Lessons from Charles Dickens and Julie Whitt

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body for life, Christmas, Christmas Carol, christmas spirit, clara k.showalter, Julie Whitt. Soul Salon International, mankind is my business

Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy,forbearance, and benevolence were, all, my business. The dealings of my
trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!

–Jacob Marley, A Christmas Carol

The words of Jacob Marley ring down through the years. At the time Dickens wrote his novella, “A Christmas Carol”, England was experiencing a renewed interest in the practice of Christmas. At a time where there were no soup kitchens, no social safety net, and the gap between the haves and have nots was the size of the Grand Canyon; Dickens touched on the importance of charity and goodwill towards others. His words helped to spark a new interest in Christmas.

The idea of reaching out and helping others has always resonated with me. I’ve long had a belief that it’s my job to care about my fellow man. This isn’t something done because I get a reward. It’s not done because someone tells me to. It’s just what you do.

Julie Whitt believed in helping her fellow man. She was the 2005 Body for Life Grand Champion in the inspirational category. She took charge of her health so she could undergo a double lung transplant. Julie was one of those people who always reached out to help others. She had a kind word for everyone. She believed that it was her job to inspire and lead others to a better life. She did that one person at a time. I remember stories about her sending supplies to help people with their Body for Life Challenges after Katrina. Right up to the days before her transplant, she kept reaching out to help others.

She died on December 19th, 2005. Unlike Jacob Marley, Julie made mankind her business. There was no chain for her to drag through eternity. She lived a good life. Christmas isn’t just one day a year. The spirit of Christmas is something you should live year round. Julie did that.

Dickens and Julie are two of the people who inspire me this time of year, and year round. It’s not my job to get ahead of everyone around me. It’s not my job to show people how cool I am. Mankind is my business. The lives and well being of people around me are my business. Doing the right thing, and the common good are my business. It’s not always easy, and it isn’t always profitable in the way most people expect it should be.

Yet the value to me is incalculable. I live with Christmas in my heart year round. I’m happy, I believe in the wonder and glory of impossible things, and I strive to share those with others. It’s a gift without price, and it is the easiest gift you can ever give.

Make mankind your business. You’ll never regret it. Merry Christmas to all. And as Tiny Tim said, “God Bless us, Everyone!”

From the archives- Faith

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abyss, body for life, change, clara k.showalter, facing fear, fitness, life, transformation

People talk about the key ingredient for a successful transformation. They talk about desire, motivation, planning, equipment, suppliments. There’s one thing I don’t see mentioned nearly often enough. Faith. Now I’m not talking about religious faith, though that’s something that I know many successful BFLers have. I’m talking about a deep, profound belief that this transformation is actually possible. A belief so deep, so true, that when things get dark, you KNOW that if you just hang on a second longer, you can make this happen. BFlers have a great gift before us. We have living proof that amazing transformations can and do happen to ordinary people. People just like us. These people show us that by putting away our fears, by believing in the process 100% that you can make a 180 degree turn in your life. You have living, breathing proof. Every single successful transformee stood where you are. They were upset by how they looked, and how they felt. They stood at the abyss. Then they did something truly scary. They stepped off the edge. They committed 110 percent to the process. When they made that step, they never looked back. This is week three. I know that some of you out there still haven’t crossed the Abyss. In the back of your mind, you know this can’t actually work. Somewhere between now and week 12- you are going to find a way to prove yourself right. That big, black hole is scary, dark, the wind howls up at you. It’s trying to suck you in. Nobody is going to blame you for backing away from the edge. I mean come on. It’s scary, you can’t see what’s at the bottom, you can’t see how far it is. Back away. Afterall, you don’t want to fall. That’s the easy choice. Or You can look at the black void in front of you. You can’t see the bottom. It’s dark, empty, the wind is blowing. Your hair stirrs in the breeze. Close your eyes. No, trust me. Close them. Feel the wind. Listen to the sounds. Do you hear that. That tiny breath of heaven, that small voice saying “can” You have to strain to hear it. Step closer. Listen to it. “can”. It’s just out of reach. Step closer. No, it’s okay- trust me. Take that step. Let the wind catch you, support you. Step. Keep your eyes closed, don’t worry about falling. Step. Listen to a fallen champion, let her carry you forward. Step. Listen to the voices telling you- CAN Trust me. This journey never ends. You won’t fall. Believe. When all else fails you- Believe that you can keep taking that next small step. Crossing the Abyss is all about faith. Those of us who’ve crossed are there to keep you from falling. Trust us, believe. Close your eyes… STEP

