THE SECRET OF HABIT CHANGE IS TO STEP (ISSUE 157) DECEMBER 9, 2014

By Diane Gold

The secret of habit change is to step. No one’s saying it’s easy. I am saying it’s not complex. I don’t care how many times we’ve heard the idea that we have to believe in ourselves to motivate or have a positive mental attitude to get it done; it’s just not true. It may be an easier road, but that may not be our reality. And, once we step; we will believe and motivate.

EASY MOTIVATION

It’s easy to walk through the tunnel when there’s money waiting for us at the other end.

It’s easier to get started when we have a partner with which to work or a coach screaming,

“Let’s go, let’s go,”

in our face.

It’s pretty simple to take a positive step when our world is balanced and clean.
But, these conditions are not necessary.

NOT SO EASY MOTIVATION

On the other hand, It may not be so easy to take a step different from the one we have the habit of doing should this habit be huge and not supportive of what we are doing. Definitely, we automatically think it’s not easy.

It’s not so easy to make a change when we are in pain of any sort is present since pain diminishes power in each of us.

It’s not so easy to walk in a new direction when everyone else is walking the other way.

It’s not easy to step when we are tired. And if we have been working on replacing a habit for a long time, the energy we have consumed in thinking about it and doing things about it can make us very tired.

And, it’s not so easy when most people tell us we have to endure some multi-step process that is more than one step. One step is hard enough.

THE SECRET REALITY

The secret reality is that we can take a step even when:

1) we have no motivation to self-change,
2) we don’t believe in ourselves,
3) we have no personal balance,
4) we are in pain,
5) we cannot find joy in our lives.

Look at these examples of how people use other focii to get them to take a step, proving the 5 conditions are not necessary.

1) Military and religious personnel commonly refrain from cigarettes, the object of their addiction, during training runs or services.

2) Many religious practitioners in addictive behaviors refrain from their addiction on their Sabbath day, because they place a higher value on their God belief system than they do on their body’s need for a substance or activity. Many people in addictive behaviors refrain from their addiction for a few hours of church time, valuing the God system over the addictive reward.

(Unfortunately, there are some people in addictive behaviors who do not refrain on the Sabbath day but value a God belief system second. Most God belief systems include guilt for not valuing the belief system more than the object of addiction. Therefore, this scenario means guilt fits into the particular equation.)

3) Some clinical trials have had participants delay using their object of addiction in trade for a future reward of a possible heightened amount of their substance of choice or getting a small amount of money.

There was one such clinical trial in which trial participants were given a choice: abstaining for a longer period of time than others with the promise of a chance of getting more of their object of addiction at the end of the daily protocol. This meant the participants might not get the enhanced amount of their object. Even so, most chose abstaining longer with the chance of receiving the enhanced amount of stimulation.

CONCLUSION

Motivation to change, self-belief, balance, pain and joy do not enter into these scenarios. Commitment to military protocol or a belief system has caused people to delay the object of addiction. More comfortable living conditions have caused people to delay getting the object of addiction. And finally, the concept of the thrill of receiving an increased amount of the object of addiction was an excellent motivator.

The big picture is that the secret of habit change is to step, make that move, move the foot over the line. That’s what it takes. Only to step! That is the secret.

It must be done with expediency since we only have a short time to step. Otherwise our old behavior will surface, and we will get lost in it. I can hear the quiz show music where the clock is counting down. I couldn’t have pictured that when I was in the middle of struggling to replace a habit, since I would have been busy with my urges. All I could do was step. That’s all anyone has to do.

Let the secret of habit change out in the open. Just step!

ACTION STEP

There is only 1 action to be taken. Within 5 to 15 seconds of receiving the urge to take the action that usually gets you to your object of addiction, step. Even if you take 1 step in the direction away from the door that holds the object of addiction and then run right back to your object of addiction; that can be considered a successful step. Maybe tomorrow you will take one step. And then another, before you run back to your object of addiction. This, too, is a success. There Is Only 1 Action: Step!

Please consider these words. Any 1 step in a new direction is a success. Rome was not built in a day. Your habit was not built in a day. Be patient. But step. To change a behavior, always take 1 step in a new direction from your old one. Until you’ve done that, don’t worry what’s next.

If you wish to share your story, please hit reply in your email program to be contacted.

If you need habit help, go to WarriorsOfWeight Consulting.

FEEDBACK

We value your feedback very much.

Please leave a comment below.

Please LIKE us on the website and at

WarriorsOfWeight on Facebook.

You can also follow us on Twitter: @warriorsoweight.

Thanks.

DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition, peaceful conflict resolution and habit replacement.

She has looked at what worked for her. She says,

“Without immediate action, I do my habit, whatever that habit is. If I act, in any direction other than the habitual one, I begin creating my new habit. The next time I feel my urge, I will be experienced at taking immediate action and may walk further in any direction other the habitual one. As I cement my new habit through repetition and consistency, I will continue using the new direction.

As I see it, it is not important to process whether I like the new direction for, at least, six months. In fact, it is important to choose not to consider whether the new direction is right for, at least, three. This way, I give myself a chance to take a step.”

“Finally, let us all take good care of ourselves because we are so worth it!”

A SIMPLE BEHAVIOR CHANGE STRATEGY (ISSUE 156) DECEMBER 2, 2014

By Diane Gold

A new behavior change strategy is always a good thing to have in one’s basket of tricks. Making one, immediate, small change in our habitual behavior is the key to making it happen.

We all have habits. They develop when we do something over and over again driven by some type of urge: whether it came from our own psycho-physical ¬with no external stimulus or if something outside us, from a smell, a taste, a sound, a touch, triggered an urge. We get good at repeating the same behavior over and over again, and then it becomes second nature.

Now, it’s a habit.

THE URGE THAT BEGINS FROM INSIDE US

So, we might be minding our own business, and all of a sudden, we will want to drink alcohol, go dancing, eat ice cream or go running. We get the urge to do these behaviors from ourselves. Some of them may be good. Others, not good for our mental or physical health.

THE URGE TRIGGERED BY OUR SENSES

There is the external urge that arrives when a sense triggers the urge. The urge involves the same behaviors but in a slightly different way. We might be in a restaurant, smell the alcohol in someone else’s glass and want to drink. We might hear music and want to go dance. We might view someone’s eating an ice cream cone and immediately want one.

B. J. FOGG’S TAKE

This external stimulus idea works in a different way, too. We can cause our senses to become activate by positioning objects, like running shoes or dental floss, so that the viewing of the objects, themselves, creates a trigger.

As B.J. Fogg, PH.D., puts it,

“The number one mistake people make is not going tiny enough,”

referring to doing a small behavior as the entire goal, not a big, complicated one. He adds,

“Just put your running shoes on,”

meaning the goal is to put on the shoes, not to go running.

He’s referring to people’s thinking about cultivating the habit of running which involves putting on running shoes, figuring out the technique by which to run and going out and doing the running. That’s very complicated compared to starting with the tiny step of just putting the running shoes on for 5 days. Just placing the shoes on develops a habit that is not multifaceted. An effective way to trigger this behavior is to place the running shoes exactly on the path where we will step on them when we get out of bed. This way, we will see the shoes and remember to put them on.

In the same way, Fogg suggests that people who want to create the habit of flossing their teeth should begin by flossing 1 tooth only. We can do one tooth whereas we might be too lazy to do our whole mouth. This may lead to flossing 2 teeth, but the goal is 1 tooth first.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

When I was actively replacing my habit of drinking alcohol, I actively chose to spend my time doing things in places that did not serve alcohol or with people who were not drinking it. It was specifically to avoid smelling the alcohol or seeing people’s drinking it.

