End of Week 3!

I bought a book, which has been around for a little while, called You Are What You Eat and have been using Dr. Gillian McKeith's advice to eat healthier.  A friend of mine mentioned that she used to use her detoxes when she felt unwell.  No wonder it sounded like familiar and sound advice!  When we started working out I thought that I just needed to eat more veggies, which I've always loved, and healthier proteins and carbs.  I have become a little obsessed with nutrition and what I put into my body.  I have been researching nutrition studies online and through documentaries and books.  

I have always tried to eat organic where needed.  (There is a list called the Dirty Dozen which not only lists the fruits and veggies with the most pesticide residue, but also those at the bottom of the list, things you peel or simply don't need to buy organic.)  I've extended my love of organic fruits and vegetables to eating a healthy plant-based diet.  

The film Forks Over Knives talks about the huge benefits of fresh fruits and vegetables in our diets, and the unnecessary addition of meats as protein as many fruits and veggies contain plenty of protein.  As I watched it I jokingly called it "vegan propaganda," but I have to say that it makes a convincing argument. I would recommend it to anyone interested, there is a link above.  I would also recommend Food Matters, which discusses the importance of vitamins and their healing properties, as wells as the need to avoid processed foods and eat vegetables instead.  The most astounding film was called Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead and was about an Australian man who was sick and overweight who went on a juice diet.  He traveled across the United States, starting in New York, and juiced his meals for 60 days!  He detoxified his body to the point where he no longer needed medication.  Along the way he spoke with people about what he was doing and one man in a truck stop told him he had the same disease and was morbidly obese.  After one journey finishes happily, another begins with the truck driver who was in fear of his life.  It is absolutely incredible what eating enough fruits and vegetables will do for a person!!  They are both happy, fit, and healthy men with long lives ahead of them.  It makes you think, is a few moments of pleasure over a cheeseburger worth it in the long run?  Sure, once in awhile, but I know I personally had to make a big change in my life!

So, today is day three of a vegan diet and we bought a juicer.  I'll let you know how it goes!!  

Eat well, exercise well, sleep well and feel well!

ABC's Juice from Reeboot website.

2 Weeks!

It's day 14!  We've been successfully at this for two weeks now!  I can feel it in my posture and more freedom of movement.  They are little changes, for now, but it makes it much easier to keep going when you have such positive results.  Sure, I feel super tired after doing an hour of P90X, but my brain buzzes with endorphines and as we all high five I can't help but grin like a child.  :D  Bring it Week 3!!!

Hoy es día 14!  Hemos estado haciendo eso, con éxito, dos semanas ya!  Lo puedo notar en mi posture y tengo más libertad de movimientos.  Son cambios pequeños, del momento, pero lo hace much más fácil seguir con el rollo tener resultados tan positivas.  Sí, estoy super cansada después de hacer una hora de P90X, pero mi cerebro esta vivo con endorfínas y cuando todos chocamos cinco al final no puedo evitar sonreír como un niño pequeño.  :D  Venga Semana 3!!!

Day 10-11

Yesterday was a dark, gray morning.  It was windy and raining.  All I wanted to do was stay in bed and sleep till summer.  The night before I had stayed up too late, having fun, but I knew it was time to get out of bed.  So I, grumbling, got up and pulled on some leggings and my new colorful tanktop, bright socks, and sneakers.  That little moment of excitement over a pop of color in my life was exaggerated by the morning number on the scale.  Yay, the numbers are actually going down!  Happily imagining swimsuit season (for the first time in my life) and the possibilities of the future, I made myself a lovely breakfast, grabbed my water bottle, and headed out to meet my work out buddies.  My face fell a little when I opened the door to the blustering chill of the day.  God, did I want to go back to bed as the wind whipped rain at me like freezing knives.  But, you know what?  I went and I worked out anyway.  It was really hard, but afterward I felt amazing!
Today was more of the same, rain and wind darkening the sky.  Down pour and floods in the streets.  I was up late with a book and felt so tired.  But I did it.  And I'm glad I did.  Today we did an hour and a half of yoga, and with some advice from my mom I ended on a much more positive note this time.  I felt more cleansed and stress-free.  And it was really hard, and each time I try to push myself harder and try to ignore the pain, but as we go I can feel a little more stretch or a few more reps and I know I want to keep doing it.  I want to be flexible, strong, and most importantly:  healthy!
The bottom line is, it would be so much easier to not work out.  I could sleep in late, stay up late reading, and do whatever I want.  But the truth is that there is so much time in the day one hour is nothing.  60 minutes of time.  And If I work out in the morning it makes me keep going through out the day.  Instead of eating junk food and sitting, I feel inclined to clean and do chores.  I take my time making a healthy meal instead of getting take-out or fast food.  And it all makes me feel like I'm doing the right thing, for myself, for once.  And it's been a long long time since I've felt like that.  This has been a long time coming.

