Getting Out There

I'm with my General Practioner about a week ago and it turns out that I need to lose a little weight.  I remember thinking to myself, hmm, I'm raw, mostly.  I wonder why I still have this paunch around my middle?

She recommended an hour of exercise a day.  Now, I have been a fitness junkie on and off, but, lately, as in the last two years, mostly off.  I'll be good for a week or two and exercise 3 or 4 times a week, then I'll forget about it and not do anything for a week or two.  And the cycle continues.

That's not going to cut it anymore.

An hour a day, I thought.  How can I make that happen?  I said I'd try.  Well, it has happened for 8 days straight now.  All right!   And even though I've walked the local reservoir with Lisa, spent time on the Nordic Track, and even gone body boarding, the number one activity has been - mountain biking.

So, since I truly love to mountain bike, I decided to go ahead and spring for a new trail shredder on Sunday.  And on Monday I was oh so glad I did.  Did about 20 miles all over Wildcat Canyon and Tilden Parks over the course of 3 hours.  Up some massively steep hills.  And down some massively steep hills, too.  Beautiful country, the Berkeley Hills.  Highly recommend it.

Three things I love about riding the trails:
1)  I'm in nature.  To be in nature is very, very healing.  The trees, the clouds, the blue sky, the sunshine, the fresh air.  It's great for the soul.
2)  You cover a lot of ground on a bike.  I love to hike, for all the same reasons.  But I cover so much more territory on a bike.  There are more vistas, more people to meet, more sights to see.  You get around on a trail bike.
3)  It's awesome training.  A lot of fitness experts have touted the benefits of interval training as of late.
Interval training intersperses high cardio activity with lighter cardio activity, back and forth.  In keeping your heart rate varied, up and down, your heart lung rate is constantly changing, with no preset schedule - thereby providing bursts of intense activity with periods of rest.  These are ideal training conditions.

So, incredibly, after 8 days of at least 45 minutes of cardio a day I'm feeling much stronger, and am actually shedding a few pounds.  It's working.

The other thing the doctor mentioned was to stay away from sugars, including that found in high glycemic index fruit.

Now I love fruit, and usually eat a ton of it, being high % raw.

So what I'm doing is eliminating or reducing my intake of some of the fruits with the highest glycemic index.  So, no more snacking on lots of dates, big slices of watermelon, or big bunches of grapes.

That's ok, though.  I still love apples and oranges, and I'll continue to make fruit a big part of my diet.
And I'll still have dates, watermelon and grapes, just not as much.  I'm going to become an expert on all kinds of apples, though.  Maybe I'll become an apple connoisseur!

Anyway, I can always use some encouragement in keeping inspired and motivated to work out every day.  If you have tips and tricks that keep you motivated, I'd love to hear them.  Post your comments below and let's all inspire each other.

I'm sure that I'll be ok with taking a rest day once or twice a week, but for now, I'm trying to stick to finding time every single day for a minimum of 45 minutes, preferably an hour, and 2 - 3 on at least one weekend day.

I have to say it feels really good to get out there.  I come back energized, with a healthy appetite for healthy food, and my mood has definitely brightened.

So get out there, everybody.  Use it or lose it!

Raw, Green, Fit and at Peace

This will be the first post in a very, very long time.  Much has happened since the last one.  My daughter has been busy growing up, and she's headed to high school this fall.

I'm no longer in solar, and now I'm exploring my options for the next stage of my career trajectory.

I have continued on my raw journey, many stops, stumbles and starts, but it's still a huge part of my life.

I have been working on myself in terms of loving me.  I used to think that having a primary focus of self love was somehow narcissistic or self conceited.  But no more.  Having a primary focus of self love helps us really take care of that person that needs us to be there for us. Yourself.

Ourselves.  

Believe me, taking great, great care of yourself is the best thing in the world you can do.  If you have kids, or a spouse with health challenges, obviously that needs to be a top priority as well.  But even so, if you don't take excellent care of yourself through a good nutrition, plenty of exercise and rest, and finding soul sustenance, nobody is going to do it for you.  And you can't be as much help to those that need you most. 

