First Things First: The Personal… Diet Related to Fitness (Related to Mindfulness and Focus)

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The first area of LIFE I want to explore is the PERSONAL.  The others are: RELATIONSHIPS and ENVIRONMENT.

PERSONAL…

The idea of what is personal is linked to the now-ness of things.  As a person with a body and mind that is so affected by the circumstances of the moment, I am very shaped by my physical actions and environment.  By ‘shaped’, I mean, literally, what I consume and how I move affects my physical form, but also, my mind is very affected by the appearance of my surroundings.  The first two things I think of each morning are food and what project I want to tackle first in keeping  my surroundings uncluttered.  However, if I dive into a task without eating first, I usually find that I become distracted by hunger or make an impulsive, poor food choice.  That poor food choice soon leads me to feeling unwell or frustrated with myself for not taking better care of myself.  This is a huge way in which the “now” mingles with concepts of identity and proposes the importance of what choices one makes when faced with the dilemma of hunger and competing agendas.  

The best decisions are made before hunger or panic set in, as deadlines approach.  

Everything flows better when meals are planned, prepared, and eaten with mindful tack.    

If you are following me, I am explaining why the PERSONAL GOALS I am outlining begin with food choices.  

Simply put:

What is more personal than how you look and feel, in your body?  Physical health depends on food choices and a clear mind.  A clear mind is necessary for balancing the energy to do with the energy to be, a state that is achieved when you become totally focused on the work at hand, whether that is meditation, running, sewing, creating art, calculating, or organizing.   Hunger prevents a clear mind.  Hunger is a distraction.  You can not begin to organize or do anything well, with a cluttered mind.  So, the first step toward personal growth is the assessment of diet and the planning of meals, even before the first task of organization in the home, is completed.  (And before any good work can be completed in your home or work space, it needs to be cleaned and equipped for the jobs performed within that space, so… there can be no well done work, no well designed work spaces, no well thought out plan, without a well-fed body and mind.)

Step One: 

Know HOW MUCH YOU SHOULD BE EATING:

For myself, this falls between 17 and 1900 calories, a day, depending on how active I am.  I caution any reader to calculate this number to their own needs, though.  This number will vary greatly according to your body size, activity level, age, and gender.

Step Two:

Determine what kind of diet you think is healthiest.  

  • In my opinion, a diet that is mostly PLANT BASED, is best.  I am not, however, a vegan.  I am flexible about eating some animal products, now and then, but my consumption of fish, poultry, and beef is limited.  I chose this diet because it is both healthier, as well as more friendly to animals the environment.  I do eat some animal protein and dairy.  I just try to not get most of my calories from animal protein and dairy, and if I am not sure about the farming practices (are they ethical, sustainable, respectful of the animal?) behind the animal product I am considering eating, I simply don’t eat it.  This is most difficult to do with eggs and whey, (which is a milk product), since they are hidden in many foods.  Honestly, I eat a lot of this, unaware.  That’s another reason why it is best to avoid processed foods.  I try to make the most animal and environment-friendly choices, when buying food, especially animal protein and dairy.  I buy organic and hormone-free meat, poultry, and milk, for example.  I buy cage-free, farm-raised eggs, grass-fed beef,and wild-caught fish.  I try to buy local produce and other food products from establishments that help my local economy and/or I trust, because I have researched them.  I do the best I can with my time and resources, regarding this.  (And it is not easy, as I feed not just myself, but a large family, on these foods).
  • In my diet, I use legumes and some soy products, as well as protein drinks to make sure I am getting enough protein, especially when I am doing hard work outs and focusing on burning calories.  (See my meal plans for P90x, especially phase 1).
  • I eat a “rainbow” of fruits and vegetables, foods in their “whole” state, as much as possible (not refined and processed, as much as possible), and mostly whole grains versus bleached or enriched white flour bread, pasta, and the like.  
  • I limit sugar and alcohol in my diet to occasional treats, so that my intake of these things are moderate.

As well as focusing more on grains, fruits, and vegetables, I eat a diet that includes healthy fats, but is limited in calories.  (Healthy fats include fish, nuts and avocado):

  • Monounsaturated Fatty Acids (MUFA) are found mainly in vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, olives and avocadoes. They are liquid at room temperature.
  • Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFA) are found mainly in vegetable oils, fish and seafood.  They are liquid or soft at room temperature.  Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are types of PUFA and are considered essential fatty acids because our bodies cannot make them, thus they must be obtained through the diet.

Why choose healthy fats like MUFA and omega-3s?

