Once upon a time, "cheat days" were a staple of my diet. For those of you who may not know what a cheat day is, here's the most simple description I can give you: a cheat day is a day you don't adhere to normal dietary restrictions—you take the day off and eat as you please.
The problem with having a day where "anything goes" is, at some point, you start seeing those days creep into other days as well. And, while it may not be as excessive an act here and there, it can be detrimental to your overall goal to maintain a healthy lifestyle because even a few hundred extra calories added on each week can become sneaky, unwanted, pounds later.
We all lapse, once in a while, there is no guarantee or expectation that we will always make the best choices where food is concerned, but the main purpose of staying true to your decision to be healthy is to feel good about the gift you are giving to your body.
That gift, the one of a life that is filled with more energy and a better quality of life, far outweighs the temporary joy you feel from "cheating".
So, stick to your plan, don't build in days that defy said plans—at the same time don't punish yourself if you fall off the wagon every now and then either—and remember that cheating is never a good thing.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Breast Milk Baby Doll...What?!?
Please explain to me the value in a child having a doll that can "breastfeed". I'm sorry, but the purpose of that kind of doll is lost on me—completely.
The Berjuan Toy Company, located in Spain, has developed a toy called the "Breast Milk Baby", the purpose of which is to help "...young girls express their love and affection in the most natural way possible, just like mommy!"
Are you kidding me? Is there no end to what a toy company will do to sell merchandise?
Call me old-fashioned, call me short-sighted, or call me a prude, but there is no way I could ever deem this to be an appropriate toy for my daughter.
Young girls these days, it seems, are being brought up in a world where motherhood is glorified. And while I have no problem with the message, I do have a problem with the timing of its delivery—could we please allow our daughters to be little girls before we start teaching them how to be mothers?
The ability to love and nurture another is a lesson that can be learned without props like this one, and it's past time that we, as consumers, start drawing the line on what should and should not be appropriate entertainment for our children.
I, for one, would not encourage the purchase of this item for any girl/woman who is not an expectant mother—I see some value in this item as a teaching tool for expectant/new mothers who want to learn some of the fundamentals of breast-feeding—as, again, I find little value in it.
That said, I am certain there are many who will buy this item without a second thought because it's "just a toy" and, while I can respect that perspective, I feel a need to reiterate the point of the impressionable minds of our young girls.
Don't allow them to grow up too fast. Let them enjoy being babies before they start learning how to care for one.
Just my two.
The Berjuan Toy Company, located in Spain, has developed a toy called the "Breast Milk Baby", the purpose of which is to help "...young girls express their love and affection in the most natural way possible, just like mommy!"
Are you kidding me? Is there no end to what a toy company will do to sell merchandise?
Call me old-fashioned, call me short-sighted, or call me a prude, but there is no way I could ever deem this to be an appropriate toy for my daughter.
Young girls these days, it seems, are being brought up in a world where motherhood is glorified. And while I have no problem with the message, I do have a problem with the timing of its delivery—could we please allow our daughters to be little girls before we start teaching them how to be mothers?
The ability to love and nurture another is a lesson that can be learned without props like this one, and it's past time that we, as consumers, start drawing the line on what should and should not be appropriate entertainment for our children.
I, for one, would not encourage the purchase of this item for any girl/woman who is not an expectant mother—I see some value in this item as a teaching tool for expectant/new mothers who want to learn some of the fundamentals of breast-feeding—as, again, I find little value in it.
That said, I am certain there are many who will buy this item without a second thought because it's "just a toy" and, while I can respect that perspective, I feel a need to reiterate the point of the impressionable minds of our young girls.
Don't allow them to grow up too fast. Let them enjoy being babies before they start learning how to care for one.
Just my two.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Apathy, Change, and You
Each day is a challenge. I wake up every morning, trying my best to arm myself with whatever mental armor I need, so that I won't be blindsided by negativity. However, the one thing I never account for is the fact that everyone around me will be doing the same thing.
As a society, we've been trained to be skeptical of everything and everyone. We question our leaders, question our laws, and rail against the ways of the world that have led us to this mass chaos that, seemingly, has no end. Yet, none of us is truly willing to take responsibility for the role we might have played in this mechanism. We're, all of us, content to put up our walls or stick our heads in the sand.
Many of us assumed we could leave the important decisions to the more informed, more educated, and more involved segments of society. We stopped paying attention to the signs that signaled something wasn't quite right because we had problems of our own to tend to—let somebody else handle this mess.
The problem with that attitude is that it's pervasive—it never stops at one person—and a society that mass produces an attitude of apathy isn't one headed in the right direction. You have to stand for something if you ever expect to live a life of purpose.
Read a newspaper, watch the news, seek out the knowledge you need to start making the small steps that can eventually get us all back on the right track.
Be the change you wish to see in the world...isn't that what Ghandi said?
Are you being that change or letting the world change you?
As a society, we've been trained to be skeptical of everything and everyone. We question our leaders, question our laws, and rail against the ways of the world that have led us to this mass chaos that, seemingly, has no end. Yet, none of us is truly willing to take responsibility for the role we might have played in this mechanism. We're, all of us, content to put up our walls or stick our heads in the sand.
Many of us assumed we could leave the important decisions to the more informed, more educated, and more involved segments of society. We stopped paying attention to the signs that signaled something wasn't quite right because we had problems of our own to tend to—let somebody else handle this mess.
The problem with that attitude is that it's pervasive—it never stops at one person—and a society that mass produces an attitude of apathy isn't one headed in the right direction. You have to stand for something if you ever expect to live a life of purpose.
Read a newspaper, watch the news, seek out the knowledge you need to start making the small steps that can eventually get us all back on the right track.
Be the change you wish to see in the world...isn't that what Ghandi said?
Are you being that change or letting the world change you?
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Everything Comes To The Light
It's impossible to live a lie for very long. At some point you have to address the issues around you for what they are and try to bring the truth into focus. It won't matter that beneath the surface there lies a mountain of pain or that neither you, nor the involved party—assuming there is one—are ready to accept the truth. The ultimate goal, for you, will be to find peace.Peace of mind, peace in heart, and peace for the soul you've neglected for so long by living in a way that's untrue to what you believe is the best version of yourself.
The trouble with love and relationships is that so many of us feel the need to give away the most important parts of what makes us who we are, so that we can co-exist with another. While compromise is always necessary where love (and to some extent friendship) is concerned, sacrifice should not be— there is a difference between the two.
However, when companionship is wanted, needed, we do what we feel we must to make it happen—we go outside of our character. We make changes because we feel it's better to be broken than alone. But, ask yourself this: is it worse to be alone with your self-respect and dignity, or broken but with someone?
A person that loves you, cares for you, and wants what's best for you, WILL NOT let you compromise who you are to be with them—they will love you for and, sometimes, in spite of those things, and you will work together to find a place for those parts within your relationship. You won't have to choose—and you shouldn't.
Despite what people tell you, two halves don't make a relationship whole—you should be able to bring all of yourself to the table when you make the decision to turn over your heart. If that's not possible, step away—no matter how much it hurts.
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