I appreciate the lyrics of India.Arie as they are very telling and true.
JHM
One shot to your heart without breaking your skin
No one has the power to hurt you like your kin
Kept it inside, didn't tell no one else
Didn't even wanna admit it to yourself
And now your chest burns and your back aches
From 15 years of holding the pain
And now you only have yourself to blame
If you continue to live this way
[Chorus:]
Get it together
You wanna heal your body
You have to heal your heart
Whatsoever you sow you will reap
Get it together
You can fly fly
Dark future ahead of me
That's what they say
I'd be starving if I ate all the lies they fed
Cause I've been redeemed from your anguish and pain
A miracle child I'm floating on a cloud
Cause the words that come from your mouth
You're the first to hear
Speak words of beauty and you will be there
No matter what anybody says
What matters most is what you think of yourself
[Chorus]
Get it together
You wanna heal your body
You have to heal your heart
Whatsoever you sow you will reap
Get it together
You can fly fly
The choice is yours
No matter what it is
To choose life is to choose to forgive
You don't have to try
To hurt him and break his pride
To shake that weight off
And you will be ready to fly
One shot to your heart without breaking your skin
No one has the power to hurt you like your friends
Thought it will never change but this time moved on
An ugly duckling grew up to be a swan
And now your chest burns and your back aches
Because now the years are showing up on your face
But you're never be happy
And you'll never be whole
Until you see the beauty in growing old
It's The Weigh YOU do the Thin(gs) YOU Do! It flows, shimmer & glow...spinning and dancing in the light of THIS Moon for ... as it is the weigh you do the Thin(g) YOU do!
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Picture this...
I wanted to do a chronology through the last near 58 years of my life to show to myself what I really looked like when outside folks called me fat versus when I did indeed become fat.
And I can say fat it is not a dirty word nor am I ashamed. All those years people personally was calling me fat was some of the most successful professionallu speak years of my life and these outside people spent more time commenting on my perceived fatness then being celebnratory of my accomplishments!
What I did not realized as I rush from event to event and allocade to cheers was what Dr. Maya Angelou called being pecked to death. And while I did not really comprehend how much the comments hurt i was having so much fun and enjoyment that I would swallow the percing arrows and kept on stepping.
But there came a point when my belly became to full and I crossed the line from being overweight to obesity. It became for me very significan from 2004 until now when the stress and the pressure and the politics literally & physically wore me out. I then stopped caring, thought I was impervious to people's misbehavior when in actuality I was numbed.
I ended up in a place where I was miserable. Trapped in a community in itslef wasn't a bad place if you are used to such a conservative, restrictive, parochial & provencial place and the deprivation of social contacts outside of work with no outlets. I felt like I was in solitary confinement with no opportunity of parole. At first I did not realize how bad it was as I was still traveling but in the last several months it came to a screeching halt.
I am the heaviest I have ever been in my life almost twice my healthiest weight and i am paying for it.
However in the last couple of months I have been putting forth effort to fisrts become informed, rearranging my eating habits & surprisingly enough from doing a lot of writing.
But the biggest is 2 come in 2 weeks when I am getting out of Dodge. I am putting my things in storage taking the first thing smokin' and moving on.
It seems I have had several things people and circumstances who have seem to conspire to give me grief, but in actuality while none of these people know each other, the common denominator is that they all know me. One by one by one I am been relinquishing their hold on my heart and my life and with that have actually lost weight.
I lost them.
One thing I am not going to do is accept responsibility for others betrayal, but I will indeed accept responsibility for betraying myself. It took me the better part of 6 months to sit in the "bat cave" cutting out most contact to really see what was happening to me and where it came from and what I am going to do about it.
People can believe whatever they want about my words, agree with me or not, for they could always go get their own blog and have at it.
When I look back at my pictures not with a loning of "oh how I wish I looked like that again"...Nah. In someone's eyes somewhere they will see my size healthy as being to big..Because this culture's thinking is skewered. My size healthy would be 200 my optimum weight would be 175 which means I have between 113-138 pounds to relinquish.
My doctor tells me even 50 would make all the difference in the world. I know that I remembered what that felt like. I am fortunate that as of yet I do not have diabetes, my cholesterol need improvement, but not bad . My blood pressure is decent that is as long as I keep stressful, anxiety ridden people and things out of my way.
My goal for the reaining part of 2008 is 50 pounds. I need to have surgery in Dec for a hernia that is distorting my abdomen. I've negelected this too long. And then in 2009 the remaining 63 pounds will be conquored.
Here's to a new place and time for me with no regrets
I will say to anyone I am not ashamed of being fat.
6-29-08
And I can say fat it is not a dirty word nor am I ashamed. All those years people personally was calling me fat was some of the most successful professionallu speak years of my life and these outside people spent more time commenting on my perceived fatness then being celebnratory of my accomplishments!
What I did not realized as I rush from event to event and allocade to cheers was what Dr. Maya Angelou called being pecked to death. And while I did not really comprehend how much the comments hurt i was having so much fun and enjoyment that I would swallow the percing arrows and kept on stepping.
But there came a point when my belly became to full and I crossed the line from being overweight to obesity. It became for me very significan from 2004 until now when the stress and the pressure and the politics literally & physically wore me out. I then stopped caring, thought I was impervious to people's misbehavior when in actuality I was numbed.
I ended up in a place where I was miserable. Trapped in a community in itslef wasn't a bad place if you are used to such a conservative, restrictive, parochial & provencial place and the deprivation of social contacts outside of work with no outlets. I felt like I was in solitary confinement with no opportunity of parole. At first I did not realize how bad it was as I was still traveling but in the last several months it came to a screeching halt.
I am the heaviest I have ever been in my life almost twice my healthiest weight and i am paying for it.
However in the last couple of months I have been putting forth effort to fisrts become informed, rearranging my eating habits & surprisingly enough from doing a lot of writing.
But the biggest is 2 come in 2 weeks when I am getting out of Dodge. I am putting my things in storage taking the first thing smokin' and moving on.
