May 2014

I just returned back to my motel room on Vine in Hollywood. There may or may not have been a murder in this room once but there most certainly has been illegal sex and drugs, perhaps within the last week. The secret part is that I love that. It’s clean…enough. Safe…enough. Just the type of place that brings us artist types back to the edge of real.

I only drove into town for a day and some change for some business. After a quick 20 minute snooze to rest off the road trip, I hit the streets with my rose color glasses. I know that if I were to stay more than a day, the desolation and filthiness of the street would be more prevalent, but today it is romantic. Every little collection of individuals is a street-play being acted just for me. People with mustaches and tattoos, short skirts and long cigarettes, some with stuff and many without, but they all seem oddly happy.

I walked without a destination the six blocks to Hollywood Blvd and then followed the sidewalk stars the 20+ blocks to the Chinese Theatre; all the while my private performance continued. I wove the many blocks back through side streets and connectors, past Sunset, then to Santa Monica. This is when my stomach reminded me that my dream like walk had created an awakening in my depths. Must eat food.

All of a sudden, where there was once a plethora of eateries, there were none. I was not about to top my adventure off with El Pollo Loco or Winchell’s. Down Santa Monica back to Vine and that’s when I saw it. A real food truck. Not the Portland spin-off of fancy food in a pristine truck or the San Francisco spin-off of Asian Fusion from a repurposed ice cream truck—a real cafeteria food truck slinging authentic Mexican food. Pop up tents out front with Christmas tree lights around, a multitude of folding tables and chairs with a separate folding table with Costco packages of napkins and buckets (literally buckets) of Mexican food accoutrements. Pickled carrots and radishes, six types of homemade hot sauces ranging from “spicy” to “remove your finger prints,” plastic forks and knives, finely sliced onions and cilantro and diced onions and jalapeños.

I ordered the Carne Asada Burrito. There were no questions like pinto or black? White or brown rice? Cheese or sour cream? This was the real deal. Spanish rice and steak. Something about the food truck requires that you drink a bright colored sugary beverage out of a bottle with your meal, so I pulled the Orange Fanta from the shaved ice in front, paid the $7 and began to gather my tiny plastic ramekins to accompany my meal then sat down at a chair with questionable integrity.

All around me was a sub section of everything I had just witnessed on my Hollywood adventure, ordering or waiting for their paper plates of authenticity. Men in fedoras; a table of Muslim gentlemen in suits; two dainty twenty-something girls looking at their iPhones; the spitting image of the lead singer of the Spin Doctors, and quite a few Mexicans (which is always a good sign).

Then it came, wrapped in foil and ready to devour. I alternated between liberally dousing each bite with the habanero and diced onion/jalapeño blend, or the lesser but still spicy red salsa and pickled onions/cilantro blend. One napkin was for my hands and the other for my runny nose. Many napkins were used. Pauses were only taken to wipe or swig orange soda to temporarily halt the fire in my mouth.

At a time in life where I am delightfully busy carving out a career and raising a family, this small stitch of time for just me was brilliant, but the meal at the end was cathartic.

 

 

Did you know that transitions during the day are common times when people are vulnerable to “mindless eating?” For many people, in-between times throughout their days—shifting from one activity to another—are challenging and often lead to unhealthy and compulsive snacking. For example, the transition time of:

• Driving from one destination to another
• Shifting from one project to another (at work or home)
• Coming home from work
• Relaxing before bedtime

I hear from many of my weight loss clients that one of the most vulnerable times for their unhealthy snacking and “mindless eating” is after dinner, before going to bed. They’ve had a full meal, aren’t hungry, but because they’ve had “a long day,” they head for the couch and the TV to help them unwind. A few enticing, junk food commercials later…the administering of salty, super-sugary “rewards” (for making it through the day) begins.

When we’re tired and feeling a great need for pleasure, it’s easy to give in to the “grab-and-gulp” impulse. Can you relate? If so, you’re not alone. Eating when we’re not hungry—using food to self-soothe—is called “emotional eating.” When we emotionally eat, we are trying to push down uncomfortable feelings, such as sadness, anxiety, frustration, or anger. In today’s high-pressure, fast-paced world—with unhealthy food temptations lurking around every corner—it’s no wonder many folks are emotionally eating (and as a result carrying excess weight).

In my 2-CD kit, Weight Loss—Powerful and Easy-to-Use Tools for Releasing Excess Weight, I offer numerous tools and strategies for changing unhealthy habits. One of the tools in my weight loss kit teaches people how to practice mindful eating. I decided to include this valuable tool after I heard many weight loss clients complaining that they eat fast and never feel satisfied or full afterwards. That’s when I suggest that they replace “mindless eating” with mindful eating. After sitting down to eat, you might try the following:

The Art of Mindful Eating

1. Take a couple of slow, deep breaths from your lower belly. Feel the seat supporting you and sense your feet on the floor.

