Back in the swing of things

It may be nearing the end of January, but I only now feel that I’ve gotten back into the swing of things. Back in the classroom both as teacher and student and ready for all the New Year holds.

Christmas holidays provided some much needed rest and relaxation. Two and a half weeks in Hawaii allowed me to clear my head a little and get out of the crazy redundancy my life seemed to have gotten into by the end of the year: work, cook, gym, study/read/write. It may have taken me over a week to finally relax, even on holidays, but once I let go of routines, timelines, and micromanaging others my mental health improved almost immediately, almost J

Vacation also allowed me a paradigm shift in what healthy living looks like. After a few days of stressing about eating my regular diet and eating every 2 ½ hours I let go and listened to my body and what and when it wanted to eat. Which meant eating fewer meals a day, enjoying lot’s of delicious local fruits, and having the more than occasional treat. My vacation self even allowed me to re-evaluate my physical activity plan. I left on vacation planning to run every single day to make up for my lack of gym time. I ran everyday for the first few days, and then decided I didn’t want to devote my day to having to find running time and worrying about not counting up the kilometers. I still ran every few days, but I also allowed myself days off and enjoyed other physical activities such as hiking, snorkeling, and paddling.

With a little more time to relax, I was able to get through the two books I brought with me, “Sweet Charity?: Emergency Food and the End of Entitelment" by Jane Poppendieck and “Breadline USA" by Sasha Abramsky. Both books are on the topic of food insecurity, which is something I have become very interested in since my course in the Social Determinants of Health. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to find similarly themed books with a Canadian focus, but I found them both extremely interesting and poignant. While vacation is often a time to leave learning behind, I found Hawaii and very interesting place to be while reading books on food insecurity. The extreme unaffordability of so many foods in Hawaii (particularity most fruits and vegetables in grocery stores) and an incredible imbalance of fast/convenience food places versus grocery or local markets. My eating costs went up substantially while in Hawaii, and not from eating out, as we cooked almost all our own meals. The unaffordability of foods conducive to good health, paired with a the current North American model for charity, not government being held responsible for ensuring citizens in our first world countries are not starving equates to a recipe for disaster, not dinner. The more I delve into the politics and the stark reality of food insecurity that more I realize how privileged I am to worry about what I choose to eat instead of what will I be able to afford to eat.

Despite being back in the rain and cold, I still carry a lot of what I learned and experienced with me as I head into the New Year and new semester. Lessons of what is worth worrying about, and what to let go - thinking holistically about what is best for my health, not just gym time and meals. A new focus on my goals and what I would like to achieve this year professionally, educationally, and personally has made for a fast and furious January and a jump start into my second semester as an M.ed student