Indulgence for the holidays
French Silk Pie with a raw almond crust. Made by Susie, photo by me.
This is less a confession and more a statement of policy.
It is the holidays after all.
Thus, all rules and guidelines that might be more acceptable in terms of health and weight loss have a much greater… fluidity … than other times of the year.
No, I’m not going to eat a bottle of maraschino cherries. I have enough of those already floating around my stomach from 4th grade. Besides, they really don’t taste nearly as good as they did when I was a kid.
However, Grandma’s raisin tarts, eggnog, fresh whipped cream on French silk pie will not go to waste if I have anything to say about it.
Isn’t it amazing how fast the pounds can re-accumulate though? I gained four in the past week. I didn’t want that information to be the second post on Modern Hedonist, but isn’t that the way of things? There is an undeniable ebb and flow to anything we do. Too often, we translate “backslides” as failures and give up entirely. Don’t do that! I plan to continue my quest for a healthy hedonistic lifestyle for a very long time.
And actually, I don’t even see those extra pounds as a mistake at all. By Thanksgiving, I had already decided that I would be feasting on holiday goodness through most of December, especially during the week of Christmas. I figured I’d gain a few pounds and then let it slip away in the first couple weeks of the New Year. Easy come, easy go.
See? This isn’t really a confession at all. It’s more of a conscious choice to indulge for the holidays, guilt free, and accept consequences both positive and negative.
So treat yourself to that piece of pie with extra whipped cream, and enjoy your New Year’s parties – every last bite.
Healthy hedonism: A personal journey
Try this! An exotic Balinese fruit.
A couple months ago, I knew that things had to change.
You see, over years of delicious feasting and no exercise countermeasures, I’ve put on a few pounds. Enough that my BMI (body mass index) rates me as obese – and that was years ago. And I just kept going higher. Now I had reached my highest ever – about 232 pounds. It’s not as much as some – and for many, it really can’t be controlled – but the creaking in my knees and the difficulty tying my shoes around my belly made me think I needed to discover a healthier way to live.
The thing is, I refuse to compromise on taste. Every meal should be fabulous. I’m not interested in cleanses and deprivations. I’m a hedonist. I want to savor every bite. Not just of my meal, but of my life. I want to continue eating amazing food. I want to continue living through all of my senses. And, if I don’t find a healthier way to do this, I may miss out on much of the life I plan to live.
So there I was. Fairly inflexible, less agile, and I got winded walking up the stairs. I have some digestion issues – acid reflux mainly. When my dad was my age he was thinner than I. He moved better. Faster. Later in life, with steady weight gain, he contracted adult-onset diabetes. It looked like the direction I was headed and I don’t want to go down that road – I want a long, healthy, ecstatic life.
I needed a change in my health. But could I do that without sacrificing the sensual parts of living? Even better, could I find a way to more ecstatically experience life, food, sex and everything else? More than I already do?
After all, I’ve been helping people live this way for years now. It seemed like it was time to take things to the next level, for me and for them.
Since that decision, I’ve lost about 20 pounds. I’m moving better, feeling more energized. I made some changes, but I still enjoy almost every meal. I have a feeling it’s just going to get better too. Isn’t that the way of things we are truly passionate about? The deeper you go, the richer and more interesting it is.
Whether I live another 100 years or I keel over tomorrow, I want every meal, every smell, every experience, and every single moment to be delicious. The longer life, the better. Hopefully, this quest for healthful indulgence and ecstatic living can inspire you too. How about we take the ride together?
Sensual Christmas Spirit
Soaking in the Season
Christmas is a sensual holiday. Golden turkey roasted to moist perfection. Bowls of brilliant-colored candies that melt away on your tongue. Cinnamon and clove spiced apple cider. The smell of pine wafts through the house, from a tree decked with baubles and lights and more sweet treats. Gifts wrapped in color and cheer enticing the imagination. The comforting warmth of indoors after a cold winter chill.
We fill ourselves with the smells and flavors and sounds of the holidays, savoring every bit that we can possibly take in. Here’s the real question: How does it make you feel? I’m not just talking about joyful, anxious, loving – though that is a big part of this. But what do you feel like, through the senses, as you experience the holiday season and everything it means to you?
Let me offer an example.
One of my favorite moments this time of year is at the end of the day, as I wander off to bed. The tree is lit, the fireplace crackling, the room warm and inviting. Rather than turning off the tree, I yield to the scene and loll on the couch. From there, I indulge in the sensations…
I feel relaxed and comfortably heavy, sinking into the cushions of the couch. I also feel safe in that relaxation, as if all of my organs have suddenly started to breathe and sigh with relief. My belly feels particularly calm, secure and carefree (unless I’m really full). I breathe the scent of pine, gaze on the beauty of the decorations, and the moment layers with all the great holidays I have experienced over the years…a flood of feelings that relaxes me even further. I feel as if I am melting into the scene while filling the room and the house. Instead of simply the smell of pine, it feels as if every breath brings in the entire scene.
