Positivity, Neuroscience, and Kanye West

Kanye West’s “Good Life” came on the radio while I was out and about the other day. Now, I know I’m still supposed to be mad at him for what he did to Taylor Swift, but I can’t help myself; my heart has a tendency to forgive awfully quickly, especially given that the message Kanye croons in that song is so powerfully positive (if you can get past the “snakes on a plane” metaphor).

He sings “I always had a passion for flashin’ / before I had it I close my eyes and imagine / the good life.”

Kanye West, sir, you are a sage.

We have been inundated over the past few years with the concept of the Law of Attraction, The Secret, episodes on Oprah featuring Louise Hay and others on how to make a vision board… but sometimes these felt kind of esoteric, lofty, or, to some, absolutely unbelievable crap. Also, on days where choosing positive thoughts is just a little more difficult (some days are like that), I would always get a tad paranoid: “You mean to tell me that just because I can’t imagine being fluent in Chinese, it will never happen?”

Studying Chinese is really hard, by the way; yesterday, I added it to my vision board, hoping to remember some of the characters I have been meticulously copying down, instead of having them fall out of my head, which is more accurate as of late.

Clearly, I am a proponent of vision boards, not to mention Oprah, Louise Hay, and in believing that you can choose the thoughts that will create the life you want. In fact, if you’re interested, and especially if you’re still one of those in the skeptics’ camp, you can check out an incredible book called Coaching with the Brain in Mind by David Rock and Linda J. Page, PhD. The abstract for the book states that “this informative guide to the neuroscience of coaching clearly demonstrates… how the power of the mind can be harnessed to help an individual learn and grow.”

In other words, it’s the scientific inquiry and practical application behind everything I already believed to be true: that people can achieve anything, once they learn to choose the thoughts that will allow them to achieve it. But again, this kind of literary inquiry is pretty intellectually heavy stuff. At least for me.

The good news is that it doesn’t have to be about visualizing all day, sitting in the lotus position, researching neuron connectivity, concentrated without wavering on the life you want. If you’re open enough, you can find reminders to choose positivity all around you, no dictionary or magazine clippings required. All you have to do, apparently, is turn on your radio.

In addition to touting the power of visualizations, Kanye also has a powerful prescription for how to handle the people in your life who may not be so excited to see you change, and may even try to bring you down: If they hate, then let ‘em hate, and watch the money pile up.

Visualize what you want, and forget the negative static in your ears. Kanye, as soon as you open a yoga studio or write your first book on the law of attraction, count me in.

I know this stuff works, because now my gram ma ma ain’t the only one calling me baby.

A former libertarian weighs in on the obesity epidemic

Sweet, sweet personal liberty. Sure, we all love the concept of personal freedom, in the abstract, at least, but arguably none more so than Libertarians. The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy has a pretty robust definition of Libertarianism, stating
Libertarians are committed to the belief that individuals, and not states or groups of any other kind, are both ontologically and normatively primary; that individuals have rights against certain kinds of forcible interference on the part of others; that liberty, understood as non-interference, is the only thing that can be legitimately demanded of others as a matter of legal or political right.

Yeah, I like the sound of that. I really do. Er, I really want to…

But I don’t think this particular political theory is helping us when it comes to the obesity epidemic.

We can debate all day about personal responsibility and other philosophical tenets of individual free will, but one needs only take a look around to see that something simply is amiss: 64% of adults in this country are overweight, and 26% of that group is obese. Additionally, nearly 25% of children are overweight or obese, and for this portion of the population, the concept of free will becomes significantly more difficult to espouse. When your parents and schools make the decision on what foods you eat, even the most most strong-willed kid doesn’t have much of a chance.

Truly, if the cafeteria is offering an anemic-looking salad, positioned in line next to the fried deliciousness that is chicken tenders, your child has no chance.

A mom who chose to remain anonymous recently guest blogged on Mrs. Q’s Fed Up with Lunch blog. In her discussion on having been an overweight kid and now raising an overweight kid, she poignantly outlined her philosophical stance which, I must say, resonated pretty loudly with this former Libertarian: focusing on systemic healthy changes rather than on individual obese kids.

There has been a lot of focus on school lunches, ranging from celebrities like Jamie Oliver to homegrown, angry moms. The key, my once staunchly individual-responsibility-theory-peddling-self hates to admit, is precisely what the anonymous mom, the angry moms, and gastronomically-inclined Brits, advocate: systemic changes.

How can we affect pervasive, long-lasting, true change in the way we understand health and our current lack of it? You do this the same way successful organizations handle cultural change: from the top down. Without systemic, pervasive, consistent, reinforceable messages from those whom we have elected to keep the compass pointed in the correct direction, we will continue to lack a cohesive strategy for a problem that, as current numbers indicate, has gone far beyond the reaches of telling individuals how many calories are in their value meal and expecting them to shy away.

