Fruit fruit, the magical fruit!

One of my bad habits during the workday is snacking. I buy health conscious snacks like pretzels and animal crackers, but far too often I find myself munching when I'm not actually hungry. So, to alleviate this problem, I've turned to my old friend, fruit.

Fruit is great because it's a big enough commitment that it will satisfy a small hunger, and a small enough commitment that you won't feel bad about your snack choice afterward. Plus, fruit is full of awesome vitamins! My bag of pretzels ended yesterday, and the animal crackers today - so from here on out, it's apples, oranges, bananas, peaches, tangerines, strawberries, cantaloupe, honeydew, grapes, and any other fruit I can get my hands on!

What salty or sweet snack could you replace with fruit? I'd suggest starting with bananas (it's the gateway to more hardcore fruits). Bananas are a great option because they are portable and don't make a mess when you eat them. However, make sure you buy them often instead of in bulk (they brown in 3-4 days). Here's to feeling great and making small positive changes! Here's to fruit!

Refocusing

Sometimes you need to take a step back and refocus your efforts. Lately I've been a little plateaued when it comes to weight loss. So this past week I rededicated and hit a new low (Saturday). I'm hoping to break into the 170s soon (from 215 originally). I just have to keep reminding myself that good results take time. Time and persistence. That's all it takes to reach your goals.

It's a funny thing, self image. Not everyone has a good self image, and yet self-image is such an important part to in staying happy. Your self image is like a pair of sunglasses you put on everyday. You filter everything through your own self-image, so it's a very important keep a positive one! I usually have a very positive self-image, even if the way I see myself doesn't always match what's on the outside. And if your self image doesn't match what you want it to be, make the change! Be the change you want to see in this world! That's what this journey is about for me. Making how I feel the same as how I look. That's not to say I don't also look great (because who are we kidding, I look fabulous) but I want to be in the best shape of my life to match the best years of my life. Too much time has been wasted on bad decisions, so it's time to make the right decisions for once.

Dedication. Commitment. Perseverance through adversity. Things won't always go the way you want. In fact, a lot of times things will go the exact opposite way. The key is to persevere through and get through it. The old saying is: "What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger". It's absolutely true. There's always a silver lining in every cloud, it's just finding it that might be the difficult part. The key is not to give in to the pressure.

I hope you all are reaching your goals. I'm working my butt off to get to mine (not only in health, but also in my career and otherwise), and good things will come to good people that work hard.

Posture

The picture to the left pretty accurately describes both my life and the lives of many people with similar types of office jobs. Each day we slave over the almighty PC. This leads to a whole multitude of problems, namely: carpel tunnel syndrome, diminished eyesight, and poor posture. I fear for the first two, because there's not much you can do. OK, so you can get a wrist-rest and you can take breaks from the PC, but it is what it is. Bad posture however, can be corrected with little reminders to yourself.

I have terrible posture, but I'm working on it. One of the causes of my bad posture is the weight I put on during what I call my "blue period" (what?! Picasso had one, so can I). Adding a little extra weight to your stomach is a strong incentive to lean forward, thus creating a concave shape with your body to hide the gut. However, this is terrible for your back, and looks even worse than just showing the damn thing with pride! The Wii started me on this posture adventure, with it's daily body tests (is there anything this machine can't do?). I have very good balance by most standards, and most days my Left-Right balance is in the range of 49-51% on either side. However, in addition to just measuring your balance it also gives little posture tips. From keeping my shoulders up to strengthening my core muscles (thanks daily crunches!) it gives me all kinds of useful advice. My favorite one though is when it tells me to imagine myself being pulled upwards by a string coming out of my head. Think about that, and then do it. You now have fantastic posture!

Posture doesn't only count for when you're standing or walking either. If you're sitting reading this, make a quick self-analysis about your posture. My guess is your back is arched, much like mine always is when I'm sitting at a PC! This is definitely a weak point for me, but one I'm working on fervently. I try to give myself reminders every 10 minutes. How's your posture? How about now? Sitting posture is every bit as important as standing posture (and possibly even more so) because we sit for so many hours every day. Which leads me to my next point:

Get up! If you've been sitting for more than an hour, stand up! Stretch out and I guarantee you'll feel better almost instantly. It doesn't have to be anything major, just twist your torso back and forth a little bit, maybe reach for your toes once or twice, and make a few circles with your arms. It takes less than a minute, it will stretch out your muscles and joints, and give you energy! Muscle fatigue from sitting is a killer, so get up and get that blood flowing (and as a side bonus you'll raise your metabolism a little bit).

