Raw Life, Days 2 and 3

So, yesterday I flew into San Fran. And the raw offerings in the airports, Philly and ATL, were very few. I had a larabar on the plane, then a smoothie in Atlanta. It was supposed to be all fruit, but who knows what they added, at the least sugar. I had one of my grapefruits from home when I got to my hotel, then waited 2 hours for my dinner company. I'd say I had a headache by 2 or 3pm, East coast time. And it stayed with me until I fell asleep last night.

Today, after a $12 room service fruit plate, I survived the ultimate test: a trip to Starbucks. But I rose above the coffee fumes and just got a Naked Superfood drink. Lunch was salad, although there was probably dairy in the dressing. My stomach was killing me during our volunteering on Baker Beach. I don't know what set it off, but I do know that since going raw, not only is my nose more sensitive, so is my stomach. I felt so bad, it wasn't until I was back in my room tonight that I realized that I didn't have a caffeine headache today. Yay! I feel like I conquered a demon. I can only imagine what a heroine addict feels like. Because I know there will be people and situations encouraging me to go back to my caffeine drinking ways.

I hope, insha Allah, that the freedom I feel not being motivated by food continues and truly becomes my lifestyle.

Detoxing is a motherfucker...

It's day one of my 30 day raw food challenge and boy, its been a doozy. I did laundry at my mom's house and suffered part sensory overload, part food deprivation. I still have a killer headache, though the nausea seems to have gone away. I knew my mom's well stocked home would be a big challenge, so I went against my secretive nature and told her what I was trying to do: 75-80% raw, 100% vegan. I think she's supportive. Anyway, the sight and smell of the food in her house really did me in. I felt bombarded by every little thing. By the end of the night, I couldn't stomach watching them eat. Isn't it a little early to have such a strong reaction?

I can only imagine what the rest of the week holds for me. I'm off to San Fran until Thursday morning. Then its graduation time. Now, I'll try to get 3 hours sleep before packing and catching my very early flight.

Gold star for me!

Yes! I did it! I got my ass moving. This morning, when my alarm went off at 5:30, I got a little defensive, but then my disappointment from the day before came back to me and I said, failure is not an option, but snoozing is. So I gave myself another 30 minutes of sleep and the option of doing yoga with the TV. When 6am came and I turned on Awake (with Steve Ross, yeah), I realized that I wanted to get moving. I cut the TV off, put on my clothes, and was out the door in 10 minutes.

Side note: In the car, I realized I should probably have added a little brushing of the teeth and washing of the face to my morning routine, as evidenced by the dried drool on my face.

Because of my indecisiveness, I only had time for a 20 minute run. But so what. The point is that I got out there and it felt great. It did wonders for my work day. And I was able to get my hair and nails done with the freedom of knowing that my workout is out of the way.

Tomorrow, I have a raw foods thing with M and it starts at 8:15. At first, I tried to decided if I'd substitute yoga for a run. But then I admitted to myself what I knew was the right thing to do. Even though its Saturday, I'll be getting up at 5:30am, insha Allah, and doing my run before meeting M. And if all goes well, I'll go to yoga, too.

Optimism must be in the air early in the morning...

Weight Loss and Money Gain

Earlier this year, I spent a lot of time (and money) getting myself financially fit. I paid off a LOT of debt and tried to be more conscious of paying my bills on time and keeping an eye on my spending. Lately, call it my summer break out but, I've been a little lax. I added a bunch of pieces to my summer wardrobe, I went out whenever I was invited, and I treated myself to a few tech items. All of this added to the normal summer events, like graduations, weddings, festivals, has me back in the financial crunch.

Meanwhile, I've been struggling with my health and fitness. It's too hot to run in the evenings and its no secret how much I hate early mornings. My diet has hit a mental block; I know I need to cut portions, add fresh stuff, and prepare my own meals, but the thought of denying myself one of my last pleasures is painful. Yoga seems daunting again and I can't even fathom a new fitness goal. Maybe it's the thought of being that friend again, the one who's late because of a workout and even then, only has a salad. Being healthy is a lonely place in Philly.

Suddenly, the parallels between my financial and physical health are glaring at me. In both cases, I have to be constantly diligent. Whether I have plenty of money in the bank or have taken off lots of pounds, I have to keep that same early stage hunger. Because any gains that I have made can be quickly lost with complacency. I have to remind myself, that as much as I hate to be that friend, I hate to be a statistic even more. One of the many overweight Americans, or just another person in debt. And when I don't do what I know is right be it health or finances, I feel guilty. This morning, although my alarm went off at 5:30 am, I pondered, then went back to bed for another 2 hours. And the sleep was good, but as soon as I walked into the office this morning, N reminded me of my laziness. I had to tell her, no, I couldn't get my fat ass out of bed, so it would continue to be just that.

Like Madonna (one of my fitness heroes) says, "Tricks don't work, discipline does." I vow to have that discipline.

My first attempt at a caprese salad

The Illusion of Success

This is what I've been dealing with for the past couple of weeks in various incarnations. I feel like I'm doing better, only to have the hard facts tell me otherwise. For instance, last week I decided I'd have a salad at least once a day. And no not a fat laden, protein heavy salad, either. These were good, wholesome numbers. Even my clothes were feeling pretty good. So when I got on the scale on Saturday, I was expecting the numbers to have decreased. Instead, they went up! Being a girl, there's always the possibility that the increase is hormonal, but still. The same thing happened the week before when I increased my running times. The scale crept up, not down.

So two things have come from this. First, I'm so frustrated! What else can I do? Change my diet, nothing happens. Change my workouts, nothing happens. I think I need professional help. Second, hormones or not, I've reached my breaking point. In other words, the point on the scale where I go hardcore because the number is too high. Where I stop being lazy and do double workouts and whatnot. Should be a fun summer, huh?

TOTH

In case we weren't sure that summer wasn't quite here, the weathers
showing us today...

Sent from my iPhone

TOTH...

Right now I'm feeling really tired and rundown (midday doldrums, maybe?) but I know two things:
1. I absolutely have to run today since I missed both Saturday and Sunday
2. I need to do some yoga to help me clear my mind and strengthen my muscles
Knowing these things is making me feel even more tired and rundown...

I found it!

Whew! I thought I lost my jawbone, but no. I just had too many jackets
laying around. Darn seesaw weather...