LivingReal

Politics without Principle
Wealth without Works
Commerce without Morality
Pleasure without Conscience
Education without Character
Science without Humanity
Worship without Sacrifice

While I dislike government regulations as much as the next guy, there is one industry that really needs to be harnessed, regulated, gagged or just plain legislated to be honest in what they say.
The food industry has taken the role of providing nutritional intake to the people. Actually – that’s not true at all. The food industry has taken the role of providing their stockholders with regular and growing returns on their investments (ROI) – nutrition be damned!.
My thoughts on this will be shared in future posts but as we see the end of summer looming I thought to comment on the phenomena of the frozen fruit drink that many of our popular fast food establishments have added to their “Healthy Choice” menus this summer.
In a conversation I had with a young employee at a McD’s recently, I asked her what exactly was in the fruit smoothies? She was quick to tell me how they recently discussed this at an employee meeting and she was excited to share the literature while she told me it was all natural fruit. Once she had the literature it was easy to point out to her the ingredient list which had sugar as the 2nd third and fourth ingredient in each of the fruit flavors. She was surprised to see that, especially as it was written clearly on the sheet the company used to promote the healthiness of the product.
Ingredients are listed in the order of quantity – the ingredient which is the largest volume comes first, second largest by volume second and so on.
I looked up the ingredients on line and found that a McD’s 12 oz Wild Berry Real Fruit Smoothie has 48 grams of Carbohydrates and 44 grams of Sugar. A quick look at a government Daily Recommended Intake chart (and I welcome corrections to my analysis) shows that an adult male or female should have about 130 grams of Carbohydrates for a whole day and that while sugars do not have a recommendation they should constitute no more than 25% of our energy intake.
My biggest motivation for not ordering from a fast food restaurant is usually the employees and the patrons. Look around and decide how you will choose to feed yourself. We need to be eating to provide nutrition and to enjoy the fellowship with others when we “break bread together”. Enjoy the conversation more and let the food maintain its place as a sustainer of life and a healthy constitution.

Are you beyond thinking about coaching and ready to jump in?  Not everyone is actually ready to be coached or even ‘coachable’.  Not everyone is serious about creating a life of their own design, to make deliberate and conscience decisions that will make major +positive + changes to how they live and enjoy who they are and how they interact with the world around them.

“There’s a difference between interest and commitment.  When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstances permit. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.”  Art Turock

If you are ready – use the coment section below to contact me and we’ll set up a free phone session to give you a sense of where we can go together!

Do It Now!

I recently wrote (okay – I signed an on-line message that got sent) to my congressional representatives asking that the health care discussion not be lost in political in-fighting and party politics. Here is what I received back in an email from one of my senators:

Dear Mr. Fine:

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts about health care reform.  I have heard from thousands of Wisconsinites on this issue, and I want you to know that I understand both sides of the debate.  I would like to take this opportunity to let you know what is going on in the Senate regarding health.

Congress has been working together for over a year to change America’s health care system for the better.  On November 7, 2009 the House passed the “Affordable Health Care for America Act,” and on December 24, 2009 the Senate passed the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.”  Work remains to be done before we pass a final health reform bill.  Now that both the House and Senate have passed their respective bills, we will be tasked with merging the two versions of health reform.  I hope we can come to a bipartisan solution to improve health care for all Americans and also in getting our economy back on track and more Americans back to work as soon as possible.

If you want to learn more about what I am working on regarding health reform, please visit my website at kohl.senate.gov for more information.

Thank you for your comments.  Feel free to contact my office again about issues that are important to you.

Sincerely,

Herb Kohl
United States Senator

James Michner in his well known best seller The Drifters tells
the story of a group of 20 somethings who  meet and travel together
in Europe and beyond. Each chapter begins with a series of quotes
that make it worth the read all on their own.
I first read the book 30 years ago. Amongst all the quotes the 
Five Rules of Traveling are one of those profound thoughts that
have remained with me over the years, a template to live life by.
If you are a citizen of this world then you are a traveler who might
gain some insight here as well.   So I give you the 
Five Rules of Traveling along with my personal interpretations.  

Eat anything containing wild rice  A simple but wise reminder that
eating wholesome and natural foods should be a central part of a long,
happy and healthy life - Stick to the basics when it comes to food.
Fancy sauces, elegant feasts, all you can buffets and over processed
items all lead to ill health and rob us of enjoying all life has to offer.    

Never play cards with a guy named Doc The world is an exciting
place but being naive, gullible or ingenuous is not an excuse. Knowing
the rules and knowing the players is the first rule to being in the game.
Then realizing that there may be no rules and there is more to the
players than you first thought is a sign of maturity. Trust is important
in life but as a wise prophet once instructed "Tie your camel first, then
put your trust in Allah"  

Never eat at a place called Mom's While this might seem similar to
the wild rice rule it takes us a little further in considering all the things
that come into our lives. While food nourishes our bodies, Thoughts feed
our minds and relationships enrich our souls, We need to be fully aware
and fully responsible to make sure  that the thoughts we entertain are
not damaging to our energy and our actions and that the company we
keep is not toxic to our life.  Just because Mom said so is no reason not
to make wise choices on what we let in and around us and those we
love.   

Clean your clothes at every opportunity  Cleanliness is next to Godliness
and in this time of rampant bacterias and super viruses we would be  wise to
consider the importance of not only looking good but actually being good with
our hygiene and  other matters dealing with health and safety. Wearing seat belts,
not drinking and driving, watching our speed, keeping our important papers and
information secure, staying organized and keeping personal what is personal are
all part of  not letting stupid preventable things mess up enjoying life  

Never refuse an offer of sex So after all the previous advise of caution and safety
this rule might seem truly out of place. But get your  mind back under control and
see the meaning of sex as analogous to opportunity, calculated risk and a chance
to experience new things. We are reminded that life is meant to be lived and while
we all have to die someday not everyone makes an effort to really live. We should
make certain we live life and live it to the fullest!    

There you have it – now go out there and Live Real!