Remember: standing, walking, and sitting are all important times to be thinking about your posture. With good posture and a little stretching you'll poise yourself to be ready for many more years without back problems, allowing you to lead a healthier and happier life!

New Perspectives

It's always a good idea to step back and take a look at the big picture in your life. Sometimes it will surprise you to find out that the little things in life really don't matter as much as you thought they did. However, there are small pleasures in life that we often take for granted. Take time out today to appreciate these little things - there is a lot to be grateful for.

I recently spent the weekend with a friend, and for the most part was surrounded by women the entire time (not what you're thinking!). It's always an eye opener to step outside of your usual routine and see the world from someone else's point of view. You never know what someone else has been through or is going through. Spending my weekend with women opened my eyes to some joys and fears that the mid-20s American female is going through. If you just take the time to listen there's a lot to learn from everyone around you.

I also took the opportunity this weekend to gain a small window into life as an occupational therapist. My friend works at the hospital, rehabbing folks who are recuperating from life-changing experiences, such as having a stroke. Thinking about someone who isn't able to do everyday "mundane" tasks like walking, throwing a football, or signing their own name really re-emphasized to me how lucky I really am. I'm in good health, all my appendages work as they should, and I don't have any lingering pain/disability that haunts me on a daily basis (physically or mentally).

Take time out today to appreciate the little things - there is a lot to be grateful for. The little things in life can be the source of your frustration or the bright spot of every day. If you let the bad ones go and cherish the good ones you'll start living a happier and healthier life. Remind yourself each morning to step back and look at the big picture. Life is too short to dwell on the bad little things, when there's so many good little things to go around.

Respect for the fallen

Ok. Enough. Instead of the hate talk, how about you do some reading. Go to the Wikipedia page on Michael Jackson's life and read the section "1993–1994: Sexual abuse accusations and marriage". You should really read the whole thing but since you probably won't, I'll transpose some of it here so you can get a feel for the relevant information (text was bolded by me):

Jackson was accused of child sexual abuse by a 13-year-old child named Jordan Chandler and his father Evan Chandler. Sometime afterwards, Evan Chandler was tape-recorded saying amongst other things, "If I go through with this, I win big-time. There's no way I lose. I will get everything I want and they will be destroyed forever...Michael's career will be over". A year after they had met, under the influence of a controversial sedative, Jordan Chandler told his father that Jackson had touched his penis. Evan Chandler and Jackson, represented by their legal teams, then engaged in unsuccessful negotiations to resolve the issue in a financial settlement; the negotiations were initiated by Chandler but Jackson did make several counter offers. Jordan Chandler then told a psychiatrist and later police that he and Jackson had engaged in acts of kissing, masturbation and oral sex, as well as giving a detailed description of what he alleged were the singer's genitals.

Read the bold part again. Seems a little suspicious? That's because it is. I'm not saying I know definitively that he is not a pedophile. For all I know he could be a pedophile, but c'mon people you're acting as if YOU were there. It's ludicrous. The simple fact is the man was never convicted by our judicial system (settled out of court to stop his name from getting dragged through the mud any longer). If you have a problem with that you have a problem with the judicial system, and not Michael Jackson.

Now, aside from rumors and accusations read the rest of the Wikipedia page on his life. How about his charitable work?

- "He donated his $5 million share from the Victory Tour to charity".
- "Jackson co-wrote the charity single "We Are the World" with Lionel Richie... 20 million copies sold and millions of dollars donated to famine relief."
- "From 1985 to 1990, Jackson donated $500,000 to the United Negro College Fund, and all of the profits from his single "Man in the Mirror" went to charity."
- "In 2000, Jackson was listed in the book of Guinness World Records for his support of 39 charities".

The list goes on and on. The man is to be admired, even before considering his ground breaking music that changed an entire industry and inspired hundreds of young people to become musicians. His talent is off the charts, his giving spirit is nearly unparalleled, and he's the ultimate entertainer.

A man passed away yesterday. He was a good man, and yet all you can talk about is an incident where someone tried to take advantage of his generosity in order to make a quick buck. For shame. Even if you don't agree with that interpretation of the incident with Jordan Chandler at least give the man some respect for a lifetime of accomplishment both on and off the stage.