How to Make Healthy Choices in Tough Situations 06/22/11

As a seminar speaker, I am on the road lecturing many days of the year.  As you can imagine it’s not always easy to find healthy, low-low-fat food – a message I preach at each seminar. However, with experience you learn to find the solution even in the toughest of situations.
For example, last week I drove 3 hours to Sarnia, Ontario, with the glaring sun hitting my windshield in the late afternoon as I drove west from Toronto.  It certainly drained some of my energy as I piled up the mileage driving the tedious route along the 401 west (dodging the 18-wheelers as best I could). I arrived at my hotel in Sarnia around 5PM and had to begin lecturing at 7PM. A normal person would have checked into their hotel room, ordered room service and rested for a while, before preparing to go down to deliver the two-hour presentation.  But, for many years I have told people how important it is to find those 30 minutes per day for endurance exercise and that you can’t make excuses. Holding myself to the highest standard, I put on my running shoes and went outside for a 3-mile run along Sarnia’s revitalized waterfront area.
I got back to the hotel, showered and headed downstairs to the restaurant in the hotel. It was now 6 PM and I had to be set up with my LCD projector and ready to start speaking within the hour. I quickly looked at the menu in the hotel restaurant, only to find that it didn’t have even one food selection that met my low-fat, healthy standards. Most people would have caved in at that point and had something that was not on the “Meschino Program”. But, from past experience in these situations, I knew that I could probably have them adapt an existing menu item to my liking without too much fuss or trouble. I then spotted the traditional clubhouse sandwich. I told the waitress I was in a rush, and wanted the sandwich, but without the bacon and mayonnaise, and put it on toasted whole wheat bread.  So now the sandwich had turkey, lettuce, and tomato only – perfect. It normally came with fries. I, of course, asked if I could substitute a soup or salad. The soup was a fabulous vegetable soup that particular day, full of fresh vegetables in a vegetarian broth.  I substituted the soup for the fries, got rid of the bacon and mayo on the sandwich, had a glass of mineral water, and was in the lecture hall setting up by 6:40.
I taught my Health Destiny Seminar to the good people of Sarnia that night and they were a most receptive and delightful audience, I might add. In the last 2 hours leading up to the seminar, when I was tired and time-crunched, I could have surrendered and skipped my run and ate a high fat menu item and used the excuse that I didn’t have time to exercise or there was no other choice, and, therefore, I was forced to eat the burger and fries (or steak and mashed potatoes, or the fish and chips etc). But I stayed the course and found the solutions that worked in that moment to keep my own wellness/ anti-aging plan alive, as I do most every day.
And that is what separates the people who keep their bodies looking good, fit and healthy as they age and the people who just can’t seem to make it happen. You have to find the solutions that work in each situation and keep your wellness plan moving forward every day. There are no days off, but I can tell you that it truly pays off.
Stay healthy and fit, my friends – there is no other way that works in the long run. Remember, you don’t pay the price to have success of this nature, but rather you enjoy the price you paid by having a healthy, fit, and functional body for as long as possible.

James Meschino

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