BodyTalk
I grew up on junk food. Chips and sugary cereals were a normal part of my diet, but my guilty pleasure was eating cake frosting directly from the tub. On my birthday, my mom would make two cakes; one for me and one for everyone else to share. And I distinctly remember eating a bowl of cereal and four pieces of toast as a normal breakfast, then wondering why I was so exhausted an hour later.
Food education in the 1980's was a disaster. Carbohydrates were considered the basis of a healthy nutrition plan, and the evils of refined sugars and hydrogenated oils were still coming to public light. And the high cost and low availability of fresh fruits and vegetables in Alaska at that time, especially during the winter months, meant we were eating a lot of highly processed foods.
As I got older my eating habits gradually improved, though I was still addicted to Doritos, Diet Coke and Chinese take-out into my twenties. Things began to change when I moved to Germany to study in 2001. I was surprised to see that the stores there didn't have entire aisles dedicated to stocking sweet and salty snacks. They were available, sure, but not in the same copious varieties I had come to expect.
What really precipitated a change in my eating habits was meeting my future wife Antonia, near the end of my studies in Germany. A Swiss native and former pastry chef, Antonia had been exposed to chocolate and sweets her entire life but whenever she came to visit me in the U.S. she would complain that all my treats were far too sweet to be enjoyable. I thought she was nuts.
After moving to Switzerland and getting married in 2006 my diet really began to change. Antonia did most of the shopping and cooking so I slowly began to adapt to new tastes and the type of diet she was accustomed to. Gradually, I began to lose my lust for all those overly sweet and MSG infused salty snacks. Now, I'll occasionally indulge for the sake of nostalgia but they don't hold sway over me like they used to.
It took me decades of learning and trial and error to figure out what works best for my body but I could have saved myself years of feeling crappy if I had just listened to my body all those years ago after pounding down my cereal and toast. I now understand that the lethargy that came over me was caused by a spike in insulin after consuming carbohydrate rich foods, but the scientific explanation hardly matters. What really matters is that my body was sending me a clear signal and I wasn't paying attention.
People love to talk about diet and exercise plans and jump from one fad to the next, hoping to find the secret elixir that will solve all their body problems. But it doesn't exist. There's no pill or powder that will trim your cellulite or give you the energy to run a marathon. Some people will excel on a vegan diet, while others will feel weak and lethargic. I have a good friend who's spent well over a year on a carnivore (meat only) diet and absolutely swears by it for ease of digestion and inflammation reduction. He's also a fitness trainer and ex-professional cyclist so he knows what his body wants and needs.
Like so many of the most important things in life, success in physical health starts with one key component: awareness. Listening to our bodies before, during and after eating gives us insights and critical information that no nutritionist or eating coach could ever provide. Mindless eating happens less frequently and we become more conscientious about the type and quantity of food we put into our bodies. Meal plans and calorie counting become unnecessary because we can tangibly feel what our bodies want and need. And we are rewarded for giving it.
I used to eat very reactively. I ate when I was stressed, tired, or bored and my body formed a relationship with those emotions. Much like Pavlov's dogs, I would practically start drooling when a stimulus (i.e. stress) was introduced and an empty bag of chips wasn't far behind. Once I was able to put some distance between the stimulus and the response, I recognized that what my body actually craves when stressed is some exercise. Or meditation. Or a walk outside. And sometimes I really do want some ice cream, so that's what I have. This is about awareness, not austerity.
But awareness doesn't obviate the need for discipline. Sugar is more addictive than cocaine and it's absolutely everywhere in processed food, no matter where you are in the world. Knowing what your body wants, and giving it, are two completely separate things. Still, your physique is 80% dependent on what you do (and don't) eat and nobody gets a six-pack on accident. And we can make things easier on ourselves.
Doing the right things should make our lives easier. Eating properly and getting sufficient exercise should give back to us far more than we sacrifice by skipping the cookies or going to the gym. Adopting better habits will require change for most people, and change can be exceptionally difficult. That's okay, if life was too easy it wouldn't be any fun.
If you feel compelled to start a new diet or exercise program as we head into the new year, I heartily salute your determination and wish you all the best. I would also ask, though, that you resolve to have more awareness about what your body is telling you. And more discipline to follow through on the messages you are receiving.
As you build your mind/body connection you will find your body responding in ways you never thought possible. If you already have a good relationship with your body you can take it to new levels. If you've had an adversarial relationship with your body, you can begin working with it as an ally, possibly for the first time ever. And that additional energy and well-being will create a whole new dynamic in your physical vessel, along with helping your mind to be sharper, clearer and less reactive.
Your body is talking to you, its time to listen.