Elizabeth M. Johnson

Do you love this song like I do? No one belts it out like Elvis does in this famous song. The rhythm is fabulous and his voice practically drips honey. So thick and gorgeous and with a message that is right on target: “a little less conversation, a little more action.” How many of us need to pay attention to these simple words on a daily basis?

We talk too much when we are nervous, on a first date, for example, or going into a job interview. We also talk too much when we have nothing concrete to talk about. The words that we use tell a story about ourselves to the outside world. So when we talk too much, we are likely telling them an only partially authentic story about ourselves. I think it’s important to note here that on occasion, we may choose to convey only part of our authentic selves to the listener. That’s absolutely fine. But I’m considering here examples where, when over-talking out of nervousness or boredom, the situation almost dictates your story instead of the other way around.

Instead: shut mouth, take step forward. Opening mouth out of nervousness or boredom means that you are taking a step backwards. Shutting your month allows you to take another action: a step forward. Here are a couple of examples of action steps that will propel you forward instead of continuing to talk out of nervousness or boredom:

1. Get out of your space (office, home, whatever) and take a 10-minute walk by yourself. Not only are you engaging in some healthy self-care but you are also deliberately removing yourself from people so you cannot keep talking. Some alone time will rapidly diminish any nervousness and a walk outside is seldom boring.
2. Whip out your gratitude journal and write down 6 things that you are grateful for right now. Taking mental and physical inventory of what you do have in your life will calm and center you. This task tends to be an invigorating one too. You may wind up being jazzed enough to take another action.
3. Open a book. What was the last book you read? If it was Fahrenheit 451 in 11^th grade, I suggest you get reacquainted with your local library. Reading is one of the most stimulating (free!) activities around. And-if you are reading, you cannot also be talking.

I have no idea if you are being held back by an excess of talking but in my experience, there are only a few people who are not. A little less conversation, a little more action. . .

in what way can you apply this to your own life?

It’s hard to eat and live healthily. Whoever says otherwise isn’t being honest! Each of us are very busy and our time is often not our own. We also know that it’s easy to maintain the same bad habits instead of imagining new ones that we can substitute for the old ones that keep us stuck in a bad place. So, let me do the work! Here are five tips for everyday good health:

1. Eat Only Foods You Really Love. How many times do we make a food choice that we don’t really like? Maybe someone else is doing the cooking or you obligated to eat the piece of birthday cake because everyone is. Whatever the case, be strong! Resist the food that doesn’t knock your socks off. If you want a sweet, choose a sweet you absolutely love.
2. Practice Moderation. Now that you have that lemon-coconut bar in your hot little hand, eat just one. Really. You only need one to satisfy that sweet tooth. I know (believe me, I know!) that you want another or perhaps four. Practicing moderation allows you to indulge in food that you really love while also keeping you healthy (mentally and physically).
3. Move Your Body for 20 Minutes Everyday. I’m in limbo now, without a gym membership for the first time in about eight years. Instead, I am walking one of my dogs every morning or getting on an elliptical in the afternoon. You don’t need to get complicated. Walking with your dog or a friend is more than fine; it’s great! The key is continuous movement on a daily basis.
4. Snack Well. More frequent, smaller meals are healthier for you. Snacks help to sustain you so you aren’t gorging yourself at meals. Eat a snack around mid-day, assuming you had breakfast and then another mid-afternoon. Pack cheese sticks, a handful of nuts, a banana or a Lara Bar. Or, if you are home, whip up a protein shake with skim milk.
5. Go for the Green. Add greens to whatever you are eating; they are high in vitamins, minerals and fiber. I am a new convert to kale. I love it sauteed with some butter (or olive oil) and garlic. I add it to whatever I’m cooking: sauce for pasta, leftover rice and veggies, whatever. Not a leafy green person? Add a buttery avocado instead.

Like any other new challenge (starting a job, going back to school, ending a relationship), you need to set yourself up for success. For today, start small with one of the five above. As that one piece becomes a good habit, add in one of the others until you have all five working for you on a daily basis. When you are ready to take it to the next level and add in a 6^th or 7^th, let me know.

One of the single biggest struggles that a woman encounters on a daily basis is her battle with her body. For many women, the body exists as an “other”; in her anger over all of its multiple imperfections, she removes herself from it. The body, too, serves as a reminder of all that is not right in her world, all that is imperfect and must be changed.

A state of utter physical perfection is sought. And, why not? We are social creatures; we need other humans and it is natural for women, especially, to imitate those of greatest success. Success is the visible and rewarded. It is prized on television and feature films. Failure equates stupidity, worthlessness and a lack of will power. It is mocked on television and feature films. Success is thin. Failure is fat.

This dictum may be changing, however. In an article in the September 17 issue of The New York Times, writer Tara Polker-Pope explores the new trend of eating healthily by adding, instead of eliminating, food from your diet in her article. This trend which I have deemed “clean eating” (which includes home cooking and substituting healthier ingredients in favorite foods instead of nixing the food altogether) is catching on even with lifelong dieters. There is more than just a loss of that sweet end-of-dinner treat when you deny yourself dessert. You authorize a climate of self-sacrifice which, I believe, doesn’t end at the dining table, especially for women. Your actions also convey a message to those around you, too.

And while we might contend that adult women are mature enough to choose which messages they will absorb for themselves, young girls are not. Young girls receive instruction on how to be a woman from the women around them–family, friends, teachers, coaches–and the women that they see outside their word: singers, actresses, talk show hosts, etc. Denying yourself food involves significant emotional and spiritual loss. These losses then contribute to an overall depletion in self-esteem.

Parker-Pope’s shares the story of one important social shift from a culture of endless perfection to one that is gentler, less obsessive and more focused on health than image. Obviously we have a long way to go before the female role models we see are sized more like Marilyn Monroe than Paris Hilton but I believe this is a strong start. Good health starts with education.