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You Gotta Live A Little
 I often hear people say, "you gotta live a little," when they're enabling themselves or someone else to indulge. We tend to think of eating that extra huge, dense, rich piece of chocolate cheesecake or smoking a big, fat cigar as "living a little." Are we implying that we're not living if we're not tempting our destruction?
What if we were to turn that little statement on its ear and use it for something life-affirming? Imagine this: you embark on a pathway to healthier eating, and instead of viewing your new meal plan as something to endure, you decide to set yourself the goal of exploring new cuisines, new ingredients, and new recipes. How about making this transition into an adventure? Take your kitchen to Asia, the Mediterranean, or even Africa. Bring your kids, your friends, and your spouse along too.
There are oodles of cookbooks, websites, blogs and magazines to guide you on your culinary safari. Some suggestions include the Eating Well, Cooking Light, Edible Communities, or Vegetarian Times magazines. Maybe you'd rather invest in a cookbook. Check out Hot, Sour, Salty Sweet by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid or Around the World Cookbook: Healthy Recipes With International Flavor by the American Heart Association.
Don't let your TV live your life for you. "Live a little" by moving your body around. Exercise doesn't always mean a trip to the gym. How about sampling a ballroom dancing class, trying out Tai Chi or yoga at your local recreation center, or organizing a short hike with your church? Get out that old jump rope or put on your roller skates and release your inner kid. If you're in pretty good shape, set a challenging new goal for yourself: pick a new mountain to summit, train for a 1/2 marathon or work towards your black belt in Kung Fu. In Maricopa County, check out www.SpacesToPlay.org.
I suggest that we "live a little" by getting out there and living. Engaging in old, comfortable, self-destructive behaviors may seem like letting ourselves live, but what we're actually doing is letting ourselves die. Let's rethink what it means to "live a little." What will you do with your life today?
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