Woodbury Bulletin - 03/25/2009
My son started kindergarten when Liberty Ridge Elementary opened in 2003. It was a brand new school. Two years later, my daughter became a kindergartener at the same school.
We like the school and the staff. Liberty Ridge is the only school we know. And it is the closest school to our home.
We couldn’t be happier than we are.
When District 833’s school board made the final decision to change the school attendance boundary last April, the result meant my daughter will have to move to Middleton Elementary School as a fourth-grader.
My son will graduate from the elementary school this year and move on to Lake Junior High School, soon to be Lake Middle School. But my daughter still has two more years to go. So she has to move to a different school.
Change is hard for most people.
I remember the series of articles carried in the Woodbury Bulletin about the issue.
There were neighborhood petitions to have their kids go to a different school or stay in the same school.
There were letters to the editors from readers who expressed their opinions as to which plan should be the best.
There were heated debates. There was even a lawsuit.
Everyone had valid points.
I don’t see why kids have to be bused past several schools to get to their new ones. I wish kids living in the same neighborhood didn’t have to be split up and go to different schools.
But I can also understand the concern and resistance parents had whose kids have to change to a different school.
People often buy houses in a certain area because they like a particular school. It’s hard for them to accept the change.
I know people who like Liberty Ridge and don’t want to go to a different school. But I also know people who like Middleton or Red Rock and don’t want to move to a different school.
Once we are used to a school, we like it and get attached to it. We tend to think this is the best one and the only one we want.
While I was not too thrilled about the boundary change for us, I was not really concerned about it.
Yes, Middleton is not as new as Liberty Ridge. It is a little further away for us. It will be a totally new environment for my family.
And while my daughter seems to know everyone at Liberty Ridge, at least in her own grade level, she will only know some at Middleton.
But for me, a school is a school. A school is more than a name or a building. What makes a school good is the dedicated teachers, the actively involved parents and the kids.
It doesn’t matter so much which school in Woodbury my daughter will go to. What matters more is what teachers she will have.
I know some teachers at Liberty Ridge came from Middleton. There must be good teachers at Middleton, as well.
Several weeks ago I had a chance encounter with a young woman. During our very brief conversation, I found out (Didn’t I tell you in my last column that I like to ask questions?) that her daughter goes to Middleton.
After the boundary change next school year, she will go to Liberty Ridge. The woman knows both schools.
She told me that she preferred to have her daughter stay in Middleton.
That brief conversation erased any concern I might still had about the school change for my daughter.
During the week of March 8, my daughter visited Middleton during her school day with all the kids at her school that will go to Middleton.
That same evening we went together for a tour of the school and a presentation by the principal.
We both liked what we saw and experienced. We also liked the Middleton principal.
My daughter imitated several times how the principal introduced herself to the kids during their day time tour. She thought the principal was good and funny.
That same week, my son and I also visited the Lake Junior High School, which will be renamed Lake Middle School when he enters the sixth grade. There was a presentation by the principal and other school officials.
I really appreciate our school district’s efforts in organizing these transition meetings for students and parents, even though the actual change won’t happen till six months later.
They give families an opportunity to visit their new school, to meet the people, to have their questions answered.
I could see that the schools and staff are working hard to prepare for the boundary change and also for the change in grade configuration, both starting in the fall.
I can say that I am very comfortable now with the school change for my daughter. I am sure she will do fine at either school.
We might lose something we had at Liberty Ridge, but we could also gain something we didn’t have before.
With any change, there is a new opportunity.
When changes come, they inevitably will, we need to embrace them and make the best out of them.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Privacy for a price
Woodbury Bulletin - 03/18/2009
I just read Dr. P. M. Forni’s book “Choosing Civility: The Twenty-five Rules of Considerate Conduct.” The book is Washington County Library’s selection for its “One County, One Book” program.
Reading the following 25 rules is a good reminder for everyone on how to be civil.
