Multi-What?

The current issue of Ms. magazine reads, “Mom, 2.0” with several arms reaching for not only her child but her iphone to update twitter and of course her blog about homemade baby food. I have yet to buy the issue but its graphic forges a good point: how much is taking on too much? I am not a mother and will be writing strictly from the twenty-something, living with roommates, not working her dream job, and attempting to accomplish life perspective.

My day starts around 7 each morning and I, although exhausted, am happy to get into bed before eleven these days. That is 16 hours awake each day. 16! Half are taken up at my day job and I must say that darn job gets the best hours! But since it is paying for all the not so cheap but good for you foods stocked in my fridge and my water tank full of hot water I keep it around. The rest of the day is torn between running, cooking, writing, laundry, cleaning, being creative, the occasional social hour, and my favorite, being in love. Most of the time I think I am not doing enough and still I am writing two blogs, maintaining a worn out small creative business, cooking, daily runs, and a relationship (which tends to be the most sane part of my day, more on that another post). Those are the minimum tasks too. Notice there is no rest scheduled. Even as I write this entry I am watching the green beans boil, waiting for the salmon to get done in the oven and also sorting a late night laundry load. I would vent about needing more time except I don’t feel the need to be active for more then 16 hours a day, that is plenty!

Perhaps it is my perspective that needs a little time adjustment. And I know I am not the only one.

I know few women with less then half of a full plate. From small handmade business’, masters degrees, full time day jobs, getting in shape, being social, and enjoying the loves of our lives from family, to friendships, and partners, and of course blogs for each (breath). When did this generation become multi-tasking super women? I am proud of it all but I think I should add mindfulness in there too, just for good measure.

Take a moment and congratulate yourselves, please! You do more then enough and remember there is always tomorrow.

xoxo.

Walk It Out

I didn't start to see my weight loss solely on the food I changed but it was a more then crucial piece. The other crucial step: exercise. I have enjoyed running for several years but I am by no means someone who calls herself a "runner". I run up to six times a week and am lucky if I break 2 miles. But I have learned that because I love it and am motivated to continue to run, the mileage doesn't mean a thing anymore.

Once I got my new eating habits on a self regulated course I turned my focus over to exercise. I was already running at my convenience which was shaping up to be 2 days out of the week. I didn't make time for this, I added it whenever I felt it was needed. I don't regret my approach, after all remembering to eat every two hours and to have it planned down to every protein and complex carb was enough on some days. I worked my way into my current schedule and also changed it up.

I started with 20-30 minute jogs, resting every

5-10 minutes with a brisk walk. I rarely ran in the mornings and often forgot to stretch. At the five week mark I decided it was time to amp it up. I made the intention of running 5x a week. I even created a section in my day planner and would plan my running days out in advance.

Few things I learned the hard way:

1. Good shoes are key! If the shins start to flare up take a look at how old your kicks are.
2. Your muscles have great memory and can convince you of getting lazy: mix up your routine whether with time or with the route you take
3. Wear a watch. It may feel like twenty minutes when it fact it was closer to eight.
4. Take a day off! Your muscles also need to repair themselves so you can tear them up again on your next run. I like 3 days on with a day off. I have heard this is quite popular.
5. Don't love it? Find something else.

If you love biking, swimming, the gym, or even walking enough to spend 30 minutes being active with it a few times a week, do it!

Lastly, stretch when you are warmed up. Stretching gets your blood circulating more and can loosen up those rigid spots, it also helps to repair damaged tissue quicker and that process is what builds muscle, and more muscle means less fat. Tah dah!

peace and love.

A New Normal

I was continually asked how long until the detox was over and I could go back to “normal” foods. My elongated stare told them they should know better, this was my new normal, and clearly I was ecstatic about it. Sarcasm aside, before I knew it a month had passed and I did start to feel well. I started to feel great actually. I started tasting food and not condiments. I was no longer tired in the morning and my personal favorite side effect, my sense of smell got stronger. I felt this huge weight filled mostly with guilty pleasures was lifted minus one tiny drawback: I hadn’t lost any weight. Are you kidding me? I have been craving toast, coffee, pasta, and ice cream for four weeks and all I have to show for it is a better sense of smell? Not exactly the trade off I was aiming for. This brings me to my next battle: a sense of time.

For the first four weeks my weight would drop, climb, drop, climb, etc. It didn’t help that I was getting on the scale several times a day (big no, no!) and after a solid few weeks my frustration began to mount. My overall goal is to lose 20lbs. This is still my goal (don’t fret, I am 8 lbs away!) However the flash of “lose 10 lbs in 4 weeks” that seemed to find its way to the cover of at least five magazines in my weekly checkout aisle had burrowed its way in, even when I knew better. This does not take into consideration body type, overall goal, weight lose method, or your health. I set my goal with the intention of allowing 6 or more months to deflate that tire around my belly, but I was ready for a seeable result.

Week five came and my body just seemed to catch on to what it was I was trying to do. Most importantly, I was consistent. I may have been frustrated and a bit confused but I kept at my new normal eating style and trusted that eventually I would start to see the light.

What I wish someone had told me: Not only is weight loss not going to happen over night, it is not going to happen over a few weeks and it is not supposed to! Fast weight loss does not give your body or your mind the learned capability of life change versus diet. Diet screams restriction and as soon as that restriction ends there goes all the hard work. My new normal in addition to eating was my acceptance of a time frame that belonged all to me. Every body will adapt differently, listen to it, after all it is just trying to look out for you.

xoxo

To eat, or not to eat?