It seems I have had several things people and circumstances who have seem to conspire to give me grief, but in actuality while none of these people know each other, the common denominator is that they all know me. One by one by one I am been relinquishing their hold on my heart and my life and with that have actually lost weight.
I lost them.
One thing I am not going to do is accept responsibility for others betrayal, but I will indeed accept responsibility for betraying myself. It took me the better part of 6 months to sit in the "bat cave" cutting out most contact to really see what was happening to me and where it came from and what I am going to do about it.
People can believe whatever they want about my words, agree with me or not, for they could always go get their own blog and have at it.
When I look back at my pictures not with a loning of "oh how I wish I looked like that again"...Nah. In someone's eyes somewhere they will see my size healthy as being to big..Because this culture's thinking is skewered. My size healthy would be 200 my optimum weight would be 175 which means I have between 113-138 pounds to relinquish.
My doctor tells me even 50 would make all the difference in the world. I know that I remembered what that felt like. I am fortunate that as of yet I do not have diabetes, my cholesterol need improvement, but not bad . My blood pressure is decent that is as long as I keep stressful, anxiety ridden people and things out of my way.
My goal for the reaining part of 2008 is 50 pounds. I need to have surgery in Dec for a hernia that is distorting my abdomen. I've negelected this too long. And then in 2009 the remaining 63 pounds will be conquored.
Here's to a new place and time for me with no regrets
I will say to anyone I am not ashamed of being fat.
6-29-08
I crossed the Line
Top Photo: 2006 age 56 with P. Russel McCloud weight 285Middle Photo 2007 age 57 wit Judege Mabelean Ephrim weight 300
Bottom Photo 2007 age 57 with Soledad O'Brian weight 300
Top Photo: Moon with syndicated talk show host Bev Smith-2001.age 51 lost 30 pounds
Moon on the Today Show set pre-Interview 2000~ I want to sit at Ann Curry's desk and give the news. age 50 weight 250
Middle photo: Inside Cover of Emerge magazine~2000
Bottom photo: Interview with WWL News pre unveiling of the New Orleans Mayor's Arts Award I designed~2000
Yup I was fatter.
Top Photos: (a) AAWOT conference presentation Philadelphia, Pa age 45
(b) JC Penney-SF 1995
(c). AAWOT 1995 Billye Avery with Moon post presentation Los Angeles age 45
Middle photo:1995 JC Penney exhibition publicity shot age 45 weight 175 I was called fat
Bottom phot0: Age 46 weight 175 Yup you guessed it I was fat...
Same person
Top picture:Wedding Day1968 age 18 weight 135 pounds painfully thin.Bottom picture. 1982 age 32 years old weighed 165 after 6 children. I was called too fat here too.
In Stage Production 1978
This is me at age 28 after 6 children. I was very active then still dancing professionally as well as raising a family. This was a dance performance from the production of Cotton Club. I weigh 150 lbs and there were some calling me "fat". I am 5 ft 10 1/2" tall.
Below is an essay I wrote for my other blog but felt impelled to share it here too for those who want to read it. I was encouraged by the person who I wrote the essay on. It shows you that one should never say never. That when one (me included) redirect their energies it is amazing what one can do that was previously thought could not be done, whether conscious or unconscious thoughts.
We've all done it and as an example just this morning alone how many "I cannot do it types of commercial that deals with an inadequacy versus one's ability to be able to do something.? One day if I have the time I am going to count up how many say "no, no no can't can't can't, can't, unless you use XYZ otherwise you are doom to fail".
And the conditioning has rendered us too afraid or too unsure of our (and we all have them) & emphasize far too strongly what we cannot (so it appears). It doesn't mean necessarily that any particular commercial is out to get us, but its marketing what can I say?
The one that really struck me odd was (yup, one on weight loss) and I listen to this beautiful woman say that the reason she was using this particular product was so she "could like herself again". She was lovely and big. Though this commercial was better then most, I heard in the message not of positive support and proactive I am capable of resolving my challenge and want to be the best I could be, but more of passivity & helplessness (unless you use their product). And 3 out of 4 people on the commercials were women.
I kept on thinking what is wrong with this picture?
But of course these are all marketing ploys that have consistently worked otherwise we would not have a multi billion dollar industry. There are a few that have a positive spin, but still in the minority.
I for one do believe we should have support as needed and requested and where 2 or ore are gathered together, one can get support otherwise none of us would have been here.
It simply is for me so unfortunate that highlighting weakness and not a strength has not been terribly effective before but it works well to sell a product. I look at the people here plus on a host of other threads and or websites and see a fire of determination who though may fall down 7 get up 8, keep on getting up. But the ones who try and then stop as they do not have it in them because of the conditioning hopefully at some point will move again.
Now the story:
Today I ran into a former a business acquaintance of mine .
He was positively glowing and seem happier then I had ever seen him & I had to tease him a bit about who was the new love in his life.
Well turns out he had quite smoking several weeks ago and it showed! When I asked him how did he do it and turns out he had been in the hospital a few weeks ago and spent 8 days and did not smoke. He thought then "Well if I went 8 days without a cigarette I could just continue"...
And so he did.
He looks great, really great and tells me he is enjoying food, the wonderful tastes and has even cut back greatly on coffee and Coke. In the four years I have made his acquaintance he sometimes would subsist only on cigarettes, coffee and coke. And had tried to quit smoking for over 10 years. This was a person who had struggled for 30 of his 50+ years with alcohol and substance abuse, lost a leg in a shootout in his teens managed somehow to overcome his addictions but could not could not seemed to stop smoking.
Never could he maintain a loving relationship with a woman, he loved women, but like some people rebuff when a woman got to close and wanted rightfully so a more committed, loving relationship with him. This was a man that had a lot to offer but did not see that he was worthy to allow someone to love him completely and find fulfillment.
According to him he has a nasty temper and I have witnessed it twice myself, but have always known him to be able easily to humble himself and apologize for his actions. What ever shadows were chasing him all his life he seem not to be able to put them down and rest. This was a man who cam from a 2 parent loving home, had his needs met, but somewhere along the line from what little he felt free to tell me, he did not think he was worthy.
