HABIT CHANGE: OUR NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION (ISSUE 110)

By Diane Gold

Habit change, New Year’s resolutions, success. That’s what we want. That’s what is possible. Whether we want a total make-over or a tiny change, now’s a motivating time to make it. This begins with a tiny plan, 1 step and repetition. Along with this, an inventory of our own personal foundation is in order.

OUR FOUNDATION

We, as humans, have a variety of requirements. To be at our best, we need a balanced infrastructure to support us. The simple version of this concept is that we need great nutrition, a little exercise, a way to be creative, love and companionship, daily relaxation, enough rest and a place to do this in. Each of us has a little bit different make-up and needs more or less in each of these areas, depending upon who we are.

GREAT NUTRITION – this means getting most of our enzymes, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients from food, not supplements, with little or no pesticide present. Hard to do in an age where we use genetically modified seeds that live through toxic pesticide sprays so that we get maximize crop yield for maximum profit, without regard for the damage the sprays and the genetically engineered seed do to our bodies.

DAILY EXERCISE – this physical fitness can be anything from stretching to walking to climbing stairs to bicycle riding.

CREATIVITY – being creative can range from telling a joke to writing a letter to mixing an album. When we communicate with others in a way where we are expressing our own uniqueness, we are creating.

LOVE AND COMPANIONSHIP –

we are social creatures. Reaching others is truly important for us.

DAILY RELAXATION – although we see the need in others, sometimes we leave out this all important area of what’s necessary to keep us whole. We would never think of skipping our daily hygiene. In the same way, we need to keep our insides clean through some type of calming activity. Daily.

ADEQUATE REST – can anyone relate to having gotten too little rest? I start to fall apart most quickly without just the right amount of rest. And that makes sense, since we are like machines with electrical signals for our brain and our heart. We need to recharge ourselves regularly and completely to work well.

Sometimes, we take these beauties for granted. They are important to upkeep so that our habit change, New Year’s Resolution, whatever it is, will have a leg to stand on, so to speak.

THE NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION

No matter what we want to change, if our foundation is solid; we will do well. This means if we monitor our nutrition, exercise, creativity, companionship, relaxation and rest; we have a super chance of breezing through our task. Our New Year’s resolution may, in fact, be in one of the areas mentioned.

ONE-POINTED FOCUS

As with any goal, it’s important to apply one-pointed focus and go in one direction. Once 1 step is taken, then another comes. So often, we attempt 2 things at once before we have an understanding of one path. So nothing gets done because our attention is not exclusive. Here’s another factor that might help.

PERCEPTION

The way we perceive things makes the difference between bewilderment and understanding, collapse and success. There is only one small difference between the two. It’s our perception, whether we are victims or conquerers. When we realize that we are replacing a new and wonderful action in the place of the old action that we wish to change, we can focus on that new action and all its joys, rather than becoming victims who are depriving themselves of something.

If we have the capacity to think, we have the capacity to be our own heroes. Make sure to leave the victim mindset in a small box outside the door. There’s always opportunity to go get that box later. Leave it outside for the first 21 days of the habit change, and let’s see how that goes. It’s only 21 days. If it’s not necessary to get it after the first 21 days, leave it for another 21 days, etc., etc.

If we are not sure what that one New Year’s Resolution is going to be, here are several action steps that may help.

ACTION STEPS

1)   Write down 5 habits that you wish to change. (Don’t worry if you don’t have 5.)

2)   Next to each, write down a replacement action you could do in place of the action that is your habit. It can be fun, creative, unrelated, as long as it is immediate and available to you within 10 seconds of getting your original cue.

3)   Next to that column, on a scale of 1 to 10, write down how much you wish to change each.

4)   Use the 1 to 10 guide to decide which habit will be your New Year’s Resolution. Keep judgment out of it. This is for you, alone. If one is more pressing than others, but everyone thinks you should change another, go with your gut. It’s your New Year’s Resolution, and it’s your habit. And you know better than anyone else what it feels like inside you.

5)   Now that you have picked 1 of the 5 habits you have written down, decide whether the replacement action is accessible to you 24 hours a day. If it’s not, pick another one. If what you picked requires eating food, drinking water; make sure that you can carry the food and water with you at all times.

6)   Get ready to start by buying any food or bpa free water container you will need and preparing it now, since your plan starts January 1, 2014 for your Happy New Year.

SPECIAL EMPHASIS

The plan must be in place before you move a muscle so you will be ready when the cue (the trigger that makes you want to take the old action) shows up. That’s what 6) is all about.

7)   Tell a friend, storekeeper or some online social media connection about your decision. Keep talking about your resolution behavior on a regular basis. It will encourage follow through.

8)   Do it! You can, you know!

CONCLUSION

1 step at a time will get us changing whatever habit we choose. We can make a list. We can manage to have water or carrots with us all the time. We can go to a public grocery store or library and tell an employee there what we’re doing. The employee will listen. This declaration usually helps us stay on track.

Most important, though, is to be consistent with keeping up with the new behavior, and, if this involves food or drink, prepare it. We need to be ready so that the first time and the 100th time our body or brain tells us to act out the old habit, we are ready with the pre-planned all, new behavior.

To succeed at our New Year’s Resolution Habit Change, repetition is key. Whatever our new behavior, it must be repeated for a good 3-week period as a humble beginning. I just read an article saying how 21 days to change a habit is a myth, and 66 days is more realistic. If you’re like me, it can take 90-180 days to take hold, and repetition is still necessary on a daily basis after that.

Bottom line, a strong foundation is extremely helpful when changing a habit. It makes the efforts that will surely be difficult, a little less difficult and absolutely possible. Wish you an extra bit of energy for your resolution! Follow the steps and see if it works. We’re all together.

SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT MAX-NEEF’S HUMAN DEVELOPMENT MODEL

It should be noted that Alfred Manfred Max-Neef developed a more complicated, yet more complete, human development model which he based on fundamental human needs and discussed in his 1991 book, Human Scale Development. This model includes:

subsistence, protection, affection, understanding, participation, leisure, creation, identity, freedom. The reason I favor the simple version is it is more concrete at spelling out our needs. It is a lovely list that is worthy of thought.

New Year’s Resolution 3-Question Survey
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DIANE GOLD, 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 and habit change.

She believes we each succeed at our great New Year’s Resolution. She says,

“With a simple instruction of how to walk a path, the path does not have many holes. That’s because we are prepared for the holes when they arrive. In the same way, with a little planning and straight-ahead focus on our part, we can proceed with habit change and have a positive outcome. Rather than think about whether or not we can accomplish our task, let’s just do it. That is the way!

“Happy New Year! Be safe.”

THE HABIT OF FORGIVENESS: HOW TO FORGIVE WHEN IT SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE, 7 WAYS (ISSUE 109)

By Diane Gold

“Forgiveness is to set a prisoner free, and to realize the prisoner was you.”

This quote is associated with  Lewis B. Smedes, author of The Art Of Forgiving. It is also associated with Corrie ten Boom, author and Dutch protector of Jews and resistance workers during World War II. When Corrie, who was imprisoned for hiding Jews and those who didn’t support the Nazi way, came face to face with one of her captors, she walked the walk of forgiveness. She and one of her former concentration camp guards came face to face. They held hands, and she forgave his acts, according to review of her book, which mentions that, in her experience, those who are able to forgive are best able to rebuild their lives.

Forgiveness author, Smedes, quotes,

“Forgiving does not erase the bitter past. A healed memory is not a deleted memory. Instead, forgiving what we cannot forget creates a new way to remember. We change the memory of our past into a hope for our future.”

This is the way habit change works. We don’t get rid of it; we replace it with a new action and reward.

THE CUE

All of us have experienced hurt, whether it is a small trauma in our lives or an unspeakable wound that is life changing. We always attach the event to a person or people involved. If that person or group had not hurt us, we would not be hurt.

Being hurt is the cue that triggers our action.

THE ACTION

In many cases, we are led to defensive behavior. For small infractions in our lives, we may cry, stomp our feet or laugh it off. For larger, more devastating experiences, we may go to a support person or group. Whatever action we take leads to a reward of some kind.

THE REWARD

The reward we experience from crying is relief from the outlet. Same with stomping our feet. These behaviors help us cope. We may have a moment of patting ourselves on the head through crying or foot stomping. When we laugh something off, we are experiencing the joy of living and being able to deal well with discomfort. Not always possible.

For larger events, being supported by others leads to being able to cope with a situation. Coping is our reward.

ACTION AFTER TRIVIAL HURT

Here’s a good place to mention that trivia is in the eyes of the beholder. If we think we have been wronged, then we act in a way to get comfort. What is trivial to you may be traumatic to me.

I am reminded of one of my neighbors who often holds on to the spats she has with local merchants. When she feels violated by the merchant, her action is to talk about the experience at length and to announce that she will no longer patronize the merchant. This leads her to her reward, getting recognition for her plight and for personal grandeur.

With any trivial hurt, people act timidly, angrily or in a tempered manner.

ACTION AFTER IMMEASURABLE HURT

Once we are hurt in a life changing way, we still act timidly, angrily or in a tempered manner. We probably reach out for support which brings us the reward of lessening the pain.

UNDERLYING OUR HURT

As we all know, we feel more than one thing at once, such as anger and vulnerability or happiness and confidence. Next to these emotions, we place responsibility for our being hurt on someone; often we put it on ourselves. Other times, we put it on the person or group who created the hurtful situation.

When this underlying responsibility lingers, and it usually does, we are blaming someone. This is part of the reward phase when we blame others. It helps us cope. It is reverse reward when we blame ourselves.

Either way, that’s where developing the habit of forgiveness comes in.