Day 4

So, only four days into this and I can feel a lifestyle change coming on!  I feel lighter, like I could conquer almost anything, and I feel more energized and generally happier.  I would cautiously say that this would probably be anyone's results after a sedentary life with little physical exertion before.  Naturally, there are stipulations, depending on who you are and what your body tells you through out the whole process.  If it hurts your muscles that's one thing, but joints and bones is another.  There are always options for people whose bodies are not quite ready to be pushed that hard.  As Tony Horton would say, "Do your best and forget the rest!"
Oh, Tony, you know I find him to be motivating but not smarmy or pushy.  He's funny and for all the hard core workouts he helps you set realistic goals.  The whole series does.  Any exercise for me would be great, but I can vouch for P90X, it's a good one.  The first two days we did the wrong DVDs (funny thing, they go in order!) and did something from the book that was meant for some serious athletes!  Amazingly enough, we pushed our asses to the limit and finished each day with a high five!  Having a support group and people who are going through the same burn and endorphine rush makes a world of a difference.  Thanks to my workout buddies I face each morning with eagerness and excitement!  Love you guys!!  
We've also been eating better and it's nice when the people around you are doing the same thing.  Not everyone can go healthy with you, where would Hostess and McDonald's be without the guilty pleasures of junk food, but you can always encourage your friends and family to join you in saving your own life.  I mean, sure, it can be hard to watch someone scarf a sleeve of Girl Scout cookies while you eat carrots (I won't name names here...) but you feel like you have accomplished something when you make it to the end of the day without binging or cheating yourself.  A healthy caloric/fat/carb/protien intake to go along with your endorphine buzz from your work out makes you just want to yell out, YAY!
It's all going pretty well, though not perfect.  I, unfortunately, caught a pretty bad head cold on the second day (do NOT go outside all sweaty without bundling up, no matter how sunny it seems).  Normally with a bad cold I would lie around, watch tv, eat and drink all day.  I chose to push through it.  Yesterday was rough, but I think sweating it all out helped.  Today I feel congested and a little yucky (as colds generally go) but am up and about.  I think that my very first real yoga session helped a lot too.  The only thing I might need to look into is that I did feel a little anxious after this.  I want to look into it, because I think many things could trigger it.  If you'll allow me to get a little new-agey for a moment... I think that opening up your chakras and making your body buzz with energy can also let in others' energy.  I tend to unconsciously let in negative energy.  It is amazing what an emotional and spiritual process yoga can be, and I will be gentle with myself next time and let you all know my results.  Also, I had an iced coffee with breakfast and it has been a few days since I have had much caffeine, which always adds to my anxiety if I am feeling anxious.
Negative parts aside, I am feeling confident, happy and healthy despite my anxiety and my cold.  My body is feeling better, my brain just needs to catch up!  Namaste, thanks, and love to all of you who have contributed thoughts and to those of you who are reading!

The Beginning

So, tomorrow will be my first day of P90X with 2 of my friends and I am filled with emotion.  I am super excited to get into shape and be happy with myself for once.  I'm terrified that it'll be so hard that I'll want to quit.  It is supposed to be hard, but I have a good support system here.  I'm hopeful with anticipation of a better mood, more energy, and less anxiety.  And, as always, I'm anxious with no real founding.
I've been reading about this for days now and have begun to plan for a healthy diet to go along with the work outs.  Of course, exercise is nothing if you don't eat right too.  I have a smoothie recipe from a Homeopathic doctor, and some healthy eating cookbooks.  Tomorrow I'm going to stock up on tuna in olive oil (from Trader Joe's, the only place I can find it), veggies, quinoa, flax seeds, and fruit.

In the quest for change I am making small commitments at a time.  Being healthy is number one above all, and with that will come happiness in myself.  I have dealt with anxiety in varying degrees, for over a year now, ever since Alex and I got married.  They say that big life events can bring on bouts of panic attacks.  As we plan to move North, and BUY a house I want to prepare myself better this time.  The healthier and more active I am, the easier it should be.

And I dyed my hair red...something else new.

All in all, no matter what exact results I get I go to sleep tonight with the comfort of knowledge that this is a big step in the right direction.  Oo, I can already feel those endorphines flow.