It took me 8 years of piano lessons, competitions, and hours of practicing, to figure out that even though I won first or second place fairly often, music just isn't for me. I have zero natural music talent. And after I quit piano lessons, I had no inclination to play the piano. And that's okay.
It was back in the spring, as some of you may recall, that I came to the realization- after several months of intense running and training for a half marathon- that
I really, really don't enjoy running. It took me a while to come to that conclusion, to learn that I was only running to deal with my depression. So I stopped, knowing that using it as an escape wasn't healthy for me.
Did I quit exercising altogether? Ha! On the contrary, I threw myself into the
fun of exercising; experimenting with
belly dancing,
boot camp,
biking, and the
one hundred push ups challenge. I figured out what didn't work for me. Then, I experimented to see what did (and check out
this fantastic blogger for someone who
really experiments with fitness!).
Last night we celebrated my mums birthday (Happy Birthday!), and after a fabulous dinner and some mini cupcakes for dessert I still had the munchies for something crunchy. I opted for carrots.*
I've learned through trial and error that some healthy snacks- like
smoked mussels - aren't going to work for me. But others, like carrots, will be satisfactory.
We've got to experiment along the way, and figure out what we do and don't like. What works for us, and what doesn't. I've got an enormous list in my head of replacement foods for things which don't agree with me, the healthy and the unhealthy alike- champagne for hard liquor, cheesecake for ice cream cake, raw spinach for cooked, air popped popcorn for chips.
These things- my replacements- aren't going to work for everyone. And that's what we need to remember: tastes are very individualized. It takes some time to "get" what does and doesn't work for your body, and you're always going to be learning new things about what you do and don't like. But once you figure some of them out, you can know which things to rely on and which to pay no attention to.
It's also handy, in times of celebration (such as the birthday season!), to know these things so as to achieve maximum enjoyment. Indulge in what you enjoy, and what your body appreciates, and forget about what doesn't work. For the healthy and the unhealthy. You really hate brussel sprouts? Don't eat them. Eat asparagus instead.
Try them all out! Make mistakes. It's all worth it to figure out what works.
*I'm not always quite so good at the self-control. I had 3 pieces of (somewhat healthy) cake at one of my birthday celebrations (we don't *believe* in one-day celebrations in my family!) and then some chocolates afterwards. Oops:)
It was back in the spring, as some of you may recall, that I came to the realization- after several months of intense running and training for a half marathon- that I really, really don't enjoy running. It took me a while to come to that conclusion, to learn that I was only running to deal with my depression. So I stopped, knowing that using it as an escape wasn't healthy for me.
Did I quit exercising altogether? Ha! On the contrary, I threw myself into the fun of exercising; experimenting with belly dancing, boot camp, biking, and the one hundred push ups challenge. I figured out what didn't work for me. Then, I experimented to see what did (and check out this fantastic blogger for someone who really experiments with fitness!).
Last night we celebrated my mums birthday (Happy Birthday!), and after a fabulous dinner and some mini cupcakes for dessert I still had the munchies for something crunchy. I opted for carrots.*
I've learned through trial and error that some healthy snacks- like smoked mussels - aren't going to work for me. But others, like carrots, will be satisfactory.
We've got to experiment along the way, and figure out what we do and don't like. What works for us, and what doesn't. I've got an enormous list in my head of replacement foods for things which don't agree with me, the healthy and the unhealthy alike- champagne for hard liquor, cheesecake for ice cream cake, raw spinach for cooked, air popped popcorn for chips.
These things- my replacements- aren't going to work for everyone. And that's what we need to remember: tastes are very individualized. It takes some time to "get" what does and doesn't work for your body, and you're always going to be learning new things about what you do and don't like. But once you figure some of them out, you can know which things to rely on and which to pay no attention to.
It's also handy, in times of celebration (such as the birthday season!), to know these things so as to achieve maximum enjoyment. Indulge in what you enjoy, and what your body appreciates, and forget about what doesn't work. For the healthy and the unhealthy. You really hate brussel sprouts? Don't eat them. Eat asparagus instead.
Try them all out! Make mistakes. It's all worth it to figure out what works.
*I'm not always quite so good at the self-control. I had 3 pieces of (somewhat healthy) cake at one of my birthday celebrations (we don't *believe* in one-day celebrations in my family!) and then some chocolates afterwards. Oops:)