Tag: life
Religion and Nature…Together in 5781
I have never been overly religious. I believe in God, the universe, some higher power that
presents possibilities to us in different ways, and we have to be awoke enough to see them and have the faith and courage to take action.
I feel culturally Jewish, but more spiritually Buddhist.
The High Holidays this year for me were very personal and a time of reflection on where I am and where I want to go. I strive to be awake, do what fills me up with joy, follow my passions, face my fears, and let the people I love know it, through my actions and words. I will be a positive influence in my community and the world, take care of myself physically, mentally, and spiritually, so that I have the strength to be able to care for others. Kindness and gratitude will carry me through my life.
I spent both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kipper doing what has truly become one of my life’s passions, solo hiking up a mountain with a beautiful view on top. The combination of the strenuous effort to reach your goal, while having to be awake and mindful (so you don’t get lost or fall off!) is a good metaphor for life. The beauty of the journey through the forest, up the rocks, to the summit feels to me like healing for my soul. The breathtaking views, the air, the sweat, and the touch of the sun and wind make me feel so much closer to the Universe. Our crazy world is so far away, and all that exists is the all encompassing beauty of The Natural World. I feel that one day, when it’s my time, on a mountain I will be, and you will know…I was happy.
Where You Are and Where You Have Been Does Not Control Where You Are Going
Sometimes we just get caught up in our daily lives, spending so much time thinking about everyone else while neglecting the person and body that matters most—you.
If you are not healthy, doing what makes you feel good and right, you can’t take care of the ones you love. They learn from your actions about how to take care of themselves.
When I graduated from college, I left home to drive across country and eventually ended up living in Hermosa Beach, California. It was so nice there, right on the Pacific Ocean, and so conducive to fitness, exercise, running. I ran my first few marathons in Los Angeles and was pretty much as healthy as I ever was (my diet is better now though!).
I got a job as a baker and eventually managing restaurants (my 23 year old brain thought, “I would like to work where I can eat for free and meet women…”). Eventually I met Allison (now my ex), and we got married and decided to move back to Massachusetts, to Springfield, to raise a family, and I was going to join my brothers in the family bakery and deli business.
I remember thinking, I want to keep fit, I can do it…well ten years, four kids, two businesses later, I was 50 lbs heavier, not eating healthy, not exercising, not feeling too good about myself. That California guy was buried, hidden behind my new double chin.
I was almost 44 years old and I was truly as unhealthy as I had ever been. Finally this thought came into my head: When I have my first heart attack, then I will finally start to exercise. Whoa! What The F…Did I actually just think that! This is crazy…
I started to really watch what I ate, especially cutting out sugar (this was way before my vegan days). I started walking, then walking/running/walking again, until I could just run without stopping. I lost the weight, felt great, and ran the 2006 Boston Marathon ten months later.
I found myself again, and that guy, the one who lives, breaths, and eats as healthy as he can is who I am still today. The thought of starting and living a life with an emphasis on health can be daunting. When you don’t feel physically good, the challenge of changing seems insurmountable. But if I can do it, so can you! Just do your best, set your goal, and work at it one day at a time. Most importantly if you have a setback, no worries, just start again. One of the beautiful things about life is that we can start over every day, every moment is an opportunity to be your best self!
How Did I Do It?
I guess I was motivated first to not die! Then I researched some ways I could get healthier.
Jeff Galloway’s Book on Running was and is a great resource. He is a former Olympian and a great advocate of the run/walk/run method (http://www.jeffgalloway.com/). I have included the 10 steps to start running at the bottom of this post.
Just be careful and if you feel pain, do not push it (I have learned that lesson).
Start slow. Walk, make it a habit…truthfully just keep movin’. Think of your motivation and always keep it close to your heart. Mine, I want to be hiking up mountains or maybe hills with my grandkids (I don’t have any yet!).
Eating healthy takes discipline, preparedness, research, and once again a desire to feel better. If you can plan out your meals, have good food available at home, bring your lunch to work, drink lots of water, and eat, you don’t have to starve yourself.
Food is fuel to keep you going. Another web site/app that helped me a lot was My Fitness Pal (https://www.myfitnesspal.com/). It helps you keep track of what you eat, as well as fills you in on the calories and nutrients.
You have made a commitment to living a healthy lifestyle. Just do your best! The fact that your are trying is enough. Do not be discouraged—just keep working at it one walk, one run, one meal at a time. If you need advice or some encouragement, give me a shout.
Eat Green…..Keep Moving…..Repeat….Every Day
https://www.active.com/running/articles/10-steps-to-start-running
Dreamy
Looking around, there were signs everywhere. People in bibs, pictures of cattle on the wall, A-1 sauce on the table, and even men in cowboy hats having lunch.
Gazing at the menu, my fears were realized: steak, burgers, chicken, even lobster…wait a Salad! with eggs, cheese, and bacon…
Hmm…what to do…I was having lunch with some colleagues, not feeling like a fuss. Let’s see…World’s Greatest Philly Steak and Cheese—with peppers and onions! Veggies! Yes!
It came, wow, so hot, tasty and delicious. I’m about to dive in, take a huge bite… Mmmm….brinnnnggggggggg! Damn alarm clock! Awake I am now. I still dream in meat 🥩
Temptations are always there. You have to speak up: more and more restaurants have options, or will do something special for you. Like anything, the more people who adopt this plant-based diet, the more restaurants and grocery stores are going to change and embrace this healthy trend for people and the planet. Let me hear your stories of wanting to eat vegan, but feeling uncomfortable, not wanting to make a fuss. It’s worth it, you’re worth it. Healthy eating is a habit like anything else—be prepared at home or eating out.
Why?
Sitting at the Local Burger, across from my brother, he and everyone else enjoying some sloppy, tasty, aesthetically pleasing, 100% real beef burgers. Me, I’m eating a not-so-sloppy or -tasty, poor imitation veggie burger (there are better options now!).
“Why,” the chorus asks again, beef juice running down their collective chins, my brother’s being saved in his flavorful bushy beard, “did you become VEGAN?”
Interesting question, about a pursuit that is out of the ordinary, especially in my meat ‘n’ potatoes, third generation Jewish bakery and deli owners. I have many clear memories of my Dad walking behind the deli counter with a hot fresh bagel and slicing what looked like a pound of hot, amazing pastrami as a snack before going back to the ovens to bake! Yes, he did have a history of heart problems…
I had watched Forks Over Knives and thought it was pretty cool that diet could have such a profound impact on health and especially the medicine prescribed to us. I knew about marketers at Got Milk, coercing generations to drink that bovine concoction meant for baby cows. I had read many articles and books about sustainability and the deleterious environmental effects of raising cattle. I had once before, years ago, stopped eating meat for a short period after reading The Face on Your Plate. The guilt and deniability did not last.
All of this swirled in my head. I opened my mouth, ate my bowl of quinoa and said the truth, the answer any red blooded man (or woman) in love would say: I guess I was just trying to impress my girlfriend! She stopped being a vegan after month. I, on the other hand, am still going. We are still together, and my heart is healthy in so many ways.
-Vegan Dad 2019
The Vegan Dad MOVEment 