In school he was teased and mocked a lot as he is not a tall man and quite slender, but did have a certain attractiveness about him and my suspicion there was some envy on the parts of the one who persecuted him.
But at the end of the day, he did find something deep in him that first gave him the ability to work on the alcohol & illegal drugs and now cigarettes. I've seen him start & stop counseling so many times that none of his friends batted an eye when he would try again.
But he did it, he did try again.
And so can any on us whatever it is that is holding you back or down. Like the Chinese proverb "Fall down seven, get up eight" You just keep getting up and starting where you are.
You owe it to yourself and you owe it to the rest of the world to be the best possible human being you can.
His examples shows that when a person is ready, really ready, they will do it.
And how cool is that?
We've all done it and as an example just this morning alone how many "I cannot do it types of commercial that deals with an inadequacy versus one's ability to be able to do something.? One day if I have the time I am going to count up how many say "no, no no can't can't can't, can't, unless you use XYZ otherwise you are doom to fail".
And the conditioning has rendered us too afraid or too unsure of our (and we all have them) & emphasize far too strongly what we cannot (so it appears). It doesn't mean necessarily that any particular commercial is out to get us, but its marketing what can I say?
The one that really struck me odd was (yup, one on weight loss) and I listen to this beautiful woman say that the reason she was using this particular product was so she "could like herself again". She was lovely and big. Though this commercial was better then most, I heard in the message not of positive support and proactive I am capable of resolving my challenge and want to be the best I could be, but more of passivity & helplessness (unless you use their product). And 3 out of 4 people on the commercials were women.
I kept on thinking what is wrong with this picture?
But of course these are all marketing ploys that have consistently worked otherwise we would not have a multi billion dollar industry. There are a few that have a positive spin, but still in the minority.
I for one do believe we should have support as needed and requested and where 2 or ore are gathered together, one can get support otherwise none of us would have been here.
It simply is for me so unfortunate that highlighting weakness and not a strength has not been terribly effective before but it works well to sell a product. I look at the people here plus on a host of other threads and or websites and see a fire of determination who though may fall down 7 get up 8, keep on getting up. But the ones who try and then stop as they do not have it in them because of the conditioning hopefully at some point will move again.
Now the story:
Today I ran into a former a business acquaintance of mine .
He was positively glowing and seem happier then I had ever seen him & I had to tease him a bit about who was the new love in his life.
Well turns out he had quite smoking several weeks ago and it showed! When I asked him how did he do it and turns out he had been in the hospital a few weeks ago and spent 8 days and did not smoke. He thought then "Well if I went 8 days without a cigarette I could just continue"...
And so he did.
He looks great, really great and tells me he is enjoying food, the wonderful tastes and has even cut back greatly on coffee and Coke. In the four years I have made his acquaintance he sometimes would subsist only on cigarettes, coffee and coke. And had tried to quit smoking for over 10 years. This was a person who had struggled for 30 of his 50+ years with alcohol and substance abuse, lost a leg in a shootout in his teens managed somehow to overcome his addictions but could not could not seemed to stop smoking.
Never could he maintain a loving relationship with a woman, he loved women, but like some people rebuff when a woman got to close and wanted rightfully so a more committed, loving relationship with him. This was a man that had a lot to offer but did not see that he was worthy to allow someone to love him completely and find fulfillment.
According to him he has a nasty temper and I have witnessed it twice myself, but have always known him to be able easily to humble himself and apologize for his actions. What ever shadows were chasing him all his life he seem not to be able to put them down and rest. This was a man who cam from a 2 parent loving home, had his needs met, but somewhere along the line from what little he felt free to tell me, he did not think he was worthy.
In school he was teased and mocked a lot as he is not a tall man and quite slender, but did have a certain attractiveness about him and my suspicion there was some envy on the parts of the one who persecuted him.
But at the end of the day, he did find something deep in him that first gave him the ability to work on the alcohol & illegal drugs and now cigarettes. I've seen him start & stop counseling so many times that none of his friends batted an eye when he would try again.
But he did it, he did try again.
And so can any on us whatever it is that is holding you back or down. Like the Chinese proverb "Fall down seven, get up eight" You just keep getting up and starting where you are.
You owe it to yourself and you owe it to the rest of the world to be the best possible human being you can.
His examples shows that when a person is ready, really ready, they will do it.
And how cool is that?
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Sleep that knits up the raveled sleeve of care~Shakespeare
Isaiah Dreaming photograph©08" Exercise offers many other mental benefits:
Reduces stress by helping to dissipate the lactic acid that accumulates in your blood
Sharpens your brain by increasing the amount of oxygen available
Eases built-up muscular tension
Strengthens and stimulates your heart and lungs
Stimulates your nervous system
Increases your production of endorphins- those little substances which create a sense of well-being and increase your body's resistance to pain
Stimulates release of epinephrine, a hormone that creates a sense of happiness and excitement
Increases deep sleep, as the brain compensates for physical stress
Moderate exercise lasting 20 to 30 minutes three or four times a week generally results in better sleep and more energy. You may have to find your own exercise rhythm-- some people can exercise any time, while others do better if they work out in the morning or afternoon, not near bedtime. But, vigorous exercise during the day and mild exercise before bedtime will not only help you fall asleep and stay asleep more easily, but will increase the amount of time you spend in deepest sleep phase (Stage 4 sleep).
In fact, in a study on sleep patterns of adults aged 55 to 75 who were sedentary and troubled by insomnia, exercise was shown to play a key role. Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine asked these adults to exercise 20 to 30 minutes every other day in the afternoon by walking, engaging in low-impact aerobics, and riding a stationary bicycle. The result? Time required to fall asleep was reduced by half, and total sleep time increased by almost one hour.