I remember very long ago when I was much younger, when I chose to quit smoking cigarettes. My strategy was similar in that I chose not to be around the smell of smoke so as not to trigger my desire for it.

Part of the process of developing behaviors that replaced drinking alcohol was to develop a behavior of being able to be around it.

Part of the process of developing behaviors to replace smoking cigarettes was to develop the ability to smell the cigarette smoke without having to smoke. Typical of someone who is extreme, I raised my children to avoid people who were smoking cigarettes. We crossed to the other side of the street to avoid it. I still do it to avoid its smell on my clothes. Very strangely, although I think smoking is gross and slovenly and I don’t like being around it, I can still recall the chemical buzz I received from the actual smoking.

OUR TIME DEADLINE

So, how much time do we have from the time an urge kicks in from inside us? And what about urges caused by outside stimuli?

The answer is It Depends Upon The Strength Of The Urge. If we have chosen to replace our behavior of drinking alcohol, doing drugs or going gambling, all behaviors that we have decided do not support our lives, we have, as I see it, between 5 and 15 seconds to do a new behavior before we do our old behavior and drink, drug or gamble.

If every time we pass the same restaurant that has alcohol, we also have 5 to 15 seconds to veer away from the restaurant to avoid going in and drinking. If every time we pass the aromatherapy store, we go in and have a whiff; we still have between 5 and 15 seconds to change this behavior. However, that particular habit seems to be one that calms the mind and heart and sounds like a good habit and may want to be continued.

THE STRATEGY AKA THE ACTION STEP

Here is a simple action step that can be taken as soon as an urge is felt. It does require that we carry our tools with us. But that’s easy.

Taking the step, that is, doing the new behavior, will change what we smell which may dissipate the urge. It will change what we taste, which supports the change in smell. We also have to focus our eyes on the behavior so that we can execute it properly. We will hear what we are doing which will complement the taste, smell and sight. And, finally, we will be touching the tools for the strategy. That’s using all 5 senses.

So, what is this simple strategy? It requires 2 things and a little water would be nice. They are a toothbrush and toothpaste, which we can be carried portably. Brushing the teeth when an urge strikes will change our smell, taste, view, sound and touch.

When we taste a new taste, very often, we replace our previous desire for food or drink. When we get busy doing this behavior, we will be focused on it for a moment and may distract ourselves long enough to call a friend, drink water or stretch our bodies. These additional behaviors support our brushing our teeth to replace our old behavior.

Please let us know how this behavior change strategy works. It has worked for me and for many others. Of course, we need a support network and this strategy. But this is an instant action step that may be of use in many circumstances.

If you wish to share your story, please hit reply in your email program to be contacted.

If you need habit help, go to WarriorsOfWeight Consulting.

FEEDBACK

We value your feedback very much.

Please leave a comment below.

Please LIKE us on the website and at

WarriorsOfWeight on Facebook.

You can also follow us on Twitter: @warriorsoweight.

Thanks.

DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition, peaceful conflict resolution and habit replacement.

She loves to talk about habits. She says,

“The way to achieve greatness is by taking 1 step. That way, that one step can be majestic. If we take 2 or more steps, our attention is split. That’s why 1 step is the way.

“When we choose behavior change, it may not work, at first. This is because it takes time to develop the new behavior. It took time for our old behavior to become second-nature. We are developing this in the new behavior.

“There is always room for one more strategy. Let’s see whether this one is the best one yet.

“Finally, let us all take good care of ourselves because we are so worth it!”

WARRIORSOFWEIGHT.COM WATER CAMPAIGN FOR THANKSGIVIING (ISSUE 155) NOVEMBER 18, 2014

By Diane Gold

WarriorsofWeight.com Water Campaign For Thanksgiving is a mission to build a well for 500-1,000 people to give them access to a clean water supply for 10 years, without using our hard earned money.

It is my hope that some of the community members who receive water access by well will learn how to construct a well and help others.

Here is how simple our part is:

Choose not to buy outside coffees on the way to work, teas at lunchtime, juices at snack time for a TWO WEEK PERIOD. Calculate the money saved, which averages out to $20. Then, gift the $20 in savings to fund the well. Click on the red donate button HERE. Of course, each of us can give less or more, but, at least, we will build a well together.

BORDERLINES

Can we look at it this way? Each of us, in whatever countries we are, has chosen to build water systems around borderlines, within the boundaries of our own country or union of countries. This is how we’ve always done it. We take care of our own. It doesn’t mean this is the way to continue to do it, should we choose to think of everyone as our own.

When we give a helping hand to our blood sister, our step-sister, our half-sister, our ethnic sister; it is considered normal. Let’s make it normal to give to our non-biological sister, our non-ethnic sister, both next door or 8,000 miles away.

CONCLUSION

The Water Project method of collecting money is cool. Let’s choose a little restraint so that our sisters and brothers can have some water. Once we do, we will realize that sacrificing (or choosing to refrain) is a way of celebrating water. What we might have imagined would be a strain turns out to be a radical way to pull out our strength and goodness and to provide water for life to others. For a tiny effort on our part, we can do this. Let’ go now, and CHOOSE TO DO IT HERE.

ACTION STEPS

1) Decide what drinks can be replaced by water for the 2 week period.

2) Set the start and end date.

3) Tell a friend or email us when you will start drinking water and saving the money.

4) Start doing it.

5) Send the money you saved by clicking the red donate button HERE.

6) Tell a friend or email us that you have completed the project.

THANK YOU for choosing to give what you did not spend. We will BUILD A WELL TOGETHER.

If you wish to share your story, please hit reply in your email program to be contacted.

If you need habit help, go to http://warriorsofweight.com/warriorsofweight-consulting.

FEEDBACK

We value your feedback very much.

Please leave a comment below.

Please LIKE us on the website at:

and on Facebook.

You can also follow us on Twitter @warriorsoweight.

Thanks.

DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition, peaceful conflict resolution and habit replacement.

She cares about health, happiness and peace. She says,

“I would like to build, at least, one well. Yes, I would like to teach people in countries where water access is limited how to build a well; but, first, I would like them to have enough water so that they don’t dehydrate. Especially the kids.

“S/he who dies with the most toys does not win. Further, s/he who purchases the most mocha lattes per week could help us with our mission.

“Can we all get together and fund the building of a well by choosing to change our behavior of buying coffee, tea, juice during our day, just for 2 weeks? And collecting the money we would have spent and donating it? That way, no one is really using extra personal funds. We just redirecting them for a short, manageable time.

“We can do it. Together. Happy Thanks(For)Giving.”

THINK LIFE SUCKS? 10 THINGS THAT MAY NOT (ISSUE 153) NOVEMBER 4, 2014

By Diane Gold

Think life sucks? I’m the first one to acknowledge however anyone feels.

And, if you think life sucks, I dedicate this article to you and ask you to reach out. I also send it out to anyone who has a minute for a person who believes that life sucks. We all matter, and we are all our sisters’ and brothers’ keepers.

NO FEELING IS WEIRD

No feeling is weird, inconsequential, strange, out of reach of understanding, unworthy, stupid, immature; and someone will listen if we reach out. We may have to reach more than once, but someone will listen. When we think life sucks, we usually don’t have the energy to reach out once, much less twice. So, each of us has to pool together in this world of sensitivity, and we have to read each other, making sure we are all OK.

