn't already lost any potential readers, but if you're still with me, I will now get around to my point as it relates to the paleo diet (my non-purist version of said diet, for the record). In all honesty, what I have found when I tried to be strict about eating paleo is that I am in the kitchen a LOT. Like, more than usual. More than I care to be. I have other interests, other demands on my time other than cooking food and taking pictures of it, etc., etc., not that I don't have the utmost respect and appreciation for all of the people out there that do this, because I rely on them to do this! But it became one of those imbalanced areas in my life, and so I am going about finding a sustainable way to keep to many of the paleo diet principles such that my family's health reaps the benefits, yet I am not cooking three meals a day (or more! if you count snacks!) from scratch, not to mention cleaning up after each meal. I know that many people serious about the paleo diet cook in larger quantities, eat leftovers, etc., which it makes it more manageable. Most days I feel like I'm doing well to make enough for one meal for us, especially since I'm not sure how some recipes will turn out (if we will even want to eat the leftovers!).
I was thinking about what my life looks like when I feel like I'm in a place of balance, even just little things I do, and I thought that maybe I should do a post about that, in case I mention something that jumps out as really helpful to somebody. So I will begin with nighttime, since that sets the stage for the following day, and if I've gotten the kids settled into their beds and am not too exhausted, I read something for pleasure (I read a broad selection, from zombie fiction to John Steinbeck). If I get on the computer before bed I don't sleep as well, and there is apparently a scientific explanation for this, something about an area of your brain that becomes stimulated by screens, you can google it. On an ideal night I only get up once to check Zach's blood sugar, and go right back to sleep. I cannot overemphasize that I must have eight hours of sleep, nine feels even better, but I am probably making up for years of sleep deprivation when my children were younger! I set my alarm for around 6:00, or sometimes hear Jon leave for work sometime before 6:00 and just get up then. The coffee is waiting for me in the carafe, so I have my first morning cup (with a little Splenda and half and half) while checking email, Facebook, and the news headlines. Next, I read something inspirational, such as The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita by Eknath Easwaran, to begin the process of getting my focus for the day. I will sometimes meditate for a bit, or just close my eyes and talk to God. Every other day I wrap this up by about 6:30 and head downstairs to do the elliptical machine for 30 minutes (this is when I let myself veg out and watch TV, I rarely sit and watch TV during the week). After my 30 minutes of cardio I stretch for 5 or 10 minutes, and I LOVE to stretch, it's like a massage I'm giving myself. I'm pretty sure something must be released in my brain and into my body when I'm doing this, because I feel so relaxed and yet energized. Hey, I guess that's why yoga is so popular! In the Bhagavad Gita yoga is defined as "perfect evenness of mind" (2:47-48). After stretching I do a pilates type sit-up: lying flat on your back with feet together and arms extended completely over your head and resting on the ground, slowly bring your arms up and over your head and sit up slowly as you bring your hands all the way down to reach past your toes, all the while with your heels never leaving the ground and not bending your knees. Work up to doing ten of these, and then do as many as you like, I do around twenty. After that I do 50 bicycle crunches, hopefully you know what that means, and then another 25 or more regular crunches with knees up and bent at a 90 degree angle, nice and slow. Basically, do them until you get a good burn going on! After working my abdominals I do 40-50 girl push-ups, nice and slow. If I miss a week it's amazing how quickly I lose strength, so this should be done no less than every other day to see results. We just ordered a piece of equipment that will allow us to do pull-ups, which I try to do whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Seeing how long this post already is and I've only gotten as far as the morning, I think I'll stop there for now, except to add a couple of quick tips for the rest of the day, and I'll continue to chronicle "a balanced day" in my next post! I keep a big container of salted whole almonds in my house at all times. When I'm feeling hungry during the day, it is amazing the effect a handful of almonds has on subduing and even satisfying hunger. Test this out for yourself, and it's especially helpful while cooking. A spoonful of some kind of nut butter is great for this, as well. I know everybody says this, but you really should drink lots of water during the day. It fills you up, it's great for your skin and even your bowels, and obviously it doesn't have any calories or artificial sweeteners (which can make you crave sugar, interestingly enough). I make a point to fill my water bottle and take it with me wherever I go, so I'm drinking water all day long. Oh, and it gives you energy, too. Here's another: keep some dark chocolate candy on hand and have a piece of it for dessert rather than a bowl of ice cream, or instead of baking a pan of brownies because you need a little chocolate. Or if you're like me, have a piece now and then during the day when a craving for something sweet hits you, it doesn't have to be for dessert, necessarily. Another tip: just do it, just DECIDE that you are not going to put crap in your body, and by crap I'm talking about donuts, anything resembling what Ren and Stimpy referred to as "sugar-coated lumps", the stuff that they sell at your local Sheetz! Avoid it like you've got type 1 diabetes, that's what I do.
More later, folks, I've got to go, I'm craving some salty almonds!
