When I was about in my late 30s, I said to myself, Id like
to be a vegetarian at 40.
But now Im 48, nearly 50 and in that phase when I can say to
myself Id like to retire. After all, Ive been teaching for 28 yrs. Ive set up
a small school with former co-teachers (me husband included) and there it is, up and running (thanks to co teachers) for the next batch of active preschoolers. Im back with
university work fulltime and will definitely stay put to enjoy teaching
courses.
It is in these settled moments that I can make time to set new goals
for the next 10 yrs of my life. There is of course 2 unfinished business: my
Phd and finally getting to be more in touch with my spiritual and healthy self (yeah like I was like that at different points in my life but bec I am consistently inconsistent, there it goes :()
But perhaps if I look at my life like somekind of an expanding spiral or that maintain a view that life ain't linear at all but more like cycles of growth, then I think Im ok.
Anyways, during the holidays, I chanced upon a dear friend online and
ended up volunteering to look into his work. What was simply an editing job (and a means to delay work Im not up to do ing yet),
turned out to be a discovery of something Ive always wanted to try for
myself—the challenge of maintaining a healthy lifestyle…and consistently until
the day I die. ( and yes I can comfortably say until death because I do believe
that death is the way to get to the next life :)
This former WizIQ fellow who once dreamt of being a filmmaker has become a father to the Montage of his life, only this time, the documentary project which may be playing in his mind for years became something else -- a narrative but in a book format which documents his autobiography using a perspective of sorts, hence a montage coming to life--to mean truths unfold, meanings revealed, and simply be informed, or get inspired, just like a documentary which in the end boils down to what I can term as both nature cure and mind cure. See here: Montage of my Life: A self help book
What are my takeaways....here goes:
WHAT TO KEEP IN MIND
This blog then is a declaration of sorts and this is me
making myself accountable to my words:
1)
Keeping healthy takes more than just diet and
exercise. It is a mindset to take responsibility for what you can explicitly do
and choose to do to keep healthy in mind and in body.
2)
That is it not just a goal, but a journey of
getting there that matters.
3)
That innately, we truly can be our healthy selves, or should you believe in
destiny, everyone is destined to a life of greatness. But believing in this
ain’t enough. It takes conscious effort, every day decisions to act on it.
4)
That each and everyone of us simply need to
navigate one’s path to healthy living—and not all paths are the same. Therefore be mindful to define
that path. Take time to look back and carry on.
WHAT I CAN RELY ON
Perhaps this is a good time to look back on actions which I
know Im capable of doing at different points in my life. And that the goal is
to do these more and mindfully:
1)
Yoga – for breathing, centering, energy
maintenance and keeping energized
2)
Walking -
and preferably in the morning; also for daydreaming, decluttering quick
goal setting or keep my mind off things which I need not worry about to start
my day right
3)
Light and simple breakfast – toast, fruit,
cereals--- no need to eat right away in case not hungry to complete the process
of digestion; use energy to improve digestion of what was taken in the other day then fill up one's tummy right away
4)
Taking fruits and veggies
5)
Less rice intake
6)
No beef – chicken is fine; in case of beef, give
up on carbs and sugar for that week
7)
Jog/ run/ bike
8) Spiritual feeding every Sunday, either mass at least 2x or 3x a month and to take time to be thankful on a daily basis
9) Have fellowship with friends- who happen to be quite few hence take time to connect
To do the above mindfully means if I simply make clear to
myself the simple lessons behind each activity above, that should motivate me
to keep at it.
WHAT I NEED TO MINIMIZE
Being mindful means I need to work on the above to look into
what I can term as weak points. This is me also saying I am currently having
difficulties letting go off eating habits because I simply enjoy these with my
family.
Ø
coffee with Vic
Ø
eggs
Ø
pork sinigang
Ø
Sunday heavy breakfast than usual
Ø
sticky rice cake—it’s my wedding cake!
Ø
ice cream and cake = all our jokes over dessert
included (as long as it is not at the same time or too much)
Ø
chips to go with Walking Dead TV days ( which
means give up on the above on TV days)
Ø
Vic’s special dishes which now we have decided to prepare seasonally…
only during special occasions (kare-kare, kaldereta, callos)
WHAT IM WILLING TO START LEARNING IN THE SHORT TERM
This only means that I have to
What Im willing to try:
> fasting – I think I can because Im usually not a heavy
breakfast person and that
> choosing tea over coffee
> boxing!
>hydrate, hydrate, hydrate
>be mindful of balance –otherwise buildup of toxins. What
I need to watch out for is my sugary foods intake
Now to go about the science behind my choices or to the
extent of calorie counting may not be my cup of tea. So perhaps what can work
for me are practical lessons based on Lecture series on Toxemia and Enervation (see here: https://youtu.be/c-pinhzARko and https://youtu.be/zC2Swi1WxB4)
These will surely keep things simple and therefore something my mind can deal with to leave
brain space to focus on the research work ahead of me.
…and hopefully IN THE LONG TERM
> do away with “foods I cant do without” at some point in
my life
> do away with unnecessary worries which eats up my brainspace
WHY ALL OF THE ABOVE
Why do all the above…because it is the only way to get more out of life. And the MORE Im talking about are these:
Why do all the above…because it is the only way to get more out of life. And the MORE Im talking about are these:
1)
Id like to age without needing to succumb to
maintenance meds
2)
A healthy body will carry me through my research
study – I cannot afford to be unhealthy or get sick while Im away from my
family
3)
I do not want to burden my kids of old age
health issues
4)
Id love to live a bit longer to be there when my
son falls in love, becomes a great teacher or a father or even none of the
above but just be with my son or for my daughter to achieve a dream or two she has set herself out to do
5)
I secretly want to be a grandmom bec I think Ill
do really great at it
6)
Id like to be around Vic to see all life projects come true
THINK RIGHT. EAT RIGHT. LIVE RIGHT.
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