Entire article www.sparkspeople.com
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
9 Hidden Reasons to Stay Motivated
~Ways to Rediscover Your Drive~
By Zach Van Hart, Staff Writer www.sparkspeople.com
Everyone tells us to stay motivated. Our friends, our co-workers, our relatives say to keep going, don’t quit. Sometimes, though, you ask, "Why? Why try my hardest when it ends in disappointment? Why go through something when it’s going to hurt? Why?"Because it’s going to be different this time! Because you can’t accomplish anything that you give up on.
Disappointments and failures happen to everyone.
The difference between those who reach their goals and those who don’t is staying motivated. If you’re motivated, you’ll keep going. If you keep going, eventually you’ll reach your goal. Need more reasons? Here are 10 of our ‘hidden’ reasons to stay motivated. Use one or all of them to keep the fire burning inside you.
1. The ‘wow’ effect Picture this: Walking into a bar, you run into someone from high school, and their eyes light up. They gasp, "Wow, you look great!" By sticking with your goals, this can happen. Watch the "wows" add up.
2.. Make the week easier Ever felt like a week was taking forever? It feels like Friday, but it’s only Tuesday? This happens when you’re not working towards anything. When you have a goal in mind, you’ll want to cook that healthy dinner or go to the gym. The week will not only go faster, but be more enjoyable.
3. Gives you purpose Every once in a while, we need a good reason to get out of bed. Here it is, right in front of you. Eat the healthy breakfast that’s going to jump start your day, go for your morning jog, or walk to the driveway and grab the newspaper. When you’re motivated, you have a reason to do what you do.
4. For your kidsAnd your grandkids. And their kids, too. The healthier you are, the longer you’ll be around to watch your kids grow and to spoil your grandchildren. They’ll want you to be around as long as possible; consider this just another present.
5.. Power of momentum: It’s a scientific fact – something in motion tends to stay in motion. Momentum builds quickly and can lead to great results. Suddenly, you’re not only working for the goal, but also to keep your streak alive. Even more reason to reach your goals.
6. Confidence How did it feel after that first jog around the block? Or when you finally walked the stairs at work without losing your breath? The more you accomplish, the more you’ll believe in yourself.
7. Fit into that dress: It’s been hanging up in your closet for two years now, just waiting to be thrown on for a night on the town. All it takes is for you to go that extra mile and stay on track. Before you know it, those two years will be ancient history
8. Spread the spark When friends and family see how hard you’re working, they’ll wonder how they can reach their own goals. Guess who they’re going to look to for help? By staying motivated, you’ll not only help yourself, but others too.
9. Keep gaining experienceThe more you do, the more you will learn and understand. You’ll discover which tactics work best for you and which ones don’t. It’s like weeding out the garden - not the most enjoyable job in the world, but when you’re done, all that’s left are beautiful flowers. Keeping sticking with it and soon it will be all flowers for you.
By Zach Van Hart, Staff Writer www.sparkspeople.com
Everyone tells us to stay motivated. Our friends, our co-workers, our relatives say to keep going, don’t quit. Sometimes, though, you ask, "Why? Why try my hardest when it ends in disappointment? Why go through something when it’s going to hurt? Why?"Because it’s going to be different this time! Because you can’t accomplish anything that you give up on.
Disappointments and failures happen to everyone.
The difference between those who reach their goals and those who don’t is staying motivated. If you’re motivated, you’ll keep going. If you keep going, eventually you’ll reach your goal. Need more reasons? Here are 10 of our ‘hidden’ reasons to stay motivated. Use one or all of them to keep the fire burning inside you.
1. The ‘wow’ effect Picture this: Walking into a bar, you run into someone from high school, and their eyes light up. They gasp, "Wow, you look great!" By sticking with your goals, this can happen. Watch the "wows" add up.
2.. Make the week easier Ever felt like a week was taking forever? It feels like Friday, but it’s only Tuesday? This happens when you’re not working towards anything. When you have a goal in mind, you’ll want to cook that healthy dinner or go to the gym. The week will not only go faster, but be more enjoyable.
3. Gives you purpose Every once in a while, we need a good reason to get out of bed. Here it is, right in front of you. Eat the healthy breakfast that’s going to jump start your day, go for your morning jog, or walk to the driveway and grab the newspaper. When you’re motivated, you have a reason to do what you do.
4. For your kidsAnd your grandkids. And their kids, too. The healthier you are, the longer you’ll be around to watch your kids grow and to spoil your grandchildren. They’ll want you to be around as long as possible; consider this just another present.
5.. Power of momentum: It’s a scientific fact – something in motion tends to stay in motion. Momentum builds quickly and can lead to great results. Suddenly, you’re not only working for the goal, but also to keep your streak alive. Even more reason to reach your goals.
6. Confidence How did it feel after that first jog around the block? Or when you finally walked the stairs at work without losing your breath? The more you accomplish, the more you’ll believe in yourself.
7. Fit into that dress: It’s been hanging up in your closet for two years now, just waiting to be thrown on for a night on the town. All it takes is for you to go that extra mile and stay on track. Before you know it, those two years will be ancient history
8. Spread the spark When friends and family see how hard you’re working, they’ll wonder how they can reach their own goals. Guess who they’re going to look to for help? By staying motivated, you’ll not only help yourself, but others too.
9. Keep gaining experienceThe more you do, the more you will learn and understand. You’ll discover which tactics work best for you and which ones don’t. It’s like weeding out the garden - not the most enjoyable job in the world, but when you’re done, all that’s left are beautiful flowers. Keeping sticking with it and soon it will be all flowers for you.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Banana nana bo nana… fee fi fo manna-Bananas
After reading this, you'll never look at a banana in the same way again.
A professor at CCNY for a physiological psych class told his class about bananas. He said the expression 'going bananas' is from the effects of bananas on the brain. Read on
Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.
Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes.
But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.
Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.
Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a 'cooling' fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan. Smoking &Tobacco Use: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.
Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.
Strokes: According to research in The New England Jo urnal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!
PMS: Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.
Anemia : High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.
Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.
PMS: Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.
Anemia : High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.
Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.
Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school ( England ) were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.
Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.
Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and chips. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.
Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.
Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey.. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.
Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.
Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.
Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.
Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.
Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a 'cooling' fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.
