Self Control and Self Resolve is Contagious
It is such a gorgeous spring day today. We are just loving this weather here at Wholly Macro. It is so conducive to health and positive-ness. We just don't know what to do first. Open all of the windows and air everything out / do some spring-cleaning, (and yes, we love to clean here at Wholly Macro. The spring season, in Oriental Medicine, is related to the liver. And the liver functions best when things are nice and clean and orderly. Messiness, disorganization, and hoarding are all signs of an unhealthy liver, as are overly organized / obsessive - compulsive behavior). Or maybe we should work in the yard, planting more of the vegetables and herbs that we use in our weekly menu's, knowing that fresh from the earth contains the most energy, vitality, and nutrients, which is what it is all about. But wait. We also want to exercise on this perfect spring day. So a bike ride or beach walk is in order also. And, since the seasons are changing, there is such an abundance of produce and cooking styles to choose from. We can still use some of the winter foods and cooking styles, but can really diversify, and start using lighter spring foods and cooking styles as well. For instance: we are going to use beans this week on the menu. But instead of a serve hot bean dish, we are using them this week as a bean salad, with fresh and seasonal green beans. And we are using fresh lemon grass as well this week (in the dessert). The sour flavor of lemon stimulates the liver and gallbladder to produce bile. Bile helps the liver and gallbladder to dissolve and flush fat out of the body.
So hmmm. What to do first?? No shortage of healthy activities to choose from on our end.
We hope that all of you can include more healthy activities than you can possibly even fit in to your life, into your life as well!
I found a nice article this week entitled: Self Control Just Might Be Contagious. The article was based on five studies done at Duke University looking at the direct effect of the people we hang out with (friends, family, and even co-workers), on our own behavior. It seems that if you spend time with people who exhibit self-control, you can expect your own self-control to be better. So, spending time with people with less than ideal self - control will consequently influence you negatively.
We tend to hang out with people who are like us. If we want to eliminate bad habits, and change ourselves in positive ways, we may need to change the type of people we spend time with, or at the very least, find people to hang out with, and activities to do that reflect more of who we want to be.
You can improve your behavior by finding social networks that support you. And there are plenty of them. Seek healthy people who you know have self control, that indulge in health promoting activities, if you want to boost your own.
Become accountable. If you show a lack of self - control, you might actually be a negative influence on others: your close friends, your partner, your children, your clientele or business associates, even strangers. People watch and learn from other people. According to the above-mentioned study, others don't just watch your behavior when you show a lack of self-control or bad judgment, but are actually influenced by it. So, in this same way, we can all support and influence ourselves, our loved ones, and each other, by using good judgment, healthy positive habits, and balanced and positive self-control in as much of our own behavior as possible.
To quote from one of my favorite people, Wayne Dyer:
"Surround yourself with high energy people. Choose to be in close proximity to people who are empowering, who appeal to your sense of connection to intention, who see the greatness in you, who feel connected to their own higher power, and who live a life that gives evidence that spirit has found celebration through them".
At Wholly Macro, we believe that a healthy body promotes a healthy mind, and vice versa. It is all one continuous flow. And it all starts with the food we nourish our bodies and minds with.
Peace, health, and happiness.
Gayle and Jaime