Step 5 - How to Beat a Diet

There is generally no reason to have to drastically change your diet (Diet will ever be used in my blogs to denote an eating habit, not trend-eating), but there are a couple of rules to live by if over a period of time you decide you would like to be eating better.

1. Diversity!!!
Without a broad range of different healthy food choices with different flavors, you will always revert back to habit foods and familiarity.

2. Introductory period
is the time it takes for your body to purge useless matter and gear itself into efficiency when it realizes it's getting food it actually can use and digest easily. If you are making a drastic change to your eating habits, you will feel like crap for a couple of days. Suck it up, drink water 30 min before and 30 min after meals to help.

3. How to eat
Physically, you should be chewing a lot more than you do; this is the first step to avoid over-eating. Make yourself count to 20. The second step is to notice when you don't feel hungry (yeah, you might get hungry later, but that's what snacks are for), and as soon as you don't feel hungry anymore, STOP EATING. Americans like to binge every meal, and this causes digestive problems and sluggishness that is often solved with pills, antacids, and coffee.

4. Make a new habit food
out of something that you know is better for you. In my other blog (Frenchtoast and Existentialism) I discussed how I altered mac 'n' cheese to accomodate what I wanted to be eating, and also how I altered chips and salsa to do the same - those 2 items were my go-to comfort foods. Since I wrote that post, my new go-to's are Kefir (cuz it feels like it sticks to your ribs, but it really helps your digestion), Labne and celery or lox/german rye, and homemade chips/guacamole.

5. Add fruits and vegetables.
Eat whatever you want, and continue to eat whatever you want to boost morale, but start adding fruits and vegetables to what you're already eating EVERY MEAL. And I don't mean add canned/frozen fruit or vegetables covered in high-calorie/carb substances like dressing - just veggies lightly steamed/roasted, tossed in olive oil/salt/pepper, or preferably raw - great for SNACKS and busy/nervous eating (like baby carrots and green apples). You will start to notice a difference, and be surprised that you start to crave foods that are better for you.

6. Morale boosters.
If you really want to stick to a drastically changed diet, there are a number of things you can cheat with that won't compromise health goals. Primarily, anything that isn't a starch you can cheat with. Best morale boosters include:

• Bacon! if you need to be healthy hippy about it, get uncured/nitrite-free... it'll be easier to stop eating just bacon in the long run than to give up everything at once
• Dark chocolate! (70% cacao or better)
• Sweet potato fries fried in peanut/safflower/olive oil
• MEAT!!! no weird sauces, just slow roasted or seared/salt/pepper - noms! or nitrite-free deli meats
• Bacon cheese burgers without the bun, or double up the meat on half a bun, or use gluten/corn-free breads
• Cheese - technically diet-enthusiasts would tell you to avoid dairy because of the strain it puts on the digestive system and how it contributes to gaining fat, but I personnally advocate that if it's properly cultured (doesn't melt well in the microwave), then it's a step in the right direction, and can be a huge morale booster when staring down isles and menus of modern packaged food goodies.

So, to explain a little - this may seem Atkins/South Beach/Paleo/Food Lovers/Perfect Human Diet friendly for a reason: it is better to reduce the intake of starch/fast-burn carbs, and increase good carbohydrates (slow-burn carbs/non-starches). Not only is there a lot of research indicating the adverse effects of grains - the nutrients they rob from the body, the human body's inability to digest them, and illnesses that result - but starches cause the body to spike insulin (this includes whole-wheat products) which causes the body to create fat. Once the fast-burn carbs are done burning, the body's insulin plummets, which also causes the body to create fat. Therefore! eating good carbohydrates, found in fruits and vegetables, evens out the body's insulin and prevents fat from being produced. Also, did I mention that grains rob the body of nutrients? When the body reaches a deficit in nutrients, or is unable to absorb them to use them, it starts creating things like cholesterol to be a crutch to keep the body functioning.

Note: Whole fruits are preferable to bottled juices for 2 reasons:
1. The natural juice/pulp ratio that whole fruits contain even out the production of insulin when they are digested
2. Bottled juices are all pasteurized/ all concentrates are cooked - this kills vital nutrients and enzymes found in raw fruits which degrades the digestion and benefits of actually ingesting it.

Step 4 : 2 Secrets to Life: Inhale & Exhale

After slowly decompressing your back, giving your feet a rejuvenating roll to loosen up all your muscles, and drinking sufficient amounts of water, the next step is the use of breathing.

Commonly known as pranayama,  this is an exercise of breathing that I've used both to calm my nerves and sleep, or even keep myself warm when I'm stuck out somewhere freezing my butt off; or even just getting ready to exercise or cooling down from an exercise.

Firstly, take up a comfortable sitting or standing position, straight back, shoulders back, and head up, eyes focused on a point in front of you.