Smoking &Tobacco Use: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.
Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.
Strokes: According to research in The New England Jo urnal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!
Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape! So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around.
Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.
Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey.. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.
Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.
Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.
Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.
Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.
Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a 'cooling' fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.
Smoking &Tobacco Use: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.
Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.
Strokes: According to research in The New England Jo urnal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!
Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape! So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around.
So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, 'A banana a day keeps the doctor away!'
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Fair Thee Well
Wow, look what I learned today. You can read in full at www.sparkspeople.com Serontonin can govern how a person reacts to unfair offers in life according to a study. It delivers electrical impulses, messages in between neurons that regulate emotional control. The lower the level of serontinin the more people will accept unfair offers or get taken advantage of Also, it showed in the study that anger that was shown by women is affected by the receptors running the brain cells is greatly affected by low levels of serotonin. So now one thing I have learned in my research is the correlation between anger and depression which is anger turned inward & weight gain or inability to lose weight. So is it possible to by increasing the seotonin, which aid and abates anger that we could in fact release weight? .
Serotonin Levels Determine Sense of Fairness
Wow, look what I learbed today. You can read in full at www.sparkspeople.com
Less of brain chemical makes people more likely to reject unfair offer, study shows
By Ed EdelsonHealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, June 5 (HealthDay News) -- Levels of a brain chemical known as serotonin govern the way people react to unfair offers when they play the game of life, a new study indicates.
Serotonin, which carries messages between neurons, is involved in emotional control. One recent study found that the expression of anger in women was affected by variations in a gene governing the receptors for serotonin in brain cells.
The new study, reported in the June 5 issue of Science, had people play what is called the Ultimate Game, which is being used widely in psychological and neurological studies. The game has one player proposing a way to split a pot of money. If the offer is accepted by the other player, both get paid. If it is refused, neither gets a payment.
The researchers had some players make deliberately unfair offers: "I get 80 percent, you get 20 percent." They found that players given a chemical that lowered serotonin levels were more likely to reject an unfair offer.
Serotonin levels have that effect, because the chemical is involved in the activity of the prefrontal region of the brain, explained study author Molly J. Crockett, a doctoral student at the University of Cambridge in England.
"One recent study on the Ultimate Game showed that when an unfair offer is accepted, you see activity in the prefrontal cortex," Crockett said. "Down-rating the emotional response makes it more unlikely that an unfair offer will be accepted."
In other words, lower serotonin levels also meant a higher level of resentment, so that an offer that wasn't as good as it might be would be turned down. Conversely, higher serotonin levels would make it easier to live in an imperfect world.
It's hard to apply that knowledge directly, Crockett said.
"What we did was have people fast overnight," she said. "On some days of the study, they took either a pill with all amino acids or a placebo. On the experiment day, they took a pill with all the amino acids but tryptophan. Over the course of several hours, that would have been converted to serotonin."
Knowledge about the role of serotonin in the emotions already is being put to use, sometimes legally and sometimes not, said research team member Matthew D. Lieberman, an associate professor of psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Prescription medications such as antidepressants are known to affect serotonin levels, and the same is true of MDMA, the psychedelic drug whose street name is Ecstasy, Lieberman said. It is, he said, "a quick serotonin enhancer."
One everyday implication of the study is that brain chemistry "is going to affect how we judge other people and are treated by other people," Lieberman said.
A proposed experiment would have people play the Ultimate Game inside a magnetic resonance imaging machine that would produce images of brain activity, Lieberman said. "We could see, as we change serotonin levels, how the brain responds in an imaging study to fair and unfair offers," he said.
_How Many pounds in Junk Foods in a year
I heard this on a segment of Dr. Phil Show several months ago:
Soda 46 pounds a year
2 egg sausage croissants 550 calories a week 82 pounds
Double hash browns 1300 calories wk 18 pounds a year
2 double cheeseburgers per day 65 pounds in a year
1 large fries a day 42 pounds a year
6 pc chicken nuggets 18 pounds a year
Double wow.
Soda 46 pounds a year
2 egg sausage croissants 550 calories a week 82 pounds
Double hash browns 1300 calories wk 18 pounds a year
2 double cheeseburgers per day 65 pounds in a year
1 large fries a day 42 pounds a year
6 pc chicken nuggets 18 pounds a year
Double wow.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Holding my Fire
I got a secret, now if you promise not to tell anyone else, I’ll tell you my secret…
Are you ready for this? There has always been this little part of me that used to be much louder, but I have been holding my fire with bated breath for someone to come along and save me, protect me, and make my life somehow better.
Whew that felt better. And I know another secret that I have to hold you to on the point of hanging you by your hair and torturing you with a feather.
Promise?
Here it is…
I am not alone in those thoughts!
And I would suspect that this is a universal yearn for, and hankering of human beings from the beginning of time to know that we matter, and that we are cherished. That someone’s eyes light up when we walk into a room. I do not see where this wish will detract from my ability to care for myself or make me any less of an autonomous woman, just a very human one.
Once upon a time in the not so distant past, I, like a lot of other people had great angst and hurt because no one seemed to care enough for me to cherish me. I’ve had more then my share of people who used me, who feigned friendship (was it them or me?) making me and my life more like the Dew Drop Inn where for the price of a few minutes of attention you can have a genourmous (bigger then hugemongous) party, trash the house and then move on at my expense.
And while I thought I was successful in getting them out before the cops came and charged me with disturbing the peace, I was still left with the trash and debris. I became fatter, more anxious, and more injured because of one thing. I had left the dag-gone tape running.
We know the one, because most of us have hit that play button many times.
The one that told us that no matter what, we would be triumphant, we’d win the Nobel Peace Prize, find the cure for cancer, solve world hunger and establish peace. Even if we do all those things and throw in a Grammy or Oscar for good measure, we somehow feel we’re not good enough unless there is someone to genuinely care for us or about us.
Of course I am exaggerating here, but so is the tape. A gross amplification of what life really is and who we are in this life. I didn’t take the tape out and destroy it, I turned the volume down and it continued to drone on unremittingly.
