When Pigs Fly...

May 1st...I'll be running my third Flying Pig. A few years ago I walked the Half Marathon...with hardly any training and ended up with plantar faciaitis. I skipped a year, and then walked the 10k last year. This year, I plan to run the 10k. I registered for it last night, so I am in.

I think I can, I think I can...

The Doable Detox

The March 2010 issue of Natural Health has an article called The Doable Detox (pages 58-65) by Susan Hayes.

People are always talking about detoxing but I'm one of those who eschews the traditional detox. I don't see that fasting or drinking salt water or taking laxatives, or whatever else one has to do on such programs as The Master Cleanse, to be a way to promote health.

But, a detox that supports the body's natural inclination to rid itself of toxins is something that I'm definitely interested in. So when I saw this article in Natural Health, I read it and talked to Cathy about it.

I like this one because it's not about buying a list of foods that we would normally never eat or going to drastic measures like eating just cabbage or drinking salt water or whatever other crazy ideas are out there. We've decided we are going to give it a shot for a week or two. Why? Because as Elson M. Haas, M.D., the founder and director of Preventive medical Center of Marin in San Rafael, Calif., and the author of The New Detox Diet says, "The No. 1 reason for doing a detox is to improve your health and create more healthful habits." I would completely agree with that.

I've been feeling stuck and I think Cathy is feeling in a health rut too...so doing a detox like this seems just the antidote.

So here's the skinny:

Next week we begin to transition...this is before the detox begins. We'll begin the detox proper next weekend. But this week we begin to wean from "the big five": caffeine, alcohol, sugar, wheat, and dairy.

So, for example...tomorrow morning, I'll make our coffee with half decaf and half caffeine (both are organic! of course). I'll also replace the iced tea in the fridge with half decaf/caffeine, as well (again, organic, of course).

We already have agave necter that I can use instead of our organic sugar. I can use almond milk instead of the organic half and half.

Since I've been drinking wine on a nightly basis (stress!!!!) then I will start weaning myself from it this week as well.

For the detox we will eat lots of veggies and fruits, cold-water fish (salmon!), garlic and onions, greens (like kale, spinach, chard), whole grains (brown rice, quinoa, millet, steel-cut oats). Everything we eat the week of the detox will be organic. We'll drink lots of water, exercise daily, dry brush the body, go to the sauna at the gym, and, perhaps, get a massage! We'll take our supplements religiously and get a full night's sleep.

Within a couple of weeks, we should both be feeling much better!

I've got a plan....

Self Pity
I never saw a wild thing
sorry for itself.
A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough
without ever having felt sorry for itself.
~D. H. Lawrence

Today, I printed out all my circuit workouts for the next 7 days. I plan to begin those circuit workouts in the morning, before I go to work.

Just a quick little update and the poem that I've been thinking about today.

Feeling Stuck...

I wanted to start this post with a quote but my copy and paste function is not working. I don't really want to come here and rant about all the reasons I'm stressed out. I don't want to lament why I can't seem to pull myself out of this depression. I don't want to do all those things I've done in the past to try and justify my failure, yet again, to stay on the path of a healthy lifestyle.

I just want to get back on that path.

It's like I don't know how. But what is there to know, really? Just get back to it. Just do it. The pain of not doing it is much worse than the cure.

Are you having a helluva time too? Let's just change our thinking today. Just for today, let's act as if...as if we are already at our goal. What would my healthier self do? That's something I've never done...so I'll give it a shot. Today, I work from the perspective, "What would my healthier self do?"

Give a Valentine to Yourself this Weekend...

How often do you say, "I love me"???

Maybe we should start.

It seems to me, part of the problem is not loving ourselves. And that seems such a complex thing that I'm not even sure I could possibly tease it out in this little blog post.

It's not that we don't care...I mean there's the human preservation thing. Or perhaps we love ourselves so much that we don't want to be in any pain at all...if you are an emotional/stress eater/non-exerciser like me, then perhaps when you are feeling puny and out of sorts it's just easier to numb out with old behaviors...it's easier to veg on the couch or not make a healthy dinner.

So I thought...on this weekend where we go out of our way to show our partners and loved ones that we truly do care...that we love them...why not take just a few moments to tell ourselves the same?

I love me. I love the way I find humour in hard situations. I love that I persevere and always keep trying to make things better. I love that I love life.

Two Glasses of Wine at Dinner Kind of Day...