Let's make sure that we are all doing our best to love ourselves and each other.  Let's take great care of ourselves. 

If you feel lonely on your raw food journey, if you feel that socially, you are misunderstood or being rejected somehow, don't worry.  They will come around.   If you hear about a friend's or neighbor's BBQ, and aren't sure if you want to go because you don't want to get tempted by the ribs or chicken on the grill, you are not alone.  Load up on some healthy food before you get there, that way you won't be so tempted by the meat on the grill.  Then fill your plate with melon, and go engage in some lively conversation with someone who seems to have good energy.  That meat won't hold any sway over you.

If you always feel like you need to cook 2 dinners, because you want a great big salad for dinner but the rest of the family insists on steak and potatoes, or chicken and rice, you are not alone.  If it's your turn to make dinner, make sure they get a chance for the salad first.... then provide somewhat smaller portions of those things that they seem to really enjoy.  At least they've gotten some green leafy herbs and some vegetables. 

If you feel like you want to exercise after work when you could be helping your kids with their homework or sitting and watching TV with your spouse, and you are torn, and in conflict, don't worry, you are not alone.

Being raw, fit, green and at peace requires some compromises.  Maybe we should call it deal-making.

First, make a deal with yourself.  It could go something like this:

You can say, self:  "If you promise to eat whole, fresh foods, as grown, as the mainstay of your diet, I promise you will start to lose weight and begin fitting into those clothes sizes from your younger years again."

"If you promise to squeeze in an hour or two of exercise a day, however you break it up, I promise you will have plenty more energy."  This can be something simple like parking far away from the store's entrance in the parking lot, always taking the stairs instead of the elevator, gardening for half an hour Saturday morning, going outside and playing with the kids for 25 minutes, whatever.  It all adds up.  And by the end of the day, you can say that you were active...and it will be so.

"If you promise to break up your day, so that things don't get too monotonous, then I promise the day will magically take on that quality of adventure that I know that you  love."

Just to reiterate, making deals with yourself is a great way to negotiate your way to radiant health.

Make some deals with your spouse or kids.  "If you help Johnny with his homework now while I take my walk, I'll take over in 45 minutes when I get back."   Deal making can make sure that everything that needs to get done does get done.  And you still have time for you.

Speaking of walking, sometimes, going for a walk is the very best thing you can do.  It's convenient, the walk begins at your door.  A good pair of shoes is all the equipment that's required.  You'll see neighbors, and maybe strengthen some neighborhood ties.  You can swing your arms and get an upper body workout as well as some cardio.  You can increase your speed and up the cardiovascular benefits.  Or you can slow things down and do a walking meditation.  You can take in the greenery, if you live in the burbs or the country.  Or if you are in the city, you can head towards the park and find out what the rest of the community is up to you.  The benefits and the ease are right there.

  If you are hungry when you get back, grab some grapes,  slice a banana, chop up an apple and mix them up and munch them down.  Then, do some breathing and stretching exercises, do some yoga.  Maybe a few pushups.  Get reacquainted with your body.  All of these types of things help to re-establish your relationship to yourself.  Begin to re-establish a loving, interactive relationship with yourself, and things just seem to get better.  You just had a great workout.  And no gym required.

Having a good, strong, lean, flexible body doesn't happen in a vacuum.  Ok, maybe for some of us, it did seem to happen in a vacuum when we were young.  But most of us are not 13 and we are never going to be 13 again.  It is going to take some intentionality.  We are going to need to say "No thanks" to a lot of the generous food offerings of others, the temptations that surround us, the convenience of junk food, the prevailing cultural norms that would have us eating TV dinners while sedentary rather than a giant salad (with minimal dressing), and then a few laps walking around the block instead of an ice cream dessert.

We are going to have to stop watching mindless You Tube videos and cultivate a sense of creativity, by picking up that guitar or flute, re-engaing with a favorite hobby, rediscovering great literature, or sitting down for a heart to heart with our spouse.

