Less Is More: Stop Wasting Your Life By Endlessly Working Out

It surely won’t take much to convince you that we live in a society that has become too busy for it’s own good.  We are constantly looking to get things done faster and more efficiently so that we’ll have time to… well, do more things.  More, more, more is the mantra of Western society and it has permeated fitness and nutritional lives too.

photo credit: WTL photos

I’ve come to realise that what’s important is what’s important. Everything else is optional.  What I mean by this is, if we cull from our lives that which is secondary and focus on what is of first importance, then we’ll be getting less but more important things done.  Then we’ll truly see that everything else is fluff.

Working out and eating right is important. Working out every day and eating absolutely no unhealthy food, is not important.  It just isn’t.

For those that are striving for a better, healthier body, without wasting their lives, ignoring the unimportant is of utmost importance.  In the book First Things First, Stephen Covey asks the question, “How many people on their deathbed wish they’d spent more time at the office?”.  A great question for sure, but I’m also going to add to it for all those who find themselves labeled as health or fitness nuts, how many wish they’d spent more time in the gym?

The conventional wisdom of the day will probably make you react by saying you will indeed wish you’d spent more time in the gym.  And don’t get me wrong, I encourage consistent regular fitness, and for people who have spent their spare time watching TV and eating junk food, and haven’t set foot in a gym, they probably should have this thought on their death bed!  But if you really think about it, lying there on your death bed you’ll be reminiscing about what you could have done that would count.

Spending time in a gym, or hour-long runs, or whatever other fitness method you use, are not activities that reward you the more you do it.  Yes, you should keep active, lift weights, run the odd sprint and do plenty of walking.  And if you truly enjoy it then don’t let me stop you from doing it every day.  But know this, there is a point when you reach the optimum level of fitness activites after which you begin going back down the other side of the bell curve.

photo credit: Drewski Mac

Don’t waste time being ultra fit if it means letting life pass you by.

Yes, being too much of a “fitness freak” is actually detrimental to your health.  Our bones, our muscles, our ligaments all need time to restore and repair.  Remember those times when you woke up feeling sick and you had a workout anyway?  You would probably have done better to sleep in another hour or two.

Even if you are benefiting from the extra workout, or Hitler diet, you’re probably hurting yourself (or others) in other ways.

What about that time you refrained from eating the main dish at a meal with friends or family because “you’re on a diet”.  You would probably have done better to indulge for one meal and enjoy the therapeutic benefits that fellowship and sharing food together bring.

You don’t have to be guilty when you skip a workout!

The worst thing about being a fitness freak is that you voluntarily take on the feeling of guilt whenever you don’t go 100%.  Listen folks, a life of always feeling guilty for not working out enough, or not eating the right foods, is not a life at all.  Life is to be enjoyed and while we were made to have a purpose and be busy doing that, there are definitely times where relaxation (even laziness) and indulgence are part of living.

Besides, your purpose in life is not to be continually working out!  Fitness and nutrition, among other things, are tools that will empower you to live out that purpose.

So, how about skipping today’s workout?

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Recipe for a Healthy Salad Dressing

I like salad dressing. My favorite type of salad is a whole pile of iceberg lettuce, tomato, celery, cucumber, capsicum (or bell pepper), radish, sprouts, avocado and palm hearts. On top of this I like to add my family’s trademark salad dressing. No salad quite tastes the same without it! I even like coleslaws with this dressing. To be honest, these are really the best two salads in the world. Caesar salad is good – but any salad that has ingredients other than vegetables aren’t really salads in my opinion!

Salad dressings can either make or break a salad. Lather a crunchy coleslaw in creamy mayonnaise and it tastes great – but too much can be sickening and spoil the waistline. And then with mayo, you have to be so careful! The off-the-shelf supermarket varieties are loaded with so much unnecessary ’stuff’ that its not exactly mayonnaise anymore. I’m really fussy with my mayonnaise. Too sweet and I will refuse to eat it. The same goes for all those bottled dressings at the supermarket. There are a few goodies there – but anything that is ‘Lite’ or ‘97.9% fat free’ is a waste of time. As are the ones that include things like canola oil or ‘oil’ or too many numbers, colours and flavors. Don’t go there – they are the ones that will break your salad from a nutrient point of view!

The best ingredients for a salad dressing are: pure olive oil, balsamic or any other kind of vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, herbs, mustard, lemon juice and basil pesto.

I don’t always have every single one of those ingredients on hand, so there are a few things you can do without. However, the main are the first 6, or 5 at a pinch. Start with olive oil. Maybe pour half an inch into a glass. Then add the vinegar. Its quite nice to mix it up a bit – some cider, some white, some balsamic. It should be about 1 part oil to 3 parts vinegar. Most recipes would say the other way around, but I like this balance! Alternatively, do 1 part oil to 2 parts vinegar, and add the juice of a lemon for that extra zing. Then crush a clove or two of garlic, depending on your tastes and medicinal needs! Add a pinch of salt and pepper, a dash of dried or fresh finely chopped basil or other herbs, the end of a teaspoon of mustard and a tiny bit of basil pesto if you haven’t already added some. For another kick, add some pepper sauce or chilli powder.

