Sorry?

I watched the now viral Pantene 'Not Sorry' advert the other day and was highly amused at what was (shamefully) a very accurate reflection of what I do all the time - as my friends will attest to.

"Sorry".

I'm not sure if it's the passive aggressive use of the word that non-English people often miss and mistake for real regret or if I really mean 'sorry'. My foundations are South African and I lived in the States for a few years and there the word sorry got me into a lot of trouble. I could see it drove everyone mad. "What are you apologising for?!"

I wasn't really sure.

When my UK friends come and stay with me now it's a house full of 'sorry's' and I don't think we even notice it. I don't think we walk around feeling 'less than', it's just the British thing we do. I have OFTEN used it in a passive aggressive "Please move, can't you see I'm late" way. I've always thought the Brits were amazing that when being rude the word 'sorry' nearly always makes an appearance. "Sorry but you're loud and incredibly annoying" or "Sorry but your child is a maniac". 

After reading the once again ridiculous 'troll' comments underneath this video not only was I staggered at the general rage out there and how forums like You Tube bring those blighters out like mosquitoes after the rain, but it did make me think about the content of that video and the point it was trying to make (and how angry it made everyone - don't bother to read them. it'll also just wind you up and make you want to drink). Was this a male/female thing, our generation's issues, conditioning based on our nationalities. I haven't got a clue.

There are times when we say sorry and clearly don't mean it, but there are times (as I'm sure with most of us) when I hear myself saying sorry for saying sorry, and then saying "Oh no! Sorry I just said it again!". I do wonder if there is some subconscious thought that if we say sorry we won't get knocked back so quickly, people may be easier on us, may like us more or we might be 'less offensive'. 

Who knows, I'll leave that up to a therapist to figure out, it's already getting too deep. But perhaps at least this has made me think just a little more about being mindful about what I apologise for.

For being in the room - it seems crazy, but I've done it.

For being late - that's appropriate.

In a Passive Aggressive "please move" way - then I could do better. 

I think it's become so unconscious I'm not sure how to pull it back. Funny how as children it's a word we are made to say again and again and now here I am having to unlearn it. But it's something to be mindful of at least.

x Jo

Eat real food

While trawling through our Facebook news feed today I came across yet another article on what food we should or rather shouldn't be eating. I would post the video but it had me rolling my eyes with fatigue after a while, so in this case I'll cut to the chase. 

One of the main points (I'm sure there were more, but I never made it to the end of the video) was that aside from the futile attempts at diets and calorie control, no carb, soy protein razamataz, we were all missing one big point, and that once it was highlighted, made perfect sense.

We don't eat food anymore. The things we eat are made up of complicated names that sound like shampoo ingredients (they may well be) and even with all the so called 'healthy' labels - our body doesn't know how to read. It only knows what we put in it. 

So this is my understanding of this whole issue:  

The body apparently sees food like this;

An apple = sugar, energy and vitamins, I can use this.

Monosodium glutamate = I'm not sure, it can't be used in this kitchen, so I'll store it here, in this butt cheek instead.

Our fat cells, apparently being something like a kitchen towel, hide and absorb all the chemical mess you don't want hanging around.

I have no idea what the trained professionals out there say, although I can take a good guess. It just struck me as so obvious but not something I had actually really thought of - maybe for general health yes, but not in terms of weight loss. After all a protein shake was, I thought, an awesome option. Apparently a banana and some nuts are better, regardless of calorie content.

So as I begin to think about packing the swimsuits away for the Fall, I'm taking stock of what this summer meant to me in terms of body image and health. I tried to be mindful each day of what I said to my not-so-slim self, not always getting it right, but I did not - (like past years) berate myself for not having got 'bikini ready'. So as the seasons change and I begin to slowly make some much needed changes after the eight weeks of wonderful European food and wine indulgence, I am not only being mindful in what I say to myself (as I watch the jeans not zip up), but I am being mindful about what I am putting into my body as well. 

It's sounds like such old news, even as I write this, but funny how an old light bulb can still make a room feel good again.

x Jo

Just found this article explaining 'fats' really well! Have a peek!

http://www.allthingshealing.com/readarticle.php?itemID=111&articleID=8176#.VCqPdUtk6zh