It was during one of those tough runs when my attitude changed. I decided to give myself the chance to enjoy the process of slowly reaching my usual pace. Since then, I’ve been enjoying every single movement I make: running around the neighborhood, the treadmill and even cross training in the rowing machine — which I admit isn’t my favorite.

I keep telling myself something I think we all probably know, but surely always forget: patience is our best friend. When we feel different or everything is too new — a new business, moving to a new place or city, committing to a wellness plan — the word is patience, patience, patience…

Keep moving!

I wish you are already having a great holiday season and that the new year brings health, peace, and purpose to everyone!

A while ago, my friend Margie, an awesome athlete, cook, and nutrition expert, recommended me to read the book Real Food by Nina Planck. One of my favorite things to do is to cook simple and fresh food, and I find so many similarities between cooking and working out an idea in the studio.

I’m currently hooked on the book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan. I think these books are great tools to open our eyes and remind us that we have the power to change things — even if it’s a small change. Since I’m not into junk food (had enough in art school!) or diets, eating healthier feels natural to me.

As Michael Pollan says in his introduction to The Omnivore’s Dilemma:

“Eating is an agricultural act, as Wendell Berry famously said. It is also an ecological act, and a political act, too. Though much has been done to obscure this simple fact, how and what we eat determines to a great extent the use we make of the world—and what is to become of it. To eat with a fuller consciousness of all that is at stake might sound like a burden, but in practice few things in life afford quite as much satisfaction. By comparison, the pleasures of eating industrially, which is to say eating in ignorance, are fleeting. Many people today seem perfectly content eating at the end of an industrial food chain, without a thought in the world: this book is probably not for them; there are things in it that will ruin their appetite. But in the end this is a book about the pleasures of eating, the kind of pleasures that are only deepened by knowing”.

So thanks Margie! And here is my list of recommended books for those interested in food, nutrition, wellness, and social responsibility:

The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution by Alice Waters.

Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating by Mark Bittman.

In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto by Michael Pollan.

The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan.

Real Food: What to Eat and Why by Nina Planck.

I’m currently writing about how important it was for me to create and stick to a wellness plan. I must say, it was a challenge as an artist because we tend to think about our work more than our health. While doing a bit of research, I came across this article in the New York Times Fitness and Nutrition section: Learning How to Walk (Chewing Gum Not Included).

In yoga class, my instructor mentions body awareness very often especially when we are in Tree and Mountain pose. This sounded kind of silly when I began practicing. But now, after years of running and practicing yoga, I totally agree that being aware of our bodies can prevent us from having problems later. I think prevention is the best health plan we can have. Especially for those of us that spend most of our days in front of a computer or working at a studio table.

A wellness plan is a commitment. And as with any commitment, it’s a lot easier to get to where we want to be at our own pace rather than to rush and get burned out in a second.