Feelings are feelings, and we feel the way that we feel. Just because I don’t think life sucks doesn’t mean that you don’t. And vice versa. Just because someone in my life told me that I was being a cry baby a weakling, a spoiled brat by saying that life sucked for me doesn’t mean life doesn’t suck. It means the individual who said those words to me was, in her own way, being supportive or being completely insensitive. It doesn’t mean the feeling is weird.

10 THINGS THAT ARE GIFTS

There are many things in this world that may not suck. I am listing 10 since most people have one of these things. Others, and many, may have all of them. These are reminders of how life does not suck. They are also our ACTION STEPS for today.

1) BREATHE IN

On every day that we awaken, we breathe in and breathe out. When we pay attention to the act of breathing, it is pretty fascinating. Imagine watching as we breath from inside our body. What a perspective.

This lovely process is a gift to be honored. We all need it to take a look at the other 9 things that may make life not suck.

2) HEAR MUSIC

If we have our faculty of hearing, we can hear music. What’s great about this is that music can bring us to many special places. When I wanted to be pensive and sad, I listened to Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands by Bob Dylan. When I want to dance, I turn on Progressive House Music and start dancing around the room, the street, the store. Yes, I’m the one with the headphones, pushing the shopping cart in rhythm to the music.

Music can miraculously adjust our emotions. It can be a friend as well as a way to expand our lives. It is something to be considered that makes life not suck. And, there are other, non-traditional ways to feel music, should our ears not work.

By the way, to have hearing is a gift. Many without it consider their method of listening also a gift.

3) CREATE

No matter who we are, no matter what abilities we have, we can create something. It can be as simple as a sentence uttered at the right time or cartoon characters painted on fingers that may save someone’s life. It may also be some art or science form that impacts the world as we know it. Having such ability may be considered a way the life does not suck.

4) SEE CLEARLY

For those of us who are fortunate enough to have sight, we get to view the world in all its color. It might not seem like much if we think that life sucks. But, we can close our eyes for a moment and honor the colors we see. When we open our eyes a minute later, we may be ready to rejoice. And the closing of our eyes while awake may help to see clearly in a place that does not suck.

5) TASTE FOOD

I think each of us has tasted something that we like. Yummy. This is not nothing. It’s a joy that is part of the life we think sucks. And we always have the opportunity to encounter another taste that makes our bodies shimmer and salivate. Another gift.

6) SMELL AROMA

I just started appreciating smell more fully because I have become attracted to the smells of my super foods. Not everyone enjoys the same smell, yet, almost all of us have the ability to smell.

When we think life sucks, why not smell something. It, alone, may not make life not suck, but it is one step of many that may do it, and we can honor our ability to smell as a wonderful one.

7) TOUCH SOMEONE

The truth is when we think life sucks, we might not have anyone to touch. So, we have to do the next best thing. Marvel at the many parts of our that are sensitive to touch. That’s a lot of nerve endings.

Even if we go to the corner store and see the kind proprietor we have seen there for 10 years, we can reach out. We can shake hands with our neighbor or our familiar police officer or librarian.

Animals are someone’s someone. The sensation of petting a dog or touching the neighbor’s ferret gets us out of ourselves and into a world that may not suck. When we touch another, our perspective changes. We are not so alone. We may see that people care about us; we only have to let them.

8) FEEL SECURE

Have we ever felt secure? Some of us, yes. I have. It’s when we feel strong enough to fend for ourselves, to defend for ourselves, to feel supported. Those of us who have experienced this feeling know that it’s a good one.

When we think life sucks, let’s recall a time, even if it were 40 years back. Or think about the time that a loved one held us. If we can remember that, we are fortunate and may add that good fortune to why life doesn’t suck. If not, we can look forward to feeling it. We can make it happen by an action: reach out.

Further, we can take comfort in the fact that we are not alone. There are others around us, ready to meet us.

9) REMEMBER

We all have memories. Most of us can think of some that are precious to us. Life would suck more if we could not remember. So, let’s rejoice for now because we can remember something pleasurable. And take a moment out to remember something nice.

10) BE LIKE WATER

Even though we may think life sucks, we have the ability to bounce back from the feeling and start flowing. That’s another thing that’s so great about living. We can step out of our feeling sucky at any time and start to be like water. We can feel free as birds’ flying, snakes’ slithering, brooks’ babbling, people’s mingling. Even if we don’t do it because life sucks now, we have the ability.

What a gift that we can assimilate like a droplet of water into a lake or a single student into a lecture hall filled with others or an advocate for a cause. All because we can be like water.

CONCLUSION

We have just gone through 10 things that are outside the realm where we think that life sucks. We may claim some of them in our lives. Maybe even most. Out of breathing in, hearing music, creating, seeing clearly, tasting food, smelling aroma, touching someone, feeling secure, remembering, being like water; we can see some that have gift-like qualities.

Just for a moment, can we consider these 10 in light of the fact that we think life sucks. And, when we think of each, imagine, for 1 minute once or 1 minute once a day, that life doesn’t suck. In doing so, it may suck just a little bit less.

If you wish to share your story, please go to Contact Us.

If you need habit help, go to http://warriorsofweight.com/warriorsofweight-consulting.

FEEDBACK

We value your feedback very much.

Please leave a comment below.

Please LIKE us on the website

and on Facebook.

You can also follow us on Twitter @warriorsoweight.

Thanks.

DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition, peaceful conflict resolution and habit replacement.

She has looked one step ahead so that life does not suck. She says,

“There are so many wonders in life. Should we choose to, we can look at one, only one, that we already have. This way, we can look at it without judging that we are doomed for not having it.

“When we focus on it for just 1 minute, we can realize its greatness. That may help us to turn life from sucking to not sucking in that moment, if only for that moment.

“Finally, let us all take good care of ourselves because we are so worth it!”

BEING A MATERIAL GIRL – NOT I (ISSUE 152) OCTOBER 28, 2014

By Diane Gold

Being a material girl – not I. Some may say it’s because I don’t have a security blanket to fall back on that I say this and that if I did, I would think differently. But, this is how I see it.

MATERIAL POSSESSIONS

When Madonna’s song, Material Girl, came out, I was already living in a nice sized cedar house with enough land to add lush landscaping, a tennis court and a swimming pool. I had a great husband who provided for me famously, had a one month old and offered music education and music therapy to wonderful students.

I am the first to say it’s great to have a big house, my own laundry room and someone who lives in to do my laundry, rather than a shared laundry room 10 feet outside my apartment,  that I share with 8 very respectful fellow apartment dwellers to which I travel with my vegan baby wipes to clean off each laundry machine before use.

I enjoyed being able to choose mostly specimen trees rather than listen to the standard recommendations of my NY landscapers to pick one or two fancy trees as a point of focus. My land, my money, I figured. Now, the trees I planted are 30 years old, I have 2 children, my husband has passed and I live in an apartment.

I’m the first to say it’s not difficult to use an exorbitant allowance for art, toys, home improvements, collectibles, instruments, food, trinkets. I’m leaving out boutique clothing since my husband used to pick out our clothes.

MONEY IS NOT IMPORTANT UNTIL …

If you know me well, I am famous for saying,

“Money is not important until you need it and don’t have enough.”

I think it’s important for each of us to be productive in this world, to provide some new strategy, concept, philosophy, path or inspiration for others. Or maybe I think that because that is how I’m able to live. I like simple clothing, living down the block from the ocean, working on my own terms, I love my children and cherish any time I can see them or speak with them. I love my tai chi, fitness and meditation teaching, the coaching I do, the writing I do. Other work I do is ethical, part-time, kind of fun and allows me the supreme privilege of working on my own, when I want, where I want, at what I want.