DEVELOPING THE HABIT OF FORGIVENESS

There are 3 scenarios when we were hurt:

1) it was our fault.

2) it was someone else’s fault.

3) it was no one’s fault.

In the first 2 scenarios, the forgiveness habit can move mountains. People do religious rituals, go to forgiveness classes, go to support sessions, read forgiveness books, all in order to learn to forgive. These avenues are fabulous. Every one of them develops a new pattern of action when we feel hurt, just like the way we develop or change any other habit. And just like with any other habit, we have to replace the old habit for the new one to be currently accessible.

WHY FORGIVENESS?
The reason it’s so important to forgive is because blame eats us up. We may think that if we mortally hurt the responsible person, we will be healed. This is one of our baser instincts that is worth looking at. It’s not legal to wound someone, so it’s not a solution. It’s not moral to wound someone. It’s not wise to stoop to the bad behaviors of others. This is where forgiveness comes in.

HOW TO FORGIVE?

How to forgive? We must develop it.

People have always thought of me as a forgiving and understanding person. They have not seen me in the face of being assaulted, having family members hurt, being cheated out of money, having a car accident because of a drunk driver. Fortunately for me and mine, I have not had to experience all of these atrocities, although some have crossed my path. I don’t feel cool, calm and collected when I am hurt. But, I do have certain methods of dealing with forgiveness that I will share.

When people lash out and hurt us, they are insecure, self-absorbed, immature, impatient, fearful and hurt from a broken heart. They have become this way because someone has taken a part of their life, and they have not been able to forgive it. Do they always know it? No. In the odd cases where this is not the case, the individual is usually broken in some other way.

Every time we get hurt, we must look at how ethical we have become, how much we have grown as humans. Even if we have had a bad day every day of our lives, someone has had it worse. If we have 4 limbs, we’re ahead. If we went to school, we’re ahead. If we have a toilet, running water and have seen a doctor, we’re ahead.
Just because others are in worse shape is not going to develop forgiveness in us. However, this concept can prepare us for new action.

The hardest thing to forgive is when someone hurts our child. It is unthinkable that we could ever forgive this. Deep hurt might be 50 years old, and we still sit with it. Does it help if we sit in anger, torment and vengeful scheming? No. We are probably shortening our lives. And, yes, this feels like the right thing to be doing. Because we have let this behavior develop.

WHAT IF?

Here are some action steps that may lead us to begin the path of forgiveness. It is not impossible, no matter what it feels like. It’s like any other habit that requires a starting point and constant repetition. In the spirit of any holiday that may have to do with forgiveness, these action steps may be surprisingly useful.

ACTION STEPS

These steps are based upon our tendency to forgive someone who shows remorse. Even though the person who hurt us may not show it, and this lack of it can conjure feelings of revenge in each of us, these steps take us one step back in the life of the hurter who is still acting out revenge from the day she was hurt, in the first place. So the remorse is the acting out.

There is no justification for hurt; the explanation of why, though, helps us to forgive.

1)   When someone hurts you or your family member, think of the person as an abused child. Even if it is not specifically the case, in some way, it very definitely is the case. Take that thought action immediately. It will calm you down and allow you to help yourself forgive a person like that. Realize that you would make allowances for a child who had been hurt in such a manner.

Or

2)   When someone hurts you or your family member, think of the person as the victim of someone who stole her limb at an early age. Even if it is not specifically the case, in some way, it very definitely is the case. Take that thought action immediately. It will calm you down and allow you to help yourself forgive a person like that. Realize that you would make allowances for a child who had been hurt in such a manner.

Or

3)   When someone hurts you or your family member, realize that the person feels as small as a small crawling insect. Otherwise, the person would not take liberties with someone else’s life. It is not too difficult to forgive someone like this, especially someone who may have been made to feel this way all her life.

Or

4)   When someone hurts you or your family member, picture the hurter as having just experienced the same, exact hurt. Think of how surprised this person must have been and consider that it’s your responsibility to act well.

And

5)   When someone hurts you or your family member, join a group of people who have also experienced the same hurt. Type in your type of hurt followed by the word group in your favorite search engine or card catalog. Many groups await you.

And

6)   When someone hurts you or your family member, watch this trailer and decide if you want to watch the movie. It depicts The Parents Circle Families Forum’s group of bereaved Palestinians and Israelis, all of whom had a family member killed by the other side. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzJkBxQC4Tg

And

7)   When someone hurts you or your family member, realize that every negative thought or action we have or take creates negativity for the world. Likewise, every positive thought or action we have or take impacts the world in a positive manner. Consider choosing the positive road in the name of those who were hurt (including yourself) for the sake of the evolution of morality.

CONCLUSION

I believe that we are all one, that all energy falls into one big vat with all the positive and all the negative thoughts, emotions, actions. Therefore, the more goodness we bring, the more goodness there will be. Forgiveness is part of this pot. The more we contribute to it, the richer and more beautiful our civilization will become.

Happy Forgiveness Season. May we develop the habit of forgiveness and be the shining examples we all need.

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DIANE GOLD, 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 and habit change.

She believes we can develop forgiveness. It is one of the hardest habits to develop. She says,

“We don’t let go when someone hurts or our family. But that is commonly because we see the hurter as different from who we are and forget what makes most people hurt: being hurt. In looking at ways to forgiveness, we can go back to the life of the one who hurt us and realize the pain that is being acted out now.

“We are civilized and have will power. We were also raised with some sense of morality. With these traits, we have a chance at forgiveness. It may not happen overnight. I know it didn’t for me. But pre-planning and repetition will make it happen. And then, we will be free.”

HABIT CHANGE: SOLVING NOT COMPLAINING (ISSUE 108)

By Diane Gold

All of us have developed the habits of solving and complaining. The very assertive yet ineffective method of complaining has been reinforced into our beings since our families and our teachers said,

“Speak out,”

without giving us parameters about what that meant in terms of effect and solution. Many of us thought it meant speak about a topic, and point out what’s wrong with nothing further. Informing is a crucial part of the process, but it is not enough. Once we have informed, we have to start a path to solution, if solution is our goal. Speech

Because society keeps changing and each generation latches on to slogans, I remember,

“Question authority.”

The point of this commandment was to get us to think, communicate, create and solve. However, many people neglected to encourage the create and solve mechanisms necessary for us to accomplish change and allowed us to gossip, nag, criticize, whine and moan since this piece of the speaking out concept occurs without much effort.

The slogan, as I see it, was meant to stimulate the mind into founding new solutions. Parents wanted children to think for themselves and accept not what others fed them without critical thinking and deduction.

What transpired for various reasons has been a culture of speakers with no solutions, many just “orating for ego” (good T-shirt). Since there has not been a focus solving vs. complaining in modern times, it is more common to hear groups of complainers than groups of problem solvers. Plus, it’s more difficult to create than to condemn (another good T-shirt, “create, don’t condemn”).

HABIT CHANGE, FROM COMPLAINING TO SOLVING

In order to solve vs. complain, we follow the process for any habit change: cue, replace the old action, reward.

In the old scenario, we saw something we disagreed with (the cue or trigger that sets off the action).

We went on our internet radio show (well, not when I was young) and complained or preached about it (the action).

We felt good because we had talked (the reward), but what we saw as wrong did not change.

In the new scenario, we see something with which we disagree (the cue, same as original).

We have a pre-planned new activity such as going to a focus group strictly to work on a solution (the new action).

We feel good because we have created or are on the path to creating a viable solution to the issue (the reward).

THE ACTION (AFTER THE CUE, IN ORDER TO GET THE REWARD)

Of course, it is important to communicate our thoughts, desires, opinions. Exclusively talking about the wrongs, the negatives, the bad situations may bolster our egos or get us into a clique, but it deludes us into feeling accomplished and obstructs our path toward solution.

What if all the people in our clique used our wonderful brain power to brainstorm about how to solve something? We would use up the same amount of time and energy. We would be sharing ideas that could sprout into solutions. True, we would expose ourselves to ridicule if our clique did not agree with our solutions. But, creating a solution is what everyone wants, right?

If we truly believe in an idea, we will want it to have a result. This means acting toward moving it forward.

We can ask,

“If I could be instrumental in solving a national feud through some super technique, would you want me to talk about how terrible war is or would you want me to administer the technique so that we could accomplish cooperation and harmony?”

Or,

“If we all had a loved one who was sick from a disease, would you want me to talk about how terrible the pharmaceutical industry is or would you want the cure to the disease?”

Or, let’s get personal.

“If you had nightmares, would you want me to talk about how many illegitimate techniques offer to alleviate them or would you want that one super relaxation technique that stopped nightmares?”

SYSTEMATIC APPROACH

I’m pretty sure we would all rather have a solution than to hear the story about the problem, rather than the process for solving it. I’m also pretty sure we all have many useful ideas that can turn into brilliant formulations toward solving or beginning to solve a situation or preparing a solution. All we need is a systematic approach to discovering a solution. In order to limit the possibility that we go off track, we could employ the following systematic approach:

1) Use no statements that self-aggrandize.

2) Make no judgments when an idea is brought to the table.

3) Minimize kvetching (Yiddish word for complaining) as soon as it arrives out of our mouths.

4) Keep doing it. Place as much energy on solving as we have on complaining; and we will make a difference.

CONCLUSION

Now that we are evolved enough to understand this, it is time to consider the solution process with every speech. We may have to change our habit, if we are used to being critical, not constructive. We can certainly slap the wrist of education for lack of emphasis on oration without solution. And we can change how we educate from now on.

