Finding Peace in Our Frantic Lives

In the past few days, maybe even weeks, scraps of paper have landed on every level surface in my home. They're my tasks, things that need to be done as I work on setting up this blog with a new host (Let me know how your like it.) and on getting word out about the just-published book, Even You Can Be Healthy! Frankly I wasn't paying attention to my own health.

I tried to eat a balanced diet with mostly vegetables and fruits, whole grains, nuts and seeds, beans, low-fat dairy, and lean meats. No sodas. (I've never kept sodas in my house. Too much sugar.) And I go to the gym three mornings a week for about an hour of not-too-vigorous exercise. 

Sounds like a healthy life, doesn't it?

Wrong. I was allowing myself to get frantic with so many unfinished tasks. Finally, I reminded myself of the remedy that was there all the time. Meditation. Quiet time. Silence. I just had to take the time and do it!

I began to sit for 10 to 20 minutes in a quiet place, sometimes inside, sometimes outside. When I was quiet, I could listen to the sounds all around: the air conditioner humming, the birds chattering, lawn mowers roaring, the refrigerator cycling on and off. And when I heard those sounds, I didn't hear the nagging in my head, the urge to add to the lists on the scraps of paper. 

And since I was calm, my dear cat Elizabeth, climbed in my lap and went to sleep. Now that's calm.

You're too busy, too worn-out, and can't think about being healthy

That sounds like a lot of us, doesn't it? But if you regularly take even a few moments out of your frantic life, you'll see results very soon.

Try walking. You can walk from where you park your car at the end of the parking lot to your office, classroom, grocery story, or shopping mall. You didn't notice that much, did you? If you can't walk, try wall push ups.

Try chilling. You're at your desk and the papers are piled up in front of you. They're a mess and you're on edge. Try closing your eyes for ten seconds, breathing deeply, imagining that you're breathing out all that clutter in your mind. Easy. Right?

You're exhausted at the end of the day and can't even think about cooking. What you want to do is stop on the way home and pick up something at the drive-through. Try resisting the urge to grab a quick fix that's usually over salted and high in fat. Instead when you get home, take out a carton of flavored low-fat or fat-free yogurt or a small carton of flavored low-fat or fat-free milk and drink it while you're sitting down. Then, when you've got some energy back, take out some nutritious leftovers or stir-up a Super Easy recipe like the one below. Add an apple or other fruit of your choice and you're on your way to a strong, vital, healthy life!

Toasted Cheese with Tomato Slice

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 teaspoons lite mayonnaise

2 slices whole grain bread

2 slices reduced-fat cheese such as mozzarella or Swiss

2 slices from a large tomato, if available

Method

Cover cookie sheet or toaster oven tray with aluminum foil. Spread lite mayonnaise onto each of two bread slices. Place cheese and then tomato on each slice of bread. Put the cookie sheet into the oven or the tray into a toaster oven. Toast until the cheese begins to melt and the bread turns brown. Remove with a spatula onto plates.