Village belonging to M.O.D. near me. Photo: author
Lately, I have been fearing what will become of Putin’s blood thirsty attack on Ukraine. I have made my protest but I can also lighten my tread on the Earth. It won’t save lives, sadly, but might mitigate the carbon released. Here are my ideas.
Don’t upgrade your phone just because you can. Mine is second hand, with a sim only contract. Keep the phone you have.
You don’t need to wash your clothes after wearing them once. (I don’t mean underclothes.)
Only use the washer when it is full.
I buy second hand clothes. I look good. No one knows.
Don’t water your garden every day. In high summer a good water every other day in the cool of evening is enough.
Use white vinegar to clean your home.
Stop using paper napkins.
Mend your clothes.
Reuse, repurpose and recycle.
Walk and cycle or use public transport whenever you can.
Never use plastic grass
Sow wild flower seeds
Plant a tree
Don’t leave electrical goods on ‘standby’. Switch them off.
Don’t leave lights on unnecessarily.
Enjoy dusk a little before turning the lights on.
Don’t use the dryer
Boil water in the kettle rather than the pan.
Always use a lid on your pan.
Don’t let flames lick the sides of your pans.
Turn the shower off while you shampoo your hair.
Take a shorter shower.
If you have children, they will not notice less water in the bath if you use bubble bath.
There are so many ways to be kind to the Earth. You can leave more ideas in comments.
Each of us is unique in how we live our lives. At the beginning, we fit with the family we are born into. As we reach our late teens some of us begin to individuate and find our nuclear family less comfortable, a very flawed parent, being treated differently to an older sibling. We can still remain close to a family member, or wait until the season is right to renew that latent bond.
However, to have a healthy relationship with a life partner we must individuate- we cannot make a relationship in the image of the family we are born into.
Discovering that I did not fit well in my nuclear family was the same exploration of my own values. Many remained the same as my Dad’s with some fine tuning. Every useless thing of my mother was extinguished. Having many loving friends, I flourished.
I sought education that my mother had denied me and the change in me through self awareness and, therefore, growth birthed many healthy habits and living outwardly; for the benefit of others and easing their burden.
I move at different speeds, adapting to each new phase of life. Being single, being married, being a mother, becoming a lone parent, and now an empty nest. My life has always been full as I always volunteered my skills as well as my paid job. I was fortunate to be a stay at home mom, it’s still full time work, but once my daughters were at school I began the volunteering once more. Now I work, and I write here.
My inspiration comes from observation. This was learnt through photography and poetry. Both depict scenes, both are gifted to others.
My work demands that I observe. Especially that which is not seen or heard. Inspiration comes from this too. Adding anonymity makes it a creation, a lesson, a tale.
My speeds vary at this time in my life. I cook simple, nutritious food, I tend my garden, I wander in nature near my home, I am a hostess, and friend. Now I also am a patient needing a prescription.
I am like the Moon. Seen in various forms and pulling the tides.
First, I want to stress that no one has to conform to a certain size or image. Forget what certain advertising tells you, or what you think men/women want. Be who you are. We are all designed differently. We need to celebrate diversity in body size, shape, and height.
That said and stressed, if you can take an inch or more of your flesh between your thumb and forefinger on your tummy or thigh, you probably need to lose some weight. The best way to do this is to put away scales, throw out calorie counters, and change your eating habits.
Choose a change that will suit you. It might be
Cutting out beige food. You can decide to stop eating cake, pastry, biscuits/cookies, pies and puddings. This will instantly remove a lot of unnecessary carbohydrates.
Cooking less food. If you have less food on your plate, and no leftovers to pick on from the fridge, you will lose weight.
Stop eating processed and precooked food. If you stop using cake mixes, microwave dinners and other processed foods, you cut out a lot of sugars.
A healthy diet of fresh vegetables, fruit and less meat will provide you with all the nourishment you need. We do not need to be swallowing vitamin tablets. Our diet should give us sufficient.
Some good things to add to your food intake are hemp oil, ginger, turmeric, liquorice, and local honey. Hemp oil is good for every system in your body. It will help you maintain and improve your circulation, sleep, joints, all your internal organs, breathing, and digestion.
Ginger and turmeric are both anti-inflammatory and decongestants. So is liquorice and honey is an antibiotic.
Fresh lemon juice everyday has an enzyme which protects against colds, flu, and other viral infections like mouth ulcers.
By doing away with the scales, you protect yourself from feelings of failure, unrealistic goals, and wanting to give up. Just knowing you are eating more healthily will make you feel good, even as you begin to notice feeling great physically.
Brisk walks, cycling, swimming etc are good to add to your change in lifestyle if you are not already doing so. We all need at least 20 minutes of aerobic exercise three times a week. Start where you are now and build it up. Exercise is good for your mental health too. I know people who go for an hours bike ride before their family wakes up. They feel and look good, whatever their build or size.
When we make changes that are behaviour related, we are far more likely to succeed than if our goal is a number or weight. You will feel your clothes loosening, you will notice that you feel good.
The first fat that your body loses is that which surrounds your heart, lungs, liver and kidneys. This is the most important fat to lose. You will not notice the loss of this, but your body will.
Fat gained by alcohol can be harder to lose. Especially if you don’t reduce your alcohol consumption. A glass of wine can be the equivalent of a jam donut, a burger, a plate of desert. Alcohol related fat often sits around the neck and face, as well as the stomach. Especially in men. I can often tell if a person drinks a lot, just by their appearance.
I have talked about alcohol in a previous blog and will probably discuss it again, so I’m not going into detail here.
Never shame a person about their weight. There are medical conditions that cause weight gain. Never make an issue of weight with your children, just teach them a healthy life habit. If you have an overweight child, talk with them and make their journey to health a joint one.
I hope people find this helpful. There are so many ‘diets; out there and some lead to malnourishment and most lead to failure. A change in behaviour is for life, so you cannot fail.
Writer and psychologist. My health, a journey with two life shortening diseases 
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