So we hold back our fire, at least I did; though there are many times I couldn’t hold the fire back.
Despite the low grade tape still incessantly running nearly inaudible in my conscious thoughts, I did some things quite well and far more successful then what some of the silhouette people had prophesized.
I read this quote last night, “You block your dream when you allow your fear to grow bigger then your faith” ~Mary Manin Morrissey. The desire to be cared for and cherished is not wrong, it’s very human. It’s when we allow that honest need to override our dreams, that it takes third row center in our lives and it tap dances all over our faith in doing what is right. The hitch is not to mute the tape, but pull it out, smash it, toss it in the recycling bin or delete it permanently and move on.
Release the fire to win the Nobel Peace Prize, find the cure for cancer, solve world hunger and establish peace, write seven award winning novels, and garner an Oscar,Grammy & make a mean to die for low fat, non-dairy omelet while you're at it..
Are you ready for this? There has always been this little part of me that used to be much louder, but I have been holding my fire with bated breath for someone to come along and save me, protect me, and make my life somehow better.
Whew that felt better. And I know another secret that I have to hold you to on the point of hanging you by your hair and torturing you with a feather.
Promise?
Here it is…
I am not alone in those thoughts!
And I would suspect that this is a universal yearn for, and hankering of human beings from the beginning of time to know that we matter, and that we are cherished. That someone’s eyes light up when we walk into a room. I do not see where this wish will detract from my ability to care for myself or make me any less of an autonomous woman, just a very human one.
Once upon a time in the not so distant past, I, like a lot of other people had great angst and hurt because no one seemed to care enough for me to cherish me. I’ve had more then my share of people who used me, who feigned friendship (was it them or me?) making me and my life more like the Dew Drop Inn where for the price of a few minutes of attention you can have a genourmous (bigger then hugemongous) party, trash the house and then move on at my expense.
And while I thought I was successful in getting them out before the cops came and charged me with disturbing the peace, I was still left with the trash and debris. I became fatter, more anxious, and more injured because of one thing. I had left the dag-gone tape running.
We know the one, because most of us have hit that play button many times.
The one that told us that no matter what, we would be triumphant, we’d win the Nobel Peace Prize, find the cure for cancer, solve world hunger and establish peace. Even if we do all those things and throw in a Grammy or Oscar for good measure, we somehow feel we’re not good enough unless there is someone to genuinely care for us or about us.
Of course I am exaggerating here, but so is the tape. A gross amplification of what life really is and who we are in this life. I didn’t take the tape out and destroy it, I turned the volume down and it continued to drone on unremittingly.
So we hold back our fire, at least I did; though there are many times I couldn’t hold the fire back.
Despite the low grade tape still incessantly running nearly inaudible in my conscious thoughts, I did some things quite well and far more successful then what some of the silhouette people had prophesized.
I read this quote last night, “You block your dream when you allow your fear to grow bigger then your faith” ~Mary Manin Morrissey. The desire to be cared for and cherished is not wrong, it’s very human. It’s when we allow that honest need to override our dreams, that it takes third row center in our lives and it tap dances all over our faith in doing what is right. The hitch is not to mute the tape, but pull it out, smash it, toss it in the recycling bin or delete it permanently and move on.
Release the fire to win the Nobel Peace Prize, find the cure for cancer, solve world hunger and establish peace, write seven award winning novels, and garner an Oscar,Grammy & make a mean to die for low fat, non-dairy omelet while you're at it..
. The rest of us will be better for it and we will cherish you for it.
Now that just might be me, and how cool is that!
How the Monkey Saved the Fish
For people who seem to have this overwhelming urge to "help" people by being abusive saying or even thinking or behaving in unconscionable ways toward some one who doesn't fit their comfort level think twice before you "help" .
I did not say do not help, but how you do. It is not what you say, but the manner in which you say it can make all the difference in the world.
The rainy season that year had been the strongest ever and the river had broken its banks. There Were floods everywhere and the animals were all running up into the hills. The floods came so fast that many drowned except the lucky monkeys who used their proverbial agility to climb up into the treetops.
They looked down on the surface of the water where the fish were swimming and gracefully jumping out of the water as if they were the only ones enjoying the devastating flood. One of the monkeys saw the fish and shouted to his companion: “Look down, my friend, look at those poor creatures. They are going to drown. Do you see how they struggle in the water?”
“Yes,” said the other monkey. “What a pity! Probably they were late in escaping to the hills because they seem to have no legs. How can we save them?” “I think we must do something. Let’s go close to the edge of the flood where the water is not deep enough to cover us, and we can help them to get out.”
So the monkeys did just that. They started catching the fish, but not without difficulty. One by one, they brought them out of the water and put them carefully on the dry land.
After a short time there was a pile of fish lying on the grass motionless. One of the monkeys said, “Do you see? They were tired, but now they are just sleeping and resting. Had it not been for us, my friend, all these poor people without legs would have drowned.”
The other monkey said: “They were trying to escape from us because they could not understand our good intentions. But when they wake up, they will be very grateful because we have brought them salvation.”
The moral of this tale is easy to see.
While we sincerely think our intentions are good and honorable ones, we need to be mindful that we are not projecting our way as the only way on someone else. At the very least give the other person the courtesy of asking their permission with respect not condescension, if our help is needed before rushing pell mell into something that end up hurting them rather then helping.
Of course there are exceptions as in if a hurtling 2-ton truck is barreling down and death is immanent, then you act first if its in your power. But most of the time when people "help" it is not of immanent danger, but more of meddling of feeling our own discomfort at some one's expense.
I did not say do not help, but how you do. It is not what you say, but the manner in which you say it can make all the difference in the world.
The rainy season that year had been the strongest ever and the river had broken its banks. There Were floods everywhere and the animals were all running up into the hills. The floods came so fast that many drowned except the lucky monkeys who used their proverbial agility to climb up into the treetops.