Remembering our spouse for a moment, do you remember that yours can be your biggest source of inspiration, and you can be theirs?  Simply by doing something that you love, your spouse will notice and it quite often happens that your enthusiasm is contagious; your spouse will soon be doing something that they love too, as they witness first hand the benefits that you are getting.   And guess what?  It sets up a positive feedback loop so that now you get to witness your spouse being fulfilled, and that will inspire you as well. 

Being a positive influence for each other keeps everybody winning, and peaceful.  So go for it.  Dream your dream, then begin to live it.  Measure your small wins, and take pride in them.  Love yourself in this way, and a sense of excitement about the future and the present will reappear.  Life can be fun and fulfilling, even if you haven't reached your goals yet.  

As a matter of fact, as you reach your goals, you will probably already have set new ones.  That's how it works for most of us.  The satisfaction, excitement and adventure of taking the journey towards vitality is  so much fun that new goals constantly appear, new ideas and new possibilities.   That's why radiant health is much more a journey than a destination.

Power to the People!!

Power to the People!

I earn my keep these days designing and selling solar systems, mainly for personal residences. These systems are compact, powerful and can fit on a wide variety of roof tops.

Many folks take advantage of government incentives to assist with the funding of their systems. Currently, state and federal funding are available to assist with the costs.

My company, Sun Light & Power, has been at this for over 33 years. Based in Berkeley, it's founder, Gary Gerber, is still at the helm of the company. Gary is well respected in the solar community as a tireless advocate for solar, a creative innovator and a good businessman who treats his customers, employees and business associates with respect and integrity.

The solar industry has seen twists and turns in it's fortunes over the past several years. Many incentive programs have come and gone, the latest being the California Solar Initiative. This program was designed to spur the solar industry in California, and in many ways, it has.

10s of millions of dollars have been poured into state incentive programs for Californians. 10s of thousands of installations have been built. The Bay Area is one of the most active areas in the country when it comes to new solar installations.

But the program may be a victim of it's own success. In a very short, 2 1/2 year period, much of the funding has been used and the level of funding is being quickly depleted. Solar has always been for the very green and the very wealthy. Mainstream acceptance has been slow to arrive. But the two main groups which have been drawn to solar the most still need to keep an eye on costs, because if the numbers don't pencil out, even for the tried and true environmentalists, then there simply won't be compelling enough reasons to go solar.

A feed in tariff, which would encourage maximization of solar roof space and a distributed generation system feeding the electric grid, is probably not that far from reality. The utilities are not excited about it, since it creates stiff competition, so it will be fought. On the other hand, the utilities don't want to be seen as standing in the way of renewable energy. We need to find a way to spur the feed in tariff if we are to succeed in bringing solar to the masses. Either we must buy from PG&E or we build our own systems. If we build our own, it has to be financially viable.

A strong feed in tariff can help the nascent solar industry to flourish. But we'll need strong advocacy from any number of lawmakers and other concerned organizations to make it happen. In the meantime, let's support alternative energy, conservation and energy efficiency measures any way we can. It's one way out of the mess we are in. Energy Independence, a reduction on reliance on foreign oil, and the catastrophic dangers of climate change all point to a need to do this differently.

If we all are going to thrive, then we need to support renewable energy and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. Let's do this together!

I Come in Peace, My Sister

The other day I was sitting with Lisa, my wife and I was thinking that our next anniversary would be 20 years. 20 years is a long time. I'm really blessed, 20 times over. 20 trips around the sun. 20 birthdays for each of us. 20 summers and 20 winters. 20 springs and 20 falls.

Over the 20 years, we've done a lot of examination of our relationship, as any couple would naturally do. Especially when it gets rough and rocky, we talk. Or sometimes when it's been sweet and divine, we'll look at that too. What are we doing right? How can we build on it? We have always done a lot of talking. Common sense says that being highly communicative increases the odds of any relationship going well. Respect, (which actually means, "seeing"), is certainly key. Common interests, a common philosophy, common life goals - to have a child, to live in a beautiful place, to share and celebrate our heritage, to dance, to share a passion for music and various arts, these are all important, too. Love and compassion. Respect and sharing. And lately, raw food prep.
Taking care of each other. These are keys.