WHAT I HAVE AND DO NOT HAVE

Let’s go back to being materialistic. Here are the things I do not have, physically: a tennis court, a pool, a large residence, a fancy car, a pretty bicycle, a lot of extra spending money, an airplane, a piano. The plane would be nice so I could visit the kids whenever. And my late ex-, who is with me in a big way, could not be any closer if I had more money.

Now let’s look at the things I have that nourish my spirit: my kids; my late ex- in my heart; friends; an adequate supply of organic/vegan/non-genetically modified food and super foods; a friendly and tropical place to live that is so close to the ocean I can smell the salt; knowledge of movement so I can move my organs around; knowledge of meditation and martial arts so I can rejuvenate myself and others continually; a lifetime of memories upon which I can soak up and enjoy as long as I have my memory; a great amount of health and happiness; health insurance; opportunities to dance, read, philosophize, create, listen to and play music and converse; my freedom.

When my good friend said to me, you are living in a tiny apartment and don’t have money for extra goodies; it led me to consider the material girl aspect. Although I have to plan when I go on vacation or the size of my car or residence; I have freedom with which to be creative and in which to experience my life. Within this freedom, I get to facilitate others. How cool is that!

SLAVERY VS. FREEDOM

Can we say that we are free? When I had a big house with 2 living rooms, each with 25 foot skylights, was I free? Or did I have the burden of knowing my husband had to work massive hours in order to pay for the affluent lifestyle? And the burden of knowing my personal salary did not match my lifestyle.

When I taught music in school, was I a slave to the job? People refer to the teacher’s 6-7 hour work schedule as not being a real job and always mention that we have summers off. We need the summers to cultivate back the energy we have used during the school year; the responsibility we have to be in attendance for the students is big (especially when special needs kids depend on us so), and we often use home time to develop lesson plans for our classes.

What if we are CEOs, are we not always re-purposing infrastructure?; always cultivating the next best company to absorb?; having the responsibility of managing thousands of employees? Being in charge may seem luxurious, but we are also, in some way, responsible for the lower spectrum of our employees who live their lives in poverty. Is this not being a slave to the job?

There are lots of CEOs and teachers who are content to focus on the positive influence they have over many lives. This is great. Yet, the positions themselves are part of a hierarchical system where our employment destiny is controlled by a master, outside ourselves, similar to the way of the slave. Not a way that I like to live.

CONCLUSION

Can we say that we are free? When I had a big house with 2 living rooms, each with 25 foot skylights, was I free? Or did I have the burden of knowing my husband had to work massive hours in order to pay for the affluent lifestyle? And the burden of knowing my personal salary did not match my lifestyle.

When we decide on the path of simplicity and freedom where we can be creative on our own time without being enslaved, we do take on the independent role, outside the hierarchical system, to get our money. When we choose this freedom path, we tend to live within our means, even when we make a lot of money, and the frills and baubles are more important than the freedom.

Being a material girl – not I, but I would love to know about you.

ACTION STEPS

1)   EVALUATE by making a quick list of what you have and what you don’t have, based on you and no one else. (Meaning, if you don’t have a dog but would never want a dog, leave it out. If you don’t have a Hublot Classic Fusion Haute Joaillerie but having a one million dollar watch is not important to your life, leave it out.)

2)   DECIDE whether you prefer the material life which means money and being a slave to it or a life of freedom and simplicity which can afford you riches and money.

3)   ACT upon your decision, whether you love money or the simple life, by taking an extra 30 to 60 minutes per day to create a new money strategy that facilitates your immediate freedom.

If you wish to share your story, please hit reply in your email program to be contacted.

If you need habit help, go to http://warriorsofweight.com/warriorsofweight-consulting.

FEEDBACK

We value your feedback very much.

Please leave a comment below.

Please LIKE us on the website and at

WarriorsOfWeight on Facebook.

You can also follow us on Twitter @warriorsoweight.

Thanks.

DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition, peaceful conflict resolution and habit replacement.

Aside from the family and friends in her life, she appreciates her freedom. She says,

“Material objects are fun. They can even be exhilarating. But most of them aren’t necessary. Of course, to be able to build a hospital, a school, supply musical instruments for children’s programs are all wonderful things to be able to do.

“But, to live a life of freedom is the right way for me. This freedom life does not mean I am not helping others. It does not mean I am living only for me. It does mean my work is not maneuvered by others and cannot be taken away by merger or acquisition.

“If I touch someone through my writing, I’m ecstatic. If I help someone through my coaching, that what it’s all about. If someone learns something through my interviews, that’s good. These don’t require, as George Carlin would have said, ‘more stuff.’ My lifestyle actually requires less stuff.

“I am fortunate in so many ways because I am simplifying my life. I am grateful for my good fortune, which doesn’t mean being a material girl. But, that’s just my way of doing it, and, so far, it works for me.

“Finally, let us all take good care of ourselves because we are so worth it!”

OUR FOOD HABIT OF NOT ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTION (ISSUE 151) OCTOBER 21, 2014

By Diane Gold

Our food habit of not asking questions is pretty common. We believe our grocers would never lead us astray, that they know more than they do about the foods they supply.

Prior to the year 2000, we were not taught to take responsibility for our foods. We were taught to budget enough for a meat-and-dairy-oriented pyramid of food that recommended too much protein, not from healthy sources, not enough plant-based phytonutrients and not enough raw food.

Schools after the second millennium are, at least, offering programs where students grow food in the school garden or in pots, for lack of land or portability and are conscious of too much fat, sugar and salt.

There are documentaries such as Lunch Hour that reveal how bad meat and dairy food may be offered in school because it is government subsidized. And, to reduce the amount of this type of food would require using school money that was earmarked elsewhere.

Here are a few questions we should have been asking all along and didn’t.

1) WHY IS MY FOOD SHINY AND WHY DIDN’T I KNOW ABOUT IT?

When we went to buy tomatoes, we never thought about why they were shiny. We just thought they came that way. To this day, most people don’t know that most produce, including that which is certified organic, is sent to the finishing plant after the grower and before the retailer. It gets packaged for resale using lots of different questionably safe plastics. Plus, it often gets a coating that keeps the moisture in that we commonly refer to as vegetable or fruit wax.

(Then, there’s the paraffin wax that makes candy all sparkly and shiny. Although it’s food grade, so edible, it’s not digestible; it goes in one end and out the other, like produce wax – although some of the chemicals in the produce wax may be absorbed. Don’t we deserve to know which chemical foreign bodies are taking rides through our digestive tract, especially since some may stay in us?)

2) HOW CAN THE FDA ALLOW WAX, ANYWAY?

The Food and Drug Administration is responsible for the safety of food and drugs. Unfortunately, they are given information by industry giants aka Big Food, that may force them to allow certain chemical processes whose studies were not extensive enough to show the long-term risks. The FDA cares about protecting us from pathogens, like clostridium botulinum. Big Food & Chemical companies show them expensive studies where such and such a product, be it plastic wrapping or modification of the air used in packaging and storing or transporting, are safe for the consumer; the FDA approves this “finishing” process because they have seen the studies. Too bad the studies don’t go far enough.

Many of us know that bananas are gassed with ethylene when they are close to market. This allows the grower to harvest the banana before fully ripe and get it to market before it rots. This is a method of MAP, modified atmosphere packaging.

The FDA is swayed by companies with big studies. They are not, however, so quick to rescind regulations when cases of renal failure or accelerated growth of bacteria come to pass.

