Dawn in Cappadocia, a time for reflection
"He that will not reflect is a ruined man." - Asian Proverb
You want to be healthier. We want you to be healthier. So where do you start? Just like anything else in life, you have to understand where you're starting from if you want to make improvements. I couldn't have lowered my cholesterol if I didn't know what it was to begin with. In fact, I didn't even know I had a potential problem without the baseline.
The foundation of your success is understanding how healthy your diet is, and how much you exercise. You can only do that by paying laser-sharp attention to what you eat, and being mindful of everything you're putting in your mouth. You deserve the effort and the attention! The first time I kept a food journal, I was shocked to discover how much and what I was eating. I'd been spending years putting "food" in my mouth, hardly noticing or tasting it. I also weighed the most I'd ever weighed in my life, and had no ideas how many calories I ate in a day - that was a big wake-up call. Life's too short - don't let it go by without noticing.
You're going to develop your baseline so you can start to set Mindful Goals. (More about that in a later post).
What to do - Develop a Baseline
- Make a commitment to yourself that you will be healthier.
- Download Mindful Log and print it out. If you prefer to use an app, there are several like LoseIt! and MyNetDiary. Or there are online sites like About.com, the Daily Plate or Spark People (includes community).
- Start paying attention to what you are eating, and write everything that you put in your mouth down on the log. Start right now. I don't care if it's dinner and you haven't filled out the earlier squares of the day. Write the amounts down too - do it in cups (1 cup of broccoli), units (1 chicken breast), or in ounces (12 ounces of water). SPECIAL CREDIT: calculate the calories in your food using the About.com counter or an old-fashioned chart. A food log app will automatically calculate it for you.
- Carry the log around with you, and fill it in every single day. Be mindful of how you are feeling and jot that down as well. Also write down your exercise (e.g. 30 minutes of lifting weight, 20 minutes of walking, 3 miles biking). Don't lie! You don't ever need to show it to anyone, and you're only cheating yourself. You have to be honest with yourself to make improvements.
- Print the log out again on Monday and start the week fresh. Be mindful of what you eat.
- Look at your log after a week, and reflect on it. What trends do you notice? For example, I noticed that my water consumption goes way down during weekends.
- Read Mindful Eats regularly, and be aware of your actions.
- Know that you're doing a great job. You've made a commitment, you have the will power, and you're taking action.
- Tip: Please don't show your Mindful Log to anyone, unless you think they already lead a healthy life, or they are also interested in being healthier. Having someone unknowledgeable telling you that "your diet looks great!" or "why are you doing this goofy thing?" is not useful. It's like asking me what's wrong with your car. Not helpful!
UPDATED: 4/13/20
What I ate today: 12 oz. green juice, 2 cups nasty office coffee, 2 clementines, 2 slices of mushroom pizza (no crusts), 1 yogurt, 1 apple, roasted vegetables and pasta (resavored), 1 handful of Mindful Mix, 60 oz. water, 1 multivitamin, 1/2 tbsp flaxseed oil
Exercise: 30 min cardio (bike/jog), 25 min. weight lifting
