Monday, August 9, 2010

Day 25- A better YOU in 28 days.

I must first off start by saying, I am feeling exceptional! I haven't felt the bloated tummy issues that have plagued me for so many years....where all of a sudden it looks as though I might be 5 months pregnant. Tummy distended and extremely uncomfortable...no longer! My tummy feels great...and so does Ivan's...since he mainly eats what I make, and since I am trying out this dietary thing...all good. But the key is to find out what was really bugging me...only another 31 days to go before my body is totally cleansed, and then my naturopath will start re-introducing things one at a time to see what my body cannot digest.

God I hope its not cheese. I think that's the thing that I miss most....I LOVE cheese...all sorts...and I make the BEST appies, but they are pretty boring with no cheese. just a little sprinkling of feta here, a dollop of goat cheese there....the divine Camembert, or stinky blue...oh well, we will see....

I personally think it may have to do with the gluten, because I have never gone off gluten/wheat before. Last year when I did a similar cleanse before my wedding, I kept eating "whole wheat" breads, wraps etc etc....then again, it could be sugar...although I never ate that much sugar before...only when at a/ or hosting a dinner party. I'm really more of a savory gal...I'd rather a slice of perfect pizza vs. cake....but I certainly am a sucker for homemade pies. This is in extreme opposite of my Ivan, who would happily eat cookies for his three meals a day and love every minute of it. He is a cookie monster...and poor Ivan, but I don't buy processed foods, so there are rarely any cookies in the house...unless I bake them. Which I LOVE to do...there is something so comforting about home baked chocolate chip cookies...and since there is just the two of us, I will either take some to friends, or freeze the dough in little balls..flattened slightly, on parchment paper, then once frozen, pop them into a freezer baggie, and voila, instant homemade cookies-anytime! You can bake them from frozen (just takes a wee bit longer) or let them thaw a bit.

I don't miss sweets at all though...I used to indulge in some dark chocolate during that special "time of the month" for us gals, and the more I indulged, the more I wanted it....like anything really. Want to halt a habit....try quitting something for 28 days...many experts say that is the magic number. I have tried this many times and it has worked every time! I quit smoking (which was a shit habit I had when I was in school), I lost weight by training myself to go to yoga, I quit drinking soda pop and sugary juice, and I can change my sleep patterns whenever I want.

The key...discipline... BUT its only 28 days...seriously we can all do ANYTHING for 28 days....put a calender by your desk...think of something that has been holding you back from living the life you have always wanted...health, more time, stress relief, more money etc etc and just try doing it..or not doing it for 28 little days. Click here for an interesting article on the 28 day theory, there are many others. So, you can either "stop" doing something destructive, or "start" incorporating a new healthful habit. Want to lose weight, but you HAVE to have your bag of candy, or Cheetos every other night...well try not having that for just 28 days and see what happens. For me, not drinking pop was the coolest experiment, I haven't had a soda pop in over 10 years...because after that 28 days, my palate had changed and when I tried drinking it afterwards it tasted like a disgusting syrup.

Try getting up an hour earlier each day for 28 days, so you can fit that very much sought after reading/swimming/walking/writing/yoga/meditation/love making into your life.

And its so fun to challenge yourself...at the beginning of this year, I did a 30 day yoga challenge, and yes, there were days that I did NOT want to go...but it felt great to tick that day off my calender, and it felt even greater once complete...the sense of accomplishment is such a beautiful reward (oh yeh...and feel free to treat yourself to something special afterwards...my indulgence after completing a challenge is often a massage!). No one else can instill that feeling of accomplishment for you....if you think you are going to get it from your boss/parent/lover/child....think again...

I challenge you to 28 days of self improvement...whatever that means to you...so good luck and Enjoy!!!!

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