Seven Words

Last summer I gave up caffeine. Overall, it wasn’t that hard since I don’t drink much soda. I generally feel better. At the very least, I don’t feel dependent upon coffee or soda in order to “get going” in the morning. Carina is still a slave to the brew in order to clear her head when she wakes up. I enjoy a cup of decaf now and again, but I enjoy it for the flavor, and not the effect.

I’ve been trying – somewhat irregularly – to improve the overall state of my health for a few months. I go to the gym when I can to swim, and occassionally ride a stationary bike. I walk when running errands in the neighborhood. I bike to work every now and again. And I almost never use an elevator when I can help it, prefering to walk up the stairs.

But I’d been eating like I always had; which is to say, poorly. I wait too long to eat, and as a result eat too much trying to overcompensate my hunger. And the food I eat has long been the kind that’s not particularly good for you.

I’ve been thinking a lot, lately, about the “diet plan” espoused by Henry Rollins at his performance last year:

Eat less. Eat better. Move your body.

Pretty simple guidelines; and completely intuitive, really.

Two weeks ago, for no particular reason, I decided to see if I could handle vegetarianism. My sister’s been a militant vegetarian for almost two decades. So far, it hasn’t been that hard. The big challenge is all the “convenience” food on which our culture relies: fast food lunches on the go. I need to plan ahead a little more to ensure that I’ve got time for at least a small meal somewhere, since it’s rather hard to eat a salad while driving the car! Of course, I haven’t yet done any travelling, or visiting of friends and family – both of which can make it hard to control the foods one eats. Nor have I tried to be a vegetarian through a major holiday like Thanksgiving or Christmas…

In addition to eating no meat, I’ve also been making a conscious decision to eat less when I do eat. At first, I felt hungry after meals, and felt like I really needed to snack to get through the day. But this last week I’ve noticed that those feelings have ebbed considerably. My meals are much smaller, and I feel satisfied for a longer period of time after eating.

I don’t know if I’ll stick with vegetarianism; but for now I’m enjoying the experiment.