There is the slow breathing, using your diaphragm, similar to the muscles you learn to use for singing - relaxing your chest and shoulders and abs, using the diaphragm muscle just below your ribcage, letting it fill your abdomen and expand your back muscles too.

1. Take a deep breath in slowly without lifting your chest or shoulders. You may need to start out by pushing your ab muscles out to get a feel for where your diaphragm is, and simultaneously push out with your lower back muscles.

2. Once you've taken in as much air as you can, you should be able to feel the diaphragm pushing down (just below your ribcage).

3. Slowly exhale and force all your breath out, contracting your ab and back muscles in, and you should feel your diaphragm pushing up into your ribcage (keep chest and shoulders relaxed).

4. Now that you know what the diaphragm feels like, relax your chest, shoulders, abs and back, and with that muscle just below your ribcage, push down to let your lungs fill with air - filling out your abdomen and back to displace, but leaving the muscles relaxed.

5. Hold for 1 count, then relax the diaphragm slowly and breathe out.


The second style of breathing is fast breath, or breath of fire. And there are a couple of ways to do this. My breathing rhythm for cardio is in-two-out-two, so, for my breath of fire, I do two pulses with my diaphragm to inhale and two pulses to exhale. Ideally, you should get to the point of quick single pulses in and out, using only the diaphragm.

1. Inhale for 1 count, pushing down with the diaphragm
2. Exhale for 1 count, relaxing the diaphragm
3. Continue at a steady rhythm for 30-60 seconds

4. For a second round, do the inhale pulse and exhale pulse as fast as possible (making sure to only use diaphragm) for 30 seconds

Step 3 - Water-logged

A simple, basic element of living beings is, of course, water.
Since most of a living body is water, it's probably a very good idea to consume a pretty good deal of it. And in reality, it can play a rather productive role in alleviating headaches, fatigue, muscle pain, digestive problems, and even portion control - feeling full and satisfied.

1. First thing when you wake up in the morning: drink a tall glass of water
2. Before eating a single bite of each meal: drink 1-2 tall glasses of water (depending on how active you are)
3. 2 hours before bed: drink the last tall glass of water

The benefits:

• fills you up - feel fuller faster, but without making you lethargic
• aids in digestion
• hydration helps keep blood flowing nutrients and oxygen to the brain - staves off fatigue and headaches
• flushes toxins - not just substances introduced to the body, but the actual waste products the body produces that need help (via water) to be properly flushed out
• reduces muscle pain when the body is able to flush its toxins and increase blood flow with nutrients and oxygen, the body can repair itself and get rid of lactic acid to make stretching effective

The only catch here is that it's preferable to drink hot or room-temperature water - though any water is better than none; ice water slows the metabolism and can shock the system. Unless it's hot outside, try to avoid drinking chilled water.

AND:

For severe menstrual cramping or nausea, I have discovered (and my friends have corroborated) that drinking plain hot water (when peppermint tea is not available) is an amazing way to alleviate nausea and cramping. Kinda strange that something so simple can do something so effectively. Give it a shot, it's free!!!

Step 2 - Beer Bottle Reflexology

Many people, like me, suffer from restless leg (muscle over-use), foot, knee, and lower back stress from sports, repetitive use and injuries. About a year after my lower back injury, I began working in a warehouse on concrete floors... within 6 months both my knees swelled and were so stiff and painful I couldn't kneel. I felt an exceeding amount of pain in my feet (between the concrete and competitive dancing); and I remembered a trick my sister (the college track star) taught me, using a frozen water bottle. Instead I used glass bottles, beer bottles being the perfect size to get a good stretch on the arch.

Sitting or standing, with as much weight as you can put on it, start out with long strokes rolling from toe to heel.

It doesn't feel like much to begin with, but after 90 seconds you'll start to feel the odd spots in your foot that are tense. Then start doing shorter, quicker strokes on those areas.

Then start rolling along the outer side of the foot in long, slow strokes.
Then on the inner side of the arch, heel to toe - feeling for those tight spots, and working them out with short strokes.





 give yourself about 5-15 minutes (I often do it while sitting at the computer - like right now), or however long you feel like. As soon as you stand on your foot again, you'll notice an immediate difference.

For me, within 3 days of doing this twice a day for a couple of minutes, and getting the pharmacy arch supports, the swelling and pain in my knees went down, and the pain I usually endured from dancing went away. No pain-killers, who'da thought!?

Since I mentioned restless muscles, I wanted to say that I only ever suffer from it when I stop stretching on a regular basis. The quick fix is bathing in icy-hot, but it is not nearly as affective as spending a few minutes in a seated forward fold... but! more on that later.

