fitness

The “Best Diet”

Finding The Right Way To Eat For YOU

STORY BY BRIAN TULLY, MS

The weather is finally turning, the COVID vaccine is rolling out and numbers are declining. We are all longing for those days of being able to get out to enjoy the weather and socialize with friends again. But as we start thinking about those trips to the beach or the pool, we are reminded of our pandemic gluttony we have become accustomed to in these past months. Our next thought is, “YIKES, I don’t want everyone to see all this hibernation weight I put on. I need a diet that will get me results fast.” We head to Google to find the latest and greatest diet. Unfortunately, your search returns numerous options. Where do you begin? Which is the best?

Maybe you ask a friend or family member who has recently lost weight. You will certainly hear responses like, “You should try Keto, my husband and I both lost so much weight doing it.” Or “Cut out all sugars, that’s the key.” Or “Plant-based has made me feel amazing, and think of all the animals you will save.”

3. Take a bite of food. Chew slowly. Notice the scent, taste, texture, and temperature.

4. Put your utensils down. Pause.

5. Take a few deep, slow breaths. Consciously relax your body.

6. Check in: What, if anything, do you sense physically or emotionally? What are you thinking?

7. Take another bite of food. Again, notice the food’s characteristics.

8. Put your utensils down again. Again, take a few deep, slow breaths and relax.

9. Check in again. Notice any physical sensations, emotions, or thoughts that come up.

Repeat steps 7 to 9 until your body tells you it’s time to stop.

Once you feel like you have nailed this eating habit, you can then focus on what to eat and find the best eating style for you. Notice I didn’t use the word “diet” there.

At the end of the day, your best approach will be to look at your goals, needs, and preferences; not some random set of rules from the latest diet craze. The Best Diet for you is the one that meets your nutritional needs, doesn’t leave you feeling deprived, and you can actually stick to long term.

If you have any questions or other thoughts to share, I would love to hear from you!

Brian@BetterTogetherFitness.com BetterTogetherFitness.com

Most likely their suggestion is based on personal experience. Which is great for them, but probably not great for you. The problem is this approach doesn’t take into account the differences in peoples’ goals, lifestyle, preferences, body type, etc. Honestly, with so many differences, how can anyone expect there to be a one best diet?

Personally, I don’t believe in a one best diet, and I would encourage you to do the same. The best approach is a combination of many theoretical diets out there. It is better to focus on fundamental dietary principles that can be universally applied. Focusing on food quality, personal nutritional deficiencies and needs, and controlling quantity of food intake, will provide a better long-term approach. shows that this is less important than paying attention to how you eat. Before changing the menu, focus on eating slowly and mindfully.

Eating Slowly and Mindfully helps to: -Eat less without feeling deprived -Look and feel better (due to improved digestion)

-Learn the feeling of actually being Hungry or Full -Stop the binge eating

Want to give this Slow and Mindful way of eating a try? Follow these steps:

1. Sit at a table, with no other distractions. Just you and the food.

2. Look at what you’re about to eat. Notice what you’ve chosen.

Win A New Kayak

NC Maritime Museum at Southport ‘s New Fundraiser Opens Up Fun Possibilities

STORY AND PHOTO BY JEFFREY STITES

Akayak opens up some incredible opportunities for exploring our area. Whether you are cruising down the Davis Canal on Oak Island, exploring the creeks running off the Intracoastal Waterway, fishing in backwater or even the ocean, or visiting some of the islands in the Cape Fear River, kayaking can bring you close to nature and be a truly relaxing escape. If don’t own a kayak yet, or just want to add to your fleet, the North Carolina Maritime Museum at Southport has the raffle prize for you!

The museum will livestream the drawing of the winner of a beautiful wasabi green Santee 120 Sport Kayak at noon on May 1, so you have until high noon on April 30 to get your tickets. Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased at the Maritime Museum, 204 E Moore St. in Southport, on the Friends of the Museum website, ncmaritimemuseumsouthport.com/ friends-of-the-museum, or the contest page at https://go.dojiggy.io/fomncmmspt.

Proceeds from the raffle will go toward building a new fishing exhibit and refurbishing the Civil War display at the museum, said Lori Sanderlin, Museum Director.

This kayak is 12 feet long and 28 inches wide, and weighs only 42 pounds. Included is an Angler Scout paddle designed to be super stur-

dy, featuring a hook retrieval system and a 40-inch roller to measure your catch. Sanderlin said she is very thankful to Emma Thomas at The Adventure Company for her help in securing the kayak.

