Lessons from Nature

Summer is fading and a new season is about to begin. Fall is the perfect time to enjoy the outdoors, take your kids apple picking, tend to the garden, plant new flowers, divide and transplant perennials. My garden is entering a very lovely stage, with all the fall perennials putting on a show, attracting butterflies and even humming birds. While my fall perennials are in full bloom, my lawn is an entirely different story. Never having educated myself in lawn care, the results are a wee bit grim. My lawn - or rather what is left of it - is sending out S.O.S. signals on broadband!!! Thanks to the internet, education is easy to come by and I have some catching up to do on how to maintain a lawn - and no it doesn't take care of itself! As I am reading through some articles, I come across a statement that describes weeds not as "the enemy" but rather as "competitors for space".


I am certain you are wondering by now why I am rambling on about my garden, after all, this isn't a gardening magazine. However, as I read this statement it occurred to me that nature simply does not allow for a vacuum. Space left blank will be filled with something. The same holds true for our thoughts. We often give our kids, spouses, consumers or friends pep talks, but very seldom do we give ourselves a pep talk, if anything the opposite holds true, we berate ourselves sometimes for the smallest thing, are hard on ourselves when we get impatient with the kids/cat/dog/spouse/parent etc. These are all negative thoughts that we should strive to replace with positive thinking. If you now think, ok, I won't chide myself anymore, this is also a negative thought, it will not work. You have to train yourself to think in a positive way. For example, if you tell yourself, you will no longer give into your cravings for junk food while watching TV, you will not succeed. Instead, tell yourself that you will have a snack, but make it a healthy one. Prepare a veggie dip or fruits before you sit down to watch TV, because let's face it, none of us is able to resist the temptation to snack while watching TV! No need to berate yourself for it, it is nearly impossible not to give in.

This is mostly thanks to TV commercials. Every 10 minutes or so, when a commercial break starts, you will see at least one commercial for food. The record I ever counted was 5 out of 6 commercials had some sort of food in it. Now if you watch a couple of hours of TV there are a lot of food commercials that your subconscious is exposed to even if you don't really pay attention to the commercial. That is called subliminal advertising - and it works. I often wondered why I don't get the munchies when I am reading or using the computer, until it dawned on me, that it must have to do with TV commercials.

Healthy Snacks:

Apple

Veggies and dip

Grapes with or without a small slice of cheese

Small handful of nuts: cashews, almonds and walnuts are the better choice

Sunflower seeds

Pumpkin seeds

Small packages of snacks – limited to 100 calories – word of caution: just because these snacks are only 100 calories each, does not mean that they are good for you considering that most of the calories are derived from fats.

A lot of packages that list nutritional values, including cereals, base those values on a third of a cup. This is actually a very small serving. Measure your cereal and snacks in a measuring cup. You’ll be surprised how small an amount it actually is. The same can be said of salad dressings – they are measured by Tablespoons, so again be careful how much salad dressing you’re actually using.

Tip: put a small amount of dressing on a saucer and only dip your fork in it before picking up the salad. You still get the taste but you end up using only a tiny amount of dressing – saving calories as you go along.

Ok, so you absolutely need to have some chocolate, or chips or whatever your downfall is.

As a self declared chocaholic, I certainly need my “fix” every so often. The trick with eating chocolate is that you munch one square the way you normally would. The next square you let melt in your mouth. It is after all the taste we are after, and what better way to savour the flavour than letting the chocolate melt. The next square you munch again, the fourth square you let it melt – like they do in some TV commercials. Unless you are actually hungry, this should satisfy your craving for chocolate. The same method can be applied to eating chips, and most other snacks.

If you are serious about losing some pounds, enlist the help of your friends and family. They can be your biggest support as you embark on your journey.

The benefits of having friends? You'll live longer!

So says a landmark 1992-2005 study of seniors over age 70, by researchers in Adelaide, Australia's Flinders University, and published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Researchers tracked the seniors' annual survival rates and found those with social networks of friends and acquaintances generally lived longer than those who were the least social.

And here's the kicker: Having close contact with relatives had no impact on survival rates. Friends make the difference!

So don't blow off your girl-time - consider it part of your healthy living plan.

Enlist your friends to support you with your dietary goals. Starting a healthy eating plan with a friend is a great way to stay motivated and reach your goals.