food & dance — a letter to mom

bubbles
bubbles
Jul 30, 2017 · 6 min read

my dearest emerald seashell,

your diet and movement habits are killing you. it pains me so much to see that you don’t have the energy or will to run. it pains me to see that you don’t have any motivation to move, to be active and alive. ricky’s mom is 72 and she has had heart problems for the past 15 years (that means they started when she was just under a decade older than you are now—which means you absolutely must take action immediately if you want to avoid the hospital). she just had two heart surgeries in two weeks. beforehand, she had not felt up to playing with her grandkids, or inspired to do anything even when she was alone or had free time.

what would you do if you had no kids and no responsibilities right now? would you feel inspired and brave enough to go after what you really wanna be doing on a day-to-day basis? do you feel capable and confident approaching each day? if the answer is even a slight no, then you must listen to me.

we all spend most of our days eating and moving (or not moving). if you don’t do these things mindfully, with respect for your body and mind, then your body and mind will let you down. a vicious cycle of not being mentally motivated to get physically motivated causes you to stay on the couch. you don’t move and your body stagnates. what happens to water when it sits for too long? disgusting, right? you can’t let that happen to your body. your physical sluggishness keeps your mind stale, too. where does that leave you? with no motivation to move. the cycle continues. that is where you are now. you are in a habitual loop. and you must shake yourself up to break yourself out and take back your life. you cannot control life, but you can be receptive to its gifts. they are always presented to you, you just have to train yourself to see them.

if you consistently criticize the world for not doing things the way you think they should be done, then the world will never seem right to you. it will seem unforgiving and unsettling. this is all because of your perception. that is all. your perception literally changes your reality. trust me, i’ve experienced it. the first step is to make an unflinching commitment to yourself that you want to change your relationship with reality. that you want to feel alive again, that you want to rekindle your fire. you want the energy that alyana has. you want to be as curious as your six-year-old. you want to be as motivated. it’s possible, you just have to decide, once and for all.

if you are ready to let go of external circumstances as the cause for your stagnation and lack of motivation/opportunity, then let’s get you back on track. step one: CUT OUT ALL CARBS. COLD TURKEY. IMMEDIATELY. ZERO. NONE. AT ALL. PERIOD. NO SLIP UPS. NO WHOOPSIES. NO “JUST_THIS+ONE”. NOTHING.

what does this mean? no bread, at all, not in a sandwich, not in pizza, not as a crouton or tortilla strips in salad, not in fattoush. no potatoes. no pasta. no sugary drinks at all. no chips. no crackers. no cookies. no ice cream. noooooone of this crap. none of these disgusting american staples. basically nothing that is white-colored. except cauliflower. no flour. no breaded meats. and minimal beans.

(you can go back to eating bad white stuff after this initial elimination period. but they should only be real treats. like once or twice a month. you need this initial period to break your habits and get your body used to the drastic reduction in sugar intake. once it is, you’re not even going to crave these nasty things anymore, you will be repulsed by them and everything will be so much easier. you’re going to be so tired at first. you’re going to get cranky and you’re going to want to quit. but think of your heart. think of your future (yes, you are going to live a lot longer, grandpa is 90, which means you are only HALFWAY thru). remember that the satisfaction you get from eating those white things will be fleeting, and the long-term consequences will be long-lived, terrible and will affect more than just you. your kids will be at the hospital while you have these surgeries, worried, crying, hoping you get out alive. think of living the heck out of the rest of your life. really milking it for everything its worth. not just getting through. if you just hop from one “getting-through” to another, then when are you living? the time is now. this moment. whatever it is. this is the moment to start living and making every day a celebration that you’re alive and that this wonderful reality exists before you!)

what to replace this white crap with? NUTS! eat nuts. they have carbs, but they have WAY more good fats and protein. they are chock-full of vitamins and minerals and are so good at giving you energy. in fact, if you eat nuts, you need less meat in your diet as well. which you should also cut down dramatically (meaning you can take the money you would have spent on meat and buy nuts). too much meat makes you tired. there are endless scientific studies about it. it clogs your arteries in large doses. as does milk. drastically reducing your dairy intake will also go a long way towards regaining your energy and mental clarity. i’m speaking from experience.

eat fruits with your nuts! they have sugar, but they also have lots of fiber. when you have fiber and protein while you eat natural sugars, your body is able to use it for energy without turning it into fat. don’t eat too much fruit because then you will get a sugar crash. in general: AVOID SUGAR AT ALL COSTS. it is insidious. we americans put it in absolutely everything. it’s disgusting. it is more damaging to your health than pollution. it is a toxin. only it’s legal. it is the leading cause of heart failure and diabetes. you have to watch your intake like a hawk.

most importantly, in order to repair your heart and your energy system you have to eat WAY more vegetables. like, way way wayyyy more. you should have at least 2–3 veggie dishes with each meal. you can eat meat, but have way more veggies than meat. look for a variety of colors. eat them raw and cooked. eat them as a snack. get.veggies.in.your.tummy!

finally, fast once a week for 18 hours. have your last bite at 8pm the night before and eat lunch at 2pm the next day (so basically you just skip breakfast). it’s not that bad at all, but the health benefits are incredible. if you incorporate a regular break from eating into your life then you will begin to rethink your relationship with food. it will lose its hold on you and you won’t feel like you simply cannot function without eating. you will not be a slave to food. you can use it as a tool. and you will appreciate your days with full meals much more. (and you may even start to have less meals on those days too!)

once you do these things for a few days you will start waking up feeling so energized, your energy will last longer and it will be more powerful. then you can start adding better movement back into your life.

you must do cardio (DaNCE! daaance! SWiM! JOg!). you must also strengthen. you must stretch. everything in life is a push-and-pull. if you only stretch, you will be flexible but weak. which means you are just jelly. you want to be tough rubber (okay bad example, but you get the idea)! you want to feel inside your body. you want to feel that your body is alive so that your mind will feel like it is capable of using your body to get things done. this creates a virtuous cycle. your mind will witness your body doing its bidding with strength and confidence and will be bolstered to come up with new ways to be active, to interact with the world. you will be inspired again. you will have motivation again. you will be curious about life again. you will love existence again. i so badly want to see you bring your light back into the world. i know you can do it. now you just have to know it too.

or forget everything i just said and enjoy the life you have. :)

❤️ i love you

bubbles

Written by

bubbles

quirky quark lost in the shimmer

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