DOING MY DIET ROUTINE

You are what you eat. Surely you will become underweight and skinny, get skin dryness, muscle loss, and have mental retardation when you eat less excessively. On the other hand you will become overweight when you eat too much.  You'll get cancers when you eat more red meat, you'll have heart disease and stroke, diabetes, and kidney stones failure when you eat more fats, cholesterol, sugar, and sodium. Eating too much is really not good but those scrumptious, tasty, and aromatic foods are indeed so satisfying, very tempting, and addictive to eat again and again.  So, how do I resist tempts of eating them over and over again?  I am not a fan of measuring every calorie intake.  I do not read nutrition books by heart from A to Z and follow those health tips religously.  I am just using calculation and estimate only.  Here how I do my diet routine to handle tempts:

First: simplicity.  I made it simple.  My meals are basic, they are fast and easy. Whatever I cooked for breakfast is also for my lunch and if there is excess it will be for dinner, and they are all vegetables-based.  I do it every day during weekdays, and that would be at least five days in a week.  Take the foods in natural as much as you can - do not overdo with so many flavors, and not processed.

Then, I control the rice and the source of my carbohydrate by removing them on my meals.  I can just have them back when weekend but sometimes I can pass them because my body is already used to omit them in weekdays. Train yourself to always go back to the basic.

Second: watch sweet, fats, and sodium.  I stay away from sweet not because I have diabetes but I just don't like sweet.  I don't put sugar, creamer, or milk on my coffee or tea and I don't buy soda for drinks, or cookies, doughnuts, and confectionery for finger foods, and etc.

I don't have uric acid, gout, and heart problem why I avoid red meat, meat products, entrails foods, and pastries but because I am not a fan of those rich in cholesterol and saturated fats foods.

Processed foods are usually not in my list when doing grocery.  You will not find canned foods, instant noodles, and junk foods in my basket because I just want to avoid sodium.  Possible in very rare instances  as added ingredients but normally not.

Third: make reservation. I start the day without taking sugar, fats, rice and meat in the morning.  I simply control my foods in the morning.  Why, because I am not sure if I can eat any of them until the rest of the day like when lunch or dinner comes, or even meal times, someone will invite me for lunch out that I cannot say no to.  Almost everything we eat from market has sugar, salt, and fats so as much as possible I avoid eating those foods in my daily routine.  I did not totally  cut eating fancy foods but surely it is in very occassional times.  I am happy for that and I don't feel I am depriving myself.  Learn to know what occassional really means.

If I do all these things in at least five successive days, then I will not be guilty if I eat festive foods once, twice, or even trice in the next few days and no huge impact on my health because to sum up, my five days dietary routine still weight more.  And this is exactly the reason why as much as possible I do not always accept all invitations to parties because more often than not, the foods on these events are processed, more cholesterol, and sweet.  If you will always go to every dining for the sake of being in the loop, believe me you cannot really control your diet.  Definitely we know when we are having too much but the question is how to put stop on it, and here will take how you use discipline.

COFFEE IS LIFE

Always misunderstood, coffee has a bad reputation as not good drink because of caffeine, which is the first thing that always comes to our mind just when hearing about it or thinking of it. But supprisingly, coffee with the right amount is actually good. What makes it bad is if you add sugar or creamer. Coffee contains antioxidants. And wait, there are more that you cannot think of what you can get from coffee that are linked to several health benefits.

Coffee is good for health of our heart, liver and brain. Coffee drinkers are less likely to suffer a stroke. A cup or two a day may support the weak heart to pump enough blood to our body. Our liver condition can be protected thru getting liver enzyme levels from coffee. Our blood sugar level is regulated from the produced insulin and processed glucose that will help lowering the risk of type-2 diabetes. And our cells, coffee reduces fissures in our DNA strands thus make it stronger and repaired our cells.

In terms of diseases, coffee drinkers are less likely get colon cancer, kidney disease, and heart disease. The caffeine, a central nervous system stimulant that keeps our adrenalin rush makes our brain active and it is good for our brain because it gives us significant protection agaisnt risk of Alzhiemer's disease. Similarly, caffeine is linked to less likely develop Parkinson's disease. Coffee has active substance that may reduce internal inflamation and protect against disease.