Fitness- This week on the iPod

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cher, clara k.showalter, clara showalter, fitness, motivational, music, song for the lonely, things that move me

My featured workout song this week is Cher’s “This is a Song for the Lonely.”

Good beat, great lyrics, and a song that allows me to get lost in my cardio of choice.

Fitness isn’t always a party

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doctors, fitness, fitness isn't fun, life, making fitness fun, npr, obesity

National Public Radio ran an item today called “Why Doctors and Patients Talk Around Our Growing Waistlines.” Doctors have not been taught the best ways to approach weight loss in medical school. A study at Yale Medical School found that many health professionals view the obese as lazy and unmotivated.

This leads to push back from obese members of society saying, “my doctor doesn’t understand and doesn’t listen.” Then both sides stomp off in a huff. This morning there’s some discussion going around the ‘net about things doctors don’t do. One point in particular caught my attention.

People complain that the process isn’t fun.

Fitness isn’t always a party. Can it be fun? Absolutely. As your fitness level improves, the fun factor goes up. In the beginning, it’s just not going to be fun. The more limits you have, the less fun it is. If you struggle to take 15 steps without gasping for air, there’s a limit to the fun you will have. Until your base fitness improves beyond a snail level, there will be a lack of fun.

You will not find a single obese individual who is now in shape who found the first stages of the process fun. The morning alarm would go off and it was a struggle to get out of bed and do one more stupid day of cardio. I would growl in frustration as I looked at my tub of cottage cheese and a coworker was chowing down on a chocolate bar. People would wave pizza and popcorn under my nose to tempt me.

The fun came later. It came when I was dropping weight and my friends stayed fat. It came when I could sprint for Metro and others would miss the train. It came as I realized how much power and control I possessed.

There are real limits people face when trying to get in shape. It’s tough to know what you need to eat. Cost of a gym and food is a factor. As a trainer one thing I do is go shopping with clients to show them what to get. I’ll work within the confines of the house and show them ways to get things jump started. The thing is, I can’t make this fun for you. I can’t make it exciting to eat the right foods starting out. I can’t make it a barrel of monkeys to go out and walk around the block. I freely confess that beginning fitness is not always going to be fun.

You need to make a decision.Do you want this? Do you want this badly enough to deal with doing boring soup can curls because you can’t afford a gym membership? Are you willing to march in place in front of a mirror because you can’t walk outside? Will you eat food you don’t like now, for the promise of a healthier body tomorrow?

Brushing your teeth isn’t fun. You still do it. Fitness is no different.

Changed for the better

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be the change, be your own oz, body for life, changed for the better, life, michelle treichel

It’s not easy to change things. In fact, it’s damned hard. But I promise you this, the end rewards are so beyond anything you can imagine.

Be the change you want to see. Be the person you know you can be.

Gaining to lose

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clara k.showalter, fitness, gastric bypass, health, lap-band, life, weight loss

In a world which at times seems focused on weight loss, there are those who are so desperate to lose weight that they chose to gain it first.

Gastric bypass surgery and less invasive options like Lap-Band can seem like magic bullets. The weight loss post surgery is drastic. You may even hear a recipient of the surgery call it a miracle. As the push for surgery as an option grows, the companies providing the technology have pushed for changes in the regulations. Earlier this year, the FDA changed the requirements for Lap-Band surgery and lowered the Body Mass Index (BMi) requirement. By changing the BMI needed for surgery to between 30-35, more people are eligible to receive insurance coverage to pay for the surgery.