There I found myself a short seven days into my new eating style and I was starving! Not to mention the lack of coffee for the first time in oh, ten years, was wreaking havoc on my head and the withdrawal aches and pains were making themselves quite known. I thought I was going to instantly feel better, a sense of overnight success for taking on the big D-tox. Wrong, oh so wrong. The first two weeks were rough, no sugar coating here, couldn’t have sugar if I wanted it. I say this not to cause hesitation if you choose to change your cupboard’s stocked shelves, I say this because it is not about over night success and it should not be. Take your time and allow your mind and body to adjust in good time! You will know when you are feeling better.

If you decide to take on a radical shift no matter the intensity give yourself some breathing room. Perhaps it is time to cash in on a couple of sick days and let your body recharge. Don’t forget to conserve your energy! It will take more of your new foods refueling action to keep energized then what you were comfortable with before. Not ready to deplete so much from your diet? Try this variation and maybe work your way into some new eating habits, you may find with time that you like the new way.

Instead of taking to the trash all of the previous post list, start with these 5 foods: white flour (ie. white or wheat breads, pasta, and those coffee bar baked goods), white sugar (ie. baked anything, processed foods/the boxed foods, soda), dairy (ie. milk, cheese, ice cream, creamer, some yogurts), red meat (including pork!), & non-water beverages (ie. soda, coffee, tea (except green!), matte, juice, or alcohol)

Stopping cold in your tracks may not feel so great, give yourself at least a week to take these things out of your daily diet, but don’t forget to replace them with the good stuff! What is the good stuff? Plenty of the following:

Water

Green Tea

Vegetables (especially spinach, broccoli, red peppers, kale, cabbage, asparagus, celery, and cucumbers)

Fruits (darker the color the better, such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, cherries, blackberries, also melons, peaches, plums, kiwi, apples & bananas)

Rice or Almond Milk

Whole Grains (the term “whole” should be present or it is a trick! These can be whole grain brown rice, whole grain spelt flour, basmati rice or my favorite quinoa)

Organic Eggs (excellent source of protein and energy)

Seafood (not farmed! Look for terms like “wild” and stick with these

fish: salmon, cod, halibut, tuna, and trout)

Good Nuts (these include almonds, cashews, and walnuts but make sure they are raw)

Oatmeal

Olive Oil

Honey if you are having a case of the sweet tooth

Get down to the basics and give yourself a full fourteen days, then start to rebuild. (More on that rebuilding process to come.)

Oh and one last thing, the skinny on the O word: Organic! The more organic the better, especially with fresh whole foods like fruit and veggies. If it is not organic you don’t know what it has come into contact with and that means one more unknown thing your body has to detox. And you thought losing the coffee was bad, well I did.

Peace and much love.

Detox

The trendy word detox can also be a dirty little word with enough hype to peak your interest. When I decided to do what I thought was taking the plunge, you know, get right down to it I knew I had to start with the foods I ate. I ate breakfast, I thought, I had an adequate lunch, I thought, and never ate dinner too late. So what was the problem? Why was the scale climbing? I was baffled until I wrote it all down. Now this bordered the edge of too much but I just wanted a visual. There it was, the truth I couldn’t erase. Now it was not terrible, no fast food, no soda, mostly organic, and small portions. I alsoseemed to forget fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, good carbohydrates, and water. (More on that to come). I was drinking plenty of coffee though!

My first step was not intended to be a detox, it just turned in that direction as soon as I also listed all the foods I was erasing from my daily list. How did I know what to take out and what to add? I tacked myself onto the Anti-Inflammatory Diet and have since added the term “Clean Eating” as another guideline. There is limited information on the Anti-Inflammatory Diet, however its principle is to stray away from foods that can cause inflammation in your joints, muscles, and belly and replace them with whole foods pumped full of anti-oxidants and other usable traits. So what did I delete? (*heavy sigh*):

white flour

white sugar

dairy

coffee

alcohol

nightshade plants (ie. potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, green peppers)

citrus fruits

peanuts

gluten

wheat

shellfish

red meat

I didn’t know at the time what was left but I sure felt it as these foods left my diet. The first two weeks were bumpy! Before I knew it I had entered full on detox moratorium. Why so drastic? I knew my body was comfortable and I needed to take it out of its comfort food zone. I will write on the enlightenment at the end of the tunnel another day. The moral of this entry: let your body have a chance at a clean start and a fresh break. See what happens after no morning latte and scone, or your nightly glass of red wine. There are many detox plans and books out for the looking. My warning is this: if your body has never gone through a detox be nice to it! Wean yourself off and allow a few weeks to completely take foods out of your diet. Your body has attachments and will need to adjust. It is not about starvation, it is about rejuvenation.

peace and love.

Original Diet

Welcome to my new project: Original Diet. In the coming posts I will highlight elements of my ongoing journey of finding love in the naked self. I started my quest almost three months ago because I had finally exhausted my criticism for a body I feel is too young to be so sad over. In the creeping weeks towards my 25th birthday I revamped my diet, upped my love for exercise, and found a support network to rally me on.

Original Diet is my dedication to myself and to women all over who have stared too long at the images we are suppose to posses. In this ongoing project I will write about detox, framing your body, being realistic, and all the little pieces that are helping me achieve something I never thought I could do. Please note: I am not an expert! I am just a girl in her mid-twenties that would have loved some of this advice three months ago. You are all beautiful!

peace and love.