One Part Zombie Apocalypse, One Part Neuroscience…

Now if you’re ever-so curious about how these could be even remotely related, have a gander at the video below.

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Memoirs of a Detox Part 1

They say to be transparent with your audience, show all aspects of yourself good and bad.

I had been feeling like crap, eating like crap, and didn’t give a crap.  I was turning off my own awareness to my body’s needs because of convenience.  Limited time, limited budget–you think there aren’t that many possibilities for food and end up being resigned about it, right?

Until you wake up one day and just don’t have the energy to do anything and your brain feels like it’s full of mashed potatoes, which may actually be true.

Then steps in a friend who wants to make some changes and needs a buddy to help her.  That’s where I come in and decide for myself that I need to make some changes before my health is too far out of reach and I’m still young enough to make a difference.

I was ready…

So Day One:  I was used to eating two eggs every morning like clockwork.  Eggs being a big culprit of food sensitivies they were the first to go.  This also includes wheat, corn, dairy, red meat, processed sugar, oranges, and refined fats.  Initially doesn’t sound very fun, does it?  But I made do and enjoyed a lovely lunch of hummus, vegetables, blueberries, and cashews with my detox buddy.  I didn’t even miss the sugar and was already feeling empowered and enlivened.

Fast forward two weeks and I feel pretty darn great!  No cheating even!  I had a couple days where I felt “detox symptoms.”

For those of you new to detoxification, the body has two phases of the detox process.  The first phase mobilizes toxins out of fat.  (Did you know that most toxins aren’t water soluble and thus store in your fat?)  The second adds some fun chemistry to the toxin that makes it water soluble, which allows us to sweat or pee it out.  If the body doesn’t have enough resources–through nutrition– to make the toxins water soluble, then the toxins recirculate throughout the body and will move back into the fat.  It’s the circulation piece where we are re-exposed to the toxins and feel like crap all over again.  That’s why ample support and nutrition are crucial to the detox process.

I’m still going strong with cookies and breads before me.  I can feel myself losing some weight, whether it’s bloating, fat, or both.  However, I’m choosing not to step on the scale and using the fit of my clothes as the measure.

The biggest thing I’m aware of is how much I had been blocking what I was feeling with food.  Emotions can be scary, so we humans go to great lengths to avoid feeling them.  My way of distraction is with food.  Now without any method of distraction (except for an episode of Modern Family here and there), I’m feeling EVERYTHING!  What a great practice in allowing whatever I’m feeling knowing I can’t find something to stuff it down.

I still have two more weeks to go… Stay tuned on how the rest of it goes.

October’s Focus: Accept What Is

In one sense, accepting what is, is a given.  What is–the reality of the moment–can’t be otherwise, so why fight it?  But acceptance doesn’t mean resignation.  It’s also an invitation to dig deeper.  That’s where we strike gold.  Beneath appearances lies a more nuanced level of reality.  It’s like looking at someone’s face and seeing the story behind it.  Everything is precious once we know how to look.

Practice: Open Your Mind

The suggested practice for September from the One Spirit Book of Days:

Were you allergic to math or science in school?  Are you a computer geek who hates to read?  Deliberately push your brain out of its cozy nest.  Enroll in a math-for-poets course, or Shakespeare for engineers.  Read something by an expert who writes accessibly on the subject you sidestepped in school.  Seek out conversations with knowledgeable people and hang on their words.  Let yourself be transported by others’ passions.

Trails of Discovery

From any new field of knowledge, there are by-ways branching out in all directions, leading to thrilling discoveries.  If you’re pursuing an interest in, say, local history, you might get sidetracked by events on the national scale; if you’re intrigued by astronomy, you might enlarge your perspective on the topic by learning about the mythic figures who lend their names to the constellations or planets, such as Pegasus or Jupiter.  All knowledge, ultimately, is interconnected.  Illuminate your life by tracing some of the threads.

Set Your Intention for September

Latest words of wisdom from the One Spirit Book of Days:

I’m committed to lifelong learning.  I continually open myself to new ideas.  I make a point of informing myself on all sides of an issue.

Octupus’s Garden

Sea creatures include some of the strangest species in nature:  think of the seahorse, the octopus, the starfish.  Face to face encounters with such animals give us food for thought about life itself.  An aquarium usually has subdued lighting, making it a perfect setting for meditation as you contemplate unfamiliar life-forms.  As a brave next step, consider the idea of learning to snorkel or dive–in a realm far from everyday routines.

September Focus–Expand Your Horizons

It’s never been easier to be well-informed, with so many learning opportunities, on- and off-line, a lot of them free.  The vast university of cyberspace offers the possibility of pursuing nearly any subject, no matter how obscure.  Just searching an entry on an encyclopedia website can send you down an electronic trail crossing centuries and cultures.  Unloose your curiosity and let it roam.

August–Final Thoughts

I enjoyed the focus for this month of Slowing Down.  I see families already gearing up with the start of school, fall activities, and, of course, Football season (Go Packers!!)  How many of us fit in the time to relax, slow down and be?  How many tried to pack in as much as we could as soon as the “Oh my goodness, summer is almost over” panic?  Did you do a mix of both?  As we move into Labor Day weekend, examine what your plans are.  Look to see how much or how little activity you have in store for yourself.  Enjoy!

Project: The Joy of Anticipation

“I want it all, and I want it now” is the cultural mantra.  Funny, because research shows that anticipating something is more gratifying to us than actually having it.  Give yourself things to look forward to:  plan a party, book a ski trip, buy a lottery ticket, order seats for the play that’s generating a lot of advance buzz.  Wallow in the exquisite pleasure of waiting.