Pay attention, acknowledge others, think the best, listen, be inclusive, speak kindly, don’t speak ill, accept and give praise, respect even a subtle “no,” respect others’ opinions, mind your body, be agreeable, keep it down (and rediscover silence), respect other people’s time, respect other people’s space, apologize earnestly, assert yourself, avoid personal questions, care for your guests, be a considerate guest, think twice before asking for favors, refrain from idle complaints, accept and give constructive criticism, respect the environment and be gentle to animals, and don’t shift responsibility and blame.
I agree with Forni’s rules, except when it comes to rule No. 18 “avoid personal questions,” I have reservations.
Here is a selection of questions listed in the book many people perceive as intrusive and personal and should be avoided:
“How old are you?”
“How much did it cost?”
“For whom did you vote?”
“Do you believe in God?”
“Are you ill?”
“Have you lost/gained weight?”
In the 18 years I have lived in the U.S., this is the one rule I often question.
Coming from a different country and culture, I was used to the custom of asking personal questions.
Asking an elderly woman, even a stranger on the street about her age was nothing uncivil or embarrassing. On the contrary, it showed respect, because you expressed an interest in her, in her life, in her experiences and her wisdom as an aged person.
Americans are very protective of their privacy and their right to privacy. I understand its importance in this time and age for the reason of identity theft.
But other than that, I also see a high price we pay for the overprotection of privacy and avoiding personal questions.
We treasure our own privacy and respect others’ privacy so much that we become afraid to ask questions, because we don’t want to “unsettle, embarrass and sometimes even anger” people.
I wonder if that’s the reason why there are countless books published in the U.S. with the title “Everything You Wanted To Know about ... But were too Afraid To Ask.”
People wonder about something but they are afraid to ask.
There is the fear of invading somebody’s privacy and thus to embarrass both parties. The result is no questions, no real communication; no communication, no real relationship and friendship; no relationship and friendship, loneliness and depression.
I may be generalizing or oversimplifying things here. Let me give you an example to illustrate what I mean.
Some years ago while in my first week on my first professional job in Chicago, I went with my colleagues to a memorial service for a quite successful woman.
She committed suicide by throwing herself under a train. The event shocked the professional community in the area.
I didn’t know this woman personally. I wondered how such a terrible tragedy could happen. In my mind no one would end their own life in such a way if not in a hopeless and desperate situation.
Everyone who spoke at the memorial service talked about her as a wonderful and happy person who always had a smiling face, and often cheered and comforted others. It was a surprise for everyone that this tragedy happened.
After the memorial service, I still didn’t get the answers I was looking for. I was even more puzzled. It made me just wonder how much these former colleagues really knew her.
What did they know about her behind the smiling face, the hidden mask? Did they really know anything about her life besides her professional life?
That was the first time I started to question the privacy issue.
Are we so concerned about our own and others’ privacy and are we so afraid to ask personal questions that we don’t really know people around us, in our offices, in our neighborhoods or even in our own families?
In the name of protecting privacy, we have lost touch with other fellow human beings. We have superficial conversations. We work and live next to each other, without really knowing each other.
I have an inquisitive mind and like to ask questions. Among my Chinese friends, I feel comfortable asking such personal questions listed above.
I think you can only know people well by getting personal and asking personal questions.
But I don’t ask my American friends these questions, or I try not to, because I am afraid to embarrass people.
When I travel on an airplane, I like to talk to strangers next to me. Most times people are not interested in conversations.
Last year on my way to Seattle, I struck up a conversation with a woman seated next to me. She was a very nice person, a teacher and had a good family.
Because I asked her a lot of questions, about her job, her kids, her life experiences, she shared with me a lot of things I think some of her families, friends, or neighbors might not know, such as her struggle with her son’s drug use.
We truly enjoyed each other’s company and our conversation. When we arrived, she offered to give me a ride to my hotel. I was very thankful for her offer. I didn’t ride with her just because I could share a cab with an acquaintance to the same destination.
When we departed, we didn’t leave contact info for each other. She said to me, “I told you so much about myself, because I know we will never meet again, and it’s safe.”
It’s kind of sad that many of us feel safer and are willing to share with a total stranger than with people we know.
It was not important for me what her name, her address and her identity was. What important for me was as travelers on this trip and on this earth, we had a two hour chance encounter and shared a little bit of our lives with each other.