They looked down on the surface of the water where the fish were swimming and gracefully jumping out of the water as if they were the only ones enjoying the devastating flood. One of the monkeys saw the fish and shouted to his companion: “Look down, my friend, look at those poor creatures. They are going to drown. Do you see how they struggle in the water?”
“Yes,” said the other monkey. “What a pity! Probably they were late in escaping to the hills because they seem to have no legs. How can we save them?” “I think we must do something. Let’s go close to the edge of the flood where the water is not deep enough to cover us, and we can help them to get out.”
So the monkeys did just that. They started catching the fish, but not without difficulty. One by one, they brought them out of the water and put them carefully on the dry land.
After a short time there was a pile of fish lying on the grass motionless. One of the monkeys said, “Do you see? They were tired, but now they are just sleeping and resting. Had it not been for us, my friend, all these poor people without legs would have drowned.”
The other monkey said: “They were trying to escape from us because they could not understand our good intentions. But when they wake up, they will be very grateful because we have brought them salvation.”
The moral of this tale is easy to see.
While we sincerely think our intentions are good and honorable ones, we need to be mindful that we are not projecting our way as the only way on someone else. At the very least give the other person the courtesy of asking their permission with respect not condescension, if our help is needed before rushing pell mell into something that end up hurting them rather then helping.
Of course there are exceptions as in if a hurtling 2-ton truck is barreling down and death is immanent, then you act first if its in your power. But most of the time when people "help" it is not of immanent danger, but more of meddling of feeling our own discomfort at some one's expense.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
A word to the wise...
Here is something inspiring as we are on this journey to rediscovery & releasing!
A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, "How heavy is this glass of water?" Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter It depends on how long you try to hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance."
In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.
He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on.""As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden."
So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow.
Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can. Relax; pick them up later after you've rested. Life is short. Enjoy it!"
And then he shared some ways of dealing with the burdens of life:
* Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.
* Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.
* Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.
* Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by theirMaker.
* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
* If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.
* Never buy a car you can't push.
* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.
* Nobody cares if you can't dance well. The important thing is that you tried.
* The second mouse always gets the cheese.
* We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors. But they all have to live in the same box"
A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.
A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, "How heavy is this glass of water?" Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter It depends on how long you try to hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance."
In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.
He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on.""As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden."
So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow.
Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can. Relax; pick them up later after you've rested. Life is short. Enjoy it!"
And then he shared some ways of dealing with the burdens of life:
* Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.
* Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.
* Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.
* Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by theirMaker.
* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
* If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.
* Never buy a car you can't push.
* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.
* Nobody cares if you can't dance well. The important thing is that you tried.
* The second mouse always gets the cheese.
* We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors. But they all have to live in the same box"
A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.
Big City Woman ©94
By iiammoon© 94
Brimming, bursting, embodied, expansive, extraordinary, full, grand, healthy, huge, immense, laden, large, magnitude, spacious, substantial....., suffused, personified, represents ,replete...
Oh my goodness!
What a difference a word makes.
In how you take me.
What you saw
And what you see
Is it me
Or a rendition of a story you wanted tell
On how you see me.
Or.
You thought how I saw myself.
Were two separate entities
Some who claimed they were trying to ...
Spare me..
Ha!
What a joke!
Spare me from what?
All the substance & beauty of my world, my vibe?
Did not jibe with what I knew to be me.
There are many directions going to the same place.
You just used a well worn, tired road that never bore any truth as it was.
But by using all the adjectives polite circles used to shape my girth,
Supposedly when they don't want to hurt my feelings..
But much more, I expected you to use .
These words..
Apply it if you please in addition to my size?
And more aptly, Though some would never admit it
To my beauty.
Imagination.
My wit, Humor. Drive. Intelligence.
Heart, spirit and stature.
What a difference a word can make!
Now, lay it on down..
And why don't you c'mon now and just samba with me!
All rights reservedJHM94©
I originally wrote this poem in 1994 updated in 2001 and recently revised still again. While I have the original version which was very short and perhaps I'll post it at some point, but I think in the years growth this is where things are today, though I am far 113 pounds heavier today then when I wrote this! I guess my heart & attitude grew even bigger then my girth.
Baby Workout!
Did you know that exercise keeps your mind sharp?
A recent study from the National Institutes of Health found that
the most sedentary individuals (i.e. couch potatoes) are 2.5 times more likely
to develop dementia than regular exercisers. Dementia is a condition of
declining mental abilities (especially memory) that affects your personality,
skills (like driving a car), and verbal abilities.
Solution?: Stay on a consistent exercise program throughout your
lifespan. Try not to view exercise as a temporary means to and end such as
weight loss. It is part of a healthy lifestyle, and while it does help you lose
and maintain weight, it can ward off plenty of health problems, from heart
disease to depression.
And...
Exercise also helps your kids concentrate better in school and sets
the foundation for healthy habits that will help them prevent future health
problems as well.
We are Taking A.I.M!
Bienvenue (Be welcome)!
This is not going to be your usual format for why we are the way we are, but to understand and to be fuller people (no pun intended) as Langiappe Elles ( pronounced LandYAP- Creole for a little extra something ) women. Substantial women, Extra-ordinary Women, full bodied Big City Women!
Words DO matter, so as we go about the business of physical, emotional & intellectual wellness, we will make concerted efforts to change the paradigms, to shift how we see ourselves in concert with the rest of the world. Make no mistake, we are in the business collectively to advocate, educate, mitigate, orchestrate & support one another as we take A.I.M
Attitude
Imagine
M otivate
one another, but we do so in the spirit of we are just fine where we are in the scheme of things.
We will not wait to exhale but have extraordinary fatabulous lives right now, right at this moment and more so when we think things are the darkest. And not allow others to define the sum of our goodness.
Make no mistake, the purpose here is because I think that obesity is a happy experience.
We know that to be to the contrary. There is a certain health factor when too much of a good thing is too much. While recognizing the societal pressure put upon large women that is punitive, demeaning and destructive, but we also know on some level that +"Shame does not bring about change".
But we do not have to allow that into ourselves or into our personal space.
The mere fact of acknowledging that we have to release, not lose (if you lose something what is the first thing that you do?) is in itself a declaration of joy.