Recently, after I injured myself, I could really see just how compassionate Lisa was, as she cared for me, got me things, had me take it easy, just let me convalesce a little. For this I love her more than I can say. I really needed her and she was there for me.

These things are all key. But what about the grease on the wheels of the relationship? What about some of the rocket fuel for the relationship? What makes it be fun and dynamic for years on end? What is one of the strongest keys to make this thing tick?

Having a shared sense of humor has been one of the most important parts of our relationship.

I simply mean that we like to laugh together. About anything. About nothing. About the absurdities of life. About in- jokes that stretch back to even before we were married, when we were just dating. Quotes and quips that remind us of odd or quirky experiences we shared.
We are downright zany together. We laugh together. A lot. And I think it makes all the difference

Humor is so key. It defuses tensions. It puts smiles on our faces. It gives us the much needed relief from the stress and strains of every day life. It's great.

We have any number of little quotes, as I said before, that can trigger a laugh. One of these little quotes, which I believe I first uttered, after a fight, was my attempt to truly find that place inside that would allow me to see Lisa as an equal, someone to respect and cherish, someone to meet in equanimity: It was an opening line that I wanted to use to make up after a fight:

" I come in peace, my sister".

"I come in peace, my sister" today is a bit of a joke, and we laugh about it, but at the time, it was a serious attempt to make amends. In my mind, the "sister" in the quote refers to the fact that, in our relationship, I really wanted us to surpass the roles of husband and wife, I wanted to stress that we are more than lovers, more than just romantically involved.

What I wanted to imply by calling her "my sister" is that we are kin.

There's something about the word "sister" when spoken to a wife, that is sort of disarming. A sister is someone who is immediate family, there is a purity of relationship there, there is respect, a desire to protect, a familial tie. Obviously, she's not really my sister, but occasionally calling her that, brings back the notion that in a sense, we are like brother and sister, and we can share a certain kind of perspective on what we want our relationship to be when we realize that.


The other part, "I come in peace", is just as important. It means, I'm here to do you no harm.
You're safe. " I come in peace" is just that. Like the warrior who lays down his weapon, it's an announcement that the hatchet is buried, that the boxing gloves have been hung up: There's nothing to fear here and you can relax.

"I come in peace, my sister", is a message that the fight is over, that the time to heal is now. But it's also kind of funny and absurd. I mean, she's my wife, after all. It has a kind of ridiculous quality to it somehow. So it's funny. But at the same time that it's funny, it's a reminder of a time when we were fighting, and we found a way to disarm the situation by approaching each other and really just slowing down and de-escalating.

When my wife and I are sitting around laughing about who-knows-what, sometimes my daughter is just totally mystified. She's at that age now, almost 12, when her parents are almost a constant source of embarrassment and consternation to her. She doesn't understand most of our jokes with each other, and when we attempt to joke with her in the same kind of way, through silly imitation for example, it falls as flat as a pancake. Or explodes in our face. Kids at that age can be really sensitive to this kind of thing, so if you have young ones, take note. Be careful - you'll find out eventually. But we don't stop trying to find the humor, and often enough, I catch a wry little smile on Maya's face as she realizes that her parents love each other (and her) completely and totally, and that the fun and laughter will just keep going on, a part and parcel of that love, and that family life can be truly fun.

At any rate, the humor, the ability to laugh at oneself and with one's partner and one's family, this just makes the relationship so much fun. It's probably one of the most enjoyable aspects of the entire relationship, and one of the mainstays of the health of the relationship.

So come in peace, brothers and sisters, walk in peace with a smile on your face and some laughter in your heart. Lay down your arms and have a good time.

Today's Green Smoothie - Nourishing and Delicious

I

Raw, Fresh and Whole: Green Smoothie

I wanted to share today's smoothie with you all. So very delicious.

Put 2 cups of of pure spring water into a blender.
Add a large bunch of organic spinach (fresh, organic from farmer's market is good)
Liquify it.