We opened our hearts to each other, made our journey together more enjoyable. I felt good to be trusted by someone I met for the first time.
The experience was so much better than reading a paper or doing anything else.
I am sure had I not taken the initiative to ask her personal questions, our conversation wouldn’t have taken place and it would just be another very boring plane trip for me.
I used to read “Ann Lander” and “Dear Abby” columns. I remember readers often complained about people asking personal, insensitive or dumb questions.
It is hard for me to understand the problem, because I don’t consider that as a problem. I think most people ask questions without any bad intention. They want to have a conversation, to get to know people better, to show their interest and concern.
Why complain about people asking some questions? Let’s “think the best of others” as rule No. 3 in the book states.
Yes, we have more privacy in this country, but we also have more silence, isolation, loneliness and depression.
I just read Dr. P. M. Forni’s book “Choosing Civility: The Twenty-five Rules of Considerate Conduct.” The book is Washington County Library’s selection for its “One County, One Book” program.
Reading the following 25 rules is a good reminder for everyone on how to be civil.
Pay attention, acknowledge others, think the best, listen, be inclusive, speak kindly, don’t speak ill, accept and give praise, respect even a subtle “no,” respect others’ opinions, mind your body, be agreeable, keep it down (and rediscover silence), respect other people’s time, respect other people’s space, apologize earnestly, assert yourself, avoid personal questions, care for your guests, be a considerate guest, think twice before asking for favors, refrain from idle complaints, accept and give constructive criticism, respect the environment and be gentle to animals, and don’t shift responsibility and blame.
I agree with Forni’s rules, except when it comes to rule No. 18 “avoid personal questions,” I have reservations.
Here is a selection of questions listed in the book many people perceive as intrusive and personal and should be avoided:
“How old are you?”
“How much did it cost?”
“For whom did you vote?”
“Do you believe in God?”
“Are you ill?”
“Have you lost/gained weight?”
In the 18 years I have lived in the U.S., this is the one rule I often question.
Coming from a different country and culture, I was used to the custom of asking personal questions.
Asking an elderly woman, even a stranger on the street about her age was nothing uncivil or embarrassing. On the contrary, it showed respect, because you expressed an interest in her, in her life, in her experiences and her wisdom as an aged person.
Americans are very protective of their privacy and their right to privacy. I understand its importance in this time and age for the reason of identity theft.
But other than that, I also see a high price we pay for the overprotection of privacy and avoiding personal questions.
We treasure our own privacy and respect others’ privacy so much that we become afraid to ask questions, because we don’t want to “unsettle, embarrass and sometimes even anger” people.
I wonder if that’s the reason why there are countless books published in the U.S. with the title “Everything You Wanted To Know about ... But were too Afraid To Ask.”
People wonder about something but they are afraid to ask.
There is the fear of invading somebody’s privacy and thus to embarrass both parties. The result is no questions, no real communication; no communication, no real relationship and friendship; no relationship and friendship, loneliness and depression.
I may be generalizing or oversimplifying things here. Let me give you an example to illustrate what I mean.
Some years ago while in my first week on my first professional job in Chicago, I went with my colleagues to a memorial service for a quite successful woman.
She committed suicide by throwing herself under a train. The event shocked the professional community in the area.
I didn’t know this woman personally. I wondered how such a terrible tragedy could happen. In my mind no one would end their own life in such a way if not in a hopeless and desperate situation.
Everyone who spoke at the memorial service talked about her as a wonderful and happy person who always had a smiling face, and often cheered and comforted others. It was a surprise for everyone that this tragedy happened.
After the memorial service, I still didn’t get the answers I was looking for. I was even more puzzled. It made me just wonder how much these former colleagues really knew her.
What did they know about her behind the smiling face, the hidden mask? Did they really know anything about her life besides her professional life?
That was the first time I started to question the privacy issue.
Are we so concerned about our own and others’ privacy and are we so afraid to ask personal questions that we don’t really know people around us, in our offices, in our neighborhoods or even in our own families?
In the name of protecting privacy, we have lost touch with other fellow human beings. We have superficial conversations. We work and live next to each other, without really knowing each other.