The lucky winner will pick up the kayak at the museum after the drawing. In the meantime, you can visit the museum to see the prize on display, and also learn all about our region’s Maritime heritage.

community Habitat For Humanity Golf Tournament

Enjoy Day On The Links For A Great Cause

STORY BY JEFFREY STITES

Brunswick County Habitat For Humanity invites you to turn your irons and woods into the boards, bricks, hammers and nails needed to build safe, affordable homes throughout Brunswick County at the Driving For Home Golf Outing on March 11 at The Thistle Golf Club. Tee times begin at 8 am and the fees of $400 per foursome, or $100 per individual, include golf, cart, souvenir bag, box lunch, driving range and putting green access and awards. For more information on signing up your team or to learn about the benefits of Sponsorships, contact Tamara Morales at tamara@bchabitat.org or list the Habitat website at www.brunswickcountyhabitat.org.

From Brunswick County Habitat For Humanity:

Brunswick County Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1994, and is a locally run affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International.

We believe that safe and decent shelter should be a fundamental human right. Our goal and mission is to end substandard housing. People from all walks of life are invited to work together with us to help build and repair houses for those families in need.

Since our founding, Brunswick County Habitat for Humanity has completed 65 houses. Our homeowners include young families with small children, single parents and those with disabilities.

Our homes are built with volunteer labor, tax deductible donations, and proceeds from our Restores. Homeowners invest a substantial amount of time and sweat equity into building their own homes. The house is then sold to the partner family with a no-interest loan. The money collected from the mortgage repayment is then used to help finance the construction of future Habitat homes.

March Brunswick Civil War Roundtable Zoom Meeting Explores Correspondence

Returning by popular demand to the Brunswick Civil War Round Table is guest speaker Peter S. Carmichael, Ph.D., one of the nation’s foremost authorities on the American Civil War. Carmichael will address the group at the virtual meeting on Tuesday, March 2. He has planned an extraordinary presentation entitled, “Three Couples at War…and not with each other.” The Zoom meeting begins at 7 pm, and everyone is invited. Membership is required, however. Email Brunswickcwrt@gmail.com to become a member prior to the meeting.

The meeting begins at 7 pm on Tuesday, Feb 2 via Zoom, and all members are invited to attend. Not a member? Email Brunswickcwrt@ gmail.com to join prior to the meeting. Annual membership dues are $25.

The Battle of New Market was fought on May 15, 1864, in Virginia during the Valley Campaign of 1864. A makeshift Confederate army of 4,100 men led by Confederate General Breckinridge, which included cadets from the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), defeated Union General Franz Sigel and his Army of the Shenandoah.

On the winning side, Breckinridge was a politician who served as the 14th Vice-President of the United States in 1856, and later mounted an unsuccessful presidential bid in 1860. He joined the Confederacy at the start of the Civil War, and served as brigade commander at the Battle of Shiloh. Promoted to Major General in 1862, he fought in numerous noteworthy battles, including New Market and Cold Harbor, before serving as the final Confederate Secretary of War in 1865.

On the losing side, Franz Sigel was an intriguing historical figure. In losing the Battle of New Market, he failed to provide a campaign victory General Ulysses S. Grant wanted in the Shenandoah Valley. Sigel was a fantastic organizer, loyal to his friends, valued education, understood the value of image and influence, and loved the ideals of freedom and liberty. Yet he struggled with leadership, which hampered his military career. His two great blunders in the New Market Campaign were the loss of confidence from his regimental commanders, and piece-mealing his army into the battle. His commanders did not fully trust him or understand his orders, sometimes even speaking to his troops in German when frustrated on the battlefield. The end result at New Market, two generals, two different lifestyles, and one conclusion, a victory for the South.

Sarah Kay is the managing editor of Emerging Civil War, which serves as a public history-oriented platform for sharing original scholarship related to the American Civil War. She is also assistant to the director at the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust in Fredericksburg, Virginia. She holds a BA in History from Thomas Edison State University. Over the years, she has spoken at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, Civil War round tables around the country, the Temecula Valley Historical Society, Society for Women & The Civil War Conference, and Emerging Civil War symposiums.

“From writing books and hosting Zoom conferences, to research projects and blogging, I’m blessed to stay busy during this Covid-19 pandemic. I am really honored and looking forward to my ZOOM appearance at your impressive Civil War round table on Feb. 2,” she said. (Note: The Brunswick Civil War Round Table is the largest Civil War round table in the country with more than 1,300 members.)

For additional information about the Round Table, its ongoing activities, its guest speakers at future monthly meetings, or its involvement in Civil War and historic preservation, visit brunswickcivilwarroundtable. com and find the group on Facebook.