Then add:
1 large, very ripe organic peach
4 or 5 plump organic strawberries
1 organic avocado
3 heaping tablespoons of sprouted flax powder
1 tsp of raw cacao powder
2 Medjool dates

Blend Well

I have to say, I really enjoyed this one.
The color was dark green, from the avo and spinach. The taste was divine. I could feel all of the nutrients flowing into my blood right away. It felt fantastic. I had 2 mason jars... one at home and one while driving to work. Delicious, delicious, delicious. And so healthy. And totally raw, of course.

I can't tell you what a treat these drinks are. They are so satisfying, nourishing and tasty. They digest so easily and so well. They give me tremendous mental energy for hours. I feel so great supporting my immune system and the farmers that grow the produce. It's so great to hit the Farmer's Market, meet the growers, and buy food that was on trees and in the ground on the previous day. It's truly an honor to support and to do business with these small business people.
I love the idea of paying them directly to grow my food rather than a faceless, nameless agribusiness who uses pesticides, herbicides and fungicides to mass produce food that doesn't even taste that good. Why not go to these markets regularly, buy the freshest food, blend it into the most delicious smoothies, salads and wraps, and go raw? It's rawkin'!

As you may know, from yesterday's blog, I recently took a fall off a ladder at work. My accident was tough, one of the toughest things I've gone through in the last 25 years. The level of pain and discomfort was off the charts! But I know one thing. Raw food has sped my healing. Raw, fresh, whole food has been my constant sidekick on the healing journey from this trauma. Thank you, Mother Earth, for the gift of your bounty. With your help, I'm able to give my cells the nourishment, the nutrition and the strength to rebuild, reduce the swelling and bring on the healing energy.

Exercise has been key, also. Saturday, I went to the gym for the first time in many weeks. I felt so good as I limped away from the gym. The ankle swelled from the exercise, but the next day the swelling was down and my mood was up. I got up and did some heavy yard work for a couple of hours, weeding, hoeing, scooping weeds into trash bags, hauling hoses around the yard, watering, etc. It felt good to be touching mother earth, digging into her. Gardening is physical exertion and it's a connection to the mama.

Today - back to work, and everything that goes with that. But I'm here, I'm kicking, and I'm happy to be working so hard for my own well being and healing.

We should always be looking forward to something, we should always be making plans for good things to do with loved ones in the future. When you plan a trip or an outing, you get to enjoy it three times. First, the anticipation. Second, the the actual event. And third, the memories.

Give yourself the emotional boost, the self confidence and the healing you need. Go raw, love yourself, move your body, dance, get embodied.

Love yourself. Take care, everyone!

Isaac Alfandary

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• Healthy Eating Tip: Add Greens to Smoothies (fitsugar.com)

Climbing Out of the Hole

It happened on July 9, 2009. That was the fateful day. The day of The Accident.

I remember the morning well, because I had gone on Sparkpeople.com, a great health and fitness website, and had been reading a few posts from members. One in particular really caught my eye.

It was from a woman who was having a very hard time. She'd been battling the pounds - most of us who have been working on weight loss have gone through this a hundred times - the emotional eating, the self deprecation, the helplessness and hopelessness. The weight gain which seems like a crushing blow, the self loathing that comes with it.

What had I said back to her that morning, the morning of The Accident? I'd said something to the effect of: "Never. Ever. Give up. Never ever ever give up. No matter how hard it gets, no matter how far down you get slapped. Pick yourself up and never give up." You can do this!
I had felt good to offer encouragement. I have no idea if she saw my post or if it meant anything to her. But little did I know that it would be advice that I myself had better be taking in very short order.

Sometimes it's tough to take your own advice.

Later that same morning I was at work. There was a particularly steep roof that I had no intention of climbing. But I somehow let the client talk me into trying to follow him up there. As I stood 10 feet above the ground at the top of the ladder, trying unsuccessfully to find the right footing to step from the ladder to roof, the ladder suddenly slid out from under me.

I came crashing down and sprained my ankle and lower back. Massive pain for about a week - pain killers came in handy, but they can only do so much. Then - less pain, but incredible difficulty walking - used crutches at first, but the Doc said lose them after about two weeks, she wanted me to strengthen the muscles in the ankle, not coddle them.

