Did I Ever tell you How "I5PoL" got its Name?

I have been blogging for about 6 years.  My first blog was called 'The Burrillo Pad'.  It was a beautiful spot where I shared military deployment milestones, family pictures, anecdotes for the life of a housewife, and my own journey as a military spouse. Some mornings, as the children would race around the house chasing the cat or running from the dog, I would type my thoughts and aspirations.  And, some evenings, as the children would pop out of their beds to my voice telling them to get back to sleep, I would reveal my mistakes as a mother so my husband, serving in Iraq, could better understand life as we knew it.  I closed 'The Burrillo Pad' when Scott came home and have regretted it every day.

I continued blogging with 'Starting in the Middle'.  I view the world, and all things in it, in terms of the now.  Now implies that something came before and some things are yet to come; even in the grand scheme of things, there was only one beginning.  I am mid-thirties, somewhere in the middle of wife, mother and self, in love with the middle of my life, the middle of my marriage, and the middle of my education.  I love the middle of a wine bottle, the weather in mid-August, the pages that come before the conclusion of a novel, and sleeping in the middle of the bed.  I declare new beginnings quite often, but those beginnings start in the middle of my journey, no matter how declarative I get.  'Starting in the Middle' is still open, but I haven't posted there in a while-  I must be the middle of a long pause.

Then I discovered that my passion, my purpose, is in food.  Nutrition.  Wellness.  Phronesis.  Eudaimonia.  I started devouring blogs, articles and opinions about nutrition. I watched numerous documentaries about food, the facets of health, the global impact of farming and bees.  After a time I found myself scanning the headers and skipping to the end of information;  simply put, I became impatient in the middle.  I thought to myself, "It would be great if all of this information was more concise, like an essay," and 'In Five Paragraphs or Less' was born.  A position, three supporting details with supporting details, and a conclusion consolidating wide ideas about nutrition.

You are what you eat; let food be thy medicine; the body is designed to heal itself; calories do not measure health; diet is not a fad; nutrition is individual but common threads are present.  The human body cannot make what it cannot make so we have to add nutrition to the body, as though assembling a recipe for the perfect cake, the best lasagna, or the ultimate sundae.  Doses of happiness, satisfaction, motivation, love, joy, education and passion are nutrition for the soul, just as a celebration calls for cake, the family table calls for  lasagna, and a hot romantic evening calls for a sundae.  That is what I5PoL is made of.

Lastly, I figured, if you are like me, you might become impatient in the middle and skip to the end so my conclusion, too, needed to be fortified with wholesome, nutritious advice.  Something like 'eat real food, drink plenty of water, give your vitamins their vitamins and remember to wash your hands'.  I know I can't tell you what will make you healthy or what will make you well, but I can highlight and a thousand ingredients you might use to achieve health and wellness...
one ingredient at a time ...
in five paragraphs or less...
and conclude with cleanliness...

...and that is how I5PoL got it's name.

Anna~

Weight-loss Resolutions

Resolutions often come in the form of a personal wish to lose weight.  Many television programs are on the waves this season highlighting the Biggest Loser and Extreme Makeovers (weight-loss edition) while the news is broken apart with calorie counting tips, food swaps, and manufacturer promoted 'healthy choice' meal options.  Health is not weight and nutrition is not measured in calories; that being said, here are some tips for fulfilling the weigh-loss resolutions.

Your body has a basal caloric need to complete functions like breathing, thinking, growing, excretion, circulating fluids, digestion, temperature maintenance, blinking; anything your body does automatically.  Those caloric needs are easily calculated.  For women, take your weight times 10 (men, weight times 11), whatever the number is is roughly how many calories your body will use to complete basal metabolic function.  You can choose how many of these calories come from food and how many calories you use from storage, or adipose, tissue (body fat).  

Choosing calories is not the same as choosing nutrition.  When you eat mainly animal protein, animal calcium and animal fat, you are ingesting much in terms of calories and very little in terms of nutrition.  If your basal caloric need is in the ballpark of 1600 calories (160 lbs), you can easily dent this calorie count with one steak, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich and a chicken caesar salad with a glass of milk [4 oz. steak (320 calories), 1 T of butter (102), 1 oz of cheddar cheese (110), 2 large eggs (148), 1 T of mayo (57)] [4 oz chicken breast (120), 8 oz of 2% milk (122), 2 T caesar salad dressing (120)]; two meals totaling nearly 1100 calories loaded with salt, saturated fat calories and cholesterol.  -That does not include the bread, croutons, parmesan cheese, romaine, and other condiments-

So how do you choose better calories?  Three simple rules may help.  First: if you select animal food sources, the calories you consume will be high in fat and calories, low in nutrients - if you choose plant based foods the caloric value is typically low and nutrient value is high.  Second: fats that are liquid at room temperature are good fats, fats that are solid at room temp are less healthy.  Third:  when choosing foods that limit calorie consumption, choose foods with color - colorful foods are nutrient dense compared to their white, starchy counterparts.  May these three simple rules boost your energy and lower your calorie intake. 

If your wish is to loose weight this season, may I suggest you start with real, whole, naturally occurring foods.  Wash them in with water.  Give your vitamins their vitamins - B vitamins especially are a good addition to your day.  And, as you forgive your own mistakes and embark on new goals, remember to wash your hands of negativity.  Every step forward is a success!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, dear reader.  I have taken a great long vacation from writing, from researching, from giving, and have enjoyed observing, enjoying and receiving.  Thank you for all of your visits, your insights and your inspiration in 2013; 2014 will be better because of it.  

The New Year's Resolution is a typical way to launch into the new year.  New goals and resolutions provide energy to normalcy; motivation to common action; inspiration to routine.  Some resolutions come in lofty packages wrapped in running shoes and mile markers while others are marked in inches and pounds.  I love the word resolution: 1. the act or an instance of resolving  2. the condition or quality of being resolute; firmness or determination  3. something resolved or determined; decision.  Whatever your resolution, use it to propel yourself into 2014 with a renewed sense of joy, positivity and determination.

As I stated above, I spent some time in observation this last month.  Excuses fall on both sides of diet choice, exercise commitment, wardrobe selection, happiness, work ethic, participation and enjoyment.  Scapegoats are often assigned to feelings and culprits to actions.  As I watched, I reflected on my own participation in this unnecessary cycle of blame and absolution.  This year, instead of deflecting responsibility for my own choices, I will take full authority of my actions.  I wish to be present, without regret, and without casting nets of condemnation.  To be happy.

I have also witnessed much, much, much negativity, both in my immediate surroundings and in the far corners of where only ears can reach.  Negativity is poisonous; it turns good company into arguing enemies and joyous conversation into spiteful competition.  Happiness and appreciative consideration can quickly dissolve poisonous positions and soften negativity.  Happiness, joy, also releases dopamine on the brain which has a lasting 'goodness' effect; a feeling that is addictive and sought after the more often you feel it.  Again, a choice is involved.

While you settle into the New Year, enjoy some real, delicious, naturally occurring food.  Wash it in with water so the nutrients can be absorbed and distributed effectively.  Give your vitamins their vitamins to fortify your blood.  And, as always, remember to wash your hands of negativity and be in appreciation of all that you come in contact with.  Within it all is a resolution!

Anna~