Oops! Can you believe this crap?

On By SarahIn OpinionLeave a comment

Enough is enough. I am having a real “Network” moment, you know, where I want to go to my window and scream “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it any more!” Today, this is why:

There is a new drug on the market, Alli, that blocks fat absorption in order to promote weight loss. One of the side effects is loss of bowel control. What does it mean when it is seemingly acceptable for a pharmaceutical company to recommend that, when taking this drug “it’s probably a smart idea to wear dark pants, and bring a change of clothes with you to work.” Really, this is on the company website. Check it out.

It seems to me that anything that makes you lose control of your bowels has to be bad for you. It’s alarming, and unhealthy. People are willing to do anything to lose weight, anything but eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly, and corporations are willing to capitalize on this, and indeed perpetuate it.

According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Americans are “drowning in sugar.” The average American consumes 2-3 pounds of sugar each week, and this has been steadily increasing over the last 20 years. Twenty years ago, the average American consumed 26 pounds of sugar per year. Now the average is 135 pounds of sugar a year. In much the same way that I find the loss of bowel control alarming, so is this statistic. And disgusting.

A cultural shift has created this insane increase in sugar consumption. Are pharmaceutical companies and the junk food, and diet industries to blame in conspiring to create a society of obese people who crave junk food like heroine, feel terrible about themselves and feel compelled to take poison like Alli in spite of the fact that they will be required to use adult diapers? Or do we only have ourselves to blame for becoming a nation of couch potatoes who will stay inside all day consuming bags of chips (made with Olestra, of course….read the warning on the bag!), playing video games and watching cable.

Don’t get me wrong, I am all about games and videos. One of my favorite weekend activities is keeping up with my video list from Netflix, or playing Sims with my wife. But I also like to practice yoga, read, write, go to museums, take walks in my neighborhood. I struggle to find balance in my life because I’m as vulnerable as anyone else to getting sucked into obsessively trying to get my Sims character’s next promotion. It’s addictive! As I write this, I am having such a weekend, blogging, surfing, playing video games. But I digress.

I guess my opinion is clear: The pharmaceutical, junk food and diet (and perhaps adult diaper) companies don’t want us to have healthy active lives because if more of us did, they would lose a lot of money. It has become a revolutionary and subversive act for people to take responsibility for their own health, to actively practice self-love and self care.

Yoga Podcasts

On By SarahIn Internet, Spirituality3 Comments

This is for you, Paul! And for my numerous other friends who have asked me for the link recently.

A couple of weeks ago I discovered some free vinyasa yoga podcasts through the iTunes Store. I just did a search for yoga, and there were all of these free hits, including many full yoga classes. I was thrilled, to say the least.

Finding time for yoga practice is challenging for me. I commute a long way to work, and my time is limited. I rely on home practice, and that is, shall I say, unreliable at best. I am fairly experienced, having practiced yoga on and off for about ten years now. But I am by no means disciplined or experienced enough to really feel confident as building a solid home practice.

I think these podcasts are going to change my life. They are really wonderful, challenging classes. If you have never taken a yoga class before, I wouldn’t recommend them. But if you have studied for a while and are comfortable practicing alone, these online classes are better than any video I have ever seen. And there is a good variety as well.

There are two teachers I have found who post free podcasts of their classes, Philip Urso of Salt Pond Yoga in Charlestown, RI, and Dave Farmar in Denver, CO. They are both great teachers. I find Philip a little more spiritual and gentle in his teaching, and Dave I find a little more athletic, butch, if you will. Don’t get me wrong, you will definitely break a sweat and work hard with each of them, its just a different vibe. If you’re interested, Philip Urso also has some free podcasts about A Course in Miracles.

This is a great kick-start to the old home practice for me. I’m inspired. Thanks Philip and Dave! Enjoy, everybody!

One final note: I have created a yoga group in Ma.gnolia: Yoga Reference. So far I am the only member, and I can’t seem to convince many people what a cool tool Ma.nolia is. I think it is a matter of time before it catches on, though. Or maybe I’m just a geek. Ma.gnolia is a web tool that I like a lot. It helps me track and manage book marks. Check it out!

An Oakland Love Story

On By SarahIn Community4 Comments

I have lived around Lake Merritt in Oakland for years. The bird sanctuary here is the country’s oldest wildlife refuge, I have read somewhere. I used to run the Lake regularly, and years ago I often noticed a pelican and swan, always together. They were beautiful. And you could tell they were companions, not just accidentally hanging out in the same place like so many other birds there are wont to do.

One day I ran into one of the ornithologists at the Lake, and I asked her what their story was. This is what she told me:

Helen was the pelican, and earlier that year her life-long mate of more than 28 years, Hector had been strangled in some fishing nets in the lake. Helen was beside herself with grief. The folks who work at the bird sanctuary buried Hector’s body out of Helen’s sight, purposefully, so that she would more easily be able to move on from her grief. However, she found his grave, and stayed there for days, refusing to leave her beloved.

Before Hector died, a swan named Lancelot had been hanging out with the other large birds of Lake Merritt. He was there on and off. One day when he was at the Lake, he started hanging around Helen at Hector’s grave, and this offered her some comfort. Before long, Helen was persuaded to leave Hector’s burial site, and she and Lancelot were constant companions after that.

Helen died the winter of 1999, and Lancelot hasn’t been seen since they buried her.

This is a tale of love, grief and companionship, and a true Oakland love story.