Since there is no sugar in this recipe, the dressing will not emulsify. So before pouring it onto the salad, you’ll need to stir it briskly with a fork or spoon and then pour it quickly. Toss the salad so the whole thing is covered in the dressing. It perhaps is an acquired taste, but it is a very zingy dressing that is incredibly refreshing. The kind of recipe that lasts for years! If you want to make bulk, then perhaps you need to add either sugar or a bit of liquid honey to help emulsify the oil and vinegar. And add a strainer to the top of the bottle to prevent one salad getting all the chunks!

Hope you enjoy this healthy tasty dressing. I don’t plan on changing!

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Snacking The Healthy Way

In an earlier article I mentioned that snacking leads to fat – and can lead to obesity. Now, inbetween meals, it is not uncommon to get hungry. In fact, around every 2-3 hours your body starts crying out for food. SO what do you do when the craving gets impossible to ignore?

First of all, have a glass of water.

It is widely known, but not widely appreciated that thirst is often mistaken for hunger. When you feel thirsty, you’re probably on the verge of de-hydration. When you feel hungry, you probably need water.

So, have a glass of water, and then determine if you really are hungry. Drink the entire glass before reaching for something ‘just in case’.

Second, throw away that chocolate bar.

Do not consume processed food during the day. Do not. That is a command. You are slowly killing your body. Trust me! Throw away chips, cookies, LeSnak, flavored tinned fish, noodles in a cup, cup-a-soup, mini pre-frozen pizzas – etc. Do not eat these for snacks.

Third – reach for an apple.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Age-old adage still rings true. Not only apples are marvellous – there are hosts of other fruits and vegetables that are piled sky high with nutrients that will nourish you and up your energy levels. A carrot is great, an apple, pear, cup of berries etc. Stay away from tinned fruit as these are usually cooked and have lived in a very sugary syrup for months. Any raw, fresh fruit is absolutely wonderful. Have about as much as you can hold in one hand – so an apple would be perfect.

If you’re really hungry, go for a bit of protein. Tuna or salmon chunks in springwater are reasonable. Cottage cheese is great – boiled eggs, slices of cheese, small pieces of chicken or fish are all great light proteins.

If you have a sweet tooth, try dried fruit. However, be really careful here. Most dried fruit has preservatives to keep the color – which are not ideal. Look for dried fruit that have no extra ingredients – just dried fruit. Also, the nutrients are less than fresh fruit – and higher in sugar. So go easy and don’t have a handful like you would of fresh fruit.

Raw nuts and seeds are also a great alternative. Go with what your body feels like – often too many nuts can send people, well, nuts… they affect people different ways so do be careful. I enjoy dried peas. They’re roasted I think and flavored with natural spices – very addictive according to Elliot.

I think one of the best investments you could make is to buy yourself a dehydrator. There are lots of recipes online about what you can do with these… I am going to get one very soon and I’ll be using it a lot! You can put all kinds of fruit and even veges in it and turn it on for a day or two. Voila – dried fruit without any preservatives or additives. You can also dry meat and make your own jerky.

So… choose wisely if you feel hungry. Don’t pig out. Don’t eat so you are stuffed. Have a small piece of fruit, or vegetable, or protein, or nuts and seeds. Not some of everything. Drink water before you eat and again after if you wish. I find a hot herbal tea also is wonderful for curbing that hunger.

Snack wisely!

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Nutrition – Choice or Circumstance?

When I think of nutrition I think of health. The two words seem to go hand in hand. I was just wondering though – why do we have to pay more for health? Health food shops are so darn expensive… gym memberships cost the earth, bio-fuel is way more expensive than normal – and junk food is only getting cheaper. Is anyone else as confused as me?

Well I’ve been thinking a lot lately. Life is really all about nutrition isn’t it? Its what we eat that determines how our day goes. No really, it is! If we have a rushed breakfast, then our whole day is going to feel rushed and inadequate. If we have a slower more filling breakfast, then the pace of the day will be a whole lot more relaxed. We live to eat basically. We eat out with friends, we have people around for a meal – meet at a park or beach for a BBQ… life revolves around food!

Good nutrition is a loaded phrase. What is it? Is it the same for everyone? Is it available for everyone? Does it depend on where you live, what you do? Has good nutrition changed over the years? Will it be the same in 100 years? Well these are questions I’m wrestling with and don’t necessarily have answers too.

But my gut feeling tells me that good nutrition is and can be available to most – at least in the Western world. I’m speaking like this because that is what I know. I haven’t experienced anything other than the Western world for a significant amount of time so I can’t speak with authority about other sectors of society! I have a feeling that good nutrition is a choice. To some degree it is dependent on circumstance but then our circumstance is largely dependent on choice. Argh this is beginning to sound awfully socio-economically-political! If that is a term!

Anyway what I think I’m driving at is that you, me, we all have the choice of whether or not we have good nutrition. We all can choose a water over Coke or vice versa. We all can choose a donut over an apple or vice versa. We are blessed in this day an age to be able to go down to the shop and buy what we want or need whenever we want. So don’t take this for granted. Realise that your body is the only one you’re ever going to have and that you need to treat it wisely, with respect and care. Input = output. If you eat crap, you’ll feel like crap. If you eat well, you will feel well. It is so simple – yet something I struggle with a lot. And I have a feeling everyone else does too. Good nutrition is about defining what is good and right for you, and making the choice to stick to that for a single purpose: a healthier, happier, longer life.

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