We all have our siren moments. You know what I am talking about….that ONE item or experience that no matter how hard you try, you just can’t eliminate it from your diet. You KNOW you should.
My siren is going to the movie theater. Growing up my mom didn’t have a lot of disposable income. We didn’t go to the movies. I can actually tell you what movies I saw as a kid/teenager -> Purple Rain, My Girl, Terminator 2, The Running Man and Seven. It just wasn’t something we did.
When I started dating my husband I got turned on to movies. He is a huge movie person. He has probably seen every movie ever produced. We went to the movie theaters a lot and if we weren’t at the theater we were holed up in his barracks room recreating the atmosphere. Popcorn, chocolate, Reese’s pieces, soda, pretzels, junk galore!
The sad part is I can’t even tell you most of the movies we have seen. If I sit too long the little monkey running the switchboard in my head starts running around switching things off and I fall asleep. But not before I get my fair share of junk…and in hindsight that might be why I couldn’t stay awake to watch the movie. My blood sugar was spiked and my organs were crying for a break so the brain shut me down so I couldn’t gorge on anything else.
Meh….live and learn.
Going to the theater recreates a 20 year old Angela, and a 23 year old Ray. We were dumb, reckless, passionate, but oh so much fun. We didn’t have schedules or responsibilities. There was no kids, no pets, a mortgage to pay and the only time hack we had was making sure we showed up for post. It was a very nostalgic time…and if I am being completely honest -> I am so glad we are grown ups now!
I can recognize this now, but you get me into that theater and as soon as I walk through the door I get agitated. I want that junk. I want that nostalgia, that lack of knowledge. I want that hot buttery pop corn (starch) with Nonpareils (sugar) while sitting in the dark watching shiny pictures flash and boom all the while snuggled in my jacket to fend off the air conditioning blowing frigid air down my neck.
This is a total siren moment for me. And using discipline to stave off this siren pisses me off. I just want to be a “normal” person; enjoying the popcorn and chocolate, the big shiny pictures and the loud noises in the dark….where no one can see me be a glutton.
BUT….I have to walk out of that theater. And that is where the problem starts. This is where being a “normal” person proves that ignorance is not bliss. No one SAW me consuming mass amounts of buttery popcorn and chocolate but that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. And now the consequences set in. What’s that…a pimple on my chin. Fantastic. I can’t shake the lethargy. I just want to nap and sit….but there is so much to do! Life isn’t waiting for me to get over my starch and sugar binge.
And the fact remains that this shit food impacts how I train, how I rest, how I live. This shit food causes metabolic damage, I can see it when I prick my finger and test my blood sugars. No, I am NOT diabetic. I use the glucometer as a tool to gather information on what is REALLY going on in my body, so that I can stay lean, stay strong, train hard, live well. (buy my book)
So what do you do when that Siren goes off?
Do you crumble and give in? Do you avoid buying it or avoid going to that place?
Or do you pull up your big kid britches and realize that YOU are the demon not the movie theaters. The issue is YOU and YOUR attitude towards your Siren. That yes, you can still go to the movies and snuggle in your jacket and watch the shiny pictures with their loud booms without compromising your health. Do you pretend that ignorance is bliss and throw your hands up when you are too tired and lethargic to live because your food choices were shit?
What do you do?
I suggest you recognize that LIFE and LIVING has nothing to do with food. That you make REAL food choices so you are vibrant and healthy and can enjoy every single blessed second you are on this Earth? Those real food choices aren’t found in the movie theater. They are at your Farmer’s Market, and on the local farm walking around, grazing on grass, or in the organic section of the grocery store. Yeah, these food choices require effort in purchase and preparation. Health requires effort. Anyone trying to sell you a quick gimmick pill, frozen entrée or shake is trying to pay for their mortgage.
You are going to have to cook. You are going to have to pack your lunch. You are going to have to prioritize time to exercise. Health requires effort.
So I ask you….what will you do when that Siren calls??
No comments:
Post a Comment