Learning To Set Goals

 In the last 35 days of my life I have been on a trek to a nutritionally cleaner way of life. After taking out about 95 percent of the gluten in my diet I am amazed at how much better I felt. Being encouraged with the process I decided to begin adding more of the other "free" forms to my lifestyle and see how it all unfolds.

Initially I had set a goal for 30 Days, but it ended up being more like a daily goal or commitment to feeling better. Never perfect, slow and steady, always moving forward was my mantra. What I did find out in my 30 Days of gluten free living was that I was feeling amazing! Lighter, clearer, everything just seemed to work better from the inside out. I also discovered that there were connections to other nutritional pieces that ran in the same circles as gluten, like sugar & alcohol. Those two seemed to organically jump on board with the gluten so I've also been freeing myself of those a little at a time. The alcohol was easier then the sugar, but mostly I think it's all how your body deals with it so I am trying to be patient with myself with each decision.

What is super interesting in all of this is these things that I'm becoming free from have totally contributed negatively more then I ever imagined to my feelings of lethargy. low energy, indistinguishable fog in my brain and to me not truly being my best self.

"What's the sense in living like that?" you might ask. Free of all of those things doesn't make for much fun.. or does it? Well, that's what I'm being open to and learning about. To me it doesn't feel like I'm sacrificing or depriving myself overly much.. When I weighed the pros and cons of what I was experiencing in those first 30 Days it seemed crystal clear that the pros were winning. None of these choices inhibit me from anything important to me that is life giving or deprive me of enjoying the things in my life that I truly love to do. Some would argue, but those some, are not me.
Alas! No argument. :)

So here were the CONS:  Constant indigestion whenever I ate or drank gluten. Sugar spikes with crazy energy and crashes that always led to sugar comas. Terrible sleep patterns. Cravings that sent me into a tirade of seeking whatever it might be that I was needing to stuff into my zero hunger face! Irregularity, stomach aches, hangovers from booze and food. Swollen body, fingers and toes, and a big ole belly just hanging around not doing much of anything. Awesome... That's how I want to feel on a daily basis.. (oozing sarcasm).

Now the PROS: These pros are linked to what I am doing now, which is GF(gluten free) & AF(alcohol free).. The sugar is pretty intermittent so I didn't want to speak to soon about that. So, positives about GF & AF for me are, no intergestion at all. Zero!! No antacids needed, no stomach aches. I have tons of energy! Mental energy more then physical I'd even say. I'm reading more, wake up earlier and feel better, don't need as much sleep and just feel more whole and like myself. I have saved over $200.00 by not having a couple of drinks every night and in just a years time that's a few pretty sweet trips to do something life giving and fun! A definite PRO there. Lastly, my belly has shrunk! I've lost 5 lbs and I think it's straight from my stomach. I haven't done anything except those two things, a total bonus.

This is all in just 35 Days.. Pretty psyched. There has been one issue though the last 5 days. I had hit my 30 and then kind of felt all over the place. Was not watching my intake of gluten very much, snacked on way too many sweets and wasn't really being mindful. A friend mentioned to me that I needed another goal. That it was the goal that motivated me and that I should think of what that next one would be. Smart friend :) It made all of the difference. I wanted to continue my focus with the AF & GF still, so...

My new goal is walking! Daily mindful walks. I have 25 more days to get to my collective total of 60. I feel like the walking will support all the other wellness pieces and allow them more time to sink in. This new goal has shifted my thinking and given me a new sense of purpose, I'm anxious to get underway. In the last few years I've had to embrace my monkey mind nature and find that if I keep things interesting in one way or another it all seems to work out pretty well. So walking it is! Besides, if I move more maybe the sugar might not have to all go away. :)



Share your goals in the comments below! It makes all the difference.

Be Well!

Denice

Using Things Up

Yesterday was one of those days... Phew! My feet hurt, legs were screaming and was I pooped. Funny though, I didn't even leave the kitchen 80 percent of the day.  I found that after being away camping for four days I had so much fresh food between the camper and the house refrigerators that there was no avoiding it and I needed to get busy. With the weekend approaching I wasn't going to have time to mess with any of that stuff, so I rolled up my sleeves and got started.

The list of foodie items grew as I pushed my way past the first layer of condiments, bags of produce, veggies from our neighbors amazing garden, cabbages from last weeks farmers market, a bin full of kale, carrots "that needed to be used".. I always hesitated when my Mom used to say that when referring to meat growing up.. But there I was, scraping off the bad parts and making good use of what I was determined to make into a variety of dishes to carry me through the weekend. Here's what surfaced.


A huge pot of minestrone soup, littered with fresh kale, all of those carrots :) (we can keep that to ourselves..) halves of onions from a variety of past chop fests, chickpeas I had cooked just mid week/last week... and ground turkey as the "meat source".. fortunately, I had pulled that out of the freezer that morning so it doesn't fall into the carrot category.

Next...

A new batch of fermented kraut. Complements of my dear hubby who shredded and pummeled both of them into a beautiful bubbly concoction. That will be ready in a couple weeks. Love the red and green together.