I am reminded of the 2013 engineering toy for girls, built on the premise that girls need engineering concepts as do boys. This toy is breaking the gender-biased stereotypical mold that girl toys should be dolls and boy toys should be construction sets. The creator, whose training is in engineering, saw the need and created the solution. She could still be talking about it, but she executed a solution and talks about that.

In the same way, educators can start forming the creative solution process at very young ages. And families that encourage their children to speak out can back that up with the importance of solving, rather than complaining.

ACTION STEPS

Here is a process for creating a solution. Do it to see what happens. Using a simple process of writing down the first 5-10 things that come into your head, come up with your own process for the scenario in 1):

1) Family 1 lives on 1 side of the river. Family 2 lives on the other side of the river. Each family has had one of their family members hurt by the other family as a result of war or land disputes, and the families currently have sworn animosity toward each other.
Family 1 needs a special berry that grows on Family 2’s side. Family 2 needs a special root that grows on Family 1’s side. Both the root and the berry will save lives, but the families do not speak to each other.

What process can we offer the families to start talking again, and how can they curb their hate?

2) Email us your process. It will be kept anonymous.

3) To get thinking about solutions, not complaints, let us know how you would respond to the following:

a) On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being a lot, how much do you believe you can make a difference of any size in your community?

b) On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being a lot, how much would you like to contribute to human rights and social harmony?

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DIANE GOLD, 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 and habit change.

She knows from personal experience how easy it is to get caught up in opinion sharing which can take people away from creating solutions. She says,

“It’s pretty natural to speak out when we see wrong. Especially if we were encouraged to do so as kids. Based on all the speakers and regular folk who are complainers, we, as parents, and the education system from which we come, did not appropriately teach that solutions are a large and necessary follow up to any criticism. Without it, we are just exercising our mouths.

“Solutions are scary because we do not have a whole crowd around us when we are the solution creator and sole discoverer. When we complain, there are always people who can relate to our complaint. But when we solve, this leaves us completely vulnerable to disapproval and social scorn. Which is part of why we gravitate toward complaining and not solving, in the first place.

“Let’s make sure, from now on, we show by example that we devote as much energy to solving a situation as we do discussing what needs solving. This will guarantee positive direction for all humanity.”

BEST AB EXERCISE IN 30 SECONDS OR LESS (ISSUE 107)

By Diane Gold

Best ab exercise in 30 seconds is so simple, protects the back, is adjustable based on fitness level and can be done by almost anyone. It doesn’t take equipment or getting in shape to do it. It’s sexy for trainers, gym buffs or never-work-out-ers. And it’s practical.

THE REASON FOR THE BEST AB EXERCISE

The reason I’m giving it away is simple and timely. Here’s the story.

I saw a photo and exercise routine one of my (actual) friend’s shared on a social networking site. My friend is an avid athlete and 30-year yogi, which means she is strong and fit. She communicates with many people who are also strong and fit.  So when she shared a plank photo and instructions for a plank exercise, starting with 20 seconds per day, she was probably directing it to the fit crowd. I immediately responded to her post with an EXTREME CAUTION comment because…

A plank is a stationary exercise where we maintain a flat horizontal position, emulating a piece of plywood, holding ourselves off the floor using our abdominal muscles. If we have abs from regular correctly executed workout, whether in martial arts, swimming, gym-ing or dancing; this exercise may be a wonderful treat.

BACK INJURY

Most people are attracted to an interesting workout photo that gets passed around. What was missing, and I’m not pointing fingers, was a super big warning sign. Having owned an active martial arts school for over 15 years, I have heard many stories about injury due to improper workout. I have helped show many a newbie student why proper alignment is everything and that haste can cost precious training time as we heal from beginner, didn’t-follow-directions injuries.

It is extremely easy to hurt the back doing the plank exercise, even though it is a wonderful technique if we have the abs for it. It’s whether or not they are strong enough to hold our entire body upon command. And that is what today’s exercise is about.     Back Injury

YOGA AND TAI CHI

Any time extreme fitness is done, injuries abound. That includes yoga, even though it is a spiritual non-martial art. Typically, it’s because people are holding one position. If they have been taught proper alignment, they have a great chance of never being injured. Without it, many injuries occur. In 2010, the Consumer Product’s Safety Commission reported 7,369 yoga injuries. Many of them were back injuries.

Let’s state here that most of the time, experienced teachers in any discipline who understand movement will make certain to teach basics before any aggressive movement exposes the student to harm. There are many inexperienced teachers out there in every discipline, and they don’t understand the importance and the essence of basic training. They also may minimize safety as a priority.

I just read an Indian newspaper that said that tai chi is taking over yoga. I’m not sure on what it’s based or how valid it is. I do know, from having taught tai chi for over 15 years, that tai chi is a non-rigid, flowing way. Each movement, like time-lapse photography, is always new as we, the creator of the movement, are always changing. This liquid movement and traditional dedication to basics are two reasons tai chi is known to be safe with few injuries.

EFFICIENCY AND SIT-UPS

Most of us want efficiency and want the shortest road toward what we consider perfection that we can take. That means we would like to bypass any frills and get right to the real work. Yet, some exercises, worldwide, put, at least, 50% fluff in them.

Take the sit up. Most people know the sit up to involve 90 degrees of movement: from a sitting up position to a lying down position. Wrong! Ehhhhhhhnnng! Unnecessary.

Much of the 90-degree sit-up is wasted time and energy, hurts the back and doesn’t do what we want it to do. And, it’s so stressful that we stop doing sit ups shortly after we begin because we don’t love them or we are already feeling twinges in our back or side. Soooooooo many people injure themselves with sit-ups because the exercise is designed to strengthen the abs without protection for the back.

So, what’s the answer?

DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME FOLKS?

I was so moved by seeing the plank exercise without any qualifying comments and by knowing how harmful it can be to the unsuspecting newcomer or restarter that I was moved to reveal this one simple secret that protects the back, is quite adjustable to people who are just starting out and can be challenging to advanced movers and shakers.

You know the warning labels on new equipment that says,

“Don’t try this at home, folks?”

I really wanted to say that, then ease into why the plank exercise can be dangerous if not done properly. Since most people don’t understand that the strong abdominal plate (the core) allows us to hold our back in a plank-like position, the caution lights would be appropriate on this plank exercise.

BEST AB EXERCISE IN 30 SECONDS OR LESS

Instead, here’s the best ab exercise in 30 seconds or less. It is designed for safety and effectiveness. If you need a towel under your coccyx or want a towel or mat, do it! The harder the surface, the better, though.

1)   Lie down on the floor with knees raised at shoulder width apart, feet flat on the floor.

2)   Place the arms across the chest, elbows flat on the body. This will protect the back from strain.

3)   Adjust the legs so that the distance between the knees and the belly button is the same or more than the distance between the knees and the toes.

4)   Press the lower back into the floor from the belly button/abs region throughout the exercise. This will protect your back from curving the wrong way or straining.

Now comes the adjustable part.

5)   Keeping the spine as straight as possible with the back pressed against the floor, lift the shoulders a comfortable amount off the floor.

6)   Breathing normally through the nose, hold the position for a comfortable amount of time.
   a)   If 10 seconds works, immediately lower the shoulders at 10 seconds and stay with back pressing into ground in rest position for 15 seconds.
b)   If 20 seconds works, immediately lower the shoulders at 20 seconds and stay with back pressed against the floor in rest position for 15 seconds.
    c)   If 30 seconds works, immediately lower the shoulders at 30 seconds and stay with back pressing into ground in rest position for 15 seconds.

FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS

7)   Do not do sets. Do it once, and you are finished for the day. Write down the amount of time you lifted the shoulders and repeat that amount of time for 6 more days.

8)   After the first week, you can increase the amount of time, if you wish, but you must maintain that increase for the rest of the week.

9)   Do not exceed 45 seconds for the first 21 days.

CONCLUSION

The important thing is following through with the best ab exercise on a daily or every-other-day basis. That’s why we don’t increase the reps on a regular basis or worry about how fancy the exercise is. Consistency is more important than duration. Getting started is more important than anything.

If you would like 1:1 discussion as you are doing this exercise, please contact us and include a phone number. If you are not certain why we have given a certain instruction, it is probably a safety feature, but feel free to ask.

ACTION STEPS

1)   Do the exercise for 7, 14 or 21 days, once a day, and tell us what it has done for you.

2)   Keep a written or digital record of your work.

3)   Pass this on to 1 other person, or, at least, the warning about the plank exercise, if nothing else.

4)   Take your time, following the directions. Proper alignment is worth it.

WORK WITH US

If you would like to set up a consult or ask a question about your situation, please go to our Contact Us page at http://warriorsofweight.com/contact-us. Even if you are confused about your situation, you are welcome to reach out here. Please include the best time to contact you.

FEEDBACK

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DIANE GOLD, 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 and habit change.

Today’s essay is about the best ab exercise, but it really focuses on the importance of body alignment. She says,

“An exercise doesn’t have to be fancy to work. It has to be efficient. Any exercise can be easy if we are strong and if we pay attention to alignment details. Most people work from competition or some other ego-driven goal. Others work to get to know themselves.

“Whatever our objective, the instructions in this piece will save a lot of wasted energy and serve us well.

“Once we are familiar with how to do the technique, it can become part of our everyday routine. Because it’s an adjustable exercise, it can stay with us throughout  our lives. May it be fun and keep us healthful!”

HIDDEN CLINICAL TRIALS (ISSUE 106)

By Diane Gold

Hidden clinical trials is a real phenomenon. And, I use the word “hidden” because its opposite is “visible,” “disclosed,” “public.” With all the government regulation in the United States, the European Union and other areas; we would think that the regulations would arrange to remove drug trial misconduct.