2. Look at the food in front of you and notice the colors, shapes, and textures.

3. Bless the food in any way that feels appropriate to you. You can bless it from your own Higher Self, or if you’re spiritual or religious, you can ask God to bless it. Become aware that this food will turn into fuel for your body. Can you muster a moment of gratitude for the food? If you are with loved ones, you may all want to take turns saying or praying the blessing.

4. Breathe in and let the aromas of the food enter your nostrils. Whether warm or cold, focus on receiving a scent from the food as you bring a bite toward your nose and mouth.

5. Take bites of your food while being mindful of the textures, tastes, scents, and temperature of each bite. Let in the full sensual experience of eating. I also suggest that you put your fork or spoon down between bites as you honor and savor this process.

Meanwhile, when you are experiencing a daily transition, I encourage you to be mindful of making healthy choices and foregoing unhealthy snacks. Then, the next time you sit down for a meal (or a healthy snack), let all your senses enjoy the delicious experience of eating slowly and mindfully.

Finally, mindful eating will help you transform the unhealthy habit of eating too fast—so you can leave “mindless eating” (aka: grab-and-gulp) in the dust! As a result, feelings of satisfaction and fullness can be experienced when you remember to eat mindfully…and gratefully savor the present moment.

Attend Trina’s upcoming workshop for women and men: Managing Emotional and Compulsive Eating—John Muir Women’s Health Center, Walnut Creek: Tuesday, June 3, 6:30-8:30 pm. Cost: $40 (Includes Weight Loss: 2-CD set). Register today: (925) 941-7900 option 3. For more info, go to www.TrinaSwerdlow.com & click on “Private Sessions & Workshops.”

Trina Swerdlow, BFA, CCHT, is a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, an artist, and the author of Stress Reduction Journal. Trina has a private practice in downtown Danville. You can reach her at: (925) 285.5759, or info@TrinaSwerdlow.com.

Certified Clinical Hypnotherapy services in California can be alternative or complementary to licensed healing arts, such as psychotherapy.

 

 

The 34th Annual Kings X Trivia Tournament was held on April 27 at WPLJ in Walnut Creek. The winning team was “The Crying Babies of Claremont Hotel,” who won 19 to 14 over “It’s Fun Until You Poke Yourself in the Eye.” The captain of the losing team, Dana Rodriguez, one of our best players, lost with equanimity and grace (two of my favorite people). I was fortunate enough to captain the winning team. My partners RJ, Maddy, Kathryn and Pauline were all sterling performers. Our host, MC and quizmaster was Jim Buchanan, an excellent moderator and one of the great players in the area. I am sure Jim will not mind if I try a few of his questions on our interested readers.

1. The Washington Redskins have only retired one number of an ex-player. Who was that player?

2. What was the first movie directed by Elia Kazan?

3. In 1955, Steve Allen had a best-selling recording of a song, which was also recorded by Roger Williams later in the same year and became a giant hit. What was the song?

4. On what long running TV show did Diana Muldaur and Blair Underwood appear?

5. What 19th Century book has a caption, “This is a book without any heroes”?

6. What is the Capitol of the Cammelia State?

May is a time of renewal and celebration; there is sunshine and flowers blooming, and we acknowledge that most important person—mother. It’s also a time to reflect upon the freedom that we enjoy; a legacy paid for in years past by the supreme sacrifice of patriots.

A few days after Memorial Day, another day of unparalleled significance comes when we consider the high cost of liberty—June 6th. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Normandy—D-Day—the day the marked the beginning of the end of WWII. In this issue of ALIVE, beginning on page 18, you’ll read Anita Venezia’s superb account of the D Day invasion. Her article includes several first-hand interviews with some of the brave men who fought in the cause to liberate Europe from the scourge of the ruthless Nazi war machine.

As the American flag serves as our symbol of remembrance, so the red poppy serves as the symbol for our Commonwealth allies, as they observe Remembrance Day on November 11 (our Veteran’s Day). The poignant story of how the red poppy came to be a memorial symbol clearly tells of the enormous value of, and price paid for, liberty.

Red poppies grow naturally throughout Western Europe in areas where the soil has been disturbed. In the early 19th Century, vast blankets of scarlet poppies appeared in battlefields after the Napoleonic wars, as they sprouted up around the remains of fallen soldiers. World War I brought the same type of destruction, and later, the poppy was again one of the only plants to grow on the desolate battlefields. After the war, the symbolism of the red poppy was captured in the poem, In Flanders Fields, by Canadian surgeon and Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae. It came to represent the enormous sacrifices made by his fellow soldiers and soon became a lasting memorial to those who died in World War One and later wars and conflicts.

How do we measure the value of freedom? How do we calculate the worth of peace and liberty? We enjoy these fruits today because someone in the past gave their all. They paid the supreme price, and their loved ones bore or now bear the weight of profound sorrow.

So this Memorial Day, wave the flag and don a red poppy as we recommit ourselves to honoring the fallen, including our comrades in arms—the allies who fought alongside American troops.

As past patriots did their duty, ours is to forever honor and never forget their sacrifice.