Tag Archives: advice

Body by Vi, I wish you’d…

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10

…it rhymes with “Vi”.

Die.

This was going to be a Facebook status update before I headed to bed, but I bet there are some opinions out there that I’d love to hear, so here goes another post that, kind of like my take on strong is the new skinny, might hit close to home for some people.

In short, if I see one more beautiful friend of mine touting the “Body by Vi” program or challenge I might cry or scream or lose it.

When it came up on my news feed multiple times today, I decided to google the ingredients of the shakes. I had a conversation with a friend about how overwhelming the whole thing has been lately in our circle of friends/social media and about how concerning it is that so many people jump on this bandwagon looking for health.

I found an info sheet online which explains the challenge and gives information on the shakes, mixes, and cookies, etc. they sell.

The ingredients for the shake are mostly ingredients and not really recognizable as food to me:

Hi “digestive resistant maltodextrin from fibersol”, I don’t think we’ve met. Maybe next time I’m at the market I’ll ask around for some? I’m thinking it’s just a form of fibre, but seriously…

What happened to getting fiber from foods? Wouldn’t it be kind of cool if you could toss some fruit and maybe some yogurt for protein and spinach for vitamins if you’re feeling fancy into a blender and whip up a shake that you can call food instead of a food-like supplement?

If you check out the cookies the program sells, they say under the question “Who can eat the cookie?” that they’re good for the “health conscious: those who want a healthy snack without wasting calories eating empty foods,” among others.

So serve up a mix of a bunch of things extracted from food and some stuff you certainly can’t picture.

…not really what I’m expecting in a cookie. FYI: flour, sugar, and butter are real food. Maybe some oatmeal, eggs, and chocolate.

All those extra extracts added into these products might very well be healthy — but wouldn’t it be cool if people got healthy by learning to eat the real foods instead of frankenfoods that provide the vitamins/minerals/compounds in isolated form? Do you really think a diet that teaches you to eat a cookie as a way to avoid wasting calories on empty foods is going to work long term? Wouldn’t it be better to teach people how to fuel themselves using whole foods to get the nutrition they need?

In my opinion, health is about learning and about gaining the skills and abilities that are genuinely healthy. The Body By Vi challenge is about selling the products. You’d probably lose weight–according to this article I liked on a group of dietitians’ website, the program provides:

“1200-1400calories/day. 18% of the calories come from fat, 44% from carbohydrates, and a whopping 38% from protein. What does the body really need to stay healthy? 20-30% from fat, 45-65% from carbohydrates, 10-20% from protein.”

Seems a bit counterproductive if your goal is to get healthy?

So by all means if you want to admit that you’re taking a quick fix that is really not a healthy choice that must not be based on the pursuit of health but maybe on something ego-driven or unhealthy, tout the products. If you want to talk to me about getting healthy, lets do it over Green Monsters.

I’m gonna leave this with some advice from Michael Pollan (one of his tips from Food Rules):

“Avoid food products containing ingredients that no ordinary human would keep in the pantry.”

While I can’t say I’m perfect–I definitely eat processed foods–I know that basing my diet on whole foods is healthy. I know that writing this post was necessary!
What do you think about the shakes?
How do you feel about people promoting products they sell — i.e. these shakes or anything else you’ve been approached to purchase or to “get in on”?

Something to look forward to

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8

Howdy! (apparently part of me is still on texas!)

Today has been flying by. It started with a solid swim that made me realize I’m not so out of shape in the pool but that swimming can be tough!

I also drank too much coffee with my pre-swim snack for a tougher workout. My bad.

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Breakfast was a repeat of yesterday’s sandwich from lunch — an almond and pumpkin butter mix — with a banana and a coffee. Yes, I am addicted!

I’d be lying if I said I woke up stressing less than last night. A good night’s sleep helped but I had an article to pound out before my normal work to do. I also headed to the hills of Brescia this morning after swim for a meeting of a committee that I think is the coolest. Thing. Ever. They’re working with the hospitality program at western and if you have ever thought about how much food universities go through, you can imagine the potential. In the states, a really cool program called the real food challenge caught my eyes a long time ago. It’s about getting real food on campuses and about having sustainable programs. Right up my alley much?

Anyways there were so many things in the works and I am probably giving a gross understatement if I felt like I was on the verge of something and in the right place at the right time. Yesterday after interviewing a source for my Canadian Cycling Magazine article I brought up a peer nutrition program I’m interested in volunteering for and the woman, who is one of the rd on campus, told me about this meeting. I immediately called another professor and got myself an invite. And I went. And it was awesome. And I have another reason to know I’m making the right decision.

I want to thank everyone for the advice and comments and messages you sent in response to my plea yesterday. The general consensus is “follow your heart” which is ageless for a reason.

I’m following it right up Brescia Hill. Huffing and puffing, but that’s a minor detail.

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After the meeting and a quick appointment with the dietitian, I had lunch and met up with a friend for lunch (carrots and an egg salad sandwich I bought because my packed lunch was oh so unappealing). I don’t know where these eggs came from…but again, for the most part, conscious choices are leading me to healthier and more on purpose food options, so I’m smiling. And saving money!

