Healthy living

I recently took the opportunity, while on a holiday road trip, to visit Hornsea, a small seaside town on the beautiful Yorkshire coastline in England. The following piece of writing emerged (unedited).

“Waves have the power to entrance and refresh, to bring us close in to nature. They devour our stressful feelings and bring an inner depth of awe into our world. The fresh salty air, the constant yet rhythmic movement that rises and falls and moves in and out of our lives.

Braving the waters, there is nothing like being swept up and down within the gentleness of a calm yet revolving sea. To allow oneself to drift within its soothing hug before returning refreshed to the damp pillowed sandy and pebbly shore.

To catch first sight of the waves crashing against the shore is heaven embodied. It draws me in. As each rise swells to a crashing crescendo nothing else matters. This is life. This is all that is needed to wipe the worries away.

Waves are forever there despite them being far away. Their energy may lay dormant within us until we allow ourselves to be within their power, within their being, whether through our own visionary imagination or immersing ourselves in seascapes that effervesce with the sense of the sea, providing a source of sea therapy that is open to all who wish to offer themselves to it.

Sea therapy is for all, regardless of whether you are by the sea, if you have had personal experience of it, it stays within waiting to be given the key to open up your dreams of a life blessed by the sea.”

Not so long ago I moved away from the sea and now live next door to the Peak District National Park with its stunning mountainous scenery. I knew that I would miss the sea yet I have learnt that by remaining connected through my interests, friends, photos, projects and writing, I can still feel the benefits of that connection, that sense of belonging. A while ago I discovered reference to some research that backed this up, that if you have personally experienced being by the sea then the benefits can still remain with you. I now know personally that I can tap into this feeling whenever I choose and when I am able to visit the seaside it is the most amazing feeling and something that I will forever look forward to.

I didn’t realise until I was writing this post that the Peak District was the first National Park, created in 1951 (there is much history behind this which makes me realise how lucky we are to have the freedom to explore such a wonderful area). By the end of the decade the Lake District, Snowdonia, Dartmoor, the Pembrokeshire Coast, North York Moors, Yorkshire Dales, Exmoor, Northumberland and Brecon Beacons had also become national parks. https://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/learning-about/about-the-national-park/our-history.

I know I need to eat healthier. It’s not that I don’t eat reasonably healthily, as I think I do. But it is what the ‘reasonably’ stands for. Some days it’s chocolate, including keep returning to that delicious block of Belgian chocolate gateaux that I thought was such a bargain as I can slice it straight from the freezer and no longer wait for it to defrost. Other days it’s butter, too many things throughout the day that just wouldn’t be the same without it: hot buttered toast, mushrooms cooked in butter, cauliflower cheese with a rich sauce. Then recently I bought a second hand Kenwood food mixer and have been making my own bread and baking cakes. How do people who bake all the time manage to keep trim? And going out socialising, eating and drinking in restaurants and cafes. Yesterday I was offered dessert (after a fairly healthy and very filling jacket potato with cheese and salad). Usually I decline but I was tempted by their homemade Raspberry Pavlova. When it arrived the raspberries were sitting on a thick blanket of fresh cream. It was delicious but even I realised it was a bit over the top.

When I was first diagnosed with leukaemia in January this year I was in hospital for three months and lost about a stone and a half (I never can visualise my metric weight). I must admit I was glad that I had some weight to lose as I eventually couldn’t eat and had to have nutrition intravenously. The medical staff were concerned that I got my appetite back and ate things that would build me up. So when I could eat, it wasn’t particularly what I would call healthy – it was a bit of a mix. Which is probably where I am at now. I do believe that as long as the healthy and unhealthy is properly balanced then it is not a problem. But what is that balance? Balance is probably the wrong word as it definitely should not be 50:50. What do you think?

When I was in my early twenties I was forever trying to lose weight, trying different diets with my friends then putting the weight back on. Then I stumbled across something that worked for me, losing over two stone and keeping it off for many years. I still recall that I had a set menu every day, it became a routine. I had cereal for breakfast, crispbreads with apple sauce (yes, sounds strange, but I discovered it and it worked for me) then a chicken salad in the evening. I also walked to and from work, a good half hour each way. The thing was I didn’t have to think about what I was going to eat. I knew. Once I got used to it, I stopped being obsessed with thinking about food. Have you found something that has worked for you?

I know what I need to do. I need to plan what I am going to eat, make a shopping list and stick to it. And how difficult is that? Simple. Then why is it so hard to do? Why do I seem to have such a block when it comes to planning my diet? I have come across some blogs on here which focus on healthy eating, including people who have been affected by cancer and discuss the best types of food to eat. The problem is there is so much information out there and it’s knowing the best places to look. Have you found a really good blog or website? Is there a book you would recommend?

I should have the motivation. I have good reason to want to eat healthily but somehow that isn’t always enough to do what’s needed. There must be other people out there who are struggling like I am, or who have moved on and now living a healthy life. I am therefore setting up a page which people can visit and share their own experiences, what has helped them overcome blocks to healthy eating, what healthy eating means to them in practice, what the risks are – such as what has stopped them following a healthy diet, what has got in the way. Things such as stress, relationship break-ups, long working hours, cooking for family? I’d love to hear from bloggers all over the world.

Please visit my new Forum https://wavesandpebbles.wordpress.com/healthy-eating-forum/ and let me know what you think of this idea. I hope it will bring people together to discuss their issues related to healthy eating. You may have noticed I don’t talk about losing weight. I do need to lose weight but I think that once I am eating a healthier diet, my weight will gradually reduce which is the best way of keeping it off.

I look forward to hearing about your own experiences and am hoping that by doing this, it will help me, and others out there in the blogging world, live a healthier life.

Happy blogging.

Kay