This means you find more people looking for ways to gain enough weight to qualify for the surgery. By engaging in binge eating, potential candidates hope they will gain the few needed pounds that will qualify them for surgery.

I’ve had friends over the past few years who’ve expressed similar interest. If they gain enough weight, they may qualify for surgery. It always boggles my mind. I had to work darned hard to get my weight off. I’ve had to work hard to keep it off. I know the process isn’t easy. I know that you’ve got to fail in order to lose and keep it off.

There are no magic solutions. There’s no easy path. My heart breaks a bit when I see people who think the only way to get the weight off is to make things worse.

Sugar by any other name is still the same

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clara k.showalter, clara showalter, fitness, healthy, how many types of sugar, nutrition, sugar, types of sugar

One of the easiest ways to start cutting unwanted calories from your diet is to reduce sugar. This is a no-brainer for most of us. Sugar is a treat food, plain and simple. It’s not something the human body is used to consuming in bulk, it’s designed as a source of quick energy, and bottom line is we eat way too much of in the US.

Thing is, the manufacturers are sneaky. They know sweet is a trigger for higher consumption. So they hide sugar in a variety of ways by changing the type. Take a look at some of the types of sugar out there.

1. Barley malt
2. Beet sugar
3. Brown sugar
4. Buttered syrup
5. Cane juice crystals
6. Cane sugar
7. Caramel
8. Corn syrup
9. Corn syrup solids
10. Confectioner’s sugar
11. Carob syrup
12. Castor sugar
13. Date sugar
14. Demerara sugar
15. Dextran
16. Dextrose
17. Diastatic malt
18. Diatase
19. Ethyl maltol
20. Fructose
21. Fruit juice
22. Fruit juice concentrate
23. Galactose
24. Glucose
25. Glucose solids
26. Golden sugar
27. Golden syrup
28. Grape sugar
29. High fructose corn syrup
30. Honey
31. Icing sugar
32. Invert sugar
33. Lactose
34. Maltodextrin
35. Maltose
36. Malt syrup
37. Maple syrup
38. Molasses
39. Muscovado sugar
40. Panocha
41. Raw sugar
42. Refiner’s syrup
43. Rice syrup
44. Sorbitol
45. Sorghum syrup
46. Sucrose
47. Sugar
48. Treacle
49. Turbinado sugar
50. Yellow sugar

I imagine some of those caught your attention. Take a look at the boxes you have in the house again. Do you see rice syrup listed in the first three ingredients for a child breakfast cereal? Guess what, that’s sugar. Yes it’s “healthy”, yes it’s organic. It’s still sugar. If you are looking to reduce calories then this is something you can look at cutting back on.

As you start looking more, you’ll find sugars in all kinds of products from ketchup to breads. Take a look in your pantry. How many sugars can you find right now? Let me know.

Eating healthy on a budget

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$35 a week, eating, fitness, health, life, lifestyle, nutrition

A recent research study presented data which indicates that eating healthy adds on average $380 a year to the household grocery bill. This started a series of discussions about the viability of eating healthy if you are on a restricted budget.

My default reaction is to call shenanigans and start picking the study apart. Thinking about it further, I’ve reconsidered. Sure the study was done in a very affluent neighborhood where the default store options are Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. The deeper message has gotten misplaced. How do you eat healthy on a budget? Is it really possible to do this?

Since I’m coming home to a fairly empty fridge, this is an excellent week to start this off and see how it works. I’ve set a target budget of $35 a week for food. This week’s purchases:

2.5 pounds of chicken breasts- $6.00

4 cans tuna fish- $3.50

4 bags mixed frozen veggies- $4.00

1 bag black beans- $.99

1 lb tomatoes- $1.97

Fresh mozzarella cheese- $4.00

3/4 lb stew meat- $2.75

Plan yogurt- $3.00

—

I’ve got assorted frozen veggies in my freezer, and a selection of flour and grain products in my pantry. The idea is to mix and match to create interesting eating options, while also aiming towards healthy eating. It should prove to be interesting.

