consciouseating Orlick has worked with people


from many walks of life that use im- agery in their quest for improvement, including surgeons, musicians, pilots, dancers, astronauts and CEOs. When working with Canadian Olympic teams, Orlick found that 99 percent of the athletes practiced visualization an average of 12 minutes per day, four times a week. Studies have linked imagery and


improved performance in a variety of sports. For instance, researchers found that golfers that used visualization and positive self-talk improved their putting performance (Journal of Sports Science & Medicine). Another study showed an increase in confidence among novice female rock climbers, leading to better performance (Journal of Sport Behavior). For Landes, her personal experience is all the proof she needs. After years of rarely being able to run the entire course of a major annual race in Aspen—gen- erally walking the last stretch—Landes tried visualizing herself having a strong finish as she trained and prepared for the event. For weeks, she replayed the last three miles many times in her mind. Then she ran the race, paring 12 min- utes off her previous year’s time. “It felt great,” Landes says, “and it worked.”


Freelance journalist Debra Melani writes about health care and fitness from Lyons, CO. Connect at Debra Melani.com or DMelani@msn.com.


Eating Ecology


Daily Decisions Make a Difference by Judith Fertig


C


onsuming food has such an enor- mous ripple effect that making small changes, one meal at a time, can reap big benefits. How we choose, prepare, cook, serve and preserve our food can improve nutrition, weight loss, cost savings and the environment.


Decide What to Eat Choosing what we eat is critical. New York Times food columnist Mark Bittman believes that no food is absolutely off limits because, “It’s all in the way we use these things.” Yet, he adds, “The evi- dence is clear. Plants promote health.” For the past few years, Bittman has


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experimented with eating vegan for breakfast and lunch, and then indulging at dinner. “It’s just one model of a new way of eating,” he says, “but it makes sense on many levels. By eating more plants, fewer animals and less pro- cessed food, I’ve lost 30 pounds and my cholesterol and blood sugar levels are normal again.”


When a friend sent him a 21st- century United Nations study on how intensive livestock production causes more greenhouse gas emissions than driving a car, Bittman realized how a change of diet is a win-win for him and the environment.


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