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Now that I’m at the Gazette, there’s work to be done. There was also an apple to be eaten, which in the words of my fellow editor and blogger Ryan was not as crispy as it looked!  I thought it was perfect. :)

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Now that I’m pumping up other editors’ blogs, I might as well add Naira’s brand spankin new one–The Purple Jalapeño–on which I am sure you’re going to see a ton of really tasty recipes. She makes good good stuff, and judging by her first pizza post, we are going to have lots of cooking/eating to do!

I hope you guys are having a good Thursday. What’s keeping me going through this is the promise of a good dinner (which I have to cook), time to fold my laundry (which is bugging me), and a YOGA class! I haven’t done yoga in SO long. I need that zen!

What did you guys do today?
How often do you do yoga?
How do you find new blogs?

Giving up

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15

After teaching and coming home and eating a quick dinner (sadly I didn’t cook the pasta I meant to), I am ready for my futon. Despite deadlines galore, I’m going to relax again tonight.

And by relax I mean do some soul searching and some researching.

It’s good news that I got into UBC’s Journalism program in the beautiful beautiful Vancouver BUT it’s raising doubts in me (what the heck?!). I need to get on track with where I want to end up — and stop letting the lure of a good school or a nice city stray me away from what I know and trust about myself. It’s time for some goal setting, kiddos!

I wasn’t going to bring it up on this blog because I really thought it was something I’d be able to sort through myself, but I’m realizing more and more I’m bothered by something. When I told a friend, who I know didn’t mean to hurt me, that I was thinking of heading back to Brescia for Foods and Nutrition as a second undergrad, she asked me if I meant I was “giving up” on UBC and Columbia. I was really hurt by the comment, and I don’t blame her but I do question how much I was affected by it. Is it “giving up” if I don’t go? What if it’s because I’ve decided that “journalist” isn’t the right job title for me, but “writer” is? But the insecurity I have makes me wonder: am I so sure this is what I want to do?

These are the questions I need to think through tonight and for the next little while. The deadline to accept for journalism school is in mid-March, which is fast approaching. I really don’t KNOW the job title I want when I grow up. I accept that that much is entirely normal. It gets scary when going to a master’s program that I’ve already been accepted to presents itself as an opportunity–one that I was so sure I wanted not too long ago. When I think about things, though, I remember why I strayed from it in the first place: I don’t know that the lifestyle, insecurity, and stress that goes along with being a professional journalist would be the kind of living I want. I do know that I LOVE writing. I do know that there is stress and insecurity in terms of other careers too. But I know that constant deadlines and the stress of writing pieces, especially about things I don’t particularly love, is less than ideal for me.

I also know that I have done a fair bit of writing for a student and have enjoyed it but the majority of it has been stuff I’ve gotten set up with via connections, people I’ve met/networking, or pure luck. I know there’s talk of not even needing a journalism degree to be a journalist (but I always thought you might as well get an education if that’s your goal), but I’m not sure what the consensus is on how a journalism school degree would help you get freelance work or to write about topics you’re passionate about. If I wanted to be a journalist full time, I’d go. It’s here where I get hung up. I would like to be a freelancer, I think, who has another job. And I don’t want to have that other job because I have to, but because I want to. I want a career that I’m passionate about that allows me to write. Think Nancy Clarke’s articles, what Michael Pollan does, or the work that a lot of professionals in their industries do in terms of writing.

To me, that whole goal would be better achieved by doing what I’m doing with writing (writing about some stuff outside of my loves to build my portfolio, practicing on a blog, freelancing whenever I can, and writing for free<–money is just a bonus if I do get paid but I know lots of aspiring journalists don’t want to “just write for free”) and by getting more training (i.e. more fitness teaching certifications or working with the ones I have) or education (hence going back to school). I know all of this, but I still have a little voice in my head that says if I want to be “legit” I should go to school for journalism.

Or that in ten years I might regret not going.

But that’s crap. In ten years, I can be whoever I want to be. Ten years is long enough to change everything but isn’t so long that you don’t see how those changes could happen. I could end up living in BC in a different route. I could end up being a contributor for Women’s Health via my route now (I am already writing for a national magazine, and I don’t give myself credit). OR I could totally change my mind and find something else. I could be the next Michael Pollan. I could end up a teacher, teaching kids to make a difference (cheesy but true). I could change the world. I don’t have to know HOW, I just have to trust that I have that kind of power.

I had a good talk with Mel today about some of the stuff I say that “pisses her off” — so much love for you, PS, Mel — like “I don’t know how it’s going to get better” usually referring to my hip or like “I should do ______” — and she told me straight up, you need to believe in yourself and even though we don’t know what’s going to happen, we have to believe that stuff is going to come through for us (I’m going to run this season and I will have a freaking vegetable garden and a house with a husband, some day). She also is good at reminding me to make a decision and own it (which is advice I receive a lot and even give out to friends). Sometimes I need to follow my own advice and check in on all those cheesy quotes I share with my friends…

Literally, food for thought. I have a lot of thinking to do! I am looking for advice from people in my life–I have a lot of unconditional support, which is awesome, and I know this is my own decision, but I am SOLICITING for it. I want some guidance, insight, etc.

I also want to go lay down and think! So that’s what I’m going to do.

What do you think? Have you ever dealt with a similar decision?