Fresh Paint 

There is this great bit on “Laughing With Samoans” where the two comedians are discussing the color of the day. The one says he likes “orange” because it not only was a color, it was a food. Then he says that was a kid he always wanted to have the color “hamburger” and that he would make every room in his house “hamburger”. It’s hard to show the humor of the piece when you can’t see the size of the guy, or hear his accent, but it is hilarious! I started thinking about what “color” I’d like to paint things if I could have the “color’ of my favorite things… I’d like the color “mom’s fresh baked bread”. Well that won’t do. I’ll just be hungry for something I can’t eat. Maybe I should have the color “chocolate chip cookies”. I can’t eat those either and I really don’t need any more reminder.

 

I started thinking about what color the foods were that I can’t get enough of: watermelon… red, raspberries… red, bananas… yellow, potato chips… yellow, candies… multiple bright colors. Why is it that I can’t seem to stop myself when eating these kinds of foods, even if I feel full?

An interesting article on how colors affect the brain in the May 2009 issue of Mind, Mood & Memory (published by Massachusetts General Hospital) might help tweak my eating habits for the better. Scientists concluded that certain colors stimulate creativity, focus, attention to detail, problem-solving, and relaxation. Armed with new information and a great desire for some change, I enlisted my kids and my friends, choose some colors and changes the kitchen, dining area and family room to colors that might stimulate a new mood around the house making my kitchen and dining area the most supportive it can be for “normal” eating.

RED is stimulating, increases blood pressure, pulse and respiration rate; energizes, increases attention and vigilance; promotes anxiety, improves memory; promotes interest in food and sex. I have to say all of those don’t really go well together. LOL. I realized that McDonald’s, Burger King, and even Taco Bell all use red as their dominate color. No wonder it’s hard to avoid eating too much at those places! Thank goodness I didn’t choose a red color! I’m not interested in INCREASING my appetite.

ORANGE increases blood pressure, respiration, heart rate; increases appetite, reduces fatigue, fosters sociability. No wonder I didn’t really like my Salmon colored kitchen of before. It was making me hungry.

GREEN is soothing, relaxing, calming; reduces anxiety; fosters feelings of self-control. My bedroom is a little green and I love it. I write there too and it is relaxing and productive all in one.

YELLOW stimulates memory, awareness, and perception; engenders hope and optimism. Yellow is a great Feng Shui color which lifts the spirit, raises energy levels and dispels negativity. You can use yellow in kitchens, hallways, living rooms, play rooms and offices but again avoid bedrooms as it may prove too energetic and intense. Yellow is particularly good for focusing the mind and encouraging intellectual progress. Normally I shy away from yellow. Since I home school and we do all our work in the kitchen dining room area, it makes sense to have some kind of yellow.

BLUE is calming; increases happiness and boosts confidence and creativity; promotes risk-taking; has a cooling effect; lowers pulse and respiration rate; reduces blood pressure.

Purple is known as the psychic color linked with activities such as meditation and healing. Purple can have a calming and restorative effect so mixing it with blue ought to be a winning combination in a room that I want to reduce stress eating.

The hard part in a project like this is “picking the right color.” I am the first to admit that I am not good at “decorating” my house. Frankly, I just don’t care much. I like my house to be reasonably clean, livable and functional. To begin with I did what every non-Martha Stewart homemaker would do… I consulted my friend Shar as to what color I should pick. She is very artsy and I knew that she would have just the right suggestion… besides, I know she is always up for a big project. LOL. After a few weeks of stewing we settled on Woodland Blue and Goldenrod. We picked our day. Wednesday. We invited friends to come help. We got up early and took apart the house… cover plates, pictures, shelves, furniture. We worked in teams. Some people cleaned and taped. Some painted with rollers. Some painted the edges. As the walls dried, some people began to clean up and put the house back together. The goal was to completely paint and reorganize my kitchen/dining/family room (an area that is roughly 40 feet by 20 feet with a vaulted ceiling) before my husband got home at 6:30 pm. I know. I sound impossible, but we were up for the challenge. We made it! With 10 minutes to spare.

He was shocked! And even likes it! I love it! My walls with windows is the sunny Goldenrod and the inside walls are the Woodland Blue (my kids like to argue that it’s not blue… it’s lavender, but the can says WOODLAND BLUE).

It’s only Friday and I can tell that the color is affecting the mood in the house already. I learned so much about how colors affect the mood. I’m so glad I choose these two colors. I can feel a difference already!

In college I studied theater and took several classes in lighting and set design. We spent one whole semester on just color and the effects of color on an audience. I learned that colored light is absorbed by the eyes, then converted into electrical impulses that affect the brain’s hypothalamus gland—a brain structure which regulates temperature, blood pressure, respiration, and other functions, and stimulates the pituitary and pineal glands to secrete hormones that help control the body’s internal environment. Colors have varying affects on the autonomic nervous system which is usually out of our control but still regulates our moods. That is why it is so effective in theater.

All the activity on Wednesday wiped us all out. Luckily I got to have a massage (thanks Julie) and my house stayed clean. Today I spent the day shopping for my daughter’s new business. Color. More color. She paints original designs onto t-shirts. They are amazing! She is selling the shirts for $15 a shirt to earn money for college. If anyone wants a cool idea as a present or even something that is one of kind to wear for them I’ve got the perfect idea! Painted Skin – it’s her logo. We can ship it to you for $5 extra dollars. Not bad for something no one else will have. I’ll post pictures of her work tomorrow and there are a few posted on FaceBook too.

I’ve been too busy to pay attention to my eating and I haven’t counted my exercise minutes. Thankfully I haven’t gone nuts with calories and I have been getting some exercise. I will have to see what tomorrow brings because my foot hurts. I had my chiropractor adjust it. It’s better now but it is still very tender when I walk. I will have to play it by ear.