Well, yesterday kind of sucked. There's this guy...since some folks I work with read my blog, I'll keep this bit on the surface. Suffice to say, the hardest part of my job is managing the "challenging" personalities that I come in contact with from time to time. There's a lot of posturing and ego driven behavior going on right now and half the time that kind of thing is directed at me because...you know...I'm just a cog in the wheel. This kind of thing causes me a lot of stress and I feel it on a physical level. I know that's why I get so worn down and why my immune system isn't as strong as it once was.

At any rate, the stress got to me yesterday and I used that as an excuse to "treat" myself at dinner. We went to a funky little restaurant around the corner...nice bar, little 2 piece combo playing some 1920s jazz...and one of the best hamburgers I've ever had. Yeah. A hamburger. And fries. And two glasses of wine. And then when we got home, my partner...who had heard me say that I was really craving cake (coconut cake!) surprised me with a piece of cake. This is the first time she's ever done that and she did it in a great way. She got the cake, cut a normal sized slice (if on the smallish side) and brought it to me. It was a complete surprise and when she gave me the dish she said, "I'm taking the rest to work tomorrow." Perfect. So it was going to be one piece and not something that I was going to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner the next day. ;>

That piece of cake was so good.

So this morning, I have oatmeal cooking on the stove for breakfast and I've already packed my lunch...a nice, organic salad with low cal balsamic dressing and a bowl of organice chicken and rice soup. An apple is packed for a late afternoon snack. I've got my water bottle full and ready to go as well.

Three things that I'm proud of:
1. I remained professional even though that guy was being such a p***k.
2. I did the best I could on that proposal. And I was able to help out another team on a task to bring in another customer (we've been trying to get this one for 7 months!).
3. I went to bed early and got a good night's sleep.

Today is going to be a better day. I choose to make today the best it can be for me. I choose overcome any obstacles that stand in my way. I will reach all of my daily goals today.

Daily Goals List...

Pulled out my basic html codes and created a little daily goals list over there on the right!

That's what I want to do every day.

So far I'm off to a good start...breakfast? Check. Water...going to get some now. Multivitamins and passionflower? Check. I've even laughed a little bit already. Breakfast under 350 cals? Check.

Three Things That I'm Proud of Myself For:
1. I keep trying, even when I feel like a failure.
2. I graduated from college. (yes, I'm reaching now...this is harder than I thought!).
3. I have a good relationship with my partner.

Okay! Just a few more items to check off...

How Many Times Do You Think I Can Start Over?

Maybe it will only be once this year? Maybe it will be 12 times...

So January was a wash. I am lucky I didn't gain a whole bunch of weight. I was very stressed out and worked an average of 60+ hours a week, every week...through last week.

And when it comes to stress...it seems that making healthy lifestyle changes fall way down on my priority list.

So I'm not sure what to do about that. Right now, the only thing that comes to mind is to get back on track during periods when I'm not so stressed.

Things are lighter this week and therefore, I'm trying to get back to my healthy routine. I went grocery shopping yesterday and bought all my healthy, organic foods. I plan to try a couple new recipes this week and already made one last night...

From the new Clean Eating magazine (I love that mag!!!) - Moroccan Buffalo & Chickpea Chili

Ingredients:
- 1 lb top-round buffalo steak or lean beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 tbsp garlic, minced
- 2 1/2 cups yellow onion, chopped
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 2 cups carrots, cut into matchsticks
- 1 tbsp cumin, ground
- 2 tsp dried coriander
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp saffron
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 3 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 2 cups tomatoes, chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 6oz jar tomato paste
- 2 lemons (optional)

Instructions:
In a large nonstick pot, cook steak for 2 minutes over med heat. Add garlic, onion, celery, carrots, and all spices. Cook for 5 minutes. Then add chickpeas, cooking for 2 more minutes. Turn up heat to high and pour in 4 cups water, corn, tomatoes, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and then stir in tomato paste. Reduce heat to simmer and cook uncovered for 35-45 mins. Stir occasionally, until liquid reduces and chili thickens. Squeeze juice of lemons into chili, if desired, and stir. Remove bay leaf before serving. 2 cup serving is 397 calories, 9g fat, 11g fiber, 29g protein.



Tonight is Biggest Loser...and I have not kept up with trying to do the challenges. I guess I didn't really think it through...I just don't have the time or resources to try and repeat most of the challenges...so I guess that's a goal I am not going to reach. I am, however, going to workout tonight during BL. We have spruced up our gym by adding a flat screen television with digital antenna and dvd player. So now I can watch BL while on the elliptical (I know Jillian is not fond of that piece of equipment but it's what I have in my home gym, so I'm going to use it!).

Back on track! :)