Eating and Drinking in Florence

Rules to live by . . . we all have them on some level. While most people might be hard pressed to articulate their “rules,” they’d certainly claim to have values or principles that guide their decisions. I, too, have such principles. In addition, though, I’ve got a short list of rules that are sure-fire and easy to follow. When it comes right down to it, I know these few rules will keep me happy. It’s as simple as:

• Eat when I’m hungry.
• Drink when I’m thirsty.
• Sleep when I’m tired.

. . . .
Sounds too easy, huh? Exactly my point!

These rules are strikingly basic, I agree. Perhaps it is because they’re so basic that I overlooked their importance for so long. But once I started applying them to my life, I quickly realized their power. By following these three simple rules everything else comes together for me.

Eat when I’m hungry
I’ve never been much of a dieter. I’m blessed with good genes, and rarely experience the sensation of hunger. However, when I’m hungry, I can think of nothing else. I recall a time in my life – when I was a child and my family was large and our resources limited – I’d often go to bed hungry. I’d close my eyes thinking about fried chicken, my favorite food; or remembering the delicious smell that wafted from my neighbor’s kitchen, imagining what they’d had for dinner. Consequently, and oddly, hunger became my comfort zone.

Now as an adult, even when times are lean, I never have to go to bed hungry. But I kept finding myself doing it occasionally. It was when I noticed I was doing it more often than not – going to bed hungry, or waiting until 5 pm before my first meal of the day – that I decided to explore the reasons.

I discovered my rationale was faulty; it was non-existent really. I was aware that I was ignoring my hunger, but at a near sub-conscious level. And when I stopped ignoring it (and ate), I was not only more productive, but truly happier. That’s when I made the rule for myself. On the flipside, I don’t allow the clock to tell me when to stop what I’m doing, and prepare and eat a meal. In other words, I don’t eat out of obligation. I only eat when I’m hungry.

Drink when I’m thirsty
I understand that water is the element of life and is vital to good health; but to drink it by the quart? I’ve not only found this advice difficult and impractical to follow, but I never felt any benefits from the effort. Yet, I’d find myself feeling guilty and irresponsible when, at the end of a day, I’d realize that I’d drunk only two glasses of water.

How silly to feel pressure – and worse, guilt – for not drinking! Even though my circle of friends are healthy and wise, and often remind me to drink more water, I’ve decided the best advice is to just listen to my body. I don’t worry about keeping track of how many glasses of water I drink. I don’t panic if I don’t have a water bottle with me when I leave the house. I rarely find myself where there are no faucets or fountains, so I don’t worry about it. I just drink when I’m thirsty.

Sleep when I’m tired
This is probably my most important rule. From the day I was born I have always loved to sleep. My mother says that as a baby, I was content to lie in my bouncy chair and could snooze through anything: a kitchen full of friends talking and playing cards, the vacuum cleaner running, siblings playing and making noise in the same room. As a young adult I had minor surgery, after which I spent an unusually long time in the recovery room because I didn’t come out of the anesthesia as expected. My mother said she wasn’t even worried because she knew I just wanted to sleep as long as I could.

To this day I require 7-8 hours of sleep a night. However, I regularly wake after four or five hours, ready to work – write or do research; make progress on a project. But then I allow myself to go back to bed and get those last few hours of rest. This, again, is a matter of listening to my body. By doing so, I find I can be more productive, more creative, and happier.

If I’m under pressure to get something done – particularly if it requires deep thought or creativity – and I’m tired, it’s absolutely no use for me to force myself. I know now that I’m much better off to lie down and sleep, even if only for 20 minutes (but sometimes up to three hours!), before trying to produce something of any quality.

One of the benefits of napping, is that I’m a morning person. I wake feeling inspired and energized. If I take a nap during the day, I get two “mornings” in one day! If I can’t nap when I’m tired, I’m miserable. I’m even more miserable when I could nap but am criticized for wanting to, or denied the privilege by someone who doesn’t understand the value. The ideal situation for me is to be able to sleep when I’m tired.

This simple set of rules are all “do’s.” As such, if I follow them, they contribute to my happiness. The rules are also “don’ts.” I.e.:

• I don’t eat when I’m not hungry.
• I don’t drink when I’m not thirsty. (This rule comes in handy particularly when it involves alcoholic or soft drinks.) And
• I don’t sleep when I’m not tired.

As “don’ts”, these rules tend to contribute more to my health – which in turn affects my happiness.

Rules to live by: Easy to remember. Easy to follow. Hard to live without.

What “rules” make your life better? Help you to be the best you can be?

Photo: Dawn Galbreath

Ask anyone about the conference they attended yesterday, and you’ll hear about the great sessions they sat in on, the people they met, and the inspirational ideas that were presented and exhibited. A week later, ask them about the same conference, and they’ll be a bit less enthusiastic. A month later, ask them again and they may remember a thing or two, but only in general terms. What causes the excitement to fade?

Attending professional conferences is viewed by some as a great opportunity to get out of the office. For some, it’s a necessary evil. Whether you love them or hate them though, getting the full value from a conference can be a little tricky.

I haven’t been to a single conference that didn’t motivate me, inspire me, or educate me in some way. But that enthusiasm dies quickly upon returning home and I’m no longer motivated to capitalize on any part of the experience. It’s only natural. While you’re at a conference, it’s all about the conference. When you get back home and to the office, it’s all about catching up with everything that piled up while you were at the conference. In losing all that positive energy, your investment – hundreds if not thousands of dollars – returns next to nil.

5 Ways to Get the Most out of Conferences

This post contains a detailed description and set of tools to help you get the most out of any conference you attend. But, the upshot is these five points:

1. Prepare by reviewing the conference materials one week in advance and then again the day before the conference.
2. Attend the conference with a clear set of objectives that you have shared with a friend or colleague who is committed to helping you be accountable for them.
3. Allow time each day to write down the highlights of the conference.
4. At the end of the conference, provide your employer or colleague with a written report summarizing the takeaways of the conference and how you plan to implement them.
5. Follow up with the contacts you made.

For tips and tools, (more…)