We are sophisticated, ethical, socially minded, philosophical healers of our brothers and sisters. Right?

Not so right.

Here are 9 edicts that would insure the ethical handling of clinical trials. They would make it unnecessary and highly unlikely for any personal decisions to be made that would favor a sponsor, government, outside loyalty or trial recipient in any way so that empirically true results would prevail. It would also almost guarantee publication so that trial recipients who may have chosen to do the trial because of the added benefit of helping others, actually get to help others. And doctors who read the literature about certain drugs almost would be guaranteed that the literature they are viewing is complete literature on a particular drug.

PROPOSED EDICTS

1)  Sponsors shall not have access to trial progress or results.
2)  Every person who signs up for a trial shall be told the truth up front.
3)  Every person who signs up for a clinical trial shall receive a government stamped copy of the final trial, or of the results as far as the trial goes.
4)  All trial results, whether the trial goes to term or not, shall be published.

5)  There shall be a monitoring body for all pharmaceutical trials, government or private.
6)  The monitoring body of all clinical trials shall not be nor shall ever have been connected to the sponsor.
7)  The employees of the monitoring body shall be paid an extensive salary.
8)  Government trials shall be monitored by the monitoring body.
9)  The monitoring body shall not know the name of the sponsor, including government trials.

THE REALITY

Unfortunately the edicts above are not clinical trial reality. Although pharmaceutical drug trial regulations are many, they are not carried out or the monitoring of their execution does not exist, strangely enough.

To date, according to Ben Goldacre in his book Bad Pharma, drug companies are the ones who pay for the trials. Here’s a quote from the book, also used in an article by Forbes,

“Drugs are tested by the people who manufacture them, in poorly designed trials, on hopelessly small numbers of weird, unrepresentative patients, and analyzed using techniques which are flawed by design, in such a way that they exaggerate the benefits of treatments.”

Most of Bad Pharma talks about the fact, though, that trials are not published all the time and put patients at risk by non-publications. He was inspired to write the book in the first place when, after reading all the published research on an approved drug, his prescribing it to his patient based on the facts that were public, led to patient complications that could have been avoided if all negative results had been published.

OUR RIGHT TO INFORMATION

What Henry I. Miller says in his Forbes article, taken from his experience as an FDA  medical officer, is that many drug studies that are not published are not negative but inconclusive. What I say is there should be some sort of very accessible bank to everyone, patients, friends of patients and medical personnel, alike, with all study results, so that those who are evaluating a drug, whether taking it or prescribing it, can make the most informed decision based upon all previous experience that anyone has had with it, regardless of why its results may not have been published.

Plus, having a transparent archive would insure that drug companies, politicians (who support drug companies for political contributions) and editors of medical journals would not be in control of what becomes available information. Unfortunately, more medical and lay people hear about medical journal reviews; but, doctors who are prescribing and patients who diligently do research on behalf of themselves would have a complete overview from which to make as informed decision as possible about any drug or treatment with the transparency factor in place.

It’s pretty complicated as to whether a trial is negative or whether a trial is inconclusive. But all work should be available, in fairness to the patients who give their bodies for the trials.

ISN’T IT OUR RIGHT TO KNOW?

This reminds me of the waiver to a clinical trial I considered. One of the questions they asked is,

“Do you want to give your permission for us to use your DNA in future studies?”

I asked about whether I would have access to track where it went and the outcome it achieved. Of course, the researcher said they could not include that caveat. Based on not knowing the ethics of the users of my DNA and the fact that there might not be transparent results of its use, I declined, although I considered the opportunity to contribute to humanity an honor and my decision to say no weighed heavily on my heart.

I believe it is our right to know.

BIAS

Getting back to parameters for fair drug protocols, here’s a question.

“Do we have the exact same interpretation about an altercation at school that involves our child as the same situation when our child is not involved?”

Of course, the answer is a big, whopping,

“No,”

Even when we are trained specifically for this situation, it is nearly impossible to keep our emotions out of it.

This comparison is similar to a drug company and its bias toward the drug trial it sponsors, akin to its offspring or child. We are human, and, therefore, have biases toward our own.

CONCLUSION

What can we do about hidden clinical drug trials?

We can be aware that all information may or may not be reported to anyone outside the sponsoring drug company. We can express our concern to our friends, our doctors and to drug companies.

We put up with common ways of corporations because we want their services. If we are more demanding of what we deserve and demand an end to hidden drug trials, the breakthroughs in pharmaceuticals will be more meaningful, more honest and more healthful.

ACTION STEPS

Here are several action steps for the concerned human, which I know we all are:

1)   Ask to see the literature on any drug that you are considering. This means the actual data on the drug, rather than a consumer brochure.

2)   Don’t be intimidated by any medical professional who tells you s/he wants to start you immediately on some drug – unless your life is immediately at risk – to the point where you agree to a drug without knowing its information.

3)   Take excellent control of your own health care. After all, if you won’t, who will? This means review the literature on any prevention, disease or drug that may be part of your life.

4)   Make your own informed decision on whether or not you CHOOSE to accept a recommended drug, drug trial or therapy of any kind.

5)   Lastly, survey the drug manufacturers who are involved in any drug you may be considering taking. If a drug has already been approved, ask whether you can see the data of trials that has not been published. If there is a clinical trial, ask the following:
a)   Do you register this drug trial through a government agency, and which one?
b)   Is there a document I can have that mentions this registration?
c)   Do you post the results of this drug trial, and where?
d)   Is there a document you can give me that mentions this posting?
e)   If this trial does not go to completion, will the information at the time it ends be posted?
f)   Do you have ongoing access to the testing results during the trial?
g)   Do you have the right to make modifications during the trial?
h)   If I participate in the trial, may I personally receive results of the trial I am entering through my referring medical professional?

FINAL NOTE
In 2007, the FDA Amendment Act required all trials of any drug or device must be registered. Also, for a drug to be approved, its results must be posted to clinicaltrials.gov within a year of the end of the trial.
According to a paper by A.P.Prayle et al, BMJ 2012;344:d7373, that looked at compliance:

The paper included a partial sampling of trials. Of those trials required to be posted; only 1 in 5 trials had been reported;  next, the daily fine for non-compliance of reporting is not high enough to be meaningful to a drug company that makes $4 billion a year per drug (the fine is $10,000 per day/$3.65 million yearly); and very surprisingly, no fine has yet been assessed to any drug company for not posting their results.

One last bit of info that makes the pharmaceutical system shockingly cloaked is this. According to rules that are different in every country, referenced in Bad Pharma; drug companies apply for authorization to use a drug for a specific purpose with a specific market, such as using a drug for adults with depression. The clinical trial data for adults, for an example market, with depression, for an example disease, must be furnished to get approval. If clinical trials are performed on children, a different example market, for the same or different disease, and the company does not apply for authorization to use the drug on children with that disease, the drug companies are not required to report data or side effects. Also, they’re not required to report results if their trial is done out of country.

Doctors often prescribe “off label,” which means using a drug originally approved for one market or disease, but now being used for another. In one such case, one of the major 10 drug companies did not report that suicide was a suicide effects in children for 10 years. Why? It wasn’t a requirement, and revealing this would have cut their sales volume. They knew about the side effects through hidden clinical trials that could have warned doctors not to prescribe the drug to children.

Don’t we all have the right to know?

FEEDBACK

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DIANE GOLD, 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 and habit change.

The topic of clinical trials being hidden is rather controversial. She says,

“It’s a matter of pride, not money. It’s more advantageous to announce the results of every clinical trial. It is certainly the only ethical thing to do, even though it may not positively affect the bottom line of the drug company, immediately.

“What a great PR opportunity, though. Any of the major pharmaceutical houses first to comply could take the huge opportunity directly in front of them to gain brand dominance. By being the first company to regularly register and report drug trial outcomes, they would be trusted and save money because this would be free advertising.

“If we remind the drug companies that they would gain huge loyalty and trust by making their clinical trials transparent, they might be interested.”

EXTRA ACTION STEP

“Give a drug company’s marketing department a call this week with the reminder. They just might be interested in listening to all of us.”

ARE YOU AN ENABLER, CODEPENDENT ON A USER? THE 10 MOST COMMON REASONS  (ISSUE 105)

By Diane Gold

Are you an enabler? Are you in love with or  do you love someone who is in love with substance whom you help get it?

Let’s look at the term “enabler” and give it a definition so that we are all using the same meaning.

According to the dictionary, an enabler is a person who makes something possible. In the habit sense, it is a person who assists a habitual behaviorist to get her reward from some negative behavior.

Many enablers don’t realize they are enabling. They are so wrapped up in another person who is wrapped up in indulging behavior that they don’t see their behavior as a habit that is hurting them both. In fact, most enablers believe they are helping the other person, blind to the dependence that obvious to others.

Almost 10 years ago, for almost 10 years, I enabled the person with whom I lived. I used my money, my credit and my organizational skills to make sure he had his drugs, his alcohol, commercial property to conduct business and a nice place to live. In my case, it was a little convoluted because I was jealous of his using drugs and alcohol without me, so I used them when I saw his use. I was codependent with a touch of substance abuse.

One of my remedies was to go into the bedroom and lock the bedroom door and put the pillow over my head until I fell asleep. VERY DIFFICULT, but effectively removing me from that situation!
Personally, I was enabling this man to use drugs and alcohol to insure my own security. I was afraid to cut the money off and say,

“No more,”

since I was not willing to see the truth, that the man with whom I lived was interested in substance before me. What made it even harder was that we were business partners. And, if I stopped facilitating the business, I would be looking for a new career. I was afraid of that change, too.