Honor your scars

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actions have consequences, clara k.showalter, clara showalter, finding forgiveness, fitness, impact on others, life, scars

It seems some days like there’s a whole industry out there built around telling you that your past actions have no consequence.

You can lose all that nasty fat in 30 days. You can restore your credit in three months. You can find forgiveness for all your past transgressions. You can recapture and fix your past for the bargain price of $3,999. In short with enough hard work, you can find a way to fix a broken past.

Now to an extent, this is true. You can actually undo years of damage to your body with an sound nutrition and exercise program. You can find forgiveness if you are willing to give a sincere apology and make amends for your past acts. You can even pay various agencies to go back in time and edit out your mistakes. That may cost you a little more than $3,999.

What you can’t do is ignore your role in generating those situations in the first place. You can’t erase the memory of someone you’ve hurt. Time may ease the pain, it may not. There’s an indelible mark left in place. Years of yo-yo weight loss will leave you with damage to your body. Surgery may correct loose skin, but it will always come with scars. It’s another mark you’ll have to live with.

We get so obsessed with hiding these scars, and avoiding the painful actions of the past that we forget the valuable lessons they contain. The scar on your knee reminds you to pay attention when you run. The anger in the eyes of a former friend reminds you to consider the impact of your actions on others. Stretch marks from years of weight gain are the badge showing that you’ve figured out how to lose the weight.

Your actions good and bad will have consequences. Those consequences will always be a part of your life. Trying to hide from them dishonors you and the people around you. Step up, face your actions, and honor the scars physical and mental which make you the person you are today.

Reciprocity- not just a status update

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body for life, clara k.showalter, clara showalter, facebook update, fitness, life, make a difference, positive impact, reciprocity, status update, universal law of reciprocity

One of the cornerstones of the Body-for-Life program is the Universal Law of Reciprocity. In essence, part of helping your lose weight and keep it off is remembering to reach out and help others. It can be as simple as an encouraging word to someone who’s struggling. It can be paying tolls for the people behind you. The key is doing something for another, without expecting anything for it.

Developing this attitude of gratitude helps pull you out of your own drama. It gets you focused on helping others, and by doing that you help yourself. When I started my fitness and weight-loss journey, I made a point of including daily Universal Law of Reciprocity (ULR) work into my program. I literally had as part of my daily plan, “encourage X today.”

The key thing here is that this is a specific, focused action. It’s not just a blind status update saying. “great job!” It’s something with a purpose behind it. I see a lot of folks these days who post the status update of the day. You know the one, “if you believe in cause X, put this as your status.” The thing is, does that status update really help move anything forward? I mean it’s not much work or thought for you to do a copy and paste. It’s a bit like grabbing a shotgun, closing your eyes, spinning in a circle, then pulling the trigger and hoping you hit something.

You might, but it’s probably not going to be real pretty when you open your eyes.

The goal isn’t to show the world how much you care. The goal is to take action and make a difference for someone. A genuine kind word to one who is struggling has the potential to change a life. Too often, I think we lose track of what it means to give back. It means a sacrifice. Sometimes it’s a small one, a few minutes of your time. It may be bigger, in the form of money to a cause you believe in. It may be a half day volunteering. It may be picking up the phone and listening for a few hours to someone who’s hurting.

Some days people may know it’s you reaching out. Some days it’s you operating behind the scenes. Those are some of my favorite moments of ULR in action. When you can quietly work on the back end to make something come through for a person who needs it, that’s a great feeling.

The next time you update your status to reflect the cause of the day, ask yourself what you can do to really make an impact. How can you take that off the cuff action and really make a difference in the world around you?

Great changes happen one small act at a time. That’s how you lose weight, and that’s how you build your way to a happy and meaningful life.