Getting healthy and fit in real time, in real life…

So I am soooooo proud of myself. I actually went to the gym in addition to going for my 1 hour and 15 minute walks.

During my gym session, I spent a half hour on the elliptical and I was watching a documentary on Haute Couture.

The documentary was about the Haute Couture industry and it focused on an exclusive group of women that would buy and wear Haute Couture clothing.

The commentator mentioned how the women who were in this club were often on perpetual diets because if they could fit into the Haute Couture dress that was fitted for the runway model, they could get 30% discount.

I was somewhat amused by that. Many women would kill to have a model’s body shape and yet, here there was an actual monetary benefit to having a model’s body….30% off the price of a very expensive piece of clothing!

I realized that even if I had enough money to afford an Haute Couture dress, I would never, ever get the discount even if I had managed to get the exact waistline of the model. I’m 5 foot 2 inches and while it may be possible for me to get the “preferred” waistline of a model, I could never stretch myself into the typical height of a model (which I’m told is about 6 feet).

And that got me to thinking about models, body images and our standards of beauty. When I was growing up, many of my contemporaries wanted to look like the models that graced the covers of the fashion magazines. They would get all kinds makeup, do their hair in specific ways and be on perpetual diets to meet this goal. I think I would have fallen into that trap too, but since I stopped growing beyond 5 feet 2 inches and didn’t have blonde hair, I knew that there was no point in even entertaining that idea, so I didn’t bother.

But in truth, how many of us do look like a fashion model? Does that make us look less beautiful? Of course not. Although we may know this intellectually, many of us get negative attitudes about our bodies and those negative attitudes can really affect our perception of ourselves. This has been wonderfully shown in the TV show called “How to Look Good Naked”. In this show they portray women who feel absolutely ugly and overweight. They “feel” as though they are bigger than everyone and uglier than everyone. When the host asks the woman to compare herself to other women of various sizes, she always ends up over-estimating her actual size. As the show progresses, you see how the woman is transformed into loving her body for what it is, instead of loathing it. And all this is done without the woman shedding one pound.

Beauty exists in all shapes and sizes, and I just wonder when the fashion industry will also realize and celebrate that fact. When will they start designing for real women and when will they stop putting out unrealistic standards for women to live up to? When will real mental and physical health and wellness be celebrated by our media?

I honestly don’t know the answers to those questions, but I do believe we can create a change by not buying into their ideals. We can start to value true beauty, regardless of its shape and size, and we can value true mental and physical wellness.

By making these changes, who knows what can happen? May be women won’t have to be on a perpetual diet to get a 30% discount off an Haute Couture gown. And may be we will feel more beautiful and a lot more happier with ourselves regardless of what our shape or what our size.

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Colds suck! For the past two weeks I have been plagued by cold symptoms – longer than usual from my experience. Not enough to lay me out but just enough to be draining. Not enough energy to cycle to work, no desire to go swimming at noon, and this during a glorious stretch of late summer weather that we all know will not last much longer! Now if it were the flu, I’d be fully engaged, knowing it could be rough for a few days but then it would be done with. There is a certain caché to having the flu. A cold seems like the poor distant relative. No class, just aggravating enough to let you know it is there.

There are drugs out there that do help with the symptoms. Otrivin is probably the most commonly stocked med in the war chest of people who scuba dive. Feeling a little congested? A few squirts to the nostrils and your dive is not jeopardized. (I don’t condone this but I have known people who use Otrivin while bobbing on the surface. A minute or so later they are able to equalize and submerge happily to resume their dive).

Cold and flu symptoms can be treated but, as sage advice has it: treat a cold with all the popular/medical remedies and it will last about a week; leave it untreated and it will last …about a week. My favorite remedy though is red wine. Hey, it can’t hurt!

I must admit that I’m part of the camp that feels over-hyped by the media about H1N1. Yes, it is interesting at times and some effective communication strategies have been put forward. The best might be this ad from the South Australian Government to promote getting flu shots (make sure your computer sound is on!):

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2009/09/swine-flu.html

I don’t know if this will convince people to get flu shots, but it should at least promote the ‘Dracula sneeze’ technique.

But too much media is not necessarily a good thing. Target audience fatigue eventually sets in. Former Vancouver Health Officer John Blatherwick was interviewed on CBC earlier this week and his advice, based on years of medical practice? Washing your hands is a great way to reduce the risk of contracting diseases, no question, but otherwise – get on with your life. Be positive. His belief is that people with a positive attitude fare better at combating illness. Now I’ll drink to that!

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You still there?
OK, don’t say I didn’t warn you…

I’ve previously expressed my desire to reduce my whining and complaining, and since instigated a rule, along with some coworkers, that complaining is reserved for Mondays and Mondays only.  We’ve also tried to come up with a daily “best thing” (BT), taking Suzanne’s suggestion to focus on the good things rather than the bad. While I do think my whining has been reduced, I’ve also realized that my blogging falls on Tuesdays, and only in the cases of holiday Mondays have we allowed complaints on any other day.  Well today I’m breaking the rule, and be forewarned, I’m not holding back.

I’ll start with my chiropractor appointment last week. For a month or so, I’ve suspected that I’m not benefitting from treatment anymore, and for the last few weeks, I really haven’t felt the need for a chiropractic adjustment. I know what you’re thinking, “isn’t this good news?” and the simple answer is “Yes. BUT …” I honoured my appointment, even though I felt it unnecessary, where my chiropractor began adjusting areas that haven’t needed adjustments previously. So please explain to me why I felt better than I have in months and somehow required extra chiropractic care? Ok that is a bit of an exaggeration, my doctor did say I’ve made great improvements and can now reduce the frequency of treatment, but then why do my knees and ankles require adjustments all of a sudden? 

Obviously, I am not a chiropractor, and I wouldn’t normally challenge their expertise, but I’m seriously puzzled. Especially since receiving adjustment on my ankle last week, I’ve experienced numerous bouts of locking and joint weakness. Now don’t overreact, I occasionally experience these symptoms in my left ankle due to a surgery over 10 years ago, but complete joint instability has been quite rare until last week.

So now what do I do? What can be done when the person I should be complaining to, is the very cause of the complaint.  Should I dump my chiropractor and hope my ankle settles into it’s old groove? Or seek an alternative chiropractor? Or return to my chiropractor and file my complaint.

Oh, and I’m not done there. I’ve also noticed my skin has been exceptionally dry the last few weeks. I’m not sure if this is due to the change in season, but no amount of moisturizer seems to do the trick. Is there some west coast secret I’m not privy to?

If you haven’t already figured it out, I crave consistency, so these issues really annoy me, even though it must just sound like sour grapes to most of you. Bitter apples is more like it. My daily apple is often the highlight of my lunch hour, but I haven’t been able to locate a decent quality apple in the last month. Lately, my apples have been extra waxy and stale tasting. I usually stick to Spartan, as their pretty reliable in the taste department, but every time I go to the market, they’re either not there or all bruised.
Is there some super dependable and extra tasty fruit market out there that I don’t know about yet?

If only they tasted as good as they looked...

That ought to satisfy my need to complain until the next holiday Monday…

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