I have an inquisitive mind and like to ask questions. Among my Chinese friends, I feel comfortable asking such personal questions listed above.
I think you can only know people well by getting personal and asking personal questions.
But I don’t ask my American friends these questions, or I try not to, because I am afraid to embarrass people.
When I travel on an airplane, I like to talk to strangers next to me. Most times people are not interested in conversations.
Last year on my way to Seattle, I struck up a conversation with a woman seated next to me. She was a very nice person, a teacher and had a good family.
Because I asked her a lot of questions, about her job, her kids, her life experiences, she shared with me a lot of things I think some of her families, friends, or neighbors might not know, such as her struggle with her son’s drug use.
We truly enjoyed each other’s company and our conversation. When we arrived, she offered to give me a ride to my hotel. I was very thankful for her offer. I didn’t ride with her just because I could share a cab with an acquaintance to the same destination.
When we departed, we didn’t leave contact info for each other. She said to me, “I told you so much about myself, because I know we will never meet again, and it’s safe.”
It’s kind of sad that many of us feel safer and are willing to share with a total stranger than with people we know.
It was not important for me what her name, her address and her identity was. What important for me was as travelers on this trip and on this earth, we had a two hour chance encounter and shared a little bit of our lives with each other.
We opened our hearts to each other, made our journey together more enjoyable. I felt good to be trusted by someone I met for the first time.
The experience was so much better than reading a paper or doing anything else.
I am sure had I not taken the initiative to ask her personal questions, our conversation wouldn’t have taken place and it would just be another very boring plane trip for me.
I used to read “Ann Lander” and “Dear Abby” columns. I remember readers often complained about people asking personal, insensitive or dumb questions.
It is hard for me to understand the problem, because I don’t consider that as a problem. I think most people ask questions without any bad intention. They want to have a conversation, to get to know people better, to show their interest and concern.
Why complain about people asking some questions? Let’s “think the best of others” as rule No. 3 in the book states.
Yes, we have more privacy in this country, but we also have more silence, isolation, loneliness and depression.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Speaking about favorite books with LJHS students
Woodbury Bulletin - 03/11/2009
On Feb. 27 I was at Lake Junior High School participating in its annual National Reading Day event.
More than 30 guest speakers from the community came to share their love for reading and to promote literacy and numeracy.
Each of us was asked to share one of our favorite books with our assigned class. I had a sixth grade class.
My first and immediate thought about picking a favorite book was: “It’s easy. It should be the Bible.” Because that is the only book I have read more often than any other books. And that’s true for many other people, too.
But I knew I was not asked to go to school to talk about the Bible and read from it. So I had to think about another book.
I like to read and have read quite a lot of books. It was not so easy to decide which one is my favorite.
After a little thinking, I picked Hal Urban’s “Life’s Greatest Lessons: 20 Things that Matter,” for two reasons.
First, this is one of the very few books I had actually read twice.
I rarely read books more than once. There are just too many books to read and not enough time to read. But there is something in that book that I really liked so I checked it out twice from the library.
Second, the book was written by a high school teacher who loved teaching and kids. He wrote the book for his kids and his students and provided great life lessons in it.
The book was self-published and was awarded Best Inspirational Book of the Year 2000 by Writer's Digest Magazine. It became popular and went through several printings before it was picked by a major publisher.
The book contains the wisdom of the ages and essential life truths. The 20 lessons are great for character education. The book is not only good for kids, parents and teachers, it is good for everyone.
So the 20 lessons are worth sharing here.
1. Success is more than making money.
2. Life is hard and not always fair.
3. Life is also fun and incredibly funny.
4. We live by choice, not by chance.
5. Attitude is a choice — the most important one you’ll every make.
6. Habits are the key to all success.
7. Being thankful is a habit — the best one you’ll ever have.
8. Good people build their lives on a foundation of respect.
9. Honesty is still the best policy.
10. Kind words cost little but accomplish much.
11. Real motivation comes from within.
12. Goals are dreams with deadlines.
13. There’s no substitute for hard work.
14. You have to give up something to get something.
15. Successful people don’t find time — they make time.
16. No one else can raise your self-esteem.
17. The body needs nutrition and exercise — so do the mind and the spirit.
18. It’s OK to fail – everyone else has.
19. Life is simpler when we know what’s essential.
20. Essential No. 1 is being a good person.
Before I talked about this book and read from it to my sixth-grader’s class, I did a quiz with the kids just for fun.