A decade later, it’s easy to see now what my motives were then and the enabling behavior that went on, the excuses I made for this man’s violence that went along with my actual forgiving, “healer” nature.

Since that time, after removing myself from the situation, I can evaluate the many stories I hear about the difficulty in saying “no” because this response causes so much emotional pressure. I can relate, and I can suggest.

TOP 10 REASONS WE GIVE OURSELVES TO MAINTAIN THE ENABLER ROLE

Here are a list of things that go on in our head that keep us enabling. Do you recognize any?:

1) If I don’t give my loved one the money for her habit, she might get arrested or get shot,

2) If I don’t give my loved one a ride to her dealer’s house, she will walk at night in the bad neighborhood and might get raped,

3) If I don’t give my loved one money for her habit, she won’t love me,

4) If I tell my loved one she’s overweight or stop buying her the donuts and ice cream she loves, this will hurt her feelings; so I won’t say anything,

5) If I don’t give my loved one a ride when she calls for a ride at any hour, she might get arrested walking in the street and then raped in jail,

6) If I don’t let my loved one live at my house and she gets hurt or killed on the street, it’s my fault,

7) I’m married to her, so I have to pay for her habit. After all, “to love and to cherish, in good times and bad,”

8) If I don’t give my loved one money, she might leave me,

9) Even though I know my loved one is stealing money from me, I won’t say anything because she might hit me or hurt our child.

10) My loved one came to me and trusted me with her substance problem so I have to give her money for drugs because I can’t betray her trust.

BEING BRAVE

In the same way that some cultures send a young person out to prove adulthood, we must allow our loved ones to fend for themselves or work on themselves, or they will never prove themselves to themselves. If we want to save ourselves, we must, in turn, remove the magnetic pull they have on us and let go, if we are to find our own way.

Letting go doesn’t mean not see our loved one, necessarily, but it does mean take hold of our behavior and put down our enabler role. We must be massively brave and courageous to do it, since all sorts of emotions pull at us to enable and we can’t fathom not seeing our loved one.

In more cases than not, it may be necessary to limit the times we see our loved one while we are working on ourselves and the loved one is working on herself. Because we are adults, we don’t get supervised visits, but that may be what we need. It’s the same as when we are stopping abusing alcohol or drugs. Many of us have to avoid going places that serve alcohol or market drugs. We may, in the future, choose to be in places with alcohol, although we may choose never again to be in places that market drugs. Until we are more evolved in the process, and our habit is replaced with another, we may need to plan where not to go. I can vouch for the benefits of this separation!

CONCLUSION

Being an enabler can be borne out of wanting to help, which is a natural human feeling. It usually comes from some type of insecurity as does the craving behaviors, themselves. Many of us feel a calling to ease the pain of others. It goes too far when we get lost in someone else’s negative behavior to the point where we stop our own progress and hurt the person we are attempting to help.

We are not alone, and being codependent is not shameful. When we see our behavior clearly, we can change our habit and be happier.

ACTION STEPS, INSTEAD OF ENABLING

Here are some action steps we can take instead of continuing the codependent behaviors we usually do.

1) Keep no money in the house, so that, when asked, you can say you don’t have any money. This solution precedes the direct “no” response which you may have to work up to. This is a step of blind faith that you will survive saying “no.” I can vouch for it. You will survive it!

2) When your someone asks you to come with your car to get her at an inconvenient or inappropriate time, you can say you are sleeping and end the call. You know your person is safe, more or less, since you have just heard from her. Your person will find a way home.
The first time is the hardest because all those feelings of responsibility for harm come up. I can vouch for it. You can do it!

3) Seek a support group, either online which is immediate, or at a group location. It helps to listen to others in similar situations. Or confide in a support person, and say you have discovered you are an enabler. If it’s a friend, do not let the friend talk you out of your realization.  Here’s an interesting online option: http://www.smartrecovery.org/resources/family.htm

WORK WITH US

If you would like to set up a consult or ask a question about your situation, please go to our Contact Us page. Even if you are confused about your situation, you are welcome to reach out here. Please include the best time to contact you.

SUGGESTED READING

I do not prefer the 12-step program that is mentioned in the recommended article below. However, the eloquence with which this writer orates is reason enough to read the passage. Please start with the words,

“Over the last 28 years,”

if you wish to avoid another statement with which I take issue.

http://the12stepbuddhist.com/codependent-once-more/

FEEDBACK

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DIANE GOLD, 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 and habit change.

A lot of her topics deal with personal development and self-evaluation and the fact that all habits take different shape. She says,

“One of the hardest habits to spot is that of being an enabler. All we know is that we have a loved one and that we want to heal the loved one. Enablers get so caught up in another person’s life that they forget that they cannot fix another person. Only we can fix ourselves.

“It takes courage to look in the mirror when that means admitting we might have a habit that needs replacing. Most of the time, we have a little voice on our shoulder that has told us something is not right. And most of the time, if we are lucky enough to be free, we can get some support to replace our old habit with a new one.

“In order to see ourselves, we usually have to step back. Then, we can follow some simple steps which are different from the old steps we took a moment ago. Being codependent is no one’s fault, and no one’s to blame for developing the enabler habit. If we see it in ourselves and really want to help our loved one, it might be time to replace it.”

HABITUAL BEHAVIOR DEVELOPS VALUABLE SKILLS: WANT TO REPLACE A HABIT? (ISSUE 104)

By Diane Gold

We all exhibit habitual behavior. We have developed valuable skills as a result of by the very nature of carrying out our habitual acts. We create an expertise in order to do what it takes to get our reward of choice; we repeat and complete and do it again. This prowess builds in us proficiencies which can translate into positive action in our home life, our work productivity and our own creative projects, even if our habitual behavior is not supportive of our own lives. When we choose to replace our habit with one that is positive to our lives, we already have lots of worthwhile skills to make the change and to accompany us on our journey. And when we have a new and healthy habit; the skills we have shaped will remain!

WHAT IS HABITUAL BEHAVIOR?

Let’s define habitual behavior as a pattern of action that follows an emotional and/or physical craving that leads to some type of internal intake or ingestion, tick, movement, series of actions, that takes place several times a day, once daily or several times a week, and that, when removed without replacement, causes psychic or physical reaction that can be severely painful. When we change the habit, we actively divert our own attention from the expectation of the old reward we couldn’t live without using the same skill set we created in developing the original habitual behavior; this is how we form a new one.

ACTION STEPS

1) Ask yourself if you have a habitual behavior. Only you will know the answer if you want it that way.

2) Ask, on a scale from 1 to 10, 10 being most supportive, how supportive this habit is for your life.

3) If your behavior is less than 7, consider changing to another one. (There are action steps and contacts below that can help do this.)

WHAT? I’M WORTHWHILE?

When we have a habitual behavior, it is fair to say we have established some strong core competencies in our lives that, if well directed, make us excellent commodities of financial, social, personal worth. Here are some worthwhile tools we have acquired:

we know how to obtain money for food, even if we spend it to our disadvantage to get the reward a negative habitual behavior;

we know how to obtain money for shelter, even if we spend it to our disadvantage to get the reward from a negative habitual behavior;

we have the personal freedom to consume, which means we are not under military confinement or in jail.

This means we are massively more fortunate than a great percentage of the rest of the world population. Of course, looking at others does our lives no good, since our habitual behavior may be consuming us. The steps below as well as the skills we have created will help us.

THE SKILLS

What is extremely important is the skill set we have acquired to meet the conditions of our habitual behavior. Many mirror the traits of very successful people whose habitual behavior is not a detriment to their lives:

we have courage as we, alone, are dealing with ourselves,

 we have ingenuity enough to have devised a way to live with our habitual behavior in our lives,

(remembering some not so uncommon ingenuity: Bobby M. had devised a lifestyle for himself around weather. He would steal saleable merchandise from cars to get drug money (which led to his reward feeling) from April to September and then get arrested and jailed from October to March. He was on the street attending to his habitual behavior for the warm weather and getting 3 square meals and adequate shelter, courtesy of the City of New York, in the cold weather.)

we have organization skills in order to get what we want,

we have timing so that we have the object of our habit as frequently as we need it,

we have focus so that we take the right actions to get what we want,

we have drive to get what we want,

we have diplomacy to get what we want,

we have conflict resolution experience from juggling and managing our habitual behavior.

These traits are a great foundation we have already built and mean that we do have something to offer on the other side should we decide to replace our habitual behavior. Many employers, organizations, friends, families value the characteristics in us we already possess.

ACTION STEPS TO CONVERT NEGATIVE HABITUAL BEHAVIOR INTO POSITIVE HABITUAL BEHAVIOR

In order to change a habit, we have to replace it. We do this by replacing the step we take to achieve our reward. In order to achieve this, we need take the same new step at the exact time we get our craving, our trigger, our cue, every time. This action will become familiar and will replace the old action, if we repeat it long enough, knowing it will become more manageable after the first month.

CAUTION

I’m not saying it gets easy. I am saying urges do get manageable and go away, in some of us, for long periods of time. The only requirement is BLIND REPETITION, not strength, not faith, not self-esteem, not friends, not psychological evaluation, not judging ourselves or others, only BLIND REPETITION.

THE ACTION STEPS

1) Immediately drink 1 full large glass of water. This means always have water with you, should you get a cue that previously triggered you to your old habitual behavior, when out in the world.

2) Take a minute out from whatever you are doing and listen to this song:

https://soundcloud.com/benladesh/ben-la-desh-why-dont-you.

Glue yourself to a chair and move the body to the beat for 1 or 2 minutes. Close your eyes, too. If you want to stand up and dance, do it after the first minute. After the first time you use this technique, go get a danceable song you can always take with you,  should you get a cue to consume when out in the world. Planning which song and how quickly you can get to it is the key.

