Skinny bitches and fat cows

Oh my god. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDakFfLQDF4

Is it okay that even social activities and surroundings are according to the weight class? Body weight is so important that we don’t even look at the individuals inside and purely judge based on weight. Are we developing two opposing cultures – cultures of bodyweight?

Bigger people have separate parties, training sessions, meetings and fashion shows, just because the others make them feel not normal and bad, to “hate themselves” . It is almost like a war – people against people, fighting over the right to feel good about themselves.  I think just because there is more of them, and because the rich and successful people we usually hear about in social media, are amongst them; plus that they have authorities like doctors and health politics and fashion industry “backing them up”, the skinny ones are “winning” – dominating in the world, and it is a social norm to be skinny or normal weight. It is viewed as better, more right.

That also might be due to the different personality traits people of different weight classes usually have.  Whereas (going to the extremes) anorexic people usually have very high self-control and they are always trying to control things, feel  positive, doing the right thing, people with bulimia or binge eating disorder (overeating with or without compensating) tend to be more impulsive, have lower self control and usually feel that their behaviour is wrong. Then it’s only logical that the skinny ones are dominating. They feel happy and in control, and looking down on fat people makes them feel even more so. Overeaters, on the other hand, are more vulnerable and already in doubts about their behaviour. Also, it is not so easy to look down on fit people – they seem so happy and successful, in control, because we also live in a society where fit=beautiful=good. In a way body says everything about one’s physical characteristics and level of beauty, but also who one is inside.

But if the body is such a big part of the whole individual, then how come or why, does everyone else seem to have so much right to say how it should look or be? In the end, it is one’s own body. It IS oneself. So shouldn’t the decision of how it should look also be one’s own?  After all, we don’t go around promoting other individual characteristics like “happy is good, be more happy” (at least not so much after the hippies :D), making angry people feeling bad about themselves and even more angry. And we don’t have a “angry tax” or things like that. Somehow, it is only the body weight, that seems to be such a public interest.

I don’t know how to conclude this here. Are the cultures going to separate even more? Is it gonna be better? Worse? Is okay as it is?

I think we should just remember that body, beauty and personality are not all just one thing, and that people are not all similar nor can we divide them into precise categories. Just like beauty, health comes in all shapes and sizes. Maybe we should all cool down a little bit on that topic and, once again, remember that mental health is also health. Maybe the big people should think consider if the discrimination in society really is that big or is it them experiencing and making it feel so; and by distancing themselves from people with smaller bodyweights, only making it a problem? And people of normal weight and good health should just continue what they’re doing but not turn so much attention to it? It’s like “being healthy” is an activity now, a thing to do. And apparently even such a big thing to do that sometimes it can cause so much stress that the amount of physical and psychological stress diminishes the benefits it would have and should have, making “being healthy” unhealthy. (I’ll write more on that some other time)

We spend so much time and effort on focusing on our bodies, that we don’t have the time to look around ourselves and see other people (like myself writing in last year concluding post that maybe I trained so much that I didn’t really leave enough time for my friends). We focus on ourselves and bodyweight and get stressed and depressed (“hating myself”), angry and are not nice to each other.
We should be friendly, happy and healthy instead. And maybe just a little bit hippie.
At least I am. J :D

Happy Thursday, everyone, have a nice weekend and be nice ;)

k.

Wintersleep ended

Heyhey!

I'm sorry there has been zero posts posted this year. I think I did fall to winter sleep. And I have been working on a post or a couple, but I am not quite sure what I think of these things yet and didn't want to write another confusing little thing. So I kept on waiting to make up my mind or conclude the thoughts so I could make statements. That's still not done, so I'll just post a little update meanwhile.

What's been going on:
First there was New Years Eve. That was cool.
Then there was a little bit time to kind of get started with the year, and begin to train more again after the celebrations. Then  on week 3 I had a 1-week-exam and I was working on the same time too. So there was very little sleep and training, very strange schedule and eating patterns and kind of low self-esteem not being sure if the exam, that was the cause of all these things, was even turning out good or not really.
Strange, but very true, that there is such a big difference between knowing what and how to do and actually doing it. I always keep talking about babysteps and taking things easy..But I think what happened was, that even though I made no new-years resolutions, I still planned to train and eat well and be very good at everything in 2013, and then when the exam came and took up all the time, even though just for a week, I already felt like a failure and lost the motivation. For everything.
Then week 4 was all free from school, just work. So while I was not at work, I felt like relaxing after that crazy exam week. Probably because of the loss of motivation for other stuff, I really enjoyed staying home, watching movies and reading books, or going out with friends and being so tired afterwards that stayed home some more and read some more books. I did take walks and stuff as well, but other than that no training. And I was also trying to figure out where to do my work placement (the part that I am not doing in Estonia) and what masters degree I would like to take. But that seemed confusing and stressful as well.

Then the school started again and I was really looking forward to it. I also started running again and going to the gym at school. However, it wasn't quite as cool as I expected. School schedule was like 2 days at school, 5 off, 1 at school 3 off; first my knee, then my hip started hurting from running so I couldn't run anymore and then it was, again, just working and doing that internshipfinding thing (sitting by my computer checking facebook every two minutes :/) . I was also applying for jobs. But getting back these "no thanks but good luck searching for something else" - e-mails was not fun either. So it seemed that if there's no school, no training and just working, then I can at least spend time with friends. The problem is, that if I am not happy about myself I usually feel in a way being bad for my friends as well.