A release from F.E.A.R
False Expectations Appearing Real
Most of us won't even acknowledge that we indeed have 100 pounds to let go. It is part of the shaming punitive mindset of this world. 10, 15, 30 pounds is acceptable to say but not 100! But why? I have 100 pounds to release. It did not get here overnight, nor will it make its final curtain call overnight.
In fact, I had a serious matter over the summer of 2007 that allowed the weight I had released this summer to make their return in a vengeance.
But I have not disallowed myself from having a life, a career or passion for living. I have not always weighed in at 300 +. I am 5'11. And when think of when I was indeed 100 pounds lighter, people who acted shamefully toward me and I allowed them into my world still treated me badly. It wasn't bad all the time, there was sunshine / rain, fire/& ice light/ dark, but I had swallowed too much and it ate away at me (Pun not intended).
This is the heaviest I've been in my life and this last 65 came because of something that I suppressed/swallowed under the guise of nobility or being the bigger person when all it did was plain old hurt. And hurt badly. What was that comment that Dr. Angelou says about people's ability to peck you to death? We cannot stop other people but we sure can do something about us by shifting the paradigms.
The conditioning of the culture does not allow women let along fat women to have real legitimate feelings or to find good safe weighs to manage & be. It is tough work & a painful one, but I want to believe that we are serious about our own well being and may take 2 steps forward & one step back, but at least we did take 1 step forward!
It is a major irritant when the cliches' Get over it & it's 1st cousin move on particularly when it is presented with the rolling of the eyes or a voice of disdain. Or my other favorite is "We are only concern about your health" which is a thinly veiled sugar coated judgement.
This is not going to be your usual format for why we are the way we are, but to understand and to be fuller people (no pun intended) as Langiappe Elles ( pronounced LandYAP- Creole for a little extra something ) women. Substantial women, Extra-ordinary Women, full bodied Big City Women!
Words DO matter, so as we go about the business of physical, emotional & intellectual wellness, we will make concerted efforts to change the paradigms, to shift how we see ourselves in concert with the rest of the world. Make no mistake, we are in the business collectively to advocate, educate, mitigate, orchestrate & support one another as we take A.I.M
Attitude
Imagine
M otivate
one another, but we do so in the spirit of we are just fine where we are in the scheme of things.
We will not wait to exhale but have extraordinary fatabulous lives right now, right at this moment and more so when we think things are the darkest. And not allow others to define the sum of our goodness.
Make no mistake, the purpose here is because I think that obesity is a happy experience.
We know that to be to the contrary. There is a certain health factor when too much of a good thing is too much. While recognizing the societal pressure put upon large women that is punitive, demeaning and destructive, but we also know on some level that +"Shame does not bring about change".
But we do not have to allow that into ourselves or into our personal space.
The mere fact of acknowledging that we have to release, not lose (if you lose something what is the first thing that you do?) is in itself a declaration of joy.
A release from F.E.A.R
False Expectations Appearing Real
Most of us won't even acknowledge that we indeed have 100 pounds to let go. It is part of the shaming punitive mindset of this world. 10, 15, 30 pounds is acceptable to say but not 100! But why? I have 100 pounds to release. It did not get here overnight, nor will it make its final curtain call overnight.
In fact, I had a serious matter over the summer of 2007 that allowed the weight I had released this summer to make their return in a vengeance.
But I have not disallowed myself from having a life, a career or passion for living. I have not always weighed in at 300 +. I am 5'11. And when think of when I was indeed 100 pounds lighter, people who acted shamefully toward me and I allowed them into my world still treated me badly. It wasn't bad all the time, there was sunshine / rain, fire/& ice light/ dark, but I had swallowed too much and it ate away at me (Pun not intended).
This is the heaviest I've been in my life and this last 65 came because of something that I suppressed/swallowed under the guise of nobility or being the bigger person when all it did was plain old hurt. And hurt badly. What was that comment that Dr. Angelou says about people's ability to peck you to death? We cannot stop other people but we sure can do something about us by shifting the paradigms.
The conditioning of the culture does not allow women let along fat women to have real legitimate feelings or to find good safe weighs to manage & be. It is tough work & a painful one, but I want to believe that we are serious about our own well being and may take 2 steps forward & one step back, but at least we did take 1 step forward!
It is a major irritant when the cliches' Get over it & it's 1st cousin move on particularly when it is presented with the rolling of the eyes or a voice of disdain. Or my other favorite is "We are only concern about your health" which is a thinly veiled sugar coated judgement.
We are so hooked into instant gratification that if something that affects us monumentally we are suppose to just walk away with a smile within 3.5 seconds though it may take us 24 to process. Or longer. I find people use those terms to stand in judgement or they do not want to be bothered.
Well then,don't (be bothered) & this will be one of the times I will say lose it..
Lose them!
My thoughts now are who gave the speaker the authority over when we are truly ready to get over, if there is such a thing?
I rather us see things in *"Let it Be"* And even that is a process.
So off we go. Share your thought large and small, triumphs & challenges in your comments. We would like to also welcome those who have successful released or the allies that which to support these women (and men) in their endeavors.
However I will forward you. This will not be the blog to chastise or put down each other or to ridicule people. As I said shame will not bring about change.
Even if you have to repeat the same things over & over again, that you are worth it and mean it then keep on saying it and live out loud!
Well then,don't (be bothered) & this will be one of the times I will say lose it..
Lose them!
My thoughts now are who gave the speaker the authority over when we are truly ready to get over, if there is such a thing?
I rather us see things in *"Let it Be"* And even that is a process.
So off we go. Share your thought large and small, triumphs & challenges in your comments. We would like to also welcome those who have successful released or the allies that which to support these women (and men) in their endeavors.
However I will forward you. This will not be the blog to chastise or put down each other or to ridicule people. As I said shame will not bring about change.
Even if you have to repeat the same things over & over again, that you are worth it and mean it then keep on saying it and live out loud!
ALl rights reservedJHM9-17-7
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