And don’t say you can’t figure out a way to be excused from whatever you are doing for one minute. Think of all the manipulating ways you slipped away in the past to fulfill your previous rewards.

3) Call a friend or acquaintance to talk you through the urge, a friend who is prepared to take your call at any time, day or night. Drink a second glass of water while you are on the phone.

If you don’t have anyone you know who can be available for you – or you’re not comfortable asking – call 2-1-1 from your phone. This works in 90% of the United States. If 2-1-1 does not work, 1-800-552-1183 works from a touch-tone phone and for VoIP phones. 80 countries (including the European Union and Australia) use 112.

4) Immediately upon feeling your urge to act out your habitual behavior, go for a 5 minute run. If you don’t have the ability to go outside; go into the rest room, and run in place. If you are wearing heels, put down a few pieces of paper towel, take off your shoes and go, go, go. Time yourself.

5) Drink another glass of water after all these other activities. By this time, you should have diluted the urge to the point where you can manage it.

6) If your habitual behavior is not overeating, eat a meal immediately. To fulfill this one, it is always necessary to have some sort of meal with you at all times.

7) [or 6) if your habitual behavior is overeating] If you are home or can get to a rest room, brush your teeth as a symbol of starting a clean slate. This means carry a mini tube of toothpaste with you. Remember, this is no weirder than actions you’ve taken to get your old reward.

CONCLUSION

Most of the time, we develop habitual behavior because we experience grief, anger or limited self-esteem. These can come from abuse, crisis, death, sickness and whatever our mind conjures, since feelings are irrational and show up when they show up. Since we have a myriad of valuable skills from our habitual behavior, we are worthy, since worth is calculated by our collection of  respectable, attention-getting skills.

Even if we don’t feel it and even if no one has recognized us or commissioned us yet, we are worthy in terms of the definition.  In my personal opinion, everyone is worthy in some way, even if evaluators or teachers have not found the way for our subject to exhibit worthwhile behavior.

We can recognize, intellectually, anyway, that we have marketable, communication skills of merit by the very nature of our success at managing our habitual behavior. When we use them to the greater good (ours or that of the universe), we flourish. One step at a time, no thoughts, only action, power in our essence, using our valuable skills to change ourselves and the world.

FEEDBACK

Please leave  a comment and LIKE.

DIANE GOLD, 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 and habit change.

When we do anything else, we are elevating our skill set. The great set of skills we develop through habit behavior is no exception. She says,

“We have lots of favorable circumstance, as long as we are able to notice it. When we are consumed with negative habitual behavior, our lives are chaotic, messy, explosive; and our vision is dim. We miss opportunities at every turn as we are busy rewarding ourselves. Until we replace our habit.

“We have the group of skills that can change a habit, get us a new career or creative project and take us in a new direction.

“It is not impossible; all it takes is blind repetition which takes only one step. There are many resources available to help along the way, including the action steps in this issue. They work. I know. Put on carriage horse blinders and choose your direction. You can do it.”

PESTICIDES: WHICH FRUITS AND VEGGIES HAVE THE LEAST? (ISSUE 103)

By Diane Gold

Pesticides: which fruits and veggies have the least?

The Environmental Protection Agency (epa.gov) regulates pesticides, but the amounts it allows in our fruits and vegetables is not so easy for the lay person to evaluate. Partly because we don’t have the time to look up the more than 1055 approved pesticides in use in the US and partly because the EPA is not offering the easiest chart for consumers.     Agricultural Pesticides

The first sentence on the EPA website says,

“Laboratory studies show that pesticides can cause health problems such as birth defects, nerve damage, cancer  and other effects that might occur over a long period of time. However, these effects depend on how toxic the pesticide is and how much of it is consumed. Some pesticides pose unique health risks to children.”

To the average consumer, you and me, this is far from helpful. The EPA mentions lots is serious ailments that “can” be caused by pesticides “that might occur over a long period of time” [… depending] “on how toxic the pesticide is and how much of it is consumed.”

Well, that’s noncommital.

We want simplified facts that will help us understand the pesticide discussion.

ARE WE FOCUSING ON THE WRONG THING?

There’s a parallel between what’s happening in the pesticide discussion and what’s happening in GMO (genetically modified organism) discussion. We are looking at whether or not to label that GMOs are present, rather than discussing how they are harmful to us or the environment, why not to use them at all and how we are going to do definitive research on what damage they do to whom. Instead of labeling THAT there are GMOs present in a product, a more appropriate warning label similar to that previously used on cigarettes, might be introduced, saying,

“Genetically modified organisms may be hazardous to your health.”

The food industry would not like that, so they are happy to debate about whether or not to put the disclosure label on the product, defocusing the unsuspecting.
How many remember the days when cigarette labels said,

“Smoking may be hazardous to your health?”

And now?

“Smoking causes lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema and may complicate pregnancy.”

With pesticides, we are boasting how legitimate the pesticide approval process is and listing which pesticides are present in which food. What would be more beneficial to our health and future generations would be to talk about methods of farming without toxins and educating people on the huge presence of pesticides and avoidance techniques.

WHAT WE WANT TO KNOW ABOUT OUR FOOD

We, as consumers, want useful information in qualitative numbers we can understand. We want to see how much of what food will hurt us.

Whatsonmyfood.org gives us some excellent information about the presence of pesticides on foods. It takes its info from the US Department of Agriculture, Pesticide Data Program, currently using 2005 data. For example, it lists that blueberries have a particular percentage of all blueberries in the US, on average, have pesticides A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z, AA, BB, CC, DD, EE, FF, GG, HH, II, JJ, KK, LL, MM, NN, OO, PP, QQ, RR, SS, TT, UU, VV, WW, XX and YY present. It would be great if we could easily find a table showing the EPA tolerances (amount of pesticides that are permitted to be present and still be safe for consumption) for each of those pesticides.

HOW WE GET EXPOSED

Before we get to the special charts that help us decide what to buy, let’s look at the fact that there are more than 1055 (EPA) pesticides approved in the US. We ingest them, we inhale them, and we can absorb them through our skin. Just think of all the places they are used: in our homes to prevent mold or mildew, on our pets to prevent fleas, on our lawns or golf courses, on our roadways for maintenance so we can see the signs and road, around entertainment areas so they are manicured. Some farmland pesticides make their way into our drinking water, and, of course they are on our foods. If our occupation is picking fruits or veggies, our exposure is massively multiplied, and side effects are more obvious.

GROUNDWATER DETAIL

Because of the abundance of cows used in agriculture and no sewage system for their waste, groundwater contamination has been found. Even if workers use manure as fertilizer or dig a hole for what they can’t use, some of the bad bacteria live on in some water supplies.

THE GOOD NEWS

The Environmental Working Group has created a consumer guides that lists which top fruits and veggies have the most and least pesticides so that we can choose how to spend our money and ingest fewer pesticides. This group is the environmental health and advocacy organization whose work resulted in the Food Quality Protection Act in 1996.

They have researched and created the consumer guides, DIRTY DOZEN PLUS and CLEAN 15. The first lists fruits and vegetables that have high pesticide content and, when possible, organic produce is recommended. The second list contains produce that, on average, has fewer residual pesticides and can be bought conventionally. It’s always best to buy organic produce, but these guides can help us make educated choices should we need to spend less than an all-organic purchase would cost.

DIRTY DOZEN PLUS, 2013, from ENVIRONMENTAL WORKING GROUP
APPLES

CELERY

CHERRY TOMATOES

CUCUMBERS

GRAPES

HOT PEPPERS

KALE/COLLARD GREENS

NECTARINES, IMPORTED

PEACHES

POTATOES

SPINACH

STRAWBERRIES

SWEET BELL PEPPERS

ZUCCHINI

CLEAN 15, 2013, from ENVIRONMENTAL WORKING GROUP

ASPARAGUS

AVOCADO

CABBAGE

CANTALOUPE

CORN (almost all corn is grown from genetically modified seeds to resist pests, so pesticides are not necessary, but what are we really eating?)

EGGPLANT

GRAPEFRUIT

KIWI

MANGO

MUSHROOMS

ONIONS

PAPAYA

PINEAPPLE

SWEET PEAS, FROZEN

SWEET POTATOES

CONCLUSION

Pesticides are here, both on organic and conventional produce. Synthetic pesticides can burn the mouth, lungs, the respiratory system, cause nerve damage, cause skin to peel or change color, cause temporary blindness when exposure is high. Hopefully, we are never exposed to enough at once to cause anything like this. But it makes us think about how safe pesticides are in smaller quantities on our food.

Thanks to the two guides we have presented, Dirty Dozen Plus and Clean 15, we can begin to integrate this information into our buying power and our lives.

ACTION STEPS

1) Be aware of the information presented in the lists starting now and every time you go to the store.

2) Be diligent about avoiding the purchase of those on the list.

3) If purchasing all organic produce is not possible financially, make adjustments based on the lists to maximize it. This is a good way to save on the correct foods.

4) Check the Environmental Working Group every year, since they have been publishing yearly guides.

5) Now that we have outlined the prevalence of pesticides, make other sacrifices so that you can give yourself the gift of great food.

6) Be healthy, and reach out if you need  me.

FEEDBACK

Please leave  a comment and LIKE.

DIANE GOLD, 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 and habit change.

Pesticides are always a concern. She says,

“Although organic farmers can use a variety of possibly unhealthy pesticides, I would rather eat those than the petrochemicals used in conventional produce. Plus, I would probably not be getting GMO seed-produce with organic food. At least, that’s what ‘they’ say.

