Fighting Fatigue and the American Diner Breakfast

(Part 1 of a Special 5 Part Series on Body Awareness)

I went out for lunch yesterday and ordered a portobello mushroom
wrap with some fresh vegetables, no dressing at the local
sandwich and coffee shop.

As always, it was a struggle to find something at a deli,
restaurant or take out place that fits my somewhat stringent
dietary requirements.

The server brought out the meal and after I took my first bite,
I wasn’t sure if I had gotten the right order.

What I was eating was something that tasted more like a mix
between tofu and tempeh (a fermented soy product). It was fried
and–of course–it tasted good. Everything fried tends to have a
wonderful taste, doesn’t it?!

This required a more extensive analysis. I examined the contents
of the wrap closely–pulling out a piece of the fried food-stuff
and taking it apart with a knife. Once I was convinced that
there were no meat products in it, I decided that I’d give it a
shot… and yes, as I had imagined every bite was just as good
an the first!

Then I went home.

I sat down at the computer to check my email and do some
writing–with every intention to be very productive–and within
five minutes my eyes had shut and I was cat napping right at my
desk.

When I woke up a minute or so later, I was instantly reminded of
the times in college–and even before that, in high school–when
right after a meal, I’d go to class and struggle to keep my head
up from the desk. The battle was helpless to fight. I remember
distinctly one 2:00PM, large lecture class during my Junior year
at Marist where I’d, no fail, fall asleep around 2:15PM and wake
up around 2:50PM–missing a whole 35 minutes! Every time! I’d
love to find the girls that sat behind me who used to kid me
after class about it. They would be a great testimonial to this
story!

I now am aware of the reason why my energy stores and most
likely yours are being depleted after eating.

My class was right after lunch, and whether I ate at the
cafeteria or a frozen pizza at home before class, I was not
getting enough fresh foods to keep me at a peak level. Not even
enough good food to keep me at a CONSCIOUS level!

Eat a frozen pizza and a few mozzarella sticks from the toaster
and guage how you feel in 15-20 minutes. If you’re on the couch
passed out with the TV on, I think I’ve proven my point.

On the other hand, eat a salad with just vegetables, nuts and
beans or drink a fresh juice and just wait to get tired.

You’ll be waiting for a long time. Fruits, vegetables, nuts and
all other natural uncooked foods have more nutrients and their
food life is digested quickly for immediate use. Your body does
not have to labor over digestion when you eat these fresh foods.
Your digestive system knows what to do with these foods and
knows how to distribute them right away.

When your system gets a glob of eggs, meats, cheeses, sauteed
vegetables, toast, butter, 2 coffees, cream, sugar and fried
potatoes–what is known to us as the “American Diner Breakfast”
it goes into a panic and rushes all your blood to your stomach
to take care of the crisis. You suffer by falling asleep or
feeling like a truck hit you–hard.

So here’s the action your should consider taking…

In the next week, before your next installment of this 5 Part
series on Body Awareness, I’d like you to take notice of how
your body feels after you eat your food. Do you feel tired? Do
you feel like exercising? Are you amazed that you’ve never
noticed how poor you felt after a huge cooked meal?

Don’t go any further than just noticing how you feel. We’ll
address what to do next in seven days.

This will begin to tune you into your own body. It’s amazing how
much time we spend with ourselves and we never really take the
time to figure out what we–our bodies–want. Imagine if your
friend was always telling you that they get sick and tired every
time they eat a fried meal with no fresh vegetables. I imagine,
if you were a concerned friend that you’d tell them they should
consider trying a new diet, right?!

Chances are your bodies are telling you the same thing. You’ve
learned to ignore the best friend you could possibly have.
Listen to it and recognize the signals it is giving you and
you’ve made the first step to optimal health and fitness.

In Part 2, you’ll learn how to create radical change in your
body image once you recognize what your body wants.

Until then, keep listening–you’ll hear something.

1. Prev:A little exercise is a healthy Weight Loss Plan
2. Next:Dieting 101: Week 1: Being Flexibile is Key