Overall, the sensation is one of both melting and expanding. I feel more connected with the people I love. If my thoughts wander, I am often hit with sparks of inspiration. I find myself wishing good cheer for everyone, and sending good wishes even to people that I normally don’t think about. In that sense of expansion, I almost feel as if I am with them too, could reach out and touch their cheek or give them a hug filled with honest love and encouragement.
Eventually, I extract myself from the couch and wander off to bed, with the sensations and connection of the moment still lingering with me. Later, if I want to, I can conjure that moment and its feelings again.
Would you like to try it?
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My dog enjoys a Christmas nap too
Find a place that really captures the spirit of the season for you. In addition to sitting next to my tree, I also like walking at night and seeing all the Christmas lights, or pausing in a crowded street of shoppers (yours may be similar or completely different).
- Now, take a moment to experience the scene – notice how it makes you feel, what it may inspire, what thoughts might come to you. Particularly note the way your body feels – the sensation of how it soaks up the panorama. Imagine that each of your cells desperately wants to remember what it feels like to be in this place. Put effort into feeling it and remembering it with your body. This allows you to more easily recall it later and grounds you more deeply in the sensuality of the moment.
- Spend as long as you like here, though I would recommend at least several minutes. Later in the day, try to bring back the moment. Breathe in the scene, and imagine that you are actually there again. Or, with all the fabulous spots available to you this time of year, do the same thing in a different place. The more often you do it, the more often you will allow yourself to connect with the feelings of the season.
I would love to hear what happens! Feel free to post your experience in the comments below.
I couldn’t help but giggle…
And though I may be the last person on the Internet to see this, I still want to share.
“Really?” you might ask.
Yes indeed…
I posted this on Facebook and one friend says she shows it to her babies when they get sad, and another uses it when she gets sad.
Laughter really is great medicine – and, as it turns out, infectious from quadruplets.
By the way, if you want to keep laughing, check out my other post from awhile back (Everything’s Amazing, Nobody’s Happy) - not quite so innocent, but still cracks me up. Also, this ever-random excursion with Tom Waits amuses me.
Breakthrough cancelled…don’t we like inspiration?
Or perhaps, the politics of media shut it down. The number of viewers was just too low for NBC prime time. Don’t let that stop you from getting the inspiration from the first two episodes, available on Hulu and through the Breakthrough Insider website.
One of Tony’s big reasons for creating this series (besides trying to change the lives of whoever watched), was to remake reality TV. He wanted something inspirational and positive rather than highlighting crazy drama or contests where the meanest guy stays on the island. The shows that did air definitely depicted a story of overcoming real world adversity – but apparently, that isn’t the drama that the larger population seeks.
Maybe it’s just too hard to take advice from a man who really seems to have it all. Are we jealous?
Maybe we don’t have time for feel-good stories – not with all the magical feel-good movies out there at our fingertips. Our lives are too complicated to sit down and watch something like that on a schedule anyway. I know I didn’t sit down in the evening to watch – I picked it up on Hulu later.
Perhaps we believe that we don’t really need it. Our lives aren’t bad enough yet to have to bring in the big guns.
Why were the numbers so low?
What do you think?
Tony talks about the change on his blog, including a promise to air the remaining four episodes at another time. He seems positive to me, excited about where it went, a little frustrated, and willing to keep the momentum. Click the image below to hear his comments for yourself.
Breakthrough with Tony Robbins tonight on Prime Time
Tony Robbins is going on Prime Time TV tonight ( NBC 8/7CST), in the first of six episodes that teach you how to transform your life in ways that you never thought possible. The show features people that struggle with problems so overwhelming that their lives are in ruins – and they don’t see any way out. The challenge for Tony? To turn them around within 30 days. And the even bigger challenge – to show you how to turn your life around too.
I’ve listened to Tony on and off for years now. He’s intense, committed, genuine and interested in helping everyone live a life filled with passion – at least, in my opinion. Everytime I listen, I think of how many friends, clients and family members I want to listen also – to hear his ideas, his theories, his calls to action, his tools for transformation and self discovery. Now, you can, free on TV.
There’s even an after-show program. Outtakes, behind the scenes, how it applies to your life. You can find all of that on the Breakthrough Insider website. Go there now and watch a series of trailers about the show and about Tony. See the advance praise already pouring in. Who knows? Maybe he can help change your life too.
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