More about French Women...

Yesterday I went out very far on that limb and announced that I am changing the way I eat. I knew that by making my intention public, I am now committed. Somehow it seems easier (okay, it's only been two days) knowing that people will be watching my progress. But I'm really going to give it a try. I'm quite intriqued by this whole notion. I had a healthy lunch at work yesterday, followed by a healthy supper, actually sitting at the table, with a very small glass of wine to accompany it. ( those French may be on to something!) I didn't feel the need to snack later in the evening, something I started doing over the winter, that was never my usual habit before. Today I have a healthy lunch packed, and we'll see where it goes from there.

This afternoon I am volunteering at a function at the University. The call came out through Campus Notices for volunteers for a Native Celebration that's taking place over the next two days. Tracey, my boss, told me they encourage staff to volunteer for things on campus, even it if means being away from your desk. So, I'm signed up for two hours today, and two hours again tomorrow. When I finish there tomorrow I head over to the Sports Centre to the blood donor clinic. It's been many years since I last donated blood, and I need to start doing that again. I saw a sign for an apherisis program here but when I called, they told me they no longer take plasma or platelets from any who has ever been pregnant. Not sure why that is, but that's a new ruling in the past few years. That's too bad, because I donated a lot of plasma and platelets in the past.

Friday is our staff social, and it was meant to be a murder/mystery. Unfortunately we've had a couple of people back out so we don't have enough to fill all the roles, so we are just doing a 60's themed party instead. It's at Tracey's house and she was stressing yesterday about the food, so I came up with a brilliant suggestion. Give me the day off, I'll do all the food, and then bring it to the party. She said she had thought of asking me earlier but didn't want to as it was my staff party too. I told her I totally didn't mind at all and would be happy to do it. So that's the plan. She's giving me the department credit card to do the shopping and I will be good to go. I had asked if I could invite a friend, since my spouse isn't available, and she said yes, so Brenda is coming to the party with me. It will be a fitting way to celebrate the end of her training. Then I have a party to go to at Rosie's on Saturday night. It's going to be a busy weekend.


Now more on those French Women:

Here is the list of what French women do and don't do.
If I can adapt even a few of these ideas, it will be an improvement to
my health and my lifestyle.

French women eat three meals a day.
French women adore fashion.
French women are stubborn individuals and don't follow mass movements.
French women avoid anything that demands too much effort for too little pleasure.
French women balance their food, drink, and movement on a week-by-week basis.
French women care enormously about the presentation of food. It matters to them how you look at it.
French women choose their own indulgences and compensations. They understand that little things count, both additions and subtractions, and that as an adult everyone is the keeper of her own equilibrium.
French women don't care for hard liquor.
French women don't diet.
French women don't eat "fat-free," "sugar-free," or anything artificially stripped of natural flavor. They go for the real thing in moderation.
French women don't get fat.
French women don't often weigh themselves, preferring to keep track with their hands, eyes, and clothes: "zipper syndrome."
French women don't snack all the time.
French women don’t watch much TV.
French women will dress to take out the garbage (you never know….)
French women drink water all day long.
French women eat and serve what's in season, for maximum flavor and value, and know availability does not equal quality.
French women eat for pleasure.
French women eat with all five senses, allowing less to seem like more.
French women enjoy going to market.
French women do enjoy wine regularly, but with meals and only a glass (or maybe two).
French women eschew extreme temperatures in what they consume, and enjoy fruits and vegetables bursting with flavor at room temperature, at which they prefer their water, too.
French women get a kick from Champagne, as an aperitif or with food, and don't need a special occasion to open a bottle.
French women typically think about good things to eat. American women typically worry about bad things to eat.
French women know one can go far with a great haircut, a bottle of Champagne and a divine perfume.
French women honor mealtime rituals and never eat standing up or on the run. Or in front of the TV.
French women love to sit at a café and do nothing but enjoy the moment

French women love bread and would never consider a life without carbs.
French women love chocolate, especially the dark, slightly bitter, silky stuff with its nutty aroma.
French women love to discover new flavors and are always experimenting with herbs, spices, and citrus juices to make a familiar dish seem new.
French women love to entertain at home.
French women love to laugh.
French women never let themselves be hungry.
French women never let themselves feel stuffed.
French women plan meals in advance and think in terms of menus (a list of little dishes) even at home).
French women eat smaller portions of more things. American women eat larger portions of fewer things.
French women take the stairs whenever possible.

French women think dining in is as sexy as dining out.
French women train their taste buds, and those of their young, from an early age.
French women eat more vegetables.
French women walk everywhere they can.

It's a long list, but a lot of these things really make sense to me. We'll see how it goes. The bonus part is, it doesn't say anything about actually having to speak French !