By the way, for those readers who still advocate a personal responsibility approach, I understand. It’s not like a broad change in nutritional legislature is going to get people off the couch and into the gym, unless we become some sort of militarized fitness republic, which I’m not ready to back. But consider the cost of obesity, estimated to be around $150 billion per year. Yes, billion. I don’t know about you, but I have noticed my health care costs going up steadily, not to mention my taxes. Think of the numbers, mentioned in an article on ABC News’ Health site:
A normal-weight individual will spend about $3,400 per year in medical expenditures and that number rises to about $4,870 if that individual is obese,” study author Eric Finkelstein, director, RTI Public Health Economics Program…. For people on Medicare, average expenses for a normal-weight person average about $4,700 a year, while costs for an obese person range about $6,400 annually, Finkelstein said.

I simply offer that thinking more globally, as opposed to from an individual frame of reference, might be the more pragmatic choice as we continue to fight this staggering issue together. Those who are able to successfully overcome addictions, successfully lose and keep off weight, and others in those types of situations benefit from strong, social support groups. Why wouldn’t we want to replicate that kind of systemic network in fighting this cause on a larger scale?

In the meantime, as we look to Mrs. Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign and others for some much needed systemic guidance, I do think we could all take a cue from our Libertarian friends, muster up some personal responsibility, lay down the cupcake, and go for a walk instead.

Oh, if health were just about bok choy

My fiance and I are obsessed with making our meals for the week on the weekend. This is a great habit we have gotten ourselves into, because it means that we have ready to eat, nutritious food prepared for every day of the week.

That said, it occurred to me this morning that being healthy isn’t just about throwing bok choy into your stir fry for the week.

But bok choy is really good for you. So are mushrooms, red peppers, and the bean sprouts that were thrown in along with copious amounts of garlic, pepper, and red pepper spice. Oh, the kitchen smelled good this morning!

Then the dog threw up in the living room.

Sigh. Animals get sick. So do people. Sigh. I finished the stir fry while my fiance played clean up crew in the living room. I am used to having my wingman in the kitchen while I cook, so it was disconcerting to have to grab more oil myself instead of having him hand it to me. I was eyeing Maggie, our shaggy mutt, tentatively, my maternal instincts kicking in, watching her for signs of something more insidious than a garden variety tummy ache. Oil from the wok occasionally jumped up from the wok, searing my bare skin.

I was getting a little worked up.

This state of affairs didn’t occur to me, however, until I spilled some water on the floor during wok clean-up. It became apparent that I was a little tense when, after splashing a little water on the floor (about a -17884 on the crisis scale, by the way), I squawked out a garden variety expletive. I mean, come on, Rachel: is this level of emotional response, not to mention this level of expletive, appropriate for a water on the floor situation?

My fiance, in his effortless, nonplused, and loving manner, offered to clean up the water. I looked at him, laughed, and remembered that it’s all small stuff. And in this case, it really, seriously, can’t be any less of a big deal than water on the floor.

It was at that moment that I chose to feel differently. I took a deep breath, let my frustrations go, and we took it to the bedroom for a much more healthy response to stress. I had a few choices this morning on how to deal with the day, and aside from the healthy ones I had already made (namely the bok choy and preparing healthy meals for my week), it took me a few minutes to remember that being healthy is also about choosing responses and emotions that lower blood pressure, paint a positive outlook, and simply make you feel better.

And fresh stir fry tastes soooo much better when you’ve chosen to be in a good mood.

Yoga as it pertains to In n Out Burger

Last night during an amazing yoga session, my yogi read a quote that can be paraphrased thus:

Extreme poverty is just the flip side of extravagance. To leave all your worldly possessions is not true detachment, because you can still pine and long and be attached. Regardless of where you live or what you have (or don’t have), it all depends on how you feel about those things.

Oh, I wish I could give you the exact quote. It was incredibly powerful, and reminded me of In n Out Burger.

You see, a lot of Americans (myself included) have two modes when eating: either a spastic, unhealthy disregard for portion sizes and trans fats; or Biggest Loser-like austerity, calorie counting, and binge exercising. It’s a pretty schizophrenic society when it comes to what we eat, so for those of us being being pulled in the opposing directions, it seems like a natural behavior of indulge one day and act penitently the next.

Or, behave indulgently and penitently at the same time. I, too, am guilty of polishing off cupcakes while watching The Biggest Loser. My poor subconscious doesn’t know what’s going on.

Nor does my body, probably. From an evolutionary perspective, on my 1200 calorie days, physiological Rachel is planning for the famine. Then, we have In n Out Burger days, where 1200 calories barely covers my Number 1 with no onions and a Dr. Pepper. And, mostly, when it’s a 1200 calorie day, I am thinking about In n Out Burger.

That’s where my yoga session from last night comes in. I may be eating a salad, but I am still attached to my Double Double with no onion. I recall eating a healthy dinner a few weeks back, longing instead for In n Out, and remarking to my fiance, “This is just the methadone to my heroin.” Still, choosing an austere life is only slightly different from extreme self-indulgence; it’s kind of like the sentiment “the opposite of love isn’t hate; the opposite of love is indifference.” Whether I eat the burger or severely limit my calories, both are forms of attachment and are a kind of indulgence.

For those of us carrying a little (or a lot) of extra weight, however, austerity from a caloric perspective seems incredibly appealing. After all, we are in bathing suit season.