I asked them: “What book is the best-selling book on the market now?”
I got different answers: “Harry Potter,” “Twilight,” etc.
To give them more clues I added: “What book is the best-selling book of all time, past, present and future, and possibly in all countries and languages?
Still, I did not get the correct answer.
Then I said: “Most likely many of you have more than one copy at home for this book.”
Finally, a boy answered with hesitation and a query in his voice: “The Bible?”
I knew my first question was tricky and could be misleading, but I didn’t realize that the questions were hard for the sixth-graders.
I also read something I wrote and shared a poem with them.
I told the kids how fortunate they are to live in this country, to have such great school and public libraries, and to have easy access to reading materials.
They really have no reasons not to read.
The annual National Reading Day event was organized by the Student Literacy Council at LJH with the help of LJH Literacy Coach Jan Buikema. It was a great school and community event, very well organized. As a guest speaker I felt very welcomed and appreciated.
Congratulations to LJHS for a job well done.
On Feb. 27 I was at Lake Junior High School participating in its annual National Reading Day event.
More than 30 guest speakers from the community came to share their love for reading and to promote literacy and numeracy.
Each of us was asked to share one of our favorite books with our assigned class. I had a sixth grade class.
My first and immediate thought about picking a favorite book was: “It’s easy. It should be the Bible.” Because that is the only book I have read more often than any other books. And that’s true for many other people, too.
But I knew I was not asked to go to school to talk about the Bible and read from it. So I had to think about another book.
I like to read and have read quite a lot of books. It was not so easy to decide which one is my favorite.
After a little thinking, I picked Hal Urban’s “Life’s Greatest Lessons: 20 Things that Matter,” for two reasons.
First, this is one of the very few books I had actually read twice.
I rarely read books more than once. There are just too many books to read and not enough time to read. But there is something in that book that I really liked so I checked it out twice from the library.
Second, the book was written by a high school teacher who loved teaching and kids. He wrote the book for his kids and his students and provided great life lessons in it.
The book was self-published and was awarded Best Inspirational Book of the Year 2000 by Writer's Digest Magazine. It became popular and went through several printings before it was picked by a major publisher.
The book contains the wisdom of the ages and essential life truths. The 20 lessons are great for character education. The book is not only good for kids, parents and teachers, it is good for everyone.
So the 20 lessons are worth sharing here.
1. Success is more than making money.
2. Life is hard and not always fair.
3. Life is also fun and incredibly funny.
4. We live by choice, not by chance.
5. Attitude is a choice — the most important one you’ll every make.
6. Habits are the key to all success.
7. Being thankful is a habit — the best one you’ll ever have.
8. Good people build their lives on a foundation of respect.
9. Honesty is still the best policy.
10. Kind words cost little but accomplish much.
11. Real motivation comes from within.
12. Goals are dreams with deadlines.
13. There’s no substitute for hard work.
14. You have to give up something to get something.
15. Successful people don’t find time — they make time.
16. No one else can raise your self-esteem.
17. The body needs nutrition and exercise — so do the mind and the spirit.
18. It’s OK to fail – everyone else has.
19. Life is simpler when we know what’s essential.
20. Essential No. 1 is being a good person.
Before I talked about this book and read from it to my sixth-grader’s class, I did a quiz with the kids just for fun.
I asked them: “What book is the best-selling book on the market now?”
I got different answers: “Harry Potter,” “Twilight,” etc.
To give them more clues I added: “What book is the best-selling book of all time, past, present and future, and possibly in all countries and languages?
Still, I did not get the correct answer.
Then I said: “Most likely many of you have more than one copy at home for this book.”
Finally, a boy answered with hesitation and a query in his voice: “The Bible?”