“The list of ‘to buy’ nd ‘not to buy’ produce is pretty interesting. It makes sense that pesticides would remain in leafy green veggies and would not enter inside the skin of avocado or grapefruit.

“Certainly, I will get to know the list, especially since I always buy conventional products that are waxed, unless the distributor has personally told me beeswax is not used on waxed organics.

“I’ll be washing my cucumbers more diligently, and I will be on the lookout for an organic farmer who does not wax her cukes.

“I am grateful for the produce guides. They will help many people, including me.”

6 GREAT REASONS FOR PLANT-BASED-NUTRITION (ISSUE 102)

By Diane Gold

Plant-Based Nutrition is being recommended more and more by medical personnel, used more by knowledgeable consumers and being more truthfully researched through scientific studies, every day experience and understanding the role of advertising paid for by the pharmaceutical and food industries.

1) HEALTH

Animal protein is known to clog arteries. Plant-based is not known to do this.
I always picture the old-style washing machine with the front loading door where we can see the water level sloshing around. Except, with animal protein, the liquid has more grease. The circular door could represent the cell of an animal protein eater.

Studies suggest that vegan diets store less fat which balances sugar, reduce cholesterol and tri-glycerides in the blood and reduce obesity, according to Kaiser Permanente’s latest article. They cite the 2006 Berkow and Barnard review of 87 studies, the result of which they published in the Nutrition Reviews, which stated that vegan or vegetarian diets are “highly effective for weight loss.” Plant-based diet can reduce the amount of medication needed for chronic disease.

To look at plant-based nutrition, Kaiser did a single case study done. They studied an overweight 63-year-old diabetic man with high blood pressure and high cholesterol on several drugs. The physician made some drug and insulin modifications and changed his food intake to a low-sodium vegan diet. Everything dramatically became healthier, and his prescription drugs were reduced to one.

Because this is a single study, it is not as noteworthy as if there were 100 participants. It is still significant, though. As I have mentioned in past articles, studies are expensive and setting them up takes lots of time, people power and money. Unfortunately, the larger they are, the more credibility they hold. So, we always look for the big study, such as the 6000 person study showing the benefits of plant-based nutrition, the China Study, done by T. Colin Campbell, the father of modern nutrition.

2) HEALTH CARE COSTS

If people are healthier and use less medical services, less pharmaceuticals; they will reduce their own personal costs. They will also reduce the pharmaceutical and medical equipment manufacturing rate as well as the distribution and transportation costs which are 1.5 to 4.5% of their sale price, according to Transportation Journal, Jan., 2005.

There is solid evidence that plant-based nutrition can improve health.

3) EDUCATION

Because there is lots of untimely disease, and much of it is obvious like obesity; there is lots of new evidence about the benefits of plant-based diets and the latest stories are about the power of plants as nutrition. More and more credible sources are being quoted with astounding health results. When we learn, we consider making changes. If we are open, we may wonder why so many people are moving toward plant-based nutrition.

We might also want to consider that we are creatures of habit, and we get some of our education from media, good or bad. IF media is swayed by the powerful food and pharmaceutical industries to write about the goodness of animal protein so we buy milk, meat and drugs for our illnesses, we might be convinced that plant-based nutrition is not for humans, might make us sick and is for quacks. IF media is swayed by a few diligent researchers who have studies hailing plant-based nutrition or a few hippies and athletes whose health is impeccable because they grow their own wheatgrass, we might hear stories about how green food is beautiful. Since media gets large advertising dollar from the food and drug industry, it is important to weigh carefully the material we read.

NOTE ABOUT REQUIRED DAILY INTAKE

We have depended upon the National Academy of Sciences’ Recommended Daily Intake on vitamins, since 1941. They have updated their recommendations only 10 times, the last being in 1989. In 1995, they created a more detailed recommendation system.

Although the Academy is a private, non-profit corporation, board membership includes former employees of pharmaceutical and food companies and funding to the Academy make come from anywhere. (There was recently a case where the American Academy of Pediatrics endorsed and published guidelines for an acne drug. The funding for the process was paid for by drug companies, and 13 of the 15 consultants or speakers on the project worked for the drug companies.
It is a little disconcerting that the checks and balances system of fairness doesn’t disqualify people with previous allegiances from certain kinds of involvement.

4) ETHICS

If we could avoid running over a dog or cat in the road, would we do it? Of course, we would. In the same way, if we transitioned to a plant-based diet, we would be doing just that. We would automatically be eliminating the need for the animal industry to replace food we just ate. This means we would slow down the process of using animals for food, which, more times than we would like to think, abuses, terrorizes and mutilates animals. Although there are hard, honest workers in the animal food industry, if there are other choices, can we make them?

NOTE

Did you know that dairy cows, if left to graze naturally, live 25 years? The dairy cows used in industry live to be five. The answer to the question,

“What’s wrong with that?”

is a personal one. I think it’s wrong if there are other food source options easily available.

5) CLEAN AND LIGHT

Another reason for considering a plant-based diet (or its direction) is personal to me. Therefore, please consider this in evaluating it.

There is one feeling I have never experienced from food before my current vegan eating: feeling clean of body. There is never a big lump in my stomach as I remember happens to me with meat, chicken, fish or dairy.

It’s been a long time since I have eaten meat, but only about four years since I have eaten dairy. There is a distinct difference now. My 39 years of lacto-ovo-vegetarianism (minus two short meat periods as an attempt to simplify the household), did not feel the way I feel now.

Four years into a vegan diet, I feel clean after every meal. I feel as if my body is ingesting the right combination of food, especially if several vegetables and a combination of cooked and raw food are used.

The body also feels light, even if I eat an abundant amount of vegetables and healthy grains. After the thick smoothie with fruit, seeds, nuts, hemp and flax milk; the feeling I have is light.

I am lucky and grateful to have the opportunity to eat this way at this time. I cherish it.

6) SUSTAINABILITY

In the American Journal For Clinical Nutrition, 2003, David and Marcia Pimentel give some statistics. The grain produced to feed livestock for food is 7 X the amount of grain Americans eat and is enough to feed 840 million people who follow a plant-based diet. That’s enough to feed all the hungry of the world.

According to PETA (People For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals), it takes 11 X as much fossil fuel to make one calorie of animal protein as it does to make one calorie of plant protein. 11 X. That’s 13 pounds of grain to produce 1 pound of meat and 5 pounds of wild-caught fish to produce 1 pound of farmed fish flesh.

Also according to PETA, it takes 2400 gallons of water to produce a pound of meat and 25 gallons of water to grow 1 pound of wheat.

Last is a shocker. Animals raised for food produce 89,000 pounds of fecal matter per second. The EPA has reported that 35,000 miles of rivers in 22 states have been polluted. Groundwater in 17 states has been contaminated.

CONCLUSION

With all the discussion about whether animal protein or plant-based nutrition is good, we, as consumers, are getting educated. We are realizing the lack of nutrition education in every school is a deficit. Yes, we learn to plant tomatoes on land or in window boxes. But knowing what to eat and why is standard information for all of us. Learning how animal-based vs. plant-based diets affect the environment is also our responsibility. Hopefully, our discoveries will lead us to place plant-based nutrition in our schools and our lives.

The reasons above given in support of plant-based nutrition are there for the reader to ponder. In the meantime, here are a few action steps for everyone.

ACTION STEPS

1) Consider eliminating one packaged item of food for one week. If you last through the week, extend for another. At the end of the second week, make it a third. If this works, maintain it.

2) At the same time as you eliminate the one packaged item, replace it with one in-season apple, cubed. If the item you eliminated goes in a main dish, substitute the apple there, either cooked or raw. Likewise for a side dish. Buy organic apples when possible since high pesticide loads are known to be found in conventional apples. When organics are not available, foreign apples may have less pesticides.     Packaged Good

3) At the end of the first week, second or third week, eliminate another packaged item, depending upon the success with step 1), following the same steps outlined in 1).

4) At the same time as you eliminate the second packaged item, replace it with the juice of a freshly squeezed lime. Personally, I do not buy organic limes because they are usually sprayed with beeswax. It is said that most of the pesticide is concentrated in the peel which we don’t usually eat.

5) Consider the apple and the lime juice as you eat it. Yummy, right?

FEEDBACK

Please leave  a comment and LIKE.

DIANE GOLD, 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 and habit change.

She has been studying how foods interacts with the body and mind. She says,

“Nutrition and the way we digest are very involved processes because each function has so many variables and we each can react in a different way to the same interaction. That’s why it is so difficult to come up with the one way to eat.

“I have shared some interesting ideas that I think are important. If they stimulate your desire to become more knowledgeable, I am happy.

“We each live our lives according to principles we choose based on habits we have formed and information we have gathered. It is my hope that one of the next times you eat, you will start making it a habit to be conscious of how the food benefits your overall health.”

IS SUGAR GOOD FOR OUR HEALTH? (ISSUE 101)

By Diane Gold

Glucagon (pancreatic hormone) stimulates conversion of glycogen to glucose to blood stream.

Insulin (pancreatic hormone) decreases glucose in the blood by sending it to muscle cells or converting it back to glycogen for storage.

Those concepts are so complicated because each hormone has many functions of than those listed above, and their task of working to create a continual glucose balance in our bodies is affected by all those other functions and more. They are only two of the body’s sugar reaction processes.

Putting a large amount of sugar into our bodies tells our bodies to produce insulin to reduce the overload. This means the body will send some of that sugar to our muscles for energy and some will be stored in the liver. When there is a small amount of sugar in the blood stream, for example, after insulin has moved it and converted it; glucagon is released to go get some from the glycogen storage tanks in the liver.

So, is sugar good for our health?

