Time for a Change?

It's that time of year ... again. 

Every new year people set out to make fantastic resolutions to change their lives for the better.  But somehow those early days of gusto seem to fizzle out by February ... if we're lucky to last that long.

I've even broken my resolution not to make more resolutions.

While resolutions or goal setting is a great way to make positive changes, it can also be very destructive if your goals are impossible to reach.

So why do we do it every year and more importantly, why do we fail?  Maybe it's because all these grand resolutions are not smart enough.  I'm not saying people are making unintelligent goals, I'm referring to the acronym SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timely). 

Eating healthier is a great goal, but it's not specific enough to know whether you've achieved it or not.  It's a goal that is impossible to measure.  What is healthier?  And for how long?  When making goals for the new year, if they're too vague or unrealistic, they will never be realized. 

I decided to make 1 or 2 small goals each month, instead of making a whole series of resolutions, designed to build on one another.  While they aren't epic life changing goals, they aren't meant to be.  They're supposed to be goals that are realistic and achievable; stepping stones to builds up my confidence and success for future goals.

My January goals:

• Take a Vitamin D supplement at least 5 days per week
• 30 minutes of physical activity per day at least 5 days per week

It is better to take many small steps in the right direction than to make a great leap forward only to stumble backward.                                                                                                          Chinese Proverb



A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.                                                      
                                                                                              Lao Tzu

Be Careful What You Wish For

I've been a little neglectful of my blog lately.  I'm not going to offer any excuses, only explanations.

Back in April/May, I knew that I needed to make a change.  I was overwhelmed and unhappy at work.  I needed to work to pay the bills, but I wanted something different, something more.  I felt that I was on a conveyor belt, unable to get off no matter how hard I tried.

So, I took a pretty big chance and it paid off.  I applied to graduate school in Toronto, Nutrition Communications.  There was one spot left and as I feverishly put together my application package, I knew that the spot could be gone before I had it completed.  For three incredibly long weeks I waited for news, worrying that I didn't do enough, my marks weren't good enough.  This was the second time I applied to the program; 6 years earlier I wasn't accepted and completely heart broken.  This time the news was much better.

For the past two months I have been commuting to Toronto (2 hrs each way), working as a dietitian and going to school.  Sometimes it's an easy transition back into student mode, but for some classes it's much harder than I ever imagined.  But this is what I wanted.  I knew it was going to be stressful, demanding and exhausting, but rewarding at the same time.

Through this entire process, so far, I've kept up my workouts, signed up for indoor cycling (no, not spinning!) a 1/2 marathon and 1/2 Ironman distance triathlon.  Whenever I do a lot of mental work, I need to do something physical or living in my head for so long will drive me crazy.

Not exactly a balanced life, but 'You got to do what you got to do to get what you want' (one of my many mottos).  Unfortunately when you're this busy things get neglected, like this blog, my personal life, sleep, etc.  I'm luck enough to have friends and family who understand and have been through this before with me.

My plan moving forward is to share some of the work I've been creating. I'm also working on creating a website, but probably not before the New Year.

It's daunting process trying to meet everyone's expectations, especially mine, but I think I'm up for it, at least so far.

Food Fight!

"What we got here is failure to communicate." (Cool Hand Luke, 1967)

Actually, the problem is we're communicating too much and not always evaluating who's doing the talking. 

Recently I learned that in the "scientific world" expert opinion ranks just slightly higher than ravings of a mad man.  Personally I would humbly disagree, mainly because I think my expert opinion is pure gold, but whatever. 

The problem is that people are changing their diets, avoiding foods and going to absurd lengths to "get healthy" solely on expert, or not so expert, opinion.  Then they go to great lengths to convert others to their food denomination, vilifying what ever food or food component is currently on the outs.  Sugar, dairy, fat, gluten, and the list goes on and on and on.  No wonder everyone is so confused about what or how they should be eating.  Paleo, vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, low fat, low carb ...

Okay villagers, put down the pitch forks and torches.  Let's all take a deep breath people and relax.

Here's a stunning fact for you:  we're all different.  I know, shocking!  From out preferences to allergies/intolerance to metabolism to absorption to cultural/religious restrictions to regional location/availability to basic needs.  So why must there be only one "diet", or one pattern of eating, for everyone on the planet. 

Just because some have the ability to spread their opinion over through far reaching mediums does not mean that they know what they're talking about or that the information is correct or safe.  I my humble opinion, we all need to slow down when some starts talking about what's good & bad and start to use our common sense.  If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.  After all, we all know how to eat healthy.  It's not brain science or rocket surgery. 

Confessions of a Dietitian

I've had the idea for this blog in my mind for a very, very long time.  It's undergone many incarnations, but you can only tweak and tinker so much before you give in and call it a day.  So here it is, as we all are, as perfect as we're going to be at this point in time.

Now to my deep, dark confession.  I am a dietitian, but not a foodie.  Shocking, I know.  Apparently the two terms are synonymous in most people's eyes.   Don't get me wrong, I have a deep and abiding love for food in all it's various inceptions, but I AM NOT A FOODIE!  I don't have the time, energy, motivation, skill, inclination or desire to make pasta, bread, or even cheese from scratch.  Some do, and more power to them, but I'm more of a connoisseur than a creator.  Okay, maybe connoisseur is a bit of a stretch, but I think you get the point.

So what do I want to this to be when it grows up?  I have no idea.  I think I will just sit back and let it grow or evolved into whatever it wants to be.  For me it's a place to share everything that fuels my life at the moment, share my opinions (which I have on everything) and perhaps vent on the occasion (it happens so rarely). 

Leave a comment, or a message; tell me what you think, or not.  Whatever fuels you!