No, I am not advocating alcoholism. Drink your water.

In depressing times, we have to take care of ourselves.  Please note:  if you have (as I do) clinical depression, none of the things I am about to write are a substitute for professional help; they just help the help to work and are good practice for healthy living.  If you need medication, take it.  If you need therapy, get it.  All this stuff is bonus points for the clinically depressed and may be more than we can handle on any given day.  If you are breathing and awake, good for you!  And if you need someone, I am here for you.  End of disclaimer.  On to the ways to take care of ourselves.

Drink.  Water.  Lots of it.  We make bad decisions when we are dehydrated.  We get crabby and headachy and tired.  Watch out for the alcohol because it dehydrates us, among other effects.

Eat good food.  If we seek solutions in the bottom of potato chip bags, we probably won’t find them.  Even the prizes in the Frosted Flakes box are overrated.  Enough protein, high-quality carbohydrates, good fats, fresh ingredients:  these nourish us.

Move.  Crawl, if that is all we can manage.  But let’s try to dance instead, or walk with a friend.

Connect.  Call somebody.  Do a favor.  Give a hug.  We don’t have to be alone.

Make a joke.  Even a really bad one.  Especially a really bad one (they are my favorite).  When it is a laugh-or-cry situation, choose the laughter.

You are a wonderful human being.  No one is like you.  The world needs you.  Do what you need to do to be the best you possible.

Even if the local cuisine is sugar and fat with a side of salt...

Traveling, while good for the soul, presents a certain amount of challenge to the body.  One’s best efforts to eat good food can be stymied when all the choices come from 7-Eleven, fast food, or rest stop vending machines.  Determination to exercise can fade after eighty gazillion miles of driving.  I have two suggestions:

First, do something.  Pick the best of the bad options.  Maybe there is no real option for lots of exercise, but we can always at least stretch; it may even happen automatically when we at last have a chance to stand up.  Even gas stations sell nuts and water, which can get us through until we find real food.

Second, don’t sweat it.  Soak up the good parts of what is happening.  See the sights.  Taste the local cuisine, whatever it is.  Be present.

Valentine's Day!

It’s Valentine’s Day, which means it is time to do something for our hearts!  Get them pounding!  Ten possibilities:

1.     Run.

2.     Bike.

3.    Swim.

4.     Great sex with that special someone.

5.     Dance.

6.    Zumba.

7.     Climb trees or mountains or jungle gyms.

8.     Play tag.

9.     Play soccer/football/basketball/tennis.

10.  Escape from a bear (hug).

Monday Workout: Lots of compound exercises!

I won’t be able to test this one out until I am home again, but I think it’s going to be fun!  Four rounds!

1 min cardio
sumo squat to high pull	20
1 arm row/raise in side lunge	20
overhead arm knee ups	20
dips	10
mountain climbers	20
lunges with rotation	20

Friday Book Report: The Omni Diet

As I have mentioned before, I am not a huge fan of diet books, or of diets.  That said, Tana Amen’s book The Omni Diet offers some decent advice.  She explains the nutrition information clearly and provides plenty of direction for those who want to follow her plan.  The recipes look to be pretty good, although I have not actually cooked any of them.

Because of the nature of this book, the reader needs to be prepared for the dreaded Inspirational Stories.  Most of them are helpfully enclosed in boxes for easier skipping.  Also, the prose lays it on pretty thickly about how delicious this is all going to be as we skip into our sugar and dairy free future.

Bottom line:  good information can be mined from what is, in my opinion, unfortunately styled writing.

I am a rock...

Our bodies adapt to our environment.  Our muscles get stronger when we use them.  Our bones do, too.  The food we eat and the movements we choose and even the faces we make change us.

What marks do we want to make on our bodies today?  What do we want to look like tomorrow?  Who do we want to be?

Walk this way...

Walking and hiking are good exercise choices for most people.  There is no equipment required, except comfortable shoes, and let’s face it:  we all should wear comfortable shoes.  Here’s how to make it more fun:

Go with a friend.  Skip the coffee date or the lunch date and walk instead.  Be the good influence for once!  Social connection is good for our health, too.  Being able to carry on a conversation is a great way to gauge how hard we are working; if we can’t keep talking, it’s time to slow down a bit.

Go with a furry friend.  Dogs are excellent for interval training.  They will go at top speed until something fascinating grabs them by the nostrils.  We can use this to our advantage, getting breathless when they are moving and maybe doing a few body weight exercises while they fully experience the aura of French fries on that discarded wrapper.

Go with music.  Bonus points for dancing on the sidewalk because laughter is good for the soul and the body, too.  Music can give us a good pace.  It also has a built-in measure for how hard we are working; if we can sing along, it’s time to step it up!

Go somewhere green and beautiful.  Nature is our friend and reduces our stress levels.  Make your heart both healthy and happy!

Let’s do it!