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I recently blogged about how dangerous the global obsession with sugary drinks has become to our collective health. The purpose was to remind us all that we could tweak our liquid sugar intake a bit.
One sad soul took my advisements and actually commented by calling me a “Nazi Doctor.” Besides showing me just how ignorant some people are (if they use terms like this for people trying to help others), it suggested that perhaps we’ve gone off the rails in this country when it comes to health and fitness advice.
Like most things on this Earth, being “healthy” is almost never black or white. If you’re lucky, you will be taught this from a young age, by your family or schools. If you’re like most of America, you need a bit of a reminder!
What is Moderation?
Moderation is AVOIDING THE EXTREMES on a daily basis. Moderation means looking at the WHOLE PICTURE in your life – what you ingest and what you spend your time doing.
Too much of ANYTHING just isn’t good.
Eating healthy all the time is key?
No!
I’m the first to say we only live once so please don’t cut out your favorite foods completely – even if it’s chocolate chip cookies or Twizzlers you adore! You probably couldn’t if you tried, and it’s no fun trying to eliminate anything like that.
Labeling foods good and bad won’t serve us anymore.
Fat is bad for you? NO!
This isn’t the 80’s after all, when people took the low fat craze to absurd extremes, making a whole generation of Americans overweight because of high sugar, but “low fat” processed foods.
PLEASE eat the avocados or the olives or ANY of the NUTS and SEEDS that undergo no human or machinery interventions before they make it to your mouth. These are the healthy fats and they do a body good. Of course not if you eat them by the pound. That’s moderation.
I’m a big fan of the 80/20 principle. 80% of the time you eat what is generally considered healthy, and 20% of the time you indulge in what you like.
Look at the overall picture in your life.
Example: You hear about whole grains being so much better for you than stripped, bleached and refined whites. I agree completely, and generally you will not find white bread or white rice in my household. However, our weekend BBQ’s over the summer are our favorites, and the buns are WHITE (GASP!) because that’s what tastes good and feels right to us.
Not only that, for those BBQ’s when we have lots of friends over, the slices of cheese for the cheeseburgers may not be ORGANIC and they’re probably even PROCESSED! Please don’t faint! The cheese in our fridge on a daily basis is organic because that’s what my kids eat and dairy is one of the main things I buy organic.
So does all of your produce have to be certified organic? NO!
I’d be thrilled if most of our country started eating fruits and vegetables on a daily basis more than sparingly. I honestly don’t think our collective health would be as positively affected by any other single change than this.
Just START piling on the produce! Don’t worry about how it’s grown if you’re starting here; just swap in the fruits for sweetness and veggies for bulk. This alone will change your diet in so many ways like a ripple effect.
Once you regularly eat more produce, then you can look at what is in season, what is grown locally, and what makes sense to buy organic.
(See my blog on 10 produce items to buy organic this year here)
If you start shopping more of the perimeter of the supermarket you can do this. The center aisles should be your last stop – packaged foods and snack foods should be add-ons to your grocery list, not staples.
Even this “shop the perimeter” axiom has its limitations.
Example – Kale is a craze that is here to stay but many people don’t like the taste. So packaged and flavored Kale chips are available to us – go for it!
If you just aren’t going to eat fresh kale that you’ll chop or sautee or bake at home, at least eat the packaged kind you buy on the shelves. It’s still packed with health benefits and no one is here to judge.
So we all need to eat more produce. Do you have to be a vegetarian to get all the health benefits? NO! Enjoy that steak once and a while – but start getting more lean and plant-based protein in your diet and all of your other good intentions will become easier.
An example of this: More beans will mean more fiber and feeling fuller, making you less likely to overindulge in the not so healthy. Revving up plant-based proteins doesn’t mean you can’t have that burger at the BBQ.
Vigorous exercise or bust? No!
More and more studies come out highlighting the benefit of moderate exercise. Examples of this include long walks, yoga, or intervals alternating high heart rate with low heart rate as opposed to heart pounding short periods of intensity.
(See my blog on the benefits of light exercise here)
Sitting is the new smoking? Well, maybe not quite but it’s up there! It’s amazing how many patients of mine have credited their lifestyle changes with the simple beginnings of “getting up and moving more.”
Everyone is different when it comes to physical activity. As a general rule, FOLLOW NO RULES. Any “plan” that ties you to a regimen is likely not to serve you in the long run.
Find out what you like to do and then tailor it to your lifestyle. Try different things and keep your daily activities varied so you don’t fall prey to the boredom and “I give up” mentality.
If you love an activity, you’re more likely to take it to higher levels, and I’m all for that! Yet beware of drinking too much of the Kool Aid when it comes to any one activity.
Personally, I caught the running “bug” 10 years ago and am a frequent half marathoner. Yet even in this respect I’m all about moderation for myself. Running mates constantly try to get me to train for a full marathon but I know my limits. I’m in my “sweet zone” of mileage these days, which may sound like a lot to most people but to lovers of running isn’t necessarily that “hardcore.”
I know my own limits. Overdoing mileage in one single run and I’m so sore the rest of the week I’m cranky with my family and even crankier with myself. Just not worth it.
I’ve also learned that balancing my running with other activities is key to keeping my body in balance. Yoga is a godsend (literally?) and it is the Yin to my running Yang if you will. I know weightlifters, swimmers, golfers and even sedentary people who will admit Yoga does something for their body and mind that little else can replace.
Imagine if I had listened to those trainers 20 years ago who would say “yoga is for stretching but since it doesn’t get your heart rate up it’s kind of a waste of time.” Ugh. SO UNTRUE!
Life is a long run, NOT a sprint.
What this ultimately means is there are no hard and fast rules to tie yourself to. Aim to be healthy, but don’t judge yourself harshly and give up when you aren’t picture perfect.
It also means that wherever you are in your journey, it isn’t too late! Taking the stairs instead of the elevator, adding a new color veggie to your daily snack, swapping a coke with water – these are the little steps along the way that make the journey richer.
Find information from different sources that educate you (like www.docannie.com!) and help you make the long run YOUR OWN.
Remember, it’s YOUR journey, so enjoy it. And avoid looking at the pointing fingers and judging looks along the way.
