Enjoy January -- and don't sweat those extra Christmas pounds

January is one of my favourite months. I love sitting down at my computer or, if I'm in an old-fashioned  mood, with my notebook, and coming up with goals and resolutions for the new year. On my daily commute to work and back, I immerse myself in the latest fitness trends and greedily eye the luscious photos of
superfoods and the accompanying recipes urging me to try them at home.

January is the month par excellence for making changes. It's a month of hope, a month of renewal. It's the time we most often decide to do something important for ourselves: book those tickets to Tahiti; revitalize a marriage or a friendship; learn to ride a bike; start volunteering. Naturally, it's also the month when -- inevitably rather rounder than before Christmas -- we vow to lose our extra holiday pounds and any other ballast we're carrying.

In our mood of unbridled optimism, we see oh-so-clearly the path to happiness. Obviously, all it will take is getting ourselves to the gym five days a week, plus runs on Saturday mornings and a disciplined approach to meals -- salad at breakfast and lunch, soup at dinner, and absolutely no dairy or gluten, except on Mondays and Fridays.

Ned Bell

The interesting thing is, aside from a few iron-willed mortals, this approach is guaranteed to backfire. Why? It ignores basic human nature (not to mention basic biochemistry.) We like to be full. We like to enjoy our food. And we like to feel rested and comfortable. It's no wonder that our extreme dietary resolutions go off the rails with depressing inevitability. Starving and exhausting ourselves are excellent ways to wreck our health, not improve it.

That's why I particularly liked two articles I came across in the first half of January. Story number one is about four Vancouver chefs -- Thomas Haas, Ned Bell, Quang Dang and Dana Hauser -- and their love of food and fitness. They're living, breathing proof that it's possible to be passionate about food and still stay trim. Indeed, this is one of my not-so-secret secrets about reaching and maintaining a good figure: know thy food, love (making and eating) thy food, and find ways to stay active that thou likest. Read and enjoy. You'll see what I mean.

Article number two is by a stylish and opinionated food writer who also hails from British Columbia's Lower Mainland: Mijune Pak. A couple of weeks ago, she filled up a column in the West Ender with lighter versions of local comfort foods to taste test in January. Not only did she make me want to give each of these delicacies a try, but I dug her attitude. Like the rest of us, she gained a pound or two over the holidays, but she wasn't fretting about it. They'll be gone soon, I could almost hear her say. My feeling exactly. If you want lose all traces of those lovely Christmas indulgences, forget the harsh regime. Make a few easy tweaks, stay calm and focussed, and your jeans will be the right size again before you  know it.

New Year, new focus

Rain is pelting against my window. It's almost time for me to turn in, but first -- to blog.

2014 is only 10 days old, and already, I've been for quite the ride. My mood has soared and plummeted with the temperature, itself unusually variable by Vancouver standards. This is partly because I've developed a few bright-red patches of irritated skin, a.k.a. eczema, on my face. My best guess is that worry and the weather are tag-teaming to bring this about. In the great scheme of things, it's a minor irritant (pun intended), but somehow, it's got my attention more than it otherwise might. Perhaps it's because it's not all that pretty or because I can't figure out the underlying cause or, more likely, because it's a sign there's something awry in the body of one Ms. Slim.

Unsexy as it is, I've been applying Vaseline to the affected areas and hoping against hope they'll clear up. In the meantime, I've cut down as much as I can on my beloved no-sugar-added chocolate. This week, I'll see whether I can live without dairy products (not easy for a woman who has three favourite varieties of plain yogourt:P). Attention to diet seems to be working, though the most helpful thing, judging by how much better my face looks on Monday mornings, is a break from work and as many good sleeps as possible.

Why am I telling you this? I thought you might appreciate it if you're prone to eczema or strange rashes. Clearly, I haven't yet solved the problem; still, sometimes it helps to know that you're not the only one with uncannily sensitive skin.

On the bright side, the rash has made it easy to focus on my number one New Year's resolution, to wit:

1. Be easier on myself. Take care of my body and mind.


With resolution #1 in mind, I decided to give Dr. Andrew Weil's 8 Weeks to Optimum Health a read. He dispenses lots of useful advice. Week one involves five minutes of daily meditation. Before I hop into bed, I'm going to give this tactic a try.

Meanwhile, I've taken a leaf out of a friend's book and am drinking a glass of water with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice each morning before I head out. And no more coffee till this rash clears up!