Dude, That Isn’t Wax On Your Apple!

http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodScienceResearch/SafePracticesforFoodProcesses/ucm091368.htm

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: PIG JUICE ON MY PRODUCE

What both my children and I would find amusing, is that, vegans, of which I am one, work happily but hard at reducing harm to animals by not eating them. The amusing thing, if we see it that way, is that, if we are not investigative and conscientious; the veggies and fruits we use, may have cow, pig, casein and insect emulsion or laminate.

True, there is more control over knowing what wax is used on organic produce; but there is, at least, as much beeswax or lac beetle wax as vegetable grade wax on organics. So, vegans, know thy wax because it is rarely labeled.

3) WHAT’S THAT LITTLE BAG MADE OF?

We know that in some of our bags, even in the super food bags with my maca or my cacao, there are little bags of alien origin in them to absorb moisture. Why isn’t the contents of this desiccant made known to us? We have heard it’s made of silicon which is supposed to be food safe, according to the current research, but what about the covering? How many sets of fingers have been on that little bag, or how many kinds of oils were on the conveyer belt it rode down?

CONCLUSION

This is just one of the many mysteries that are part of our world of food. No one thinks to ask about it. And no manufacturer is going to volunteer to identify the product so as not to scare the consumer.

After all, what we don’t know won’t hurt us, right? Wrong. There are so many new facts that show what we thought were advances of the past 50 years that are showing to be tragic miscalculations on our part: genetically modified seeds, modification of air on produce and chemical mixtures that make up, oh, so many plastics, paints, adhesives and pesticides. The negatives for our health may, sadly, outweigh any benefits we might have thought we received.

Our food habit of not asking the right question prevails. We are asking more, though.

We may be fooled into thinking that the word “natural” has something to do with the word “organic” or the word “vegan” or the words “non-GMO.” And very often, people mistake the word “vegan” for the word “organic.” It is quite common, although not at all surprising, when I ask a grocer, by phone or in person, about a product and hear,

“Oh, this must be vegan because it says ‘all natural,'”

or

“It’s ‘certified organic,’ so it must be ‘vegan.’

Even though candles are not food, we use a food to make them. I wanted to include the following comment which refers to this food.

“These soy wax candles are so lovely; they must be good for the environment.”

Unfortunately, the major manufacturers of soy wax for candles (in the United States) are made from genetically modified soybeans.

ACTION STEPS

1) NOTICE THE CHEMICALS you are eating.

2) LOOK FOR THE FOLLOWING LABELS which conscious people are beginning to request:

eco friendly, gluten-free, cruelty free, organic, paraben-free, vegan, vegetarian, fair trade, kosher, halal, chemical-free, hexane free, B corporation, bpa-free, non-GMO.

3) NOTICE WHICH SUPPLIERS ARE BEING TRANSPARENT through labeling and are beginning to realize consumers have the right to know what’s in our food, even if our food habit of not asking the right question prevails.

4) NOTICE THE TERMS “CRUELTY FREE” or “GRASS FED.” It’s great when animals are treated with kindness or without testing and with free grazing before slaughter. But slaughter is cruel and companies that slaughter are not “cruelty free.”

5) BE CONSCIOUS OF YOUR FOOD AND ITS PACKAGING.
Co-Create
In the end, the more we ask, the more we get to know. The more we teach, the more we learn. The more we team, the more we co-create. Let’s be conscientious about asking the right question so we can care for our health and our planet and our species.

If you wish to share your story, please hit reply in your email program to be contacted.

If you need habit help, go to http://warriorsofweight.com/warriorsofweight-consulting.

FEEDBACK

We value your feedback very much.

Please leave a comment.

Please LIKE us on the website

and on Facebook.

You can also follow us on Twitter @warriorsoweight.

Thanks.

DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition, peaceful conflict resolution and habit replacement.

She believes we can notice our habits the more we notice ourselves. She says,

“There are so many things that go on in our lives that we do over and over again, and we don’t even question them. They may not be in our best interest. They may not mesh with our own philosophy. Until we investigate and become aware.

“It is up to each of us to take enough time to realize what consumer goods we utilize and where they come from. Do we just buy without thinking about the ethics of the company that makes the product? Do we just eat with no regard for how the food has been grown, packaged, processed?

“Each of us decides the answers to these and our comfort level with each. Some people do not have enough food to consider whether a seed is modified genetically. Others don’t care. And others buy according to their philosophy of not supporting genetic modification because it is unhealthy and impoverishes the poor farmer, in the end.

“Whichever way we think, it is important to be aware of what is going on with our food. It will serve us well.

“Finally, let us all take good care of ourselves because we are so worth it!”

HOW TO REPLACE A HABIT (ISSUE 150) OCTOBER 14, 2014

By Diane Gold

How to replace a habit is an age old idea with lots of answers. Having been trained in the martial arts, I see the answer as martial arts 101: be patient, be focused, be immediate and be consistent.

THE HABIT

The habit cycle I’ve mentioned often, along with Charles Duhigg, author of The Power Of Habit, Leo Babauta, the author of zenhabits.net, medical doctors and psychologists who clinically study how we are the ways we are and lots of others who know it from the inside out.

Just to review, the habit is the culmination of a repetition of the following:

The Urge

The Behavior To Satisfy The Urge

          The Reward

THE HARMLESS HABIT

Picture a nice hot summer day at the beach with friends. Someone hands out a pretty, colored spray bottle filled with water to each person. In a playful crowd, it will take little time for someone to get a playful desire (the urge) to depress the lever of the spray bottle (the action) which would result in an expulsion of water on our friends (the reward). On a hot, sunny day, this would be harmless and probably welcome.

If this group goes to the beach all the time and brings spray bottles, they could all develop the habit of seeing who could spray whom first. This is the development of a habit. Because habits remain with us, if this group does not see each other for 20 years, and they finally meet at the beach with spray bottles; it will take them all but 10 seconds to start spraying each other again.

THE UNSUPPORTIVE HABIT

Not all habits are so innocent. Some are toxic and destructive, and we want to replace them. Picture eating too much, deliberately throwing up what we eat, doing drugs and alcohol, biting nails, cutting school, eating junk food and a whole lot more.

If we continue to do any one of these behaviors over and over again, we develop a habit that does not support a responsible and healthy life. Everyone has habits. Some of us are prone to unsupportive ones. Those of us who have these unsupportive habits, very often, have multiple of them. Drugs often go with alcohol, which often goes with gambling which often goes with nurturing dependent relationships which often goes with biting nails, and so on.

THE GOOD NEWS

The fabulous news is that, no matter how many unsupportive habits are lurking around, there is a way to replace them, 1 at a time. And the replacement of 1 may positively affect the desire to act out the others.

If you need habit help, go to http://warriorsofweight.com/warriorsofweight-consulting.

ONE TAI CHI STEP AT A TIME

One of the mistakes we all make, at one time or other, is that we decide to take action to wrench something or many things out of our lives. We actually sit around dreaming about being a different being devoid of the habits that are causing us discomfort.

If I’ve learned 1 thing from the joys of tai chi and from replacing unsupportive habits, it is that we can succeed by taking 1 step. It’s counterproductive to take more than 1 step. I know we multitask by being on the phone while driving the car while texting while having a conversation with our passenger. These actions are actually 1 swift and consecutive behavior at a time. But, adding 1 step, with no rush, is the way.

THE FOCUS

Often times, we focus on removing things from our life. As illustrated with the spray bottle example above, as well as by a myriad of scientific research studies, once we develop a habit, it is ours. It makes little sense to focus on removing it when we can replace it. That does not mean that each habit has to be front and center just because we have developed it. It means if we replace our old behavior that caused the unsupportive habit with a new behavior that supports us, we will replace our habit with a new one. Yay!

