Miracle Morning

I woke up this morning to JJ Virgin's podcast where she was interviewing Hal Elrod, the author of Miracle Morning. The thing that stood out the most to me was when he said that once he started getting up in the morning instead of hitting the snooze, he started accomplishing his goals and his income doubled! That makes sense to me. If you get up first thing and focus on the important things and "frame your day" as JJ called it, you can't help but succeed. It seems to be one of the top practices of the most successful people. I would like to say that I jumped out of bed right away and got with it, but I hit snooze a couple more times. It's a bad habit that I want to break, so I think I'll start by reading the book! 

What is Your First Exercise Memory

I listened to the Chalene Johnson Show "The Ultimate Exercise Routine" podcast the other day and it made me think about something I've never really thought about before and that is my deep-seated feelings about exercise. I admit it, I'm from the school of thinking that exercise is a chore. Of course, once I start exercising, I feel good, but getting myself to do it consistently is like pushing a Mac truck uphill.

Chalene did a mind exercise where she asked her listeners the first thing that comes to mind when you think of exercise or movement as a child? Is it positive or negative? 

I have a few thoughts that immediately come to mind when I think about exercise as a child and they are all negative. 

My first thought is when I was in 5th or 6th grade. I was big for my age. I was 11 and looked like I was 18. My body was overdeveloped. I think I wore a size C bra even then. I was in the gym, trying out for the basketball team. The coach was young, maybe in his early 20's. He had us running drills back and forth the full length of the gym. As I was running, he came up beside me and made a comment about me having big boobs. I immediately slowed down and became self-conscious any time I ran they my breasts didn't bounce up and down. I also remember always being last to be picked on a team in gym class, coming in last when I ran, and last even on the hippity hop races. I decided sports was not my thing! 

The second part of Chalene's mind exercise was to think about movement you loved as a child. I had to think a little harder about that one, but a couple things came to mind. 

I loved it in elementary school when the PE teacher would get out a giant parachute and all the kids would circle around it and move to create wind under the parachute. We would move it up and down and all around. I remember it being fun to feel part of the group, not to be singled out, and the colors were so pretty. 

I also liked to play jump rope with my friends at recess. I liked Hopscotch too. I loved to skip. Skipping made me feel happy. Even now I think it's probably impossible to skip and feel sad at the same time. I also remember going on a hike with a small group of kids, that felt like such an adventure. I loved it. 

Swimming is probably the thing I loved the most as a child. I never remember being afraid of the water. I would jump in any body of water no matter how dirty it was. Creeks, ponds, lakes, mud puddles, it didn't matter to me. I didn't think about snakes or germs. Playing with the water hose was a blast too. I would offer to wash the car just so I could play with the water hose. 

When I was a teenager, I loved to walk around the "big block" with my best friend. The big block was a four mile square near the tiny town we lived in called "Herbst". It is surrounded by cornfields in east central Indiana. I looked forward to waking around the big block with my friend. We would sing sings, talk about boys, our plans for the future, and whatever else crossed our mind. It never seemed like exercise, just hanging out with a friend. 

I'm glad to see that I also have positive childhood memories about exercise. Chalene challenged us to focus on the exercises and movements that made us happy as a child because that can lead us to our "soul mate" workout, something we look forward to doing instead of something that makes is feel self-conscious or that we have to force ourself to do. 

It never crossed my mind before that my sub-conscious could be associating exercise with early childhood negative experiences and trying to protect me. The mind is a curios thing. It fascinates me to continue learning how the mind works and use that knowledge to live my best life. I believe awareness plays a bug role in progress and transformation. Thanks Chalene! 

Now I'm headed to the park to walk with that same best friend from high school that I walked around the big block with (we are blessed to have kept in touch all these years). Tomorrow, I may mix it up by going skipping in the pool. 

What's your soul mate exercise? 

Compliant Day

Today I was compliant. I made a meal plan and stuck to the plan. Chef AJ says you're either compliant or not compliant when it comes to eating clean. To clarify, eating clean means whole food, plant based, unprocessed, SOS (sugar/oil/salt)-free. 

I am a big fan of Chef AJ's program. She and her partner in the UWL (Ultimate Weight Loss) John Pierre really know how to help junk food addicts turn their life around. 

One of the problems I always had prior to doing UWL was beating myself up when I would "fall off the wagon" and eat junk food. I would go through this vicious cycle of momentary pleasure followed by guilt and regret which would often lead to a what the hell attitude followed by binge eating. 

By making it simply compliant or non-compliant, it releases all the emotion associated with eating. I follow their advice and eat fruit and veggies at the next meal as if I never missed a beat. 

