Conclusions (oi, that was stuck in drafts since dets. 20)

Heyhey,

As I started this blog in January when I came back to Denmark, then I think it is quite appropriate to conclude it in December when Im on the road again lalalaa, going back to Estonia.

Reviewed my new years promise 2012 and it was"I am never going to have an unhealthy lifestyle again". Well, I lied. Or lost interest. Or changed interests. Or changed myself or my goals. Thats the hard thing with new years resolutions. Making them assumes that during the whole following year one is going to want the same things, have same interests and view points.

All in all I definitely did have a healthy year - I was running a lot in the first half of the year, then got the injury but started strength training and now trough continuous strength training, biking and swimming, am back to running, too :). 

Eating-wise I tried out vegetarianism, intermediate fasting (also for some reason and some period, eating like shot-putters and other people like that and like a regular hungover student) and for two days a high protein and fat low carb fad diet and stayed to my opinion and belief that nothing is better than a healthy balanced diet. 

So I did make a promise about "never ever ever again" and broke it on the first year (probably even in the first couple of months of first year), but I dont feel as if I failed, rather I just rethought about it and found other goals. And I dont feel like that would be just an excuse.
I cant really describe what changed and how, but basically it has to do with realizing the importance of  balance and loving and appreciating yourself and..when before I think I saw the eating healthy importance in about 40-60  in relation to looking good, then by now healthy living has really become a value in itself for me. Not that I stopped caring how I look, but thats not the reason anymore why I eat what I eat.

and the end got lost all in all, so I finish it  now, on the 31. December:

Can't quite remember what I wrote afterwards in the original, but was definitely bragging how my strength training lead to me squatting 3x90kg that I'm so proud of. And how well I'm doing at bench pressing.

I was writing that post in Copenhagen airport on my way home for Christmas (so lets blame the internet there for me having to write a new ending now). And the whole trip was sooooo coool.
I think during the time I spent in Estonia, I really realized what I mean by saying health is the most important resource. The fact, that it IS a resource. I can train as much as I want and eat healthy and reach some goals and be happy and fail others and try harder, but...that's not the most important by and in itself. Nothing is better than good people around me - my friends, who I so much love and respect and appreciate, and my family. Maybe I've even grown out of my post puberty puberty, as I really enjoyed hanging out with mom and discussing stuff we have never agreed upon before and now suddenly she just seemed wise and smart instead of annoying or old-fashioned as I sometimes found it before.
I could easily be unhealthy, with friends and family and completely happy. But then, when some serious health concerns would rise, I wouldnt have time for them and the ability to have fun with them. So it is so important to have good health so it wouldnt start interfering my happy little life among my friends and family.
And now..I feel kind of bad about all those times this year when someone asked me to do something cool with them and I said I cant, because I had planned to go running or training.
..I know that's what health professionals always suggest - plan and write down your training schedule and then when something else comes up, you just say you're already booked and can't. By that you always have time to train. And makes sense, ofcourse. But..maybe I focused too much on training this year. School and health have been my top two priorities all year..and working to keep the finances ok, on the third. But where should the time to enjoy myself and be with people I love come then? "good motivation to grow up" I called it in one of my blog posts...but. Come on..the time is not just going to come once I'm done with working and studying on the same time. And can one even "postpone friendship"?
Maybe studying about health and obesity at school and continuously improving at running and strength training, learning about healthy food and enjoying it at home ("why should I want to go out have a burger with you..I can just as well make my nice salmon and vegetables at home..much more healthy.." kind of..), lead me to focus on wrong things..
So, what I mean is, that it's good to remember that health IS a resource. A very important one, but still just a resource.

That's my conclusion of the year.

Next years resolutions? Mmmm...nope. Not that I'd know of right now at least...Maybe I'll come up with something on the first days of next year, but by now I feel fine without having any.

"Bragging blog" (as I said when I first made that blog here) like it is, and to sum up, here's the final numbers from my watch, for the period 10.01.2012-31.12.2012 (it's almost trustworthy. I do train without it as well, but not very much)
Total duration: 227h
Total calories: 49 237kcal
Total exercise count: 202

Sadan (I'm glad I learned Danish this year :D)

Good last couple of hours and Happy New Year to everyooone! :)

Have fun.

http://singlemindedwomen.com/womens-health/new-years-resolution-diet-plan/

Yep, it is called "A New Year's Resolution Diet that Works" what I find awful, but other than that - she does make sense! :)

Everything I think of health

The days are getting colder, shorter and darker, roads are covered with ice and instead of going for a run, I am staying in. So I have the feeling and the time to write. It seems to me, I am starting to  more and more   of my own view points on health and food and all that. Maybe not developing, as there is so much thats already said, but at least agreeing with some things and disagreeing with others, noticing more areas that seem to be wrong to  me and things I find most important when dealing with issues of health.