So, we focus on some new behavior, only 1, repeating this 1 behavior over and over again until this behavior is our new habit.

THE TIMING

What’s so fascinating about habits is that, to replace them, we have between 5 and 15 seconds to act. Any longer than that and we will go back to our old behavior. If we are thinking about elaborate schemes to get rid of our habit or 5 step techniques to beat the habit; we will, unfortunately be stuck in the recidivism loop. Even 2 steps splits the attention. That’s why it’s 1 step to replace a habit Timing Is Everything
But, as we say, timing is everything.

CONCLUSION

How to replace a habit is as simple as 1-2-3, in principle. I know it can feel impossible. That feeling is just a feeling. As we say in kung fu class, when we put you on your knuckles in push-up position and ask you to hang out there, with appropriate form,

“It’s only pain.”

This is another way of teaching us to take 1 action step. If we choose to look at the pain associated with the action, our concentration may falter. If we focus on taking the 1 step only, that is, for the knuckle push up, checking each part of the body while maintaining the flat back position with tight fists, flat knuckles, elbows bent, arms no wider than shoulders, heels together, toes apart; we will succeed. When we act with the pain on the side, we will complete the exercise. If the pain becomes the focus, we have lost our direction.

The same with the new action to replace our habit. If we concentrate on the pain of leaving our old behavior, it is likely we will not do our new behavior. The pain to replace a destructive habit will be there. All we have to do is do our 1 new behavior, our 1 step. Bam! Then, we do our 1 new behavior again. And again and again until it becomes the habit of choice.

The pain will get less. When? In how long? The answer to that is “when it does.” That is not important. What is important is replacing that habit.
Onward, warriors. We are stronger than we think!

ACTION STEPS

1) Know that you will feel pain, and that that is OK and normal.

2) Know that the pain will not stop you, even though it feels excruciating.

3) Know that the mind will make you look at the pain.

4) Remember to laugh that the mind is making you look at the pain.

5) Remember that we have all gone through it, and many of us continue you to go through it daily for the sake of continuing our habit replacement.

6) Remember, you can ask for help from someone who has done it at
http://warriorsofweight.com/warriorsofweight-consulting/

If you wish to share your story, please hit reply in your email program to be contacted.

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Please leave a comment below.

Please LIKE us on the website at:
http://on.fb.me/1cR3wVW

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You can also follow us on Twitter @warriorsoweight.

Thanks.

DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition, peaceful conflict resolution and habit replacement.

She believes we can replace a habit with a directed mind. She says,

“One of the biggest reasons to teach meditation and tai chi at an early age is so that we learn to focus on what we are doing as opposed to focusing on our feelings, the weather, the past, the future.

“In order to change a habit, we need the ability to act without thought. If we haven’t had focus training, this is a hard command.

“From wherever we are at this point in our lives, we can focus on 1 step, bypassing our feelings. The only thing we need to do is take the 1 step. I’m not saying it’s easy. I’m saying we can do it if we just do it.

“I have faith in you and me. I have done it. You can do it.

“Finally, let us all take good care of ourselves because we are so worth it!”

COMPOSTING: HOW AND WHY (ISSUE 149) OCTOBER 7, 2014

By Diane Gold

Composting, how and why discusses how easy it is for us to replenish the soil using our raw kitchen waste and why it benefits us to do it.

So, let’s define composting for those not familiar. It is a method of gathering decayed and decaying plant matter for the purpose of replenishing and fertilizing the soil so that something new has lots of nourishment from which to grow.

Nature composts through the decay of falling leaves, windblown seeds, seed casings, branches, the growth of fungi and microbes. We compost by mixing our vegetable waste with certain carbon-based products to cause the very same process.

WHY COMPOST?

According to Lynn Russell, composter, small garden enthusiast and new friend,

“The main reason to compost is to make your soil alive with all the bacteria and the fungi and beneficial microbes the plant needs and exchanges energy with into the soil. The second reason is that you are imitating nature by using your waste to go back into the soil to make something good rather than just disposing [of] it. Constant recycling… It’s the way the world works. It’s the way nature works.”

Just a note, by imitating nature, we are using waste and turning it into usable goods, nutrients for the food we grow.

WHO CAN COMPOST?

For those of us who have a garden, we probably have some land on which to place containers in which to compost. For those in suburban apartments, we might have a terrace or outside dumpster next to which to keep a container. For those in urban apartments, like Jen Doll did for 10 days last year while writing a compost article, she put hers in the freezer. She concluded that composting could reduce rats because garbage cans would no longer be overflowing, and monitoring our compostable goods in the freezer could make us more aware of how not to buy more than we can use during the week.

Some people choose to do the whole process. Many people, either through choice, lack of space or location circumstance choose to give their waste to a local farmer.

CARBON FOOTPRINT

According to a 2011 report by epa.gov on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, composting food waste rather than putting it in the land fill has a significant greenhouse gas emission reduction and is a great way to reduce each of our carbon footprints.

PREPARATION FOR PLANT-BASED MATERIALS

So how do we do it? When I asked Lynn about what materials to use, she outlined the process easily. Although I’ve heard this before, I think I got it this time because she broke down the process into the simplest of steps.

CONTAINER PROCESS

1) For those who want to complete the entire composting process starting with a bin and finishing with composted materials, we can follow Lynn’s system:

a) the 2 container system.
This consists of 2 – 20 gallon flexible
garbage cans with lids that cost around $14.

b) A $10 shovel to turn the materials.

c) AERATION

On the bottom of each garbage can, drill 8 to 10 – 5/16 inch holes.
10 inches up, drill 8 to 10 (or 1 hole every 8 inches or so) 5/16 inch holes around the circumference of the can.
10 inches up, do the same as the previous step.

2) For those who want to give food waste to a farmer or drop compost at a city or county composting site, all we need do is place the scraps in a container that belonged to some empty produce container, either a shaped plastic container from pre-cut wheatgrass or a pliable plastic bag or paper bag from market and place it in the refrigerator or the freezer. I put mine in the refrigerator. Lynn puts hers in the freezer.

THE 2 CATEGORIES OF STUFF WE USE

There are 2 types of items we use for our compost.

1) The first is GREENS which provide NITROGEN. These consist of fruits, vegetables, maybe uncooked bread with no spreadable food on it. If any food is rotted from a microorganism, Lynn has recommended to leave it out so the soil is purer. Raw food is best. It also attracts less vermin, if it is outside.

Greens from the lawn can be used if it’s our own lawn (called soft waste). We must be sure there are no pesticides on the lawn greens. Lynn suggests that it’s better to leave it out if the green clippings are sprayed with contaminants of any kind.

2) Then we have our BROWNS WHICH are CARBONS. This would consist of shredded newspaper and plain brown cardboard. (Sawdust can be used if the wood has not been treated, which is doubtful.) We have to wet the cardboard. Then we need to break it into small pieces which makes it easier for the microbes to get at it.

THE LAYERS

Now comes the good part: the layers, which do not have to be so exact, according to Lynn. She says,

“Some say use more carbon, but it can also be 50-50.”

We start with 1 garbage can which we can label as “BIN #1.”

1) We begin with a carbon layer, 6 inches high in the bottom. We just place it in there, no special way.
2) Next, we put our layer of fruit and vegetable waste, 3 to 6 inches.
3) Then, there’s another layer of newspaper and brown cardboard, if we have it.
4) If we do have more, we add another layer of 2) and then 3).
5) Now, it gets exciting. We let it sit, covered for a few days.
6) When it starts decomposing, we use the shovel to turn it.

