by Doug Dobransky
Most of us here in Southern California, came from somewhere else. Knowing someone is a Native Californian makes me kind of sad for them. They have no idea how phenomenal it was to have grown up here. They don't understand 4 mile walks to school in the snow, or the frigid mornings when cars would not start. My father actually started his car at midnight, letting it idle all night, to be sure he could get to work at 7am. My small town had a 31 Flavors I am sure, but they only had one flavor.
When I am out and about, I overhear people discussing their eating habits, and being around Hollywood and So Cal all these years, I have overheard some normal sounding quotes that would leave Middle America in disbelief and hysterics. In Beverly Hills, I overhead a homeless man telling a wealthy thin looking woman, that he had not eaten in three days. Her reply was...."Well, I wish I had your kind of willpower." At my fitness facility, a twenty something gal had mentioned that she might have bulimia, when the other simply said...."that's great".
I myself, while back east visiting family, became quickly aware of how serious eating is, and how it is more than life sustaining. It is the main entertainment and activity, especially during the winter. Because of this, quantities and calories are not really seen as concerns or health issues. My stock answer while visisting, when asked to "sit down and we'll fix you a plate" is....."I ate yesterday."
My point to this idea here is simple. People are highly influenced by their environments and peer groupings. Outside of Southern California, body image and health issues regarding fats, calories and quantity are not always seen as health or vanity concerns.
In one way, we might consider ourselves lucky to be around Hollywood, entertainment, and media, which seem to have a never ending supply of programming about treating your body with love and intelligence. Eating healthy and eating less permeates the air around here, and good for us. It's not working 100%, as you all can see, just by getting out and about, but we seem to at least try and stay aware of body image and fitness. My back east peeps can't get enough red meat, bacon, hot dogs, and fried chicken, along with the doughnuts and pies. And it shows. It's not even on their minds to loose that 75 pounds or simply stop and change their life long habit of ingesting pizza and beers all night long.
At least the sun and the summer life here puts a little "healthy" pressure on all of us to keep in mind that as we age, our bodies don't like to work that hard. They just don't like to do the work, and so those bodies go on a part time work schedule.
When they asked Cary Grant how is managed to stay so thin for his entire career and never have to crash diet for an upcoming film, he simply said...."I made food unimportant to me". Now mind you, I don't want to do that, and most likely neither do you, but people, take a lesson there.
It is an intellectual decision to see food in various ways. You can see it as beautiful and enjoyable, but also you can see it as love. You can see the best foods for your body as loving yourself by rewarding your body with lean nutritious portions, rather than abusive quantities of fats, sugars and chemicals. So think about intellectual eating philosophies. Adopt an eating philosophy that rewards the body which gets you through this fascinating life with love and smarts. Use our Southern California lifestyle as your mantra.....
We're from Southern California, and it shows.
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