Good Bye Dr. Pepper

I. Am. Vegan.

I am taking the plunge to be more disciplined.  I believe in the vegan lifestyle and i have been teetering between vegan and vegetarian for months now.  I feel so much better when I am true to my vegan side and I am prepared to get after it again.  I always feel like if I make a decision to change I have to binge first.  Yesterday morning I bought a two liter of the Dr. and yes, I consumed the entire bottle over the course of the day-by myself-all of it.  The sugar, the carbonation, the caffiene . . . All effect me negatively and I OD'd!

So bye-bye cheese and mayo and hello eliptical! 

We have taken drastic steps to change our lifestyle in the past year.  Our little family is reaping the benefits,  I am so proud of them. I could do without narrow-minded critics though :)  I am not trying to force my lifestyle on anyone, yet they treat my ideas like they are a disease.  People either understand, or they don't, there is really no gray area there!

We are making choices to minimalize our life, eat more healthy and have the energy to persue our passions. 

The Butterfly Effect

It is through the silent and private struggle of the caterpillar that he can escape the comfort and security of the cocoon and emerge into life again. 

It is through this same silent and private struggle that the beautiful butterfly gains the strength to be able to soar once free from that same comfort and security.

We can learn a lot from nature.  I encourage you to meditate on this process.  You may find yourself in a phase comparative to the cycle of the butterfly.  The caterpillar spends the first cycle of its life absorbing life around it and creates a safe secure shelter for itself.  If the catapillar stays in the cocoon it has created for itself it means imminent death.

I watch as so many of us are in a cocoon phase of our lives.  Some are building strength through the struggle and will soon soar.  Others remain safe and secure and have experienced a type of death due to the lack of nurishment and the ability to breathe. 

Embrace the struggle my friends and gain the strength to soar.  Each of us is created as a unique individual and our wings will not pattern the same as anyone elses.  The butterfly IS inside but you may not see it yet.  Have faith and confidence in your inner beauty and fight to emerge!

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

Let's talk health and nutrition.

First I will take you on a time warp. 15 years ago I landed a job as a pharmacy clerk and worked in that field for about 3 years. I gleaned ALOT from my experience. Sure I learned some great skills and gained mucho knowledge about how the world works but let's talk about what I learned from the nutrition aspect:

(scene: Enter middle aged woman with a gallon size ziplock bag full of small amber color prescription bottles)

"Mrs. D." approaches my pharmacy counter and places large clear bag on the counter. "I need to get some refills". I watch as she opens the bag and I watch her hands tremor as she removes the small bottles one by one and sets them on the counter. Appearently frustrated by her lack of focus and control of her own hands, she begins to tell a story I have never forgotten. "I went to the Doctor for . . . He prescribed this" (gently placing another bottle on the counter). "But the side effects caused ____, so he prescribed this" (another bottle). "The combination of the two caused me to ______, so I take this" (you guessed it-another bottle). This went on until every bottle had a horrifying explaination.

This was only the beginning of my observation of the giant pharmaceutical beast. I have some crazy stories, this was only the beginning of my eye opening experiences. Now is the time to enter a disclaimer, if you will. I am not opposed to doctors, pharmacies, blah, blah, blah. I have gained much knowledge from many of these kind of proffessionals in my life. From some, what to do; from others, what not to do. No bashing here, just sharing my personal opinions and experiences in my own journey.

From the beginning of these experiences at the pharmacy I determined that there had to be an alternative to this kind of lifestyle. Being on the fluffy side ALL of my life, I have had plenty of ups and downs on the health/weight scale. I began a quest and it continues to this day. I will use this forum for discussion, if you are reading this, yes, you. Please feel free to discuss, comment, email me--let's chat.

Ok, here is a brief list of things attempted (some of them may have been beneficial, some not so much):

~Supplements (you name it, there's an vitamin/herb for it)

~Pyramid/MLM Buy/Build/Bankrupt

~Exercise (from Walking Buddies to Classes & Memberships)

~Books, Videos, Cookbooks

~Flush; Detox; Cleanse

~Eat this, don't eat that

~Groups, Clubs, Bible Studies (yes, even Bible based fads)

Some of these worked great but I fell off the wagon; Some things were just a JOKE; Some were too expensive; . . . You get the point, one excuse is as good as the other. I love to watch/read articles on health tips, good nutrition, and what not. I am always looking for the magic potion to cure me. The truth is that I am my biggest enemy. My brain, my will, my laziness & procrastination. I acknowledge this, I live with it every day.

Just laying the foundation here. Tomorrow we will discuss what IS working for me RIGHT NOW and I am not selling anything I am just taking back CONTROL of me and using this blog to document my journey. I have tried some really outrageous things lately and it is affecting everything about the way I live my life. Topics that I would like to discuss (but not limited to):

~Getting rid of joy sucking worry

~Depression

~Relax, Breathe, Let it go

~Iridology and other Alternative thinking

~Food Allergies that make you retain weight

~Herbivores, Chia seeds, and Herbal Tea

~Educating yourself

I DO NOT have it all figured out, you are welcome to join me in this journey if you like. I would love some feedback.  Until tomorrow. . .