This new mindset along with all the other work I'm doing is starting to snowball. I am starting to make healthier choices that is leading to other successes like having energy to wake up early and exercise. 

Baby steps. 

Kathy G

www.time2getfit.com 

Two Grand Food Journal App

Two Grand Food Journal App

I mentioned on previous blog posts that I am following the advice of two plant-based nutrition experts: Katherine Nilbrink and Chef AJ. Chef AJ has an awesome program called Ultimate Weight Loss. She has teamed up with fitness expert John Pierre. Part of Chef AJ's program is a very active Facebook Group. I used to think I could do everything on my own, but after falling down one too many times, I realize how much a community of positive, like-minded people can help support you on your wellness journey.

All three experts advise keeping a food journal. I love to write, but for some reason I find food journaling a chore. However, I LOVE technology, so I was curious if a good food journal exists. I know there is an APP for everything!

In the UWL group I kept seeing people mention Two Grand. At first it wasn't on my radar what it was, but then when John Pierre posted, "I hope you are keeping a food journal," several people responded saying they use TWO GRAND. That prompted me to check it out.

Two Grand is like using Instagram to keep track of your food intake. You simply take a picture of what you are eating. I remember doing that with my camera a few years ago, but Two Grand keeps track of it and you can share it if you want to. You can also set goals, follow your friends, and participate in challenges like "No eating after 8 p.m., 50 pushups, drink 80 oz of water daily," etc.

I'm going to give it a try. You can follow me @Vegformation and I will follow you back!

Kathy G
facebook.com/vegformation

What Is Your Vice?

Today is the day! Ash Wednesday. Lent. The day we give up our vice for 40 days! 

What is your vice? Not sure? If it's not necessary for life (like air, water, shelter) and you can't go even a few days without it, most likely it's a vice! 

For me, that vice is three things rolled into one called SOS - SUGAR, OIL, SALT. Those three things individually and combined have been my vice for as long as I can remember. 

I have always loved sweet treats, especially chocolate, salty fries and potato chips - I have even put salt on fruits like tomatoes and watermelon, and all sorts of veggies fried or sautéed in oil, especially mushrooms and onions. Yum! 

The problem with this vice is that it has led to morbid obesity for me. I weighed in this morning at 305 lbs which is down 10 lbs from the beginning of the year, but still double the size I should be for optimal health. 

If it was just the weight, it wouldn't be an issue to me. I've been overweight most of my life and have learned to deal with it. Unfortunately, it's about more than the weight, much more. It's about the disease and incredible lethargy that comes with carrying around an extra 150 lbs. 

The older I get, the harder it is to carry two of me around. I'm so ready to let go of all the baggage and I know I need help to do it. That's where Lent comes in. 

Lent is a period of abstinence starting Ash Wednesday and leading up to Easter. It's a time to lean not on your own understanding, but to trust in The Lord. 

So, that's what I'm going to do. I've never done Lent before. I know deep in my soul that this is something I must do. I've tried so many diets, enough to know they don't work. It's time to try having a little faith and follow a path that was laid out for us thousands of years before we were born. Let the Lent begin! 

Kathy G

facebook.com/vegformation 

In the video below, Darren Hardy (the publisher of my favorite magazine, SUCCESS) talks about vices and challenges us to give up one vice for 30 days. Can you do it?

Fat Tuesday Day of Indulgence or Absolution

I happened to look up at the calendar and noticed "Shrove Tuesday" on it. I've never heard of it so of course I Googled it. It is associated with two big events. Lent and Mardi Gras! It is also referred to as Fat Tuesday because that is the day when people traditionally indulge and party before they commit to giving something up for Lent.

Fat Tuesday reminds me of the "diet" mentality that I've had for many years which is to overeat junk food the day before I know I'm going to start a restrictive eating plan. After nearly 40 years of doing this, I have it down to a science. I am sure that habit of indulging followed by dieting has played a significant role in the binge eating and food addiction I am now working diligently to overcome.

I have never participated in Lent before, but I think I will this year. I want to give up SUGAR/OIL/SALT. The mere thought of "giving something up" makes me want to indulge "one last time"... is it ever one last time? I'm guessing that is where "Fat Tuesday" comes in!

So, I gave myself free reign today to have whatever I want before I start Lent tomorrow and I really surprised myself. I only had a few homemade potato chips and some popcorn at the movies. That indulgence is very mild compared to some of my free for all indulge yourself days where I have restaurant hopped having oil soaked fries, multiple servings of sweet tea, Hershey Pie, cookies, cake, candy, ice cream, and a host of other highly addictive foods. I think the switch has flipped for me. My partying and indulging days are behind me. I just want to be healthy. I much prefer the original meaning of Shrove Tuesday where we repent and ask for God's helping in dealing with our issues.