1. FUTURE
Future is a key word in health for me. I find that health is a resource. And the most important resource people have. It might not be so much a goal in itself for every individual, but without health anything else doesnt matter. Even the richest people can die from lifestyle diseases. And having a lot of friends looses at least half of its value when you cant be there for them because of bad health. It's a resource necessary to have a future.
Thinking of future, I think, is actually the best approach in weight control. It helps when dealing with temptations - "I really want this piece of cake, but I have already eaten so much today I shouldn't (can't) have it". Thinking of things you shouldnt or cant is not very cool. Nor very enjoyable. therefore "....I can eat it for lunch tomorrow", see, situation improved and cake can be eaten :).
Also, it is a good motivation for continuing eating healthy or engaging in physical activity. I want to look nice and feel good then and then and then, if I do this now (f ex going for a run) I will be more likely to feel good and look nice then and then and then.
And, or maybe returning to what I said first, it is a good long term motivator. If I eat healthy for the next 20 years and keep being physically active, I can  be the cool granny running with my grandchildren in the park. Or still doing my favorite sport when Im old and retired and finally have the time and (hopefully :D) the money.
Also, it is very easy to become impatient with for example weight loss. "I want to be skinny and I want it to happen Now!" And that's when people are likely to start doing crazy stuff like eating way too little and working out way too much. But no one can last long like that, and then there's probably going to be a collapsing moment and then all this fast-lost weight would be gained back, plus maybe some extra. I believe it is better to look at the future and think that for example if I do this here now, and I do it again tomorrow and so on and so on, then same time next year, I will be my dream me.
:)

2. BASIC KNOWLEDGE (AND HABITS)
Stupid people shouldn't give health advise. Healthy living should be healthy living. As in a lifestyle and what one does. Not, as it sadly often is, some crazy diets to fit an item of clothing or look big or small or whatever at some certain time point.
I think there's too many people who really care about their health and want to live healthily, but due to the lack of knowledge and therefore power to judge and tell difference between good and bad advice, become the victims of bad health advise and are therefore in danger of doing everything all wrong (with the best attentions).
Everyone should have at least the basic knowledge to decide for themselves, in the best interest of themselves and in accordance with their goals.
You get energy from what you eat and drink, you use energy to be alive (digesting and other processes in the body) and to move (the simplest small movements, physical activity, sports etc). When you eat more than you use, you gain weight, and when you use more than you eat, you lose weight. Yes, it is also possible to gain weight when you would only eat fruits and vegetables, if you can eat big enough amounts.
From food and drinks one gets three types of macronutrients, plus vitamins and minerals. These macronutrients are fat (saturated - solid on room temperature and not very usable by body for anything but being stored as fat; and unsaturated, liquid fats like from oils, fish, nuts and seeds etc), proteins (used by body as "building blocks" for muscles, cells, enzymes etc. these are foods like meat, fish, egg, milk and milk products, but also nuts and seeds. Extra proteins from the diet will be excreted. Third, there are carbohydrates. These are used by body as a source of energy. Carbohydrates that wont be used will be stored mainly as fat. Carbs come from pasta, rice, potatoes etc and also from fruits and vegetables. Sugar is also a carbohydrate.
All this information about what a food item contains can be found on the labels on the packages of that food, in grams, percentages and the total calories.
Fruits and veges are good, because they contain a lot of minerals and vitamins, and are low amount of calories for their volume. That allows them to fill you up by providing moderate amount of calories. Whereas chocolate, cookies and chips, for example, are quite small but have a lot of calories.

By eating healthy and being physically active, you provide your body with everything it needs and feel good. Plus will have good health in- and outside, for example strong nails, hair, teeth, but also blood vessels, heart etc. By being physically active, you become stronger, faster, better coordinated and have therefore a lower risk of injury when for example falling.

There is no magic foods to make you slim down or gain muscle mass and size very fast. Continuous healthy eating is the key. 

Habits are crazy. You can have them without knowing and then can benefit you or put you in danger. You can take advantage of them by developing good and healthy habits (f ex regular mealtimes, not buying chocolate to home, carrying a water bottle with you, walking or biking as a means of transportation, going swimming with your friends on Sundays (instead of baking cakes) etcetcetc. Or you can have habits that make being healthy so difficult with or without you being aware of them. For example continuous snacking, opening fridge door just to see what's there to eat, always taking the bus and elevators, using your car a lot, watching movies every weekend and eating cookies on the same time, having a beer to relax etc.
Even though it takes conscious effort to develop or change a habit, by repeating the same action over and over, it will become automatic ( I have reached a state when sometimes I find myself running in the morning without being planned, prepared or thought about it beforehand. Sometimes I find myself buying sweets when Im sad, just because that's what I always do. It doesnt make me feel better tho. Worse, if anything :D)

I think that's the level of knowledge everybody should have. More and more precise knowledge would be better, but by just knowing that, one should be pretty ok.