A little more background first, please.

BLOOD SUGAR ROLLER COASTER

This process of reducing and increasing the glucose supply in the body is sometimes referred to as the blood sugar roller coaster. It is caused by eating too much sugar (all of which turns to glucose). It is also caused by eating processed and packaged foods that leave the body devoid of nutrients because not having the right nutrients will cause insulin resistance and other malfunctions. One common way is to cause a lack of sensitivity to insulin, which, in turn, can cause glucose to be stored as fat which causes more insulin to be produced, the insulin roller coaster and weight gain.

THE DRUG ADDICT EFFECT

At the time the body is overloaded with sugar, the body will experience a feeling similar to a drug rush. We’ve all heard of keeping sugars away from children at night because they will get high on sugar and not go to sleep.

Here is a quote from a prestigious researcher, Marcia Pelchat, PhD, scientist at Monell Chemical Senses Center, world-class research center in Philadelphia that studies taste and smell. The animals she refers to are those used in researching sugar addiction. She says,

“There are the same kinds of changes in brain dopamine in these animals given intermittent access to sugar, as in drug addicts.”

This makes complete sense from a visceral point of view. Let’s say we have not had cake, cookies, candy, ice cream for a while because we always eat too much or because we have heard sugar is bad. What happens when we have some?

I can give personal credence to Pelchat’s quote above. When I take one bite of sweet food and let the flavor permeate my mouth, I want more. Once I have another bite, I want even more. The craving I feel for the sugar food feels the same as it does for a drug or alcohol, except I can feel my urge growing stronger with every bite, as if I am feeding an urge machine inside myself.

When I buy favorite flavors of coconut milk ice cream, I know the entire half pint will be gone in the same day. Even if I haven’t had a sweet food for months, that’s just how it goes, unless I control myself, which I see no need for, since I only eat sweets on rare occasions. It also helps that I’m vegan, and so much of the sweet foods are no temptation since they are not vegan-appropriate for me.

When I have no dessert-y foods, I am fine, since I savor the sugars in my vegetables (especially steamed spinach, believe it or not). When I have sugar, I want more. It feels the same as any other cravings, but expert research differs on addiction to sugar.

Pelchat mentioned the analgesic effect on pain when babies drink sweet solutions. This reminds me of the drastically calming effect apple cider had on me last week after I came home from a psychically traumatizing MRI test. I completely relate to her statement, here, too.

SUGAR ADDICTION

Mark Hyman, MD, wrote in the Huffington Post, about a June 13, 2013 study first published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that shows sugar addiction is a biological reality. A group of young men, 18 to 35, drank a milkshake and had their blood, glucose, insulin and hunger levels checked after four hours. They came back two weeks later to have another milkshake that tasted exactly the same with the same protein, fat, carbs, calories, macronutrients, taste yet the glycemic index of the second shake was much higher. The result was the part of the brain that controls addiction,

“Their nucleus accumbens, lit up like a Christmas tree,”

said Hyman, paraphrasing from the study.

So the brain could tell the difference even though the taste buds could not. And the high glycemic ingredients caused hunger and huge biological reaction in the addiction control panel of the brain. Looks like addiction. Feels like addiction. More research will cement the idea.

THE SUGAR INDUSTRY

According to some old US Department of Commerce sales reports, researched, converted to approximate consumption and infographed by Stephen Guyenet, an obesity researcher at University of Washington, B.S., biochemistry, PhD, neurophysiology, and Jeremy Landen, as of 2012, we consumed approximately 100 pounds of sugar per year. In 1822, we consumed 6.3 pounds per person per year. Another way of looking at it is that in 1822, we consumed the equivalent of a can of cola’s worth of sugar in five days. Now, we consume that number in seven hours. That’s 19 times an increase.

Here’s how consume so much. Sugary substances form glucose in the body. Many substances are sugar but have a different name, so we are not even aware we are ingesting them. When we read a label, we may be missing a term. And what happens when we don’t bother reading it? Even worse, if a product has a label and is not fresh, whole food, why are we eating it, anyway?

THE EMORY U AND CDC STUDY, 2010

On April 20, 2010, Emory University and the Center For Disease Control published a study in the Journal Of The American Medical Association showing that added sugars from processed foods and beverages may increase cardiovascular disease risk factors. The study involved 6000 people between 1999 and 2006. Miriam Vos,  co-author, MD, MSPH, clarifies that the study was cross-sectional, and the participants’ data was taken once. She says,

“We found that people eat an average of about 21 teaspoons per day of added sugars. And that level of sugar was associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk.

“In our study, we looked at a range of consumption of added sugar ranging from 5% per day to greater than 25% of calories per day. … And what we found was the best cholesterol levels were in people eating 5 or 6 teaspoons of sugar per day or less.”

NOTE

There are several reputable studies that put our daily average sugar consumption at 10 or 15 teaspoons higher than the Emory study.

SUGAR LABELING

 According to the FDA’s  food labeling provisions, not all sugars are required to be listed. Currently, regulation 101.9(c)(6)ii requires that the sugars that must be counted within the labeling system are mono- and disaccharides. That means glucose, fructose,  lactose, sucrose. All other sugars may be included voluntarily. That includes fiber and sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, xylitol, mannitol.

Here’s a food-for-thought comment from someone on a health blog. The commentor cited correctly that maltodextrin does not count within the nutritional term sugar on a food label because it is not a simple sugar. He goes on to say,

“Can you see how a savvy food manufacturer might use this to [its] advantage? Perhaps by replacing some of the “sugar” with refined starches [like maltodextrin]– still just as sweet, still just as much Blood Glucose effect — while being able to claim (very loudly),

‘Now with less added sugar!'”

SUGARS

Here is a good list of sugars we may encounter:

Agave nectar, barley malt syrup, beet sugar, brown rice syrup, brown sugar, cane crystals, cane juice crystals, cane sugar, coconut sugar, coconut palm sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, corn syrup solids, dehydrated cane juice, dextrin, dextrose, evaporated can juice, fructose, fruit juice concentrate, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, invert sugar, lactose, maltodextrin, maltose, maple syrup, molasses, palm sugar, raw sugar, rice syrup, saccarose, sorghum, sorghum syrup, stevia, sucrose, syrup, treacle, turbinado sugar, xylitol, xylose.

Let’s not forget that most corn or corn product in the United States is made from genetically modified seed, unless it is certified organic. That means some of the sugar substances are definitely genetically modified (GMO), and our research is needed there, too.

The industry wants to sell product. That is its first responsibility. Our health comes second. That’s what’s common. Therefore, it is our responsibility to be informed about what counts on a label, what is a sugary substance and whether it helps our health.

CONCLUSION

Regulation of sugar intake is good. Knowing what sugary substances we ingest is great. If we don’t stress our bodies by putting them through the sugar roller coaster, we are better off. If our bodies react poorly to high sugar intake, we can notice it. Is sugar bad for our health? It depends upon which kind of sugar, the condition of our health, how much and our lifestyle.

Unhealthy food is always bad for us. This would mean any processed, artificial anything can’t be the best choice to make. So much of what many of us eat includes fake sugar or processed sweetener. These can’t be the best choice. At least, now, we know that there are many words for “sugar,” and most of them are not required to be included in the sugar content on a label. Which means that we have to be careful to do our own research after reading a label. And we should remember that many of the corn sweeteners are GMO.

So, the subject of whether sugar is bad for our health is complex. It depends upon us, and it depends upon what form of sugar we use. The least amount of processed sugar, of course, is the best. Organic is best. Fruits and vegetables are sweet. They give us the sugar we need without processing. If we keep being diligent about what we consume, we will keep improving our awareness and our health. Then we will be able to answer the question for ourselves from the inside out.

ACTION STEPS

1) Notice how you feel after eating something very sweet, and write it down.

2) Roughly calculate how much sugar you consume as added sugar, meaning not the sugar in your fruits and vegetables. A great site to look at is http://sugarstacks.com. It shows how many sugar cubes each sugar food equals.

Since labels, give sugar values in grams, note that 1 tsp. = approx. 4 g of sugar.

3) a) If you have difficulty in stopping sweet consumptions, eliminate Monday sweets for two weeks.

3) b) Eliminate Friday sweets for two weeks, continuing with the eliminated sweet from Monday.

3) c) After the first four weeks, remove sweets on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, continuing this regime for a month.

3) d) Cut out sweets on Saturdays. That means no sweets Monday through Saturday for a month. If necessary, add Wednesdays back in.

3) e) Now, three months later, notice how you feel after your Sunday sweet; write it down. Compare to the first day.

OPTION

If you’re like me, your cravings may require you to decide to stop all sweets and plan on a sweet once a month. Having the sweet once a week would create too large a craving in me unless I abstained for three to six months first.
_____

We are good for our health as long as we make great choices.

FEEDBACK

Please leave  a comment and LIKE at http://warriorsofweight.com/?p=2707.

DIANE GOLD, 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 and habit change.

She has been researching a sugar article for some time. She says,

“Although the process by which the body turns our foods into usable nutrients is extremely complex, I decided to put out a few facts about sugar. The sensitive nature of the hormones and neurotransmitters involved in our body processes needs special care to work properly.

“The more labelless foods we consume, the better off we are. If we’re reading a label, we’re probably looking at food in a package, which, by nature, along with processed foods, has fewer nutrients and artificially inflated nutrients. It’s always a good idea to eat fresh food, so any package might be a mistake, most of the time. We should be good to ourselves and eat fresh, unprocessed, organic food. And it’s also a good idea to know our sugar intake.

“As far as answering the question,

‘Is sugar good for our health?’

“hopefully, the background information above is helpful in arriving at the answer.”