But is this really a long-term, sustainable, response? And how are we expected to navigate the terrain when, again, we’re getting very strong but horribly mixed messages every single day? Truly, it’s not strange at all, at least in Phoenix, to find a strip mall with a Weight Watchers and a Taco Bell. Sometimes right next to one another.

Another of my infinitely wise yogis regaled us with a tale of how farmers in South America catch little monkeys that steal their produce. There is no need for a net, no need for a trap. You simply place pieces of banana under half of a coconut shell, the top of which has a small whole cut into it. The monkey can get his hand through the hole to grab a piece of banana, but can’t take his hand out of the hole while still maintaining his grip on the monkey snack.

When the farmer comes to get him, the monkey could simply let go of the banana and be free.

But they rarely let go. And thus they are caught.

In the meantime, my goal for today is to put down the pen that I use to track my calories, take a deep breath, and let go of the banana. And the In n Out Burger.

Home and family: Health is where your heart is

In Chinese, the character for “family” is the same the character for “home.”

Where you live should be your sanctuary, but how can we keep this sacred place healthy?

Check out some ideas from Health Family, and let us know how you care for your home, your family, and yourself.

The search for happiness and health: the answer is popsicles

Should you feel particularly intrepid, you may find yourself  looking for happiness on Google. 

As I search for happiness and health, I found myself Googling just that, with surprising results.

Popsicles.

The first website that appeared in my search for “health and happiness” was www.happyandhealthy.com, purveyors of friendly-looking (not to mention delicious-looking) popsicles. Some look creamy, some more icy, all yummy. Since I live in Phoenix, where today’s high was around 100 degrees, this was especially appealing.

But more than the desire to indulge in a delicious snack, it got me thinking about simple pleasures. More specifically, I spend lots of my time Googling and meditating and ruminating on what it means to be happy, and what it means to be healthy. Could the answer have been an Otter Pop, and it was in front of me this whole time, right there in my freezer section?

I’m not saying this was some kind of divine gastronomical intervention, some kind of message from the Universe that I need to spend more time with frozen goods to achieve enlightenment. What it could mean is that, maybe, we could lighten up a little. Summers as a little kid were easy, long, wonderful. And we ate a lot of popsicles, along with fresh fruit. We ran around the neighborhood all day, and well into the evening. We swam. We played well with others. 

We were happy. And it was easy, effortless.

Also, another possible message (divine, frozen, or otherwise) here is that it’s ok to have your popsicle and eat it, too. In the grand scheme of sweet treats, enjoying a creamy, fruit-filled popsicle on a hot day is a pretty stinking healthy one. Or, if you live in the Southwest, you can try some Golden Spoon fro yo (I love you, Golden Spoon!).

It was funny to be reminded, in such a random way, that healthy and happy aren’t mutually exclusive.

In fact, they’re downright inextricably entwined. And it couldn’t be more refreshing.

Happiness at work. Love what do you, or do what you love?

Well, some of us are lucky enough to have found our calling. Some of us are still on the journey to finding the magical balance of true calling and true income. Because some of us, especially when you live in Phoenix, have grown a little attached to air conditioning.

Whichever camp you’re in, you can always find a little more bliss. Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project, blogs about happiness too. In this case, she’s penned a list of how to be happier at work.

It’s amazing how so many of these items are tied into our health. Keep sweets away from your desk (a few M&Ms add up quickly!). Get outside. Maintain good posture. Treat others (in this case, your coworkers) with love, respect, and gratitude.

You can check out Gretchen’s list here, and then let us know what you do to stay happy (or, on some days, just sane!) at work.

Being healthy. Truly healthy. Wholly healthy. What’s enough?

Dr. Oz is great, and the advice he gives in his 10 Ways to Live Healthier piece is incredibly powerful.

The items he advocates – enough sleep, Omega-3s, being knowledgeable about your health history and health numbers – are a solid, broad basis for creating lasting, manageable physical health.

The operative word being physical.

Of course, your optimal physical state will lend itself to a sound mind, career, relationship, but it’s not enough to pop a few multivitamins and expect true, whole health. What about your stress levels at work? What about running the kids around to practice? What about the time you dedicate to your community efforts?

Questions to ask yourself, to start the dialogue on your true, wholly healthy self, can include
an inquiry into your career: do I love my job? Are my strengths being used to their full capacity?
an inquiry into your relationship: does my partner support me? What habits for our whole health are we cultivating together?
an inquiry into your family: am I setting the example I want to set to raise healthy children?
an inquiry into your spirituality: are the choices I am making now making me more in tune with where I want to be spiritually?

What we need to consider, in addition to the great advice we find in Dr. Oz’s article on taking care of our temple, our physical bodies, is whether or not we are considering this information in a greater context of how we’re taking care of ourselves, period. Our entire self. Our whole self.

One great piece of advice I’ve seen, for those of us who like spreadsheets, is to manage each aspect of your life – relationship, career, spirit, community, family – by making “deposits” into that account. Are you nurturing your kids this week? What about that volunteer opportunity to which you pledged your time?

Check out Dr. Oz’s article here, and then tell us about the things you do to keep balanced, keep wholly healthy.