Step 1 - A Series of Stretching

Usually everything begins and ends with food or exercise and the two's interrelationship...
While that is very true, most people already know what they need to eat more and less of, and that they should do some form of exercise. What most people don't realize is the importance of this one, life-changing activity that is not dependent on either food or exercise... and that is: STRETCHING!

food can seriously alter your mental and physical states
exercise can also alter your mental and physical states

STRETCHING is an often over-looked and under-appreciated way to alter mental and physical states. It is also how to avoid and bounce back from injury; how to singly increase circulation and metabolism, decrease pain and stress, improve mood and motor function... and it's the easiest damn thing to do regardless of what level you're at.

The best thing about stretching is that no matter what level you're at the benefits are the same - the only trick is knowing how to modify and listen to your body to get the best stretch possible.

Where to start:

Lay on your back on a firm surface - heels together, relax your feet so they fall away from each other; hands at your sides, palms up; relax your face, your jaw, breathe in for 3 counts, breathe out for 3 counts... with each breath let each muscle from your head further and further down hang limp.

Give yourself a few minutes, clear your mind... if you can't, then focus on one thing, like a flower, or your love's face, and nothing else.

Next, take a deep breath in, and while you exhale, bring your knees into your chest and hug them.

The alternate is to bend your knees and place your feet on the floor hip distance apart as closely tucked to your body as possible.

And as before, breathe in deep 3 counts, and out 3 counts, letting your lower back melt into the floor. Give yourself a few minutes and clear your mind again. Then slowly and gently lean your knees side to side or roll subtly side to side - hold to one side, then the other, breathing in and out each time you shift.

While laying, an easy way to stretch the upper body is to simply lay your arms straight out from the shoulder, bend at the elbows perpendicularly, palm up. Relax the shoulders, elbows, and neck.

So, I discovered that if I rolled out of bed when my alarm went off, onto the floor, and snoozed while doing these poses, it made it so much easier to get up 10 minutes later. And even though I was working 7 days a week, I felt motivated and less stressed when I did it. Not only that, but at age 22 I was suffering from chest pains - quick, sharp, inexplicable pains I never got diagnosed - but after starting this small regimen, those went away... when I stopped for a couple months it came back, so for years I managed to keep myself doing these stretches. Additionally, at that age I also threw my back out loading trucks (I ran a shipping department), and it is an ideal, low-impact way to stretch and improve circulation for that sort of injury, relieving a lot of the pain that comes with just simply standing, walking, and weather change.

I know this seems small, but, like a lot of small things, it makes a substantial difference. Recently I've been so stressed I haven't been able to sleep. I hadn't been 'feeling' stressed, I hadn't really been acting stressed, but my mind was racing and unsettled, and I realized I was suffering from stress. So, after hours of restlessness, I lay down in my library, which is my chill room, sprawled out, heels together, arms out, palms up, breathed slow and focused on my flower guillardia since I couldn't clear my mind... Slept like a log, and despite being sick, I'd wake up feeling motivated!

No diet change, no strange positions, or even exercise, just 5-10 minutes of snoozing time before and/or after bedtime. Don't even have to change clothes or get any equipment, the hardest part is finding a comfortable place and spending a couple minutes letting go. But every time you do it, it is worth it, so the goal is to do it at least once every day - and over the last week, I have.

Where to begin...

The root of this project lies in the thwarted efforts of everyone I've encountered who's made decisions about their lifestyle, food, and mentality that they somehow believe will eventually give them results, or that they believe should've already achieved them their goals - if it was simply a matter of lifestyle, food, and mentality. That, and the fact that they don't believe me when I point out why they're not happy or meeting their goals. So, I am putting myself through changes, that should be simple enough for anyone to implement, to achieve reasonable results in a reasonable amount of time - and maintain it for the long-term.

This is actually the second run of this project (named for one of the above-such persons)- because there are now others suffering from a simple lack of practicality, easily summed up as this: Do what you've always done, get what you've always got. Ergo, if YOU are dissatisfied with the results you've achieved, then something has to change about what you're doing and how you're doing it.

Based on information available in my blog French Toast and Existentialism from personal experimentation, and countless documentaries and books available (see list) on YouTube, Netflix, and Amazon, I am building a transition plan for people who love food and relaxation like me, but have opened themselves to the possibility that food and being sedentary is killing them, making them unhappy, causing health problems, and even causing mental problems. Not only that, but it will incorporate small lifestyle changes that will enable the body to adjust better, be more resilient, lose weight, and relieve stress - in addition to odd ailments to which doctors only prescribe medication and surgery, but can be relieved and reversed without such.

THIS is not some miracle cure-all.
YOU are your miracle cure-all.

Simply by listening to your body, paying attention to how it responds to food, activities, and stress, and learning techniques to develop that interaction, it is entirely possible alleviate ailments and boost health and resiliency.

So, herein lies my experience with successes and failures in nurturing and sustaining my body and mind, and a new chapter of my own, personal self-improvement.