I knew my first question was tricky and could be misleading, but I didn’t realize that the questions were hard for the sixth-graders.
I also read something I wrote and shared a poem with them.
I told the kids how fortunate they are to live in this country, to have such great school and public libraries, and to have easy access to reading materials.
They really have no reasons not to read.
The annual National Reading Day event was organized by the Student Literacy Council at LJH with the help of LJH Literacy Coach Jan Buikema. It was a great school and community event, very well organized. As a guest speaker I felt very welcomed and appreciated.
Congratulations to LJHS for a job well done.
A diet plan that works
Woodbury Bulletin - 03/04/2009
In the United States, being overweight is a big health problem.
Part of the problem is caused by the "Standard American Diet" (SAD) that is disproportionately low in fruits and vegetables and high in saturated fats and refined sugars and carbohydrates.
As the result of our SAD diet and sedentary lifestyle, more and more are struggling with obesity and other chronic health conditions, such as diabetes, strokes and heart disease.
To lose weight, people try many different kinds of diets: low carbohydrate diets, low fat diets, high protein diet, low protein diet, South Beach Diet, Atkins Diet ... The list of diets can go on and on.
Personally, I doubt the effectiveness of most of these diets. Each diet might work for some people, but not for everyone.
I believe the diet plan that really works universally for everyone is this seven-word plan: "Eat Less, Exercise More and Live Healthy!"
Here are a few practical tips to help you lose weight if you are struggling with the problem.
Sometimes, in order to solve a problem, we not only have to look at that problem, but we also need to step back and look at the whole picture in order to get to the root cause of the
problem.
The same is true with weight loss. Look for the root cause of your weight problem. Dealing with the underlying issues of using food to treat boredom, stress, anxiety, depression or loneliness might be the first step to effective weight loss.
If you are experiencing problems in your life, whether it is financially, emotionally or relationally, work on those problems.
Weight problems are often the symptoms of other problems you have in life.
Once you get your life straight and organized, your weight problem might take care of itself without much effort.
If you just focus on the symptoms of weight without addressing the underlying issues, then no matter how hard you try the different diets, they will not be effective.
In terms of diet, we need to move away from the SAD diet and move to a more healthful, balanced and natural diet - a plant-based diet.
This is what I mean:
Stay away from fast food, fried food, processed food and convenience food. Avoid food where you can't pronounce the ingredients.
Stop drinking soda and any sweetened bottle drinks.
Reduce the intake of three white things - white flour, salt and sugar.
Keep your food as whole and natural as possible by eating more raw fruits, veggies and nuts.
Eat more fresh vegetables and fruit instead of cooked or canned vegetables and fruits or drinking fruit juice.
Make rainbow, i.e. colorful, food part of your regular diet.
Eat a wide variety of colorful fruits and vegetables gives your body the range of valuable nutrients it needs to maintain health. And the deeper the color, the better.
To get more variety and color in your diet, try red (beets, tomatoes, watermelon),orange/yellow (carrots, sweet potatoes, lemons, oranges, grapefruits), green (spinach, broccoli), blue/purple (blueberries, grapes, raisins, and eggplant), and white (garlic,onions, bananas, potatoes).
No unhealthy snacks between meals. Snack on vegetables, fruits or nuts if you must.
Eat out less. Learn to cook from scratch to better control what you eat and how much you eat.
Start your day with a glass of water and drink plenty of water all day.
People often eat while doing other things at the same time, such as driving, watching TV and working on computer. Instead of multitasking, we should be mindful while eating.
Try to enjoy your food, eat it slowly and consciously. You will only eat as much as you need to be full.
Don't eat after dinner and before going to bed.
Brush your teeth early in the evening rather than just before bed. It keeps you from snacking if you're not really hungry.
Go to bed early and get up early. If you stay up late, you might overeat.
In essence, weight loss is about the balance between calories taken in and calories burned. Eat only when you are hungry. Try not to overeat like we often do at parties and buffets.
If you have to indulge yourself sometimes, then remember to keep everything in moderation.
Besides eating healthy and eating less, you need to exercise as well.
