You’re a creative type? Love the buzz of that busy mind bursting forth new ideas? Of course! There’s only one little hiccup; a bug in the cranial software. It’s called ‘conscience’.
This little pest insists on telling you you should be exercising (just when you thought you’d mastered the fabulously healthy skill of dismissing all ‘shoulds’). It gnaws at you with the ‘exercise’ message, ensuring you faintly recall a virtuous feeling you had when you did some years ago. But a huge groan keeps pace with conscience, fuelling an ongoing battle for songwriters like me, who are notorious for not exercising anything other than the mind. Until now.
Today, a new sport, Songline Running, invented itself. And it’s not the regular sport of running with headphones on. It goes like this:
You take up Songline Running, (having a name for something always helps). In your first session, totally new, (and, you tell yourself, ‘vastly better’), songlines run through your mind as you run – (and, you tell yourself, this is the only way they come in at this level). Even miniature runs yield this quality of creative occurrences. I call my miniature runs ‘shuffles’ …
Then follows the best bit. You treat yourself with the well deserved REWARD – (you might need to picture the reward before you begin, to get you out the door in the first place). And the reward is? Vastly better songlines of course, (or poetry if you’re a poet, novel ideas if you’re a novelist, and so on). You get to slam all that breakthrough, higher level brilliance into your songwriting software the moment you get home. Athletes call this a ‘warm down’ – you see them stretching in all sorts of gangly poses after the run. But for we ‘arteests’ the best ‘warm down’ is to ‘get it down’ … I’ve just completed my first Songline Run and I couldn’t wait to tell you! I’m FULL of world-shattering new ideas.
Next time I post a song, you’ll be so impressed you’ll immediately take up the sport yourself, (that is, unless you’re already impressed with this triumphant little article, in which case, you’ll take up the sport now). OK. I’ve warmed down getting this all down. And I’ve popped those gorgeous new lines into my songwriting software, which I reckon is thanking me. Now it’s time for brekkies.
1. Dare I mention wrinkles? … waves of skin falling over skin? 2. Do you feel younger in ‘hide-the-evidence’ clothing? 3. Is your mental composure lost at the look of your anatomy while engaging in a forward bend?
Having answered yes to the above, I had to do something about it. I tried the gym … and lasted about two minutes. Then, breakthrough … a way to get my stubbornly sagging biceps to actual lift off point. This song, on my Still Dancing album, does the trick!
Gravity
Good old Newton had a flash Evolved the idea, gave it a bash Wrote it on paper for all to see And now we have the theory of gravity What was firm is not so sound What stayed up must come down Look at great grandma and you will see The long term effect of gravity!
Gravity, gravity It’s all happening to you & me We take it all so seriously May as well laugh at gravity
What was tight is growing slack. You want your youthful figure back But a face lift’s just a bit of messing around When even your internals are falling down! That’s nature – It’s all fine. She gave the solution It’s in the mind. Forget the lines, and sing with me May as well laugh at gravity
Gravity, gravity – It’s all happening to you & me …
But Newton’s in a grave situation Physicists across the nation say Our subatomic essence is totally free Beyond the pull of gravity!
Quantum physics says your face consists of little – mainly space Celebrate! It could be worse – Our essence is the universe! So why not entertain this truth And drink from the quantum fountain of youth? You’re beautiful! Set yourself free! May as well laugh at gravity.
Gravity, gravity, it’s all happening to you & me We take it all so seriously May as well laugh at gravity
Now before you elaborate on the finer differences between me and the Navi Babe in part 1, realise we are on another planet. On Pandora, eating unprocessed, plant-based wholefood, they’re naturally lithe. The idea of slimming has been irrelevant.
But recently, I met one or two Navi who had visited planet Earth, (invisible as they were in their beyond-the-speed of light spacecraft). Evidently, they had innocently tried some of the nosh down here, and it affected their genetic code. Sadly, they now have to keep an inner-third eye on alert when eating food high in fats and carbs. Turns out there is no outsize apparel is available in Pandora. And though I wouldn’t mind seeing a few of them running around naked, they’re not into it. Clothing is essential in the daily hunt for berries, nuts, edible greens. One gorgeous, sexy looking dude put me in the picture …
‘You leap through the forest and dive into pure waters, harvesting with care so each food source can readily sustain itself. Traditionally there’s no temptation to graze because you know food is precious. You gather & hunt for the whole clan – none of this individual indulgence stuff. You take what you need and no more – no private pigging out! Earthly diseases of ‘civilisation,’ do not occur here …’ he said, proudly. Then his face fell. ‘Now I’m a bit gutted. I need to watch my gut now.’ I was puzzled. His gut looked hellava trim to me, so I replied with a curious look. His divine-goddess-looking partner picked up the narrative.
‘There’s food available, and the Avatar Tea in your hunting pouch sports a little plant-milk; just enough protein and carbohydrate to keep you going for a few hours until we all gather to eat’. She explained that they still observe the ancient ways. Like their ancestors, they eat according to the sparse cycle of hunger, when and if there is food to go around.
It brough back memories. During my Navi training, when I first went without snacks, I experienced a new feeling – hunger!!! What I used to call hunger was just my stomach digesting. Real hunger felt different – primal and healthy. I found it occurs in waves every four to six daylight hours.
So the slimming tips I secretly hoped to pick up during my Navi training turned out to be, in essence, ‘live the green prescription.’ A bit of cajoling myself into health ways, and lots of inspiration, worked. Yes -I did it! And I’m still doing it, to the best of my ability. It can be challenging at times, especially in our society. But others are doing it too, working on eating more consciously, and taking a break to relax with a Whole Food Living magazine; recipes to try, new things to learn.
