The Lifestyle Blog
Do You Really Practise Moderation?
January 25, 2007 by Ryan Prigg
The concept of moderation has been around as long as Buddha, who saw one of the paths to realise enlightenment as The Middle Way. In his time this was meant more as a renunciation of the extremes of earthly pleasures so as to reach for more divine gratification. A way of saying 'Don't distract yourself from yourself with shiny objects and experiences".
Moderation in the modern world is often bandied about in relation to the consumption of food and alcohol. An often cited term I hear is 'everything in moderation" in regards to things such as chocolate, booze etc. This is fine as long as you know the effects that these substances have on you. What I find very interesting is that we do not apply this wonderful idea of moderation to other areas of our lifestyles.
Since my major goal with this site is to make you more aware of yourself, consider how moderation plays a part in the following situations:
How many times this week have you had the same breakfast?
How many meals this week have you consumed with grains (bread, pasta, cereal etc)?
How many different foods have you eaten this week (the average is 12 per year!)?
How many times in the past month have you varied your exercise routine?
How many times this year have you changed the times that you go to and from work?
How many weeks in the past year have you not turned on the tv?
This is just a brief list to increase your awareness. Im sure everyone could think of other situations where their behaviour has become routine in the extreme. While humans are relatively routine by nature (we are basically ruled by the movements of the sun), the modern world seems to have sunken into a world of sameness. This is easy to see because more and more products are manufactured each year in our desperate struggle for differentiation.
If you are currently struggling with a lifestyle challenge, then consider the sage advice of 8 times Mr Olympia, Ronnie Coleman (i dont think he coined this phrase though). "If you do what you always do, you'll get what you always got". Look at your current lifestyle and analyse whether you have become entrenched in extremes of routine. If you have, then the middle way might just be your way out.
Ryan Prigg
Past Blogs
- Do you really practice moderation? - The idea of moderation is thrown around easily today, but does anyone really practice it?
- First Blog Entry - An insight into the reasons for RyanPrigg.com to exist.