Attention to health is life’s greatest hindrance. ~ Plato
Today, I have a simple suggestion for those of you who head to the office for work and want to stay on track with healthy eating habits.
First, when trying to figure out how you’re going to achieve a personal or professional goal, I always find it best to frame any objectives as positive action.
I realize this sounds hokey, but you don’t have to look any further than folks trying to lose weight to convince yourself there is value in this advice. Consider the following list:
- carbs
- chips
- dessert
- dairy
- meat
Insert the word “no” or “reduce” in front of each word and ask yourself if this sounds like a diet of someone you know.
And how did that work out?
I’m not saying you should or shouldn’t cut any of the things on this list. Nor am I saying weight does (or does not) depend on these factors. Instead, it has been my experience that for most mortals, deprivation drives desire, and it doesn’t take long before “no” becomes “yes.”
Although there are ways to combat this, if you’re going at it alone, the problem with including a “no” in your success equation is that the inevitable “yes” can leave you with an emotional hangover comprising guilt, despair, sorrow, fear, anger, and perhaps even hate.
And where can that lead you?
How about (in the words of Master Yoda) to a whole lot of suffering?
The word “diet” stems from the Greek word “diaita,” which means “way of life.” If you want to choose wisdom and understanding as a way of life rather than suffering, I recommend building your success equation with something positive.
A success equation associated with “eating better” is a great way to accomplish this goal. From this straightforward but powerfully effective affirmative action, one could outline a plan that includes bringing lunch to work (rather than eating out). Not only will you make better food choices, but you’ll also eat less and save time and money.
What about those occasions when your mornings don’t leave you with enough time to make lunch?
How about a smoothie/shake? I’ve become a huge fan of the NutriBullet. Not only is it reasonably priced (~ $90), but it’s practical and super easy to clean up. Fill it up with healthy ingredients such as greens, frozen fruit, nuts, flaxseed, cacao, soy/almond milk, and ice for an excellent lunch solution.
On that note, I will leave you with two musical nuggets today. First, is the awesome Phantogram (below and on our Spotify playlist). Second, if you like listening to background music while you work, I wanted to introduce you to the site myNoise. It has a ton of high-quality streams you can play to drown out chatty office neighbors or (in my case) tinnitus. What makes it especially cool is that each stream comes with sliders that allow you to adjust it to taste (or the background noise you’re trying to block). While working on this blog, I started with the “rain on a tent” stream to remind me of a recent backcountry trip I took along the Canadian border and am finishing with “Gregorian voices” to remind me of the prayers I said while on that same trip. Oy.
Give it a try, and if you like it, consider supporting the site as I have with a donation.
Cheers…xian
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Having said that, I am interested to hear from you. Good, bad, or otherwise, please feel free to drop me a line at xian@evaero.com. I’m the only person who will read your email and, as time allows, I’ll do my best, at a minimum, to personally acknowledge receipt.