Evidently the apex of human induction has recently been reached. You can aim, fire and stay on target. We now have the knowledge needed to have a body like an Avatar Alien: be active & eat healthy food in small amounts when you’re genuinely hungry,period. Back to Earth … Galump! As mother used to say, “Give thanks”, “Eat your greens” and “Think of all the starving children.”
As you pop a can of baked beans in the food bank trolley at the supermarket, you’re glad to be sharing whole plant food staples with others in the human clan – lots of struggling families out there. Tuning into your body, you notice you’re gradually turning a rather triumphant shade of blue …
OK, so you don’t want blue skin; fair enough. But those slim, agile limbs and CGI waistlines! – what wouldn’t you do to have those? You decide to take the leap … back to nature, where such endowments are a natural given in the hunter gatherer lifestyle. Suddenly ancient ways are making sense. Time to get hunting & gathering …
You’ve been great at hunting for bargains and gathering weight, but now you’ve seen Avatar …
1. Back to the Plot Square one. You realise that, like the Navi, you’re living on a plot of soil – well it was, before you had it concreted a decade ago. It’s out with the concrete and in with a magical, Pandora-style vege & herb garden. Out with that designer pebble courtyard and in with a luscious little lawn. Trimming inches off your waist as you trim the grass with a dinky little push-mower, you’re in tune with nature. Exercise, now integrated into daily home-living, is not only burning off calories, it is increasing your metabolic rate and your lean tissue mass! Every muscle sings as you dig compost and plant and weed your green haven. Gathering your very own harvest, you thank the goddess you haven’t lost the plot.
2. Out with Labour Saving Devices Was there white-ware on Pandora? Hmmm … You realise over-civilization has you in its deadly, muscle-wasting grip. No longer. You’re washing laundry by hand, picturing yourself dressing real scanty like the Na’vi once your new body is fully formed. Hanging clothes out in the sun, your big-stretch regime has new meaning. Everything hums as you ‘vacuum’ the floor with your hand-sweeper (remember those cute push-things grandma had?). Manual labour is back ‘in’ as do-it-by-hand beaters, graters, peelers and lemon-squeezers consume energy – yours, not the environment’s. Your thighs are lithe from constant knee-bends, your arms are firm enough to go sleeveless and you’ve actually got a waist! But what to do with the waste? A boomer truckload of white-ware & electrical gadgetry is donated to those in need – frantic parents with a house full of kids to raise, for instance. You are now free to fight the good fight …
3. Facing the Cold, Hard Facts On the 3D battlefield, you were in retreat and your stomach, in advance. You stand on attack, bravely facing the cold, hard facts aliens have been bleeping to humans since consumerism took over planet Earth. They are:
Consume Less. If you have surplus fat, you’ve eaten more calories than you need. There is no way to shed weight, and keep it off, other than eating less and exercising more. End of transmission. Gulp. Blush. Surely reality is not that black & white? That cold?
Luckily, you’ll only need to eat moderately less, and exercise moderately more – that’s hot! But you soon go cold realising it has to be ongoing. Like, for the rest of your life. But at least ‘cold’ and ‘hot’ are your friends – extreme temperatures can increase your metabolic rate by up to 20% – it’s all going to work out as you work out!
You start walking in the winter air, taking cooler showers. You float into deep relaxation, basking indoors with a new Pandora-style passive solar heating system. Hot yoga is cool! Avatar suppleness will be yours to show off
You’ve faced the cold, hard diet & exercise facts. They took a bit of digesting … but your digestive system is now Pandora-fit!
4. Learning New, Ancient Ways
You’re the chosen one – the one who will be super-gorgeous, lithe, fit, muscle-endowed and trim. Your wisdom-body is forming a bright future, as you learn to live like the alien-ancestors. Already Echo Living, you’re well on the way backwards. You step further now, into ancient ways …
~ Mining Precious Minerals Planet Pandora’s bogglingly valuable mineral, ‘unobtanium’ is not nearly as in demand on planet Earth as the one you’re discovering: ‘weightlossium,’ which is highly active when you get back to the essentials; minerals & vitamins. You discover seaweed, the ultimate mineral-rich food, and other ancient, super-foods. Every calorie counts.
You go nutrient-rich – wholefoods, high in nutrients, low in calories, digging in the garden instead of digging in at the bakery, dessert restaurant, sweet shop, or fast-food stop. You’re high on nutrition, low on calories. And that new culinary goldmine is raking in the profits!
~Becoming Unrefined Leaping around in the wild, you’re eating foods as nature made them. Nothing is refined on Pandora – no food industry exists to refine it. No fillers, additives, artificial preservatives, colours, flavours, humectants, emulsifiers, sweeteners, acidity regulators, modified genes and other profit-making, up-sizing ingredients. Your taste buds burst you into new heights of ecstasy.
As you serve delicious dinners in your little cabin, vitamins & minerals are pouring in, forming, strengthening and energising your dream-Avatar body!
Sitting on the throne, you reach a new level of ‘regular,’ enjoying kiwifruit, delicious whole grains and all that natural fibre without even thinking. Each day is a moving experience! What a relief – you’re returning to your, natural, unrefined, radiant, not-so-blue self! 🙂
Tell us how you go experimenting with your new Avatar body – or at least what you think about ‘weightlossium!’ And don’t miss Part Two … May the force be with you!
You’re a creative type? Love the buzz of that busy mind bursting forth new ideas? Of course! There’s only one little hiccup; a bug in the cranial software. It’s called ‘conscience’.
Baby Boomer Girl 