3. YOU CAN LEAVE YOUR HEAD ON
Some people go crazy with their diets. Of course dieting and eating healthy are completely different things and people often just want to lose weight no matter what it takes, and dont care about health. There's so many reasons why I dont agree with that, that I am not going to start listing them all here. But even when you're losing or gaining weight just for the sake of better (perceived) appearance, PLEASE DONT GO CRAZY. The other day I was reading something where it suggested to eat ice-cubes as a snack. Come oooooon.
Of course it is not physically unhealthy behavior, but. For what? That suggestion was in the situation of watching movies i think. But..as I see it, one could just as well have some berries or fruits or something like that to eat, one could watch a movie without eating, or just change the activity and do something else. Eating ice cubes is more likely to keep you thinking about the food you are not having..and that seems nonsense or at least unnecessary. I would rather eat or not eat.
Or how I read a blog where a girl was being proud that on that day she had been running and went to the gym twice, while eating blablabla (it wasnt very much..a'la 1 apple, half a slice of rye bread, cup of coffe and 1 boiled egg). Again I would ask for what? and ask to keep your heads on.

4. MENTAL HEALTH IS ALSO HEALTH AND BODY WEIGHT DOESN'T SHOW HEALTH
It is basically same as number 3. But. I do think it is healthy to sometimes be unhealthy. If you can put it like that. What I mean is that any food item in itself is not just like that horrible to your healhth (mostly), but it depends on how much you have and how often. It is ok to eat a MacDonald's meal or have an ice cream on a sunny day or eat chocolate in the evening. Of course non of them is the best nutritional option, but if its only done rarely and in moderate amounts, there is nothing wrong about it. I find, that when I am on a diet where for example I can eat anything but pizza, then the only food I would think of and really want to have, is pizza. And i cant really focus on what I am learning at school or doing, because I keep thinking of that pizza. And while not having pizza sounds healthy, not being able to think about it doesn't. Therefore, it is ok to eat what you want but in moderate amounts.
And I personally think, it is stupid to make superhealthy chocolate cake. I like it as it is, but I would just eat a smaller piece.

Very skinny people are often in the lack of different nutrients, can have lifestyle diseases and very poor health. Models sometimes die just because they are too skinny and eat strange things (cotton wool? :D). And obese people can also have good health. Being physically active and eating healthily improve health even when you dont lose weight.

Which is why I think that maybe fat people dont have a problem about being fat but instead about people making it look so wrong and bad and awful. Maybe they dont mind their bodies or how it physically feels. But as it is made to sound so bad and attitude towards big people is so negative, it is just hard to live like that. And then they try to lose weight just to fit into some norms.
And then I have been thinking about nutrition counselors. What if I as a counselor get a client who is like that. Of course if she wants to lose weight and has come to me to help her, I should help her. But..to what extent is weightloss important and should i maybe promote body acceptance instead. If my job is to be a health specialist. Of course I am not a psychologist or something, but promoting health is not promoting weight loss. Or at least not promoting weight loss more than mental health. It puzzles me a lot.

The whole thing, to be honest, of how much is food just food and how much is it a social and psychological thing is difficult.  And the "you are what you eat" thing? How important is your body in the whole you? As in..so many moral values have to do with the body..for example "don't have sex before marriage" it is something to do with your beliefs and morals AND with your body.
Or like when people lose or gain a lot of weight and then don't feel like themselves anymore. For example I heard this real life story where an obese woman lost a lot of weight after having a gastric bypass operation, but as she couldnt eat as much after that, but didnt feel ok being normal weight, started drinking oil to gain the weight back. Where's the health in that?

5. SMALL STEPS
I always talk about healthy lifestyle. Usually more in the way of HEALTHY lifestyle, but it is, as well a LIFE style. And life is not only about what you eat and how much you move and when. Sadly, it even seems to be the last priority for many people. Work, home, family, friends, money, other obligations, accidents, celebrations etc often all come before.
Therefore I think, changing everything at once to become healthy, is not very smart. For example this well known January thing a'la from January I am going to exercise 6 times a week, eat 6 portions of fruits and vegetables a day, quit smoking, drink once a month, run every other day, pick up swimming and so on and so on, that ends up failing in a week. And then one can wait and "recover" until he's gonna decided all that again next year (maybe having gained two or three kilos and started smoking more meanwhile).
I think it is a lot like cleaning your home. You can clean your whole house and make everything look perfect, but if you don't make it practical and comfortable, it is only going to stay clean as long as you are consciously thinking about it and making an effort to keep it so. As soon as you stop doing that, it is going to get messy again. You are going to place things to where it is most comfortable and practical.
And it is the same with healthy lifestyle, because lifestyle is supposed to be comfortable and practical, so it makes more sense to fit small healthy things to your life than change the whole life.

6. HEALTH INDUSTRY ONLY EXIST BECAUSE IT DOESN'T WORK?
Or what?

Sorry

I just find it very hard to regularly post in this blog because I seriously believe and feel that the time spent being physically active is so much better than time spent with my laptop.

My roommate has the same problem. Just the other day she was complaining about how it is very hard to be a proper working person (she is doing her internship), because she doesnt have time to do everything she has to at work, because she goes to the gym instead. :D.

But anyway, I promise, I'll post a proper post soon.

Have fun and enjoy the snow if you have any. We do :)