It serves as energizer. Coffee boosts our energy levels. From the early morning we wake up when we want to get lively to start the day with that cup of coffee up to late night we need to counter the sleepy mood while catching up some stuff before we end the day, coffee does its job. In fact, coffee may enhance an athletic performance, that's how coffee heightens our energy level. And did you know that coffee contributes to a lower risk of depression?

"But first, coffee" - it is how you start your day. Life starts after coffee, it kickstarts our morning. With these good things about the good sides of coffee, overall drinking coffee in moderation like three or four cups a day could increases longevity and is considered safe in general. But take note it is not for all because those who have unmanaged blood pressure need to control their coffee. As disclaimer, this is merely for information purposes only and should not substitute any medical tratment.

Let me end this with these three notable quotes that feel good to ponder. "Coffee is God's gift to mankind" quoted by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Fran Drescher said "Once you wake up and smell the coffee, it is hard to go back to sleep". And "But even a bad cup of coffee is better than no coffee at all" by David Lynch.

I am not a coffee person but I do really appreciate having a cup of dark and strong coffee every morning especially like before starting the works. I like the comfort it gives when the temperature is freezing during winter, or when there is rain with thunder and cold wind, or when I am in high land places. I love its companionship whenever I am in travel both in-flight or waiting in bus terminals. Also a cup of coffee while camping specially during break of the dawn is a serene feeling that is for keep.

POCHOLO IN A WORLD FULL OF PERFECT BOSS

A new Chief Operating Officer (COO) has assumed the office. Pocholo, a full-pledge hardworking staff in the office warmly welcomed the COO but lukewarm reception was received. Maybe the COO is a man of few words, so he did not give pessimism the space to sprout. At first there were moments of testing the water to know the right approach of working with the COO although Pocholo knew he was a better himself to start off. After three days, clueless what is bound to happen, the surprised Pocholo received unexpected remarks from the COO. "You are slow. There is something not good in your brain" and he meant it. Embarrased and felt small, Pocholo a reticent by nature, his reaction was fluid that he did not reply back but offered apology as the essential right thing to do.

When he returned to his workspace, feeling down and repeatedly asked himself of what has happened. He knows he is not the best in the batch and petty mistakes in the job are normal to happen but to accuse him during the so called adjustment period is quite unfair. Being the pro-active person who defenitely not used to mount backlog as much as he can and doesn't sit his work, to label him slow is really heartbreaking. That started him to doubting if he was really good enough and he even regretted whatever sacrifices he had done for the job. The feeling was mental health sign that affected him so real in thinking how much more efforts should he must put on so as not to be called slow. That day was the longest eight hours workday all throughout to getting home. It disturbed him all-night long that he did not get good sleep and resulted him to have bad morning.

In spite of this, Pocholo had the way to accept it. It was not the COO per se that made him hurt but the hurtful remarks of that COO. Whether or not Pocholo's feeling is valid, it is not his first concern now because it has been done. Let bygones be bygones. Besides, whoever is right doesn't matter anymore. It is not who is right and who is wrong but it is to be kind rather than to be right. Be tolerant. It is not sign of weakness but it is sign of big heart. It is better to be kind than right because being right is just in our mind while kindness is what in our heart. Being right gives you the proud moment while on the other hand choosing kindness has deeper and long-lasting sense of achievement. Above and beyond, when you are right doesn't always means you will never go wrong because your truth may not their truth.

In a world full of perfect boss, Pocholo is methaphor to many of us who accepts the bitter pills to swallow, the sad reality of a submissive staff to his unapologetic boss because of the needs to work hard to live decently. He represents us who bites the bullet and learning life the hard way. A boss is a boss, let us give it to him and maybe Pocholo was just too sensitive. First impression is not always the last nonetheless and time is the ultimate thruth teller. Soon, his worth will be known and appreciated. Not speaking yourself is not to say suppressing your expression or holding back the truth is correct but if you chose to reserve yourself in that too early to talk, things could be blown out of proportion otherwise.