But what was really cool at that time was that me and my brother were writing this book for my mum for her birthday. We wrote down some funny childhood memories and added photos and made it to a real book. My mum was so happy :).

When the book was done, I traveled to Estonia for a week. That was soooo good :). Seeing my family and friends, just chilling in my mother's nice apartment, being at home, mum's party...it was SO good. :). And mother know's what's good for children - I got my mum's prettiest bag that I have been in love with forever.

So now I'm back in Denmark and feel all motivated, happy and as if I can do anything and everything, having that bag.
I got a very good grade for the exam, found a new job, or even two, have been doing well on my cross-fit machine imitating running but trying to save the hip, to get better, and I even have school about 4 times a week now. I know it might sound geeky, but it is much much better than two.

I like spring and life and everything that comes with it :).
The post I mentioned, I've been working on, is about stress and health and mental health, the world and society, and about me. It will be posted soon, no stress :)

So far, have fun and go outside, it's nice :)
I'll go to my new work now :P
k.

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 :)

Life

..is still an adventure, I'm still alive, and still thinking and training :)

Update 1.
I have my computer and laptop back. Danish police wasn't very helpful, so I discovered I'd make a pretty perfect little Sherlock Holmes myself and got them back. Amazing.

Update 2.
I got a pizza delivery job - driving some car around Arhus and delivering pizzas :D. Thats not of any great relevance in my life, but that's the reason and also excuse for this blog getting so little of my time lately. But it's good for me - almost the main point in all the discussions of why obesity is becoming more and more widespread is that people have to do less and less to get more and more food. In that job the customers really dont have to do more than order and pay, but I have to make the pizza, take it, drive the car, and then take this endless amount of stairs (it seems to me everybody who orders pizza live on the 4th and 5th floor?).

Update 3.
I found myself an internship place for next summer in Estonia. No contracts haven't been made and nothing is certain, but it is very likely that for some time in  the beginning of summer 2013, I will be working in Sparta as a trainer/nutrition counselor. (this is so amazing that makes my stomach muscles contract and me want to screaaam :))

Update 4.
For about two weeks in October I tried out this very popular fasting. Eat one day, dont eat the next one. Besides different health benefits (increase in leptin and its sensitivity and other things that might be just as difficult to explain or understand), it should be a good way to decrease caloric intake - as long as a person eats healthy, eating double on the eating days shouldn't be likely to happen. Also it should be easier than being on for example fad diets, because instead of giving up food items for a longer period of time, one can always think that 'I can already have it tomorrow'. And basically, on the eating days, its allowed to eat whatever you want to eat.
I think it would be fine to do for other health purposes but not losing weight. My first concern is that isnt that kind of eating pattern way too close to bulimia? People on it could learn the habits or just develop bulimia and other eating disorders.
Second, I do realize that it should kind of give a freedom from thinking about food - if you know you're not going to eat that day, you shouldn't think about it. But I thought it before and also felt when trying it out, that basically, you're gonna think of food all the time. When not eating, then being hungry and waiting for tomorrow and thinking what you're gonna eat tomorrow and looking forward, and then when eating, thinking that can't eat again the next day. Plus it requires a lot of thinking and planning (especially when living alone but preferring to make my own food) to make the shopinglists and the foods that would either be easy to make just one portion, or that wouldnt go off.
For me it worked awful. I really didn't like that kind of lifestyle - probably just because it wasn't very natural for me and I ended up having to think and plan and be hungry or full way too much. And then at some point it turned to overeating-starving-overeating-starving. Then it went back to normal, but no..it wasnt really something I liked.
And, good or bad, it is almost impossible to drink alcohol with that lifestyle - you should either drink on an empty stomach or have a hangover without food, either of them feels very nice.
So all in all, it might work for some people, but it really didnt for me.

Update 5.
I am running. :). Not that much or not that fast, but for the last 4 weeks or so I've been running about 3 times a week 1-3km at a time. I have also been on two runs outside - one very short one to see how it feels, and then a slow 30 minute one, that luckily happily both ended well and no pain nowhere. I am really excited about the possibility that I might become a runner again :). Reeeeally.

Update (is it?) 6.
I think SO much. My brain is what my class would refer to as Franky :D. It's like a philosophical library with all this information. But maybe that's what people do when it's autumn. Or when they're young and not all that smart yet. I try to not make this blog a very philosophical place and keep these thoughts in my head, but about some of them, I am probably going to write here soon. Cause it's interesting :).

Update 7.
Swimming is very ok and I do it more than once a week. I still suck at it. But it's still cool.

Update 8.
Christmas and New Years are so close. Try to stay healthy and fit and focus more on people (or living loveable things) around you or feeling good in the New Years party clothes than eating :). And pleaaase refresh your memories of ice skating - i did and it's so much fun!

Update 8.
Sadly, it's a very sad day today, so I'll finish this post here.

But will be back.
Have fun :)