Then...

Banana Bread! Four very, very ripe bananas laying sadly in the fruit basket. This one is "normal". My middle son Alex is always hesitant with my cooking because I experiment, often, and he is a straight shooter when it comes to food. So, in honor of his possible pop in visit this weekend there is a straight out of the 29 year old Betty Crocker waiting on the counter for him. ;)

And...

Vegan/Gluten Free Pumpkin mini muffins! Those are for a gathering tomorrow minus a few for me. Lots of food sensitivities in our next generation so these fit the bill for that and used up my applesauce that was in the frig along with the vanilla almond milk. Bam!

Along with...

Pizza! That ended up being for dinner.. Dough from Portland Pie that we didn't use camping, left over pizza sauce that was hiding under the deli drawer.. who even looks there anyway?? It was clean of any wild penicillin so on top it went. The pizza, like the soup was perfect for all the other bits of veggies, chicken sausage, ten rounds of pepperoni and two 1/4 full bags of mozzarella. I went even a little further with this one, Alex would not have approved, would have said I ruined it, but added chopped up grape tomatoes and the last of the garlic and herb goat cheese just begging to be on top. Bam! Again. It looked awesome! Unfortunately, so awesome that there is no "actual" photo documentation to share.

Lastly, I made fresh brewed iced tea and used up the last of my Hibiscus Tangerine & Oolong teas, boiled up two big red potatoes, then took a full box of arugula, the bin of kale along with three loose cloves of garlic and sautéed it all up in the final quarter cup of my bottle of olive oil! Now that felt good! I'll eat the greens in either some omelettes over the weekend or with the boiled potatoes and some of the newly marinated chicken that is patiently waiting it's turn.

Using things up like that brings me such satisfaction. It keeps me mindful of the bountiful options and choices that life gives me everyday. It keeps me humble and grateful for what I do have and creates space in my mind to think and process, all the while my hands are busy. I guess I could have tossed a lot of it in the compost bin, or just waited another week to throw it all out, but what's the fun in that?


Nourishment comes in many forms it seems and yesterday for me, it came in abundance!

Bon Appetite.

Setting Your Own Pace

Something I'm discovering as I approach my 50th birthday and navigate the 50th year in this world is,  that "pace" is unique and a very individual thing for each of us.

When I was in junior high and high school I ran spring track every year. That ran, (literally) until my junior year, 11th grade, when I had a boyfriend,  a drivers license and a job, which unfortunately steered me away from any prospective Olympic medal opportunities I may have had and left me to navigate a new type of experience. I always regretted not continuing on that path. Anyway...

Track, with all of it's strange dynamics was a steady and predictable sport for me. It had order, it made sense, you didn't need to really think about it much once you knew the rules and it all seemed to fall together, you just had to show up and follow directions.

The routine for us was always the same during the first two weeks of training, so as, to condition our bodies. Pain was involved, but it was good for us we were told, after a long Maine winter and to quell all of those surging hormones.

This practice was always consistent. You changed up, you stretched in a big circle on the grass while hearing the explanation of what was to happen that day and why. After hearing clear direction we were led to the track for a light jog together to continue warming up, then we all headed into our separate specialized events to begin.  Limber, focused, warm and prepared for the challenges that lie ahead. What a life concept!!

If you were running late and missed the routine you had to do the whole warm up scenario alone, and then had to wait for a personal discussion from the coach which could cost you half of your practice time as she didn't think very highly of tardiness. If you were late it usually only happened once.

So my thought or question today is... Isn't pace, discipline? Yes? I think so. Pace and Discipline are, being steady, showing up, being prepared, present and doing what is expected of you initially, until you learn what your specialties are. What your events in life might be? Interesting.

My pace and my discipline is unique to me. When I find that sweet spot in my life I am content, warm, confident and happy. When I try to "keep up" with another's pace I get burnt out, lose my focus and want to walk off the field. If another 's pace is too slow, I am impatient,  erratic and become excruciatingly frustrated by the sloth like progression of the slower way.

I don't think there is anything much to do or acknowledge about any of this meandering, but mostly just to notice and be mindful of what your pace may be and how it fits into your life situations. I think knowing that your pace is a bit too fast for someone gives you pause to be compassionate and patient with that moment. Then if you're in a situation where you are feeling anxious and overwhelmed by the whirlwind pace around you noticing your need can allow you to raise your flag and say, I'm going to take a break for a while, which brings a pause into the experience and allows for more balance to come back in.

In 50 years of living a life of races, stretches, events and lite warming jogs, I am grateful for the pace that I have found and am currently living. Sometimes I'm up for a good, fast run but I find more so that I am my most content when life is steady, predictable and present. My authentic pace isn't a discipline any longer mostly because I have shown up on the field, listened and followed directions for my own path. Blessed as I am I get to choose now. I get to choose to sit in the big circle, declare my specialties and even if it hurts sometimes, continue to stretch.

Have a great weekend and set your own pace!

Cheers! Denice