  • They provide antioxidants such as vitamin E and selenium
  • Small amounts of healthy fats help the body absorb vital nutrients, including fat soluble vitamins (A, E, D, K) from other whole foods
  • Including healthy fatty acids in your diet in appropriate quantities can help prevent and treat: diabetes, heart disease, cancer, obesity, musculo skeletal pain, and inflammatory conditions
  • Some research suggests that diets including MUFA can have a beneficial effect on cholesterol, blood pressure, blood clotting and inflammation
  • Omega-3 fatty acids are necessary for proper brain growth and development.  They are anti-inflammatory and may be helpful in the prevention and treatment of many diseases.

from : http://www.med.umich.edu/umim/food-pyramid/fats.htm

  • I do not use too much oil when preparing food, as usually use steam or boiling water.  I add flavor with strong flavor and spices, and I trim meat of it’s fat very well (and skin, from chicken), when I am making a dish with meat or poultry.  I particularly like dishes you might find in climates around the equator.  I enjoy spicy, tangy food: marinades, salsas, sauces, and dips for steamed food and the kind of cuisine you find in places in South East Asia or the Latin Americas.
  • Cooking with the seasons is also important to me.  Different foods are harvested and best at different times of the year, but also, in colder months, I do crave comforting foods like soup more than in the colder months.
  • Portion Size of each meal is also important.  To get an idea of what portions of each type of food groups is recommended, see this website:  http://www.choosemyplate.gov/
  • To keep my meal planning simple, I divide my calorie budget across my day, leaving approx 400 calories for dinner.  I choose recipes that not only fit my food preferences and are nutritionally balanced, but I also make sure they fit this calorie budget.


Step Three: 

Create your MEAL PLANS with corresponding shopping lists.  My Meal Plans have to be SIMPLE, for me to follow them.

I keep to the same meals, on a cycle, to make shopping for them and preparing them fast and easy. 

I make meal plans based on my exercise routines, too.

My WORK OUT MEAL PLANS are written in phases, for each workout I am doing, at the time.  For example, P90X has three phases of meal plans:

1. FAT SHREDDER:  “A high-protein-based diet designed to help you strengthen muscle while rapidly shedding fat from your body.”

2. ENERGY BOOSTER:  “A balanced mix of carbohydrates and protein with a lower amount of fat to supply additional energy for performance”.

3. ENDURANCE MAXIMIZER:  “An athletic diet of complex carbohydrates, lean proteins, and lower fat with an emphasis on more carbohydrates. You’ll need this combination of foods as fuel to get the most out of your final training block and truly get in the best shape of your life!”

First, Meal Plans Ideas for Phase 1 of p90X :

Find My MEAL PLANS in a special category devoted to that, on this blog.
You will find the corresponding RECIPES, in another category.

(Try keeping it all together, in one place that you can get to on your phone or any computer, using COZI):

Free Online Calendar and Mobile Application For Busy Families | Cozi

 www.cozi.com

Step Four:

Keep a Log of calories consumed, to stay on course with the meal plan.

A great App for this : LOSE IT.  http://www.loseit.com/

Get a FIT BIT (a fancy pedometer), and use it in conjunction with your LOSE IT account.  It is very fun to watch your progress.

http://www.fitbit.com/

the PERSONAL begins with NURTURING the BODY WELL… and that relates back to FITNESS…

(FITNESS is where I am going next, after listing MEAL PLANS and RECIPES, in detail)… and then, all the other aspects of the PERSONAL, (I will get there)… as well as to the other areas LIFE; RELATIONSHIPS & ENVIRONMENT.

BUT, as for RIGHT NOW and WHAT’S NEXT…

I am planning to start P90X Phase 1, so my next step will be to create a meal plan that will relate to the suggestions listed on the links above (in the Meal Plan Section).  I will continue to list my Meal Plans and Recipes as I create them, as time goes on, whether I am still doing p90X, or have completed it.  However, the blog subjects right after this one will be written, in this order:

  1. P90X Phase 1 MEAL PLAN and RECIPES (as well as shopping lists, using COZI)
  2. Fitness, as Part 2 of the PERSONAL.
  3. P90x Fitness Plan  (A Subcategory of Fitness)
  4. Natural Beauty-Nurturing Routines for Skin, Hair, Nails, and Feet
  5. Habitual Spiritual Practices as Part of a Daily/Weekly Schedule
  6. Creative Flow in the form of Mandala Making (Open Studio Time; Process versus Product )
  7. Writing a Self Portrait through Record Keeping: Journal-Keeping, Scrap-books, Design-Books and Blogging
… and to back track:
  • the importance of keeping a calendar-schedule while you read and plan, as well as…
  • some background on how to commit to and manage a schedule, and…
  • how long it takes for things to become habit, as well as …
  • the importance of documenting habit, so as to know how to make changes that work for the better

STAYING ON TARGET: Getting Back to the BIG PICTURE:

This is the about BEING WHOLE (THE SEED OF LIFE/The GREAT TRIPOD/HAPPINESS, REALIZED):

the PERSONAL, the RELATIONAL, and the ENVIRONMENTAL, each, in BALANCE.

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