Willpower is a finite resource.

     We spent last week in Austin.  Our daughter-in-law was on a business trip and our son was working, so we were privileged to take our grandkids to school and their after-school activities.  We had a fun week. On Monday we were able to run/hike 5 miles on a great trail at Slaughter Creek, but then Austin had a thunderstorm with 4 inches of rain and the trails were closed the rest of the week. Darn.  We Coloradans must carry our weather with us when we travel.
     I found it interesting to learn that, at the elementary school our grandkids attend, they start the day saying the Pledge of Allegiance to the U.S. flag.  Then they turn to the Texas flag and say the Pledge of Allegiance to Texas.  I have never heard of that in any other state where we have lived.  Have you?
     I ate healthy all week, but after 3 days or so I started eating way too much....nuts, seeds, everything.  Willpower definitely is a finite resource, at least for me.  But we were on vacation so maybe just choosing healthy foods is enough? I know, I know, I am rationalizing here.
     I need to learn the Confucian teaching of Hara Hachi Bu, which means to eat until you are 80% full; to eat until you are satisfied, not stuffed.  Okinawans in Japan follow this principle, and 29% of them live to be 100, which is more than 4 times the average in Western countries.  Their average BMIs are 18-22 compared to BMIs of 26-27 for adults over 60 in the United States.


  
I loved this.  (reblogged from lovethepain.tumblr.com)