Walk and bike as much as you can. Use the stairs instead of the elevator whenever you can.
Join a weight-loss group for support and have an exercise buddy for motivation and accountability.
Never give up, even after you have failed a few times. When you fail, start over and keep going.
Just remember, Eat Less, Exercise More and Live Healthy!
Your reward will be a healthy and better you.
In the United States, being overweight is a big health problem.
Part of the problem is caused by the "Standard American Diet" (SAD) that is disproportionately low in fruits and vegetables and high in saturated fats and refined sugars and carbohydrates.
As the result of our SAD diet and sedentary lifestyle, more and more are struggling with obesity and other chronic health conditions, such as diabetes, strokes and heart disease.
To lose weight, people try many different kinds of diets: low carbohydrate diets, low fat diets, high protein diet, low protein diet, South Beach Diet, Atkins Diet ... The list of diets can go on and on.
Personally, I doubt the effectiveness of most of these diets. Each diet might work for some people, but not for everyone.
I believe the diet plan that really works universally for everyone is this seven-word plan: "Eat Less, Exercise More and Live Healthy!"
Here are a few practical tips to help you lose weight if you are struggling with the problem.
Sometimes, in order to solve a problem, we not only have to look at that problem, but we also need to step back and look at the whole picture in order to get to the root cause of the
problem.
The same is true with weight loss. Look for the root cause of your weight problem. Dealing with the underlying issues of using food to treat boredom, stress, anxiety, depression or loneliness might be the first step to effective weight loss.
If you are experiencing problems in your life, whether it is financially, emotionally or relationally, work on those problems.
Weight problems are often the symptoms of other problems you have in life.
Once you get your life straight and organized, your weight problem might take care of itself without much effort.
If you just focus on the symptoms of weight without addressing the underlying issues, then no matter how hard you try the different diets, they will not be effective.
In terms of diet, we need to move away from the SAD diet and move to a more healthful, balanced and natural diet - a plant-based diet.
This is what I mean:
Stay away from fast food, fried food, processed food and convenience food. Avoid food where you can't pronounce the ingredients.
Stop drinking soda and any sweetened bottle drinks.
Reduce the intake of three white things - white flour, salt and sugar.
Keep your food as whole and natural as possible by eating more raw fruits, veggies and nuts.
Eat more fresh vegetables and fruit instead of cooked or canned vegetables and fruits or drinking fruit juice.
Make rainbow, i.e. colorful, food part of your regular diet.
Eat a wide variety of colorful fruits and vegetables gives your body the range of valuable nutrients it needs to maintain health. And the deeper the color, the better.
To get more variety and color in your diet, try red (beets, tomatoes, watermelon),orange/yellow (carrots, sweet potatoes, lemons, oranges, grapefruits), green (spinach, broccoli), blue/purple (blueberries, grapes, raisins, and eggplant), and white (garlic,onions, bananas, potatoes).
No unhealthy snacks between meals. Snack on vegetables, fruits or nuts if you must.
Eat out less. Learn to cook from scratch to better control what you eat and how much you eat.
Start your day with a glass of water and drink plenty of water all day.
People often eat while doing other things at the same time, such as driving, watching TV and working on computer. Instead of multitasking, we should be mindful while eating.
Try to enjoy your food, eat it slowly and consciously. You will only eat as much as you need to be full.
Don't eat after dinner and before going to bed.
Brush your teeth early in the evening rather than just before bed. It keeps you from snacking if you're not really hungry.
Go to bed early and get up early. If you stay up late, you might overeat.
In essence, weight loss is about the balance between calories taken in and calories burned. Eat only when you are hungry. Try not to overeat like we often do at parties and buffets.
If you have to indulge yourself sometimes, then remember to keep everything in moderation.
Besides eating healthy and eating less, you need to exercise as well.
Walk and bike as much as you can. Use the stairs instead of the elevator whenever you can.
Join a weight-loss group for support and have an exercise buddy for motivation and accountability.
Never give up, even after you have failed a few times. When you fail, start over and keep going.
Just remember, Eat Less, Exercise More and Live Healthy!
Your reward will be a healthy and better you.
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