7) Now, the interesting part. We let it sit and stir it for about 8 weeks, noticing how it changes.
8) When it looks too wet, we add carbons. When it looks too dry, we add greens.
9) When we have 3/4 of a bin full, we can either dump it out into the second bin so that we get to mix what’s on the bottom OR we can start layers in the second bin.

10) When the compost in the bin has broken down and is starting to look like soil, we stop adding to it. We just turn it, let it get dark and finished.

THE SURPRISE

Worms will make their way into the compost pile through the holes that we drilled. Their waste (called castings) is some of the best fertilizer for any soil. They also turn and aerate the soil.

CONCLUSION

I am very respectful of composters. When we have land, it’s not such a big thing to compost. When we have not much more than a terrace, I think it’s courageous. Since I don’t really have a backyard that I can monitor, I give my fruit and veggie waste to Lynn. I am grateful because I have somewhere for my greens to go, other than the garbage can. She is grateful because she can depend upon my weekly layer of greens. And, an added bonus that was not part of the deal, we are becoming friends.

ACTION STEPS

Here are some action steps that you may find rewarding.

1) Buy a tiny 8 ounce can and put holes in it for aeration.

2) Put 3 layers into the can: bottom browns (carbon), about 2 inches, middle greens, about 2 inches, top browns, about 2 inches.

3) Nurture it on the windowsill or near the garbage cans.

4) Stir regularly.

5) When it’s finished,
plant something into that soil.

6) Decide today to do one of the two: start composting regularly or give your food waste to a farmer.

If you wish to share your story, please hit reply in your email program to be contacted.

FEEDBACK

We value your feedback very much.

Please leave a comment below.

Please LIKE us on the website

and at WarriorsofWeight .on Facebook.

You can also follow us on Twitter @warriorsoweight.

Thanks.

DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition, peaceful conflict resolution and habit replacement.

She believes in the power of sustainable education. She believes in educating youth so that future generations can live well. She says,

“Any time we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it is good, even if we impact a small bit at a time through composting. The very act of composting shows us life cycle. Being close to this cycle makes us close to understanding. I have no doubt that being close to understanding can bring us peace.

“Finally, let us all take good care of ourselves because we are so worth it!”

WHAT’S ON YOUR PRODUCE? (ISSUE 147) SEPTEMBER 23, 2014

By Diane Gold

What’s on your produce is a huge question for many of us, especially if we are brought up believing what we see on our fruits and vegetables. For those of us who know full well that we are eating pesticides and wax, there are still surprises. For many, we are not aware of any of the standard ways the fruit and vegetable supply chain works. We are also confused about why organic food matters and what all this talk has to do with our health.

WHAT’S ON OR IN OUR PRODUCE

We have probably considered the fact that some of our produce has pesticides, even organic product. That’s confusing enough. Now, we have to think about wax which is the generic name for a variety of coatings that are placed on our fruits and vegetables that are put on at the finishing processor.

And if we care about eating a plant-based diet or the ethics of saving the planet, what about the animal products that are used in the soils of the nicest organic fruits and vegetables? Do we even want to consider this?

RESPIRATION AND ETHYLENE

In order to understand why we use wax, it’s important to know about plant behavior. Plants are living organisms, so they breathe or respirate. I am humbled by this fact and am working on accepting how sacred this makes plants. This happens after they are harvested at different rates for different plants.

Fruits and vegetables produce a ripening hormone called ethylene. Plants are categorized into two categories: those that ripen after harvest (climacteric species), such as avocados or peaches, and those that do not like oranges or spinach (non-climacteric plants). The ripening process produces a hormone called ethylene, commonly known, not surprisingly, as the ripening hormone. All plants off-gas this substance, but some (the climacteric plants) produce more.

There are a variety of different waxes that we put on fruits and vegetables. The most important function is to keep the plant’s moisture in so it looks good, doesn’t ripen too quickly.

JUST A NOTE ON BANANAS

Most of us have heard about artificially ripening bananas (citrus and kiwis, too, by the way). For those who have not, synthetic ethylene is used so that when bananas get to market, they are the right amount of ripe. Bananas are harvested green. Because they are not ripe yet, the process of off-gassing ethylene, which is natural, has not started yet. What companies do is once the bananas arrive at the processing plant or toward the end of their journey inside the truck that is transporting them, they are gassed. This process causes the bananas to be almost ripe upon delivery and perfectly yellow for the consumer. This process emulates the natural process with synthetics but speeds it up at will.

Go to:

http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5084611&acct=nosb

for the list of synthetics allowed by the National Organics Program, including ethylene. Depressing.

WAX ON PRODUCE

So, when a fruit or vegetable is harvested, it goes through a cycle of maturation, or ripening, and then begins senescence, which is its final stage of life. We might wonder about this wax and its safety, but we should be aware that it exists.

Happily, I just went in to a national retailer that typically buys from the very same producer on a regular basis. This would mean any info about the waxes on produce would be consistent since the producers stayed the same.

The store had a list of what produce had what wax. I was shocked, and I was doing a happy dance that they even bothered. I’ve been contacting producers, retailers, manufacturers since the 1970s, and this is the first time a list existed without my having had to have them create it. Wax information is now visible to consumers.

Score 1 for transparency.

IS IT PLANT-BASED WAX?

Lots of my food gathering revolves around discerning whether the food I am going to eat has harmed an animal in the process of cultivating it or manufacturing it if I get a packaged good like rice pasta, whether it be in a package (like rice pasta) or grown (like carrots). What the great list (above) that the retailer had compiled did not specifically say whether some of the waxes were vegan. When the list said lac or beeswax, I knew one was from the lac beetle, and the other was from bees. Very helpful in making an informed decision to use or not to use animals in this way. When the list said the word “yes” delineating that wax was used, it was not helpful.

Fortunately, a very ambitious associate at the store is going to do research further. I have never had an employee or company be this cooperative on an issue that should be commonly displayed, as I see it.

IS THE WAX ORGANIC?

Again, referring to the list referenced above, many synthetic products or combinations, unfortunately, are permitted to be used as listed. This means they are man-made and NOT ORGANIC, although they may be Certified USDA Organic products.

WHAT ABOUT THE SEEDS?

Where did the seeds come from?

Are the seeds genetically modified? If the produce is organic, the seeds are supposed not to have been modified. The soil is supposed to have a history of three years after the last synthetic pesticides were used.

But what if the farm next door uses GM seeds? Well, this is debatable and is problematic.

WHAT’S IN THE SOIL?

As those of us who are gardeners may have realized, farmers use various things to make the soil richer. Nitrogen (protein) is one of the biggest things.

What I didn’t realize was that 25% of the nitrogen used in the soil of US farms comes from Trinidad & Tobago, and the toxicity from the island facilities as well as those in the United States is huge.

Organic farmers don’t use nitrogen which is synthesized in ammonia plants using natural gas or gasified coal. They do use fish from restaurant left over pieces or prepared foods markets throw aways. This means that all my vegan fruits and vegetables, save a few, are not vegan.

There is no label for the soil additives, including for urea which is used a lot. And lots of farms use manure which supports the animal industry.

There are a few vegan farms to whom I raise my glass.

WHAT ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT?

So, there are toxic chemicals being off-gassed from the fertilizer industry which is used on fruits and vegetables that don’t call themselves organic. There’s lots of methane from using cow waste in the soil and from cow waste that sits stagnantly.

