When running away is not an option
I suppose I could don a disguise and run off to the nearest wine-bar and sip cocktails while my husband tried to find me to make dinner. But then I’d likely overdo it and end up being driven home by a well-meaning stranger who would need to be fed, too. Such is the life of a cook.
This story is written from the viewpoint of a person who is responsible for making meals in the home. When I was growing up it was usually a woman. Now, of course, sometimes the husband is the primary cook, or the partner. Sometimes…
I also take advantage of every opportunity to go outside
I don’t know about the rest of the seventyish population, but I have been staying indoors a lot of the day, for a lot of the days and weeks and months this past year. It is especially noticeable in winter, as right now, for instance, I couldn’t go out without a big pep talk. I mean, today it is 34 degrees and snowing/sleeting/ freezing-rain. If I went out I would get my clothes wet, ruin the beach hair effect I’ve just created with a lot of product in my wet hair. …
I am the product of a Christian upbringing. Both my parents were sincerely religious, taught us about religion and about right and wrong. They taught us to care about others and to follow biblical teachings such as the Ten Commandments and the Golden Rule. While I learned many things in this education, as I grew and learned to think for myself, I came to my own beliefs about religious doctrine, rejecting many that I saw as narrow-minded and prejudicial. But my morals remain pretty much in line with Christian beliefs.
For instance, the dictum Thou Shalt Not Kill is generally…
Then I say it to myself a few times
I have been a therapist for more than 25 years now. Over this time of being involved in many, many helping relationships, I have fallen into routines and familiar ways of teaching or explaining things, one of the benefits of long experience.
When I catch myself going into a familiar routine about this or that problem or technique I often wonder if I’ve already told this very person this same thing before. I go ahead anyway, just in case. A lot of this repetition is useful; sometimes it’s necessary for a therapist to harp upon the same thing over and…
It’s OK to be bounced around a bit.
There have been so many hurricanes this season, though none of them have adversely affected the weather in Maine where I live. But they do give us some interesting ocean action to observe. One morning this week, as hurricane Larry moved past New England offshore, my husband and I went to Pemaquid Point, a rocky point with a lighthouse near our home in Maine. “Rough surf” was predicted and we went there, as we often do, hoping to see some action. We sat for several hours or more watching waves crash on…
Do you feel like you are nourishing yourself yet?
Well, we are in the home stretch, my friends. How are you all doing? Consider how you feel. How are you sleeping? Feeling more energetic? Do your clothes feel just a touch looser? If not, maybe you will need to tweak these menus to suit your own body’s needs. Changes can be made slowly. After all, if you are even considering some of the principles in this series, such as the idea of nourishing yourself, being kind to yourself, enjoying what you have, instead of focusing on what is lacking, you are beginning to change.
Some people may laugh at…
I want to eat this way — more than I want to eat the homemade cherry vanilla ice cream sitting in our freezer right now
Hurrah!!!
This Seventyish Couple has now accomplished half of our goal of eating an anti-inflammatory diet for four days in a row. I will give you the menu and recipes for Day Three. If you want to see that right away, scroll further down the story. But first, I want to be honest about our experience yesterday.
In our house, we have been challenged. My husband is questioning his motivation to eat what I am eating this week. He is pestering me about wanting things he knows are not on the menu. Despite the fact that I keep telling him to…
A 4-day Anti-Inflammation Menu
Welcome to Day Two
If you are following along with this 4-day adventure, congratulations for making it this far — however far along you are. If not, feel free to start here. My husband and I are experimenting with an anti-inflammatory diet for four days at the beginning of each month, trying to see if this will help us. We’ve gone through three months of 3-day starts and this time are stretching it to four days. We are doing it because we want to feel better, be healthier, have more energy, and sleep better. Let’s see where it takes us.
Today I will give…
Get ready for Day One of my four day anti-inflammation menu
Do you want to take a step toward healthier eating? This anti-inflammation menu may feel just right to you. It lasts for four days this month and I’m giving you step-by-step instructions below and in stories to follow. The idea is to eat lots of salads, cruciferous vegetables, alliums, mushrooms, olive oil, olives, avocado, a small amount of animal protein, coffee, black, green, or herbal tea. Even a little red wine and dark chocolate. We are basically eliminating dairy, red meat, most fruits, starchy vegetables, grains, anything that is a known source of inflammation. Also limiting protein from animal sources…
Want to come along?
This is the third time we have planned a special culinary start to the month and I’m looking forward to it. We’re starting on Monday, because it is a good day for me, just past the weekend where there are more chances to overindulge. I am usually pretty busy Monday through Thursday and it seems easier to have a simple, more limited diet those days. If you have a celebration planned for Labor Day you could postpone it for a day. Or start on the actual first of the month or whatever seems right.
August was a particularly difficult month…
