Speaking of honesty... When it comes to nutrition and our bodies - our entire personal wellness plan in fact - there are three words that stand out front and center. Personal ownership. Honesty. This post by Charlotte Ord Academy may well be one of the best blogs I have ever read ---- I was listening to a great seminar the other day with the producer of Supersize Me, Alex Jamieson. Alex was brought up on an organic farm and her mum used to run an organic gardening radio show. Love that. Anyway, to cut a long story short, Alex made a health-motivated choice to follow a vegan diet, and stuck to it for over a decade. Not one to do things by halves, she wrote three books on the subject, became a go-to vegan expert and chef, and developed an extremely popular blog on the subject. Then, disaster struck. Alexs body started craving animal products. She tried to ignore it for a couple of years, but her energy levels dropped and her menstrual cycle went completely out of whack. She struggled with feelings of hypocrisy and guilt. But eventually, realising that she needed to follow her own advice of listening to your body and letting it tell you what it needs, she ate an egg. Then a bit of fish. At first, she hoped a little animal product fix would relieve her relentless cravings and she could return to her vegan lifestyle, but she found herself feeling better the more animal produce she reintroduced. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place. In the end, Alex had to face up to the seemingly quite unforgiving vegan community, and explain why she was no longer vegan. Her confession was met with outrage, judgement and rejection. I guess the vegan community is a little unforgiving in that respect. But I thought what Alex did was exceptionally brave and a lesson to us all. There is no right or wrong way to eat, and what works for one person might not work for another. Similarly, what works at one stage of your life might not work at another. And as fitness professionals, in our wonderful and fast-moving industry, we learn new stuff all the time. And sometimes, with lifes trials and tribulations, it can be hard yards practicing what you preach every single step of the way, Though my own experiences with food, diet and lifes traumas, I can resonate with Alex and know what courage it takes to stand up and be honest when you havent been able to follow your own advice, or youve discovered something that works better for you than what youve advocated before. People will shoot you down and sometimes cast you out for it. But as leaders in the health and fitness field, we must be brave enough to accept that our opinions will change, and thats a great thing. And as human beings, we will also be fallible sometimes. We are all on our own journeys, no matter how comparatively well informed. And at the end of the day, we all have a common goal, which is to help society at large enjoy better health and get more from life. Were all on the same team, no matter whether you are vegan, vegetarian, carnivore or breatharian. Try not to judge. You never know when you might change your mind and need the support of others, too. Char Charlotte Ord Academy Ltd., Central House, Woodside Park,, Catteshall Lane,, Godalming, Surrey GU7 1LG, UNITED KINGDOM
Posted on: Wed, 12 Mar 2014 07:53:13 +0000
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