Some of the waxes (palm and carnauba) used on fruit and vegetables use oil palm trees, which are cultivated by biomass burning to clear the land which emits CO2. According to a report by Mark Jacobson in Journal Of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, oil palm deforestation accounts for premature deaths as well as 18% of greenhouse gas emissions of CO2.

OUR HEALTH

Is what’s on your produce and what’s on my produce healthy? Although something may be deemed not to cause a disease, it may do harm. We all need to do our own research. How good could wax be for us anyway? And how great can the soil used for farming be if areas that house petrochemical plants are named Cancer Belts due to higher rates of cancer?

The wax on the fruit or vegetable has not been found to cause a body malfunction, but that may be because it would be hard to isolate which factor is causing which problem of the many.

CONCLUSION

To find out what’s on my produce and your produce is very much a maze. If we are not professional growers, we don’t actually know about many of the items mentioned above. To find out the information is usually no one’s job but our own.

Here’s hoping the ideas in this article make us think so that we can better eat what’s healthy and know that believing what we see is not always prudent.

ACTION STEPS

If you buy at a local large store, go to the produce department and ask what kind of wax is on your favorite fruits and vegetables. Be persistent since the grocer, most likely, will not know and will say she has no way to find out that information. To cut the process down for you, get the phone number to the store’s regional warehouse. There, ask for the produce buyer. This will start the process of someone’s doing some research for you.

Once you get your answer about the wax, ask the local store produce manager whether she can post the information publicly so that everyone knows what kind of wax there is.

If you get your food from a local market, ask the same way. The process will probably be shorter, since the owner may have a more personal relationship with a grower.

Good luck. May we, together, make a more transparent supply chain, which will lead to purer, safer and more delicious food.

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DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition, peaceful conflict resolution and habit replacement.

She has been researching what we don’t always consider with fruits and vegetables: wax, seed origin, soil contents, fertilizer, global warming from the soil. She says,

“What if we really measured the negative impact we had on others and on the land? What if we didn’t settle for mysterious wax, unknown seed origin, undisclosed soil composition on our produce? What if we all asked our grocers to start putting up wax signs?

“We each impact each other and the earth in so many ways, constantly. We think we can “cheat” being responsible, but we can’t. It’s important to see the big picture.

I am the first to say,

‘Go relax, and take a break. And I will say this to every person every day,’

“But there’s no way to relax ethics. There’s no way to be half ethical. You know what comes next. That’s like being half pregnant. It’s not possible.

“So, let’s be diligent about increasing wax awareness, reading about what chemicals we might be eating. And let’s improve our health and have fun doing it.

“Finally, let us all take good care of ourselves because we are worth it, even if we don’t feel it!”

NUTRIENT COMPOSITION, AS PER T. COLIN CAMPBELL (ISSUE 146) SEPTEMBER 16, 2014

By Diane Gold

Nutrient composition, as per T. Colin Campbell, is far more important than looking at the amount of one nutrient quantity alone. The amount of calories we ingest is not as important as what type of calorie we take in.

When I was preparing to interview Dr. Campbell, the author of The China Study, Whole, grand researcher of 58 years and father of plant-based nutrition; I asked about his own diet, using the word “vegan.” He very astutely answered me in a way that gave me a much fuller understanding of how we eat and what is the right way for us to eat, the crux of this article. He said,

“Average dietary fat [when speaking about vegans and vegetarians as one group] is about 30% of total calories—not very different from omnivores—and 90% of vegetarians still use dairy and have relatively high fat diets. Therefore, the nutrient composition of the ‘V’ diets is not that different from the average American diet; and

“it is nutrient composition that is the best estimate of the health value of foods.

“The WFPB [whole food plant-based] diet is more like 10-10-80 (fat:protein:carbohydrate) and is all whole food and is plant-based. This is a very big difference from most vegan and vegetarian diets.”

According to the National Academy of Science, Food and Nutrition Board, which is used by the US Department of Agriculture for statistics, the ratio is 20-35/10-35/45-65 (fat:protein:carbohydrate). This is quite different from the words of this great researcher whose words and studies I trust and respect.

MACRONUTRIENTS

As has been mentioned in http://warriorsofweight.com/food-labels-the-next-generation-in-nutritional-data, macronutrients refer to the large divisions of food including fats (including an additional breakdown for saturated fats), proteins and carbohydrates.

MACROMINERALS

There are certain minerals that we need in large quantities for our bodies to function well, build bones, make hormones, etc. In humans, these are sodium, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, sulfur and chloride.

Although the FDA Food Labeling Guide 14, Appendix F, January, 2013, shows that we need 3500 mg of potassium; the Institute of Medicine, 2011 Dietary Reference Intakes summary indicates that the optimum amount is 4700 mg per day.

Just for fun, and because I really wanted to know; I added up my intake for the day which was only 3063. I think I will add a head of broccoli or a double serving of spinach to my selection of other plants. That will put me around 4700.

http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/LabelingNutrition/ucm064928.htm

FACTORS THAT CHANGE OUR NEEDS

The following factors can change the amount of a macronutrient (like a carb), a micronutrient (like vitamin A), a macromineral (like calcium), a micromineral (like copper), a phytochemical (like quercetin) that we need on a particular day. When just 1 change occurs in our lives, the body goes through the domino effect, where every system’s connection to every other system in the grand infrastructure we call the human body is affected.

Hopefully, we take care of ourselves so that we have a functioning immune system that can protect these changes.

1) over use or under use of a particular organ

2) body size

3) amount of physical activity

4) emotional state

5) compromising organism (bacteria, virus, fungus, cancer cell), diagnosed or not

6) the weather and our a change in altitude

7) hydration and nutritional changes

CONCLUSION

To date, we are not “yet” teaching nutrition throughout our school systems. The fact that we are left to nourish our bodies by trial and error is ludicrous. The fact that we don’t “yet” teach a full course in nutrition to everyone who passes through the doors of medical school is ridiculous. We are technical geniuses, artistic geniuses. Where’s our common sense?

Understanding nutrient composition is crucial to our lives. Shouldn’t we give ourselves, our children and our grandchildren their best chance at having healthy lives? As T. Colin Campbell says,

“It’s never too late to start eating well.”

ACTION STEP

Since not all of us are going to run right out and get interested in the nutrient composition of our diets, here is a 3-stage action step that will suit many different interest levels.

STAGE 1)

Pick up a chart that tells the difference between a fat, a protein and a carbohydrate so that you become familiar which of your foods is which.

STAGE 2)

After completing STAGE 1), estimate how much of your food is in each of those categories.

STAGE 3)

After completing STAGE 2), specifically write down how many grams of each of fat, protein and carbohydrates you eat on an average day. Add up the grams, making sure not to confuse grams, milligrams and
Micrograms (that funny symbol) micrograms.

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Thanks.

DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition, peaceful conflict resolution and habit replacement.

She has been experimenting with plant-based food for only about 5 years. Prior to that, she included dairy. As she evolved in understanding the importance of the plant-based diet, she made more recipes of her own. She says,

“It’s pretty interesting to realize all the wonderful ways we can combine nutrients and to realize how vast the overview of nutrition is.

“I have never looked at the percentages of macronutrients that make up my food. But now I am determined to match the nutrient ratios that Dr. Campbell mentions for optimal health in my own diet. And to tell people about this conclusion by one of the world’s medical nutritional greats.

“I’m very excited to have this nutrient composition formula to go by and will start to use it to maximize my life.

“Finally, let us all take good care of ourselves because we are worth it, even if we don’t feel it!”