Teeny tiny steps to great health

Happy New Year 🙂

I suspect most of us have made and broken a few New Year’s resolutions by now. Every January, I write lists of fascist diktats barking orders pertaining to nutrition, exercise, relaxation, meditation, correspondence and creativity. By point five – sometimes even earlier – I am rebelling with a coffee in one hand, a ciggy in the other, and a rogan josh en route to my house.

I was lying in bed reflecting on why that might be. My conclusion was simple: I have always tried to bite off more than I can chew, especially when the chow is raw, vegan and organically grown. What I could do, given my knowledge (theory) and what I can do, given the reality of my life (practice), are completely at odds.

For me, it is an old familiar tale. Every Sports Day at Junior School, I would brightly enter the 900 yard marathon, even though I lacked stamina and could barely complete the 300 yard race; mysteriously, every year, I would twist my ankle right next to my parents’ rug and have to bow out. An ice cream would be supplied to bring down the swelling.

As I thought about ambition, my mind drifted to Katie, a woman I worked with years ago. Katie had been born with dislocated hips, which had affected her walking as a child. She also suffered from allergies and other health challenges. Although she seemed tired at times, none of her afflictions was blatantly obvious. She moved gracefully, practised Qi Kung, ate well, swam daily, and looked healthier than most of the strapping young junk-food jocks on our floor.

What, I wondered, was her secret? There were two. The first was persistence. Given her health issues, she had to be consistent to live a pain-free life. The second was writing out a list of everything she had to do to improve her health, then chopping it in half.

Sometimes, she would chop the half-list in half until she had defined an aim that she could manage on a daily basis. Then she would split that goal into chunks and pursue it in stages until she had mastered it.

Katie was a tortoise (although she looked like a gazelle…!). Day after day, she took tiny steps and was rewarded with manifest gains. Through perseverance and petits pas she could walk without a limp and hold down a full-time job.

I also recalled a lady who had popped into the Hopsack one evening in early March. She was happy, vibrant, and excited to relate that, prior to Christmas, she had been nailed to the floor with fatigue but now felt fantastic. Her brother, deeply worried by her exhaustion and low mood, had given her Naturalife’s Green Barley juice capsules, Synergy spirulina capsules and A. Vogel’s Passiflora, a tincture renowned for calming the nerves and known as ‘a hug in a bottle’. Within weeks, her energy levels had soared and her eyes were shining. She credited barley grass, spirulina and Passiflora with turning her life around in two short months. Her supplements had taken all but a couple of minutes to swallow.

I think the resolutions we make often bear little relation to our experience of change. A tiny goal might look unimpressive on paper but going for it feels fantastic because (a) we are doing something good for ourselves and (b) consistent application leads to rewards. A seemingly minuscule change can feel huge when we actually do it and encourage further action in an ever kinder circle of positive reinforcement and faith in ourselves.

Recently, I decided to make one veggie juice per day. I made it … one day. It was delicious: celery, cucumber, tomato, red pepper, ginger, a little lime – a Virgin Mary with a wink! But cleaning the juicer was a pain … and so many jars have piled up near my juicer … and I felt too tired to care. So even a small, energising change like making one juice a day was too much for me. I didn’t beat myself up about it, though; I just lowered my ambitions and started smaller.

How, I asked myself, could I break this little goal down? By buying powdered wheatgrass, or a composite superfood like Pukka Vitalise! No more greeny tendrils trapped in my juicer’s steely maw. Wheatgrass powder in spring water would raise my energy with much less effort. Then, when I was raring to go again, I could resume my tasty task.

I have also wasted much money on powdered versions of supplements when capsules would have done nicely. I am a mutant who likes the taste of wheatgrass, so I am happy to drink it, but spirulina is another story; to me, it tastes like sucking the end of the pier. For years, I felt I “shouldn’t” buy capsules or tablets because powders are better value and come with hard-core cachet. Result: superior blends faded out of date in my cupboard, their goodness lost. If I had gone easy on myself, I’d have happily swallowed the capsules and reaped the rewards. (Jasmine’s spirulina smoothie helps a lot, though!)

So, my current (very casual) goals for 2011 are this: starting small, dancing, walking a dog, practice not theory, drinking more water, adding tempting morsels to healthy salads and having fun. Paul (ex-Hopsack babe) is an inspiration. His kitchen is a wonderland of vegan delights, created with passion and artistry when the Muse strikes him. Much more fun – and infinitely healthier for body, mind and soul – than submitting to dreary dietary demands and New Year’s resolutions! 😉

Did you know?

It takes only 21 days of consistent action to change a habit. Not bad for three weeks’ work, eh? 🙂

NB: Please consult with your doctor before taking supplements or changing your diet, especially if you are taking any medications or have a medical condition. Some supplements and medications can interact with lethal results. Do not take spirulina if you have PKU, as it is rich in phenylalanine.

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