My mood had been seriously impacted. For some reason, if I don't get enough exercise, I'm prone to feeling down. As the days turned into weeks, and the weeks have now turned into about a month, the swelling hasn't subsided, and it's still painful to walk, to stand, to stretch the ankle. I feel in my heart that I will eventually have a total recovery, but there are days when I wonder.

I've had a few problems with this ankle before, many minor twists and sprains - as a runner and power walker, these things have simply happened. I started to feel this week that I was never going to really get better, I started to feel like giving up.

Yesterday, I hit bottom. The insomnia had returned with a vengeance, and sleep deprivation can really wreak havoc with your sense of well being. Combined with no real exercise for a month, and I was getting pale, washed out and nerves were getting jangly. The raw diet had been maintained for the most part - and that was good, although the percentage was down from before the accident.

Work had been stressing me out. My personal sales volume dried up to a trickle, and not going out on new site visits has been making it only worse. I've been working part time and trying to make sales happen, but it's been a rough go.

Today woke up and said to myself, something has got to change. It can't go on like this. Even if my sales are down, even if my ankle is still swollen and painful, I need to get out somehow to do some cardio. I need to climb up out of this hole.

So I went over to the gym, climbed on an exercise bike, and started pedaling. I pedaled for a half hour, not too much pressure on the ankle. Lifted some weights, did some crunches and leg lifts.

After 45 minutes I was tired. But I felt good. It was my first real exercise (other than walking on crutches for longer distances) for a month. As I limped through the parking lot back to the car, I had a sense of well being that I had not felt in weeks. Maybe endorphins, who knows?

I started to think, maybe I can crawl out of this hole. Maybe just maybe I don't have to give up.
Maybe I can take my own advice.

I sit here, ankle aching, feeling a bit sorry for myself. But truth told, there's no interruption in my goal. I still want to look and feel my best ever. It may take me a while to get back to where I was. But I won't give up - the stakes are too high - nothing less than my physical, mental and emotional well being - and by extension, all of the others who are looking for inspiration and
guidance on the Journey To Vitality. A raw diet, fresh clean water, plenty of exercise, relaxation and fun - these are my goals. I wont' give up - no matter what. I'll never give up. I'm going to Climb Out of the Hole.

Dark Prayer

Sometimes I dream a prayer of darkness

I dream of a black hole of mysterious love

Fall deep in to that place

Where soul and shadow intersect

There are no boundaries there , just dark stillness

cradling all my sensibilities

redefining every notion of tranquility

I floated through that darkness

Pure potential was there with me

Color and light non existent on that plane

Nothingness, my able bodied partner, dove with me into

that silky pool.

It’s a womb before time and space

my essence lay down there, lightly breathing, basking

in night

cool air into my lungs, blackness gently rocking me

Mystery drapes over me like a comfortable blanket

Just a few weeks ago, Indian summer eves were warm and

bright,

but 3 weeks can be a lifetime

and any hint of luminance is absorbed by the void.

No need to power up solstice fires quite yet

This light vacuum I lay in is it’s own reward

Out of this will come anything I can dream of

And sweat and risk for.

If your face were to pass in front of my face, it’s so

dark I wouldn’t be able to see it.

I would only feel the heat of your flesh close to mine

You would come in close, remind me that to be

enveloped in darkness is one thing

But to be lonely or cold is another,

Because even the refreshing cold that rides shotgun

with darkness vitalizes and reminds me

that I am deeply alive,

even with my blackest emotions.

In these moments I know I’m not just a cog in the

Milky Way’s wheel.

But a lynchpin too. And, the void shows me how I am

A microcosm of this carbon chain moleculed dream that

surrounds me.

Thrust from a pitch black womb into this world,

stunned by light, only to

be returned to the source by the darkness of this

season.. Out of it the soul emerge, forged in the

bowels of such an empty space, that a trillion stars

could never illuminate it. The complete ineffable

darkness is my birthright, and yours too, from which

all things emerge yet are always bound to, the way a

single ray of sunlight reaches, all the way back to

It’s birth place.

Dream me a shadow prayer of long nights

In the morning, my life lines will take shape

Carved and honed by absolute nothingness

Inspired by a black hole of mysterious love