Goodbye Fat Tuesday, no more pancakes for me. Bring on the kale or maybe those low-fat raw vegan cinnamon rolls in the video below!

Kathy G
facebook.com/vegformation

 

Self Sabotage and The Bug

Have you ever heard that song by Mary Chapin Carpenter called The Bug? I used to think that was an odd song, "Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug. Today that song makes sense. 

Sometimes I can clearly see what I want for my life like I'm looking through a crystal clear windshield and all lights are green. Go, go, go! I can see the destination, but am not quite there yet. Still I keep moving forward full throttle and feel like a champ for every step I take in the right direction.

Then there are days where I feel like a bug going a hundred miles an hour head on into that windshield. Splat! All my windshield days feel undone on my bug days. 

Self-sabotage is a curious thing. What possesses one to do things that are not in their best interest like eat junk food or to not do things that are in their best interest like exercise. 

I read, study, and listen to the experts for hours on end. It makes perfect sense when I hear their advice, yet I still put crap in my mouth! What gives? How will I ever change this limiting behavior? 

I've been told to go easy on myself when I slip up and I've also been told that I really must not want to be healthy and lose weight as much as I say I do if I don't stay on track. It's a battle I tell ya. I never been addicted to drugs in the traditional sense of the word, but I certainly feel addicted to SOS (sugar, oil, salt) and believe  that it is every bit as addictive as the strongest pharmaceutical drug. 

I wish I could afford to go to rehab - someplace like True North, Happy Oasis, Tree of Life, or even the Holistic Holiday at Sea - to detox, reset my brain, and get past old self-limiting habits without all the temptation around. But, that's not an option for me at the moment, so I will just have to keep scraping myself off the windshield, keep flapping my wings, and keep praying that one of these days I will fly. 

Kathy G

facebook.com/vegformation 

Daily Report

Exercise 

50 Squat & Reach

Meals 

B - 20 oz water, Few bites of cold oats (yuck)

L - 20 oz water, couple bites of steamed potatoes with ketchup, then went to Taco Bell - Taco Salad, Fiesta Potatoes, 4 cinnabons (dopamine rush!)

S - 1 and 1/2 breadsticks with cheese dip

D - 16 oz water, egg drop soup, spring roll, veggies with fried rice

S - Onion rings, Chocolate shake

I have updated the food journal the next morning because I ended up eating more food. It was a bad day eating wise and resembles many other days from my past where I gave in to cravings for junk food. The mistake I have made in the past is thinking that there are few consequences beyond an upset stomach and some weight gain. It's a vicious cycle that I realize I need help to shake. I'm going straight to the top on this one and asking God for help. 

Gratitude Journal

Five Things I am Grateful for today...

1. am grateful for second chances ten thousand times over 

2. I am grateful for forgiveness and need to practice it on myself 

3. I am grateful to be going to church tonight with my best friend because I think some of my cravings are actually spiritual hunger

4 I am grateful my son is overcoming his addiction and is starting a new job in a few days. I am so proud of him for being a warrior 

5. I am grateful for the bug days as hard as they are it makes me appreciate the windshield days and my inevitable success will be all the sweeter! 

Baby Steps

Some people can just stop something cold turkey, just turn it off like flipping a switch. That has never worked very well for me, although I came pretty close when I stopped eating meat. All or nothing has always felt restrictive for me and doesn't leave much room for being human and getting off track, which happens sometime especially if you have 50 years of bad eating habits to undo! What works best for me is baby steps. I take a step. I fall down. I get back up and try again. Over and over as many times as it takes until I'm up and walking towards my best life. 

Kathy

www.facebook.com/vegformation 

Give Me a Minute

I have to figure out a way to exercise consistently. The past two days, I have pushed snooze when the alarm went off to get up and workout. So, I'm going to try a one minute experiment. When the alarm goes off, I'm going to get up and exercise for at least one minute. If I want to go back to bed after that and hit snooze for another hour fine, but I'm betting that once I'm up and moving for a minute it will lead to the workout I originally planned to do. Maybe not. We will see. Either way, it will make the healthy girl inside me happy.

I'm betting the same one minute concept will work with cravings. If I'm craving something, I'll drink water first and wait one minute. If the craving doesn't go away, I'll eat some fruit or veggies and wait one minute.

I could even combine the two. If a craving hits, go for a one minute walk! It sounds like some sort of reverse psychology, but whatever it takes to replace old limiting habits with new empowering ones. I can feel my brain firing up with new neural pathways already!

Maybe I'll start with this exercise that Dr. Henry Grayson teaches...

I love to get up at 5 a.m. every day and exercise. 

I know this to be true and I know it with the depths of my being.

And then progress to one minute burpees!