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!

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.

Rawkin' Off the Weight

I'm 49, male, 5'7". I've always been active, always ate sensibly, but as I've aged I nonetheless have struggled with middle aged spread, and could never get under 180 lbs. My ideal weight should be around 160 or 165. Last November I was back up to 190 lbs. After reading an interesting book on the raw food diet, I decided to take the plunge. I'm now about 170, having lost almost 20 lbs. This has been revolutionary! Not only that, I feel so much better about what I'm eating and am very strong, able to swim, run, do yoga, lift weights,dance and have a good time. It's all about fitness, not just weight control. Going raw made all the difference. There are many books out there. Read a few.

Anything that becomes a part of your life will have a few repeats. Including the meals themselves. The key meals are the morning smoothie, which is sweet fruits, spring water and various nuts or seeds mixed in. Also another key meal is my kale salad,which I have for dinner many nights a week. Let me add that I try to be a raw organic vegan. I realize that this is probably not something most people can handle, but for me it's had a lot of side benefits, as I've found a community of folks who, like myself, are really into the raw lifestyle and who care a lot about the same kinds of things I do: Tribal community, indigenous wisdom traditions, free dancing, yoga, West African drumming, the diet / spirituality connection, hot springs soaking, being in wild nature, sustainability, renewable energy, deep ecology, emoting, creativity, youthful vigor, hilarity, vitality and breath work.

The way in to connecting deeply with yourself and your emotional vitality is to feed yourself the best that the planet has to offer. An organic vegan, raw food diet is a way to love yourself that is very different that what you may have though loving yourself meant before. The only way to know what I'm talking about is to try it for yourself.

Interestingly, weight loss is only an outward manifestation of deep internal changes that are made mentally and spiritually. Ask anyone who successfully has lost a decent amount of weight and kept it off and they'll tell you the real challenge is the emotional and psychological one. An organic, raw vegan diet naturally works to change not only your body's biochemistry but there's a deep spiritual component as well that can't be overlooked.
This spiritual/psychological component is something that's hard to describe except to say that in eating plants, with an extremely high nutritional content, changes really begin to occur and a synergy begins to take hold. You feel lighter, you need less sleep, so consequently you have more time to do things like exercise, or do stress relieving activities that also help you to feel lighter, better, happier. It's a positive feedback loop. The behavior of going raw gives you the energy that you've been looking for and then you have time to feel more refreshed, more relaxed, more content. More energy equals more positivism. More positivism equals more motivation to do things that truly satisfy. More satisfaction has the spill over effect to your family and friends who notice big changes and want in on the action. They become happier and more energetic, and you all go there together, creating more love and synergy along the way. It's all good, and all because of the raw food diet.

I could say more, but I'll stop now. Be interested to hear what others think and if anyone else is raw out there. Let me add that I'm not 100% raw. There are days when I am, but most days it's 2 out of 3 meals. However, even the meals that are not totally raw usually have raw elements.

Flow

First, today's smoothie:
IN a blender, pour 3 cups of organic Rice Dream
Add: 1 ripe asian pear, cored, but not peeled
5 organic strawberries
handful of frozen mixed berries: rasberries, blackberries, bluberries, avail. from Trader Joes)
large handful of frozen dark sweet cherries
1 Tsp of sprouted flax powder
1 Tsp of organic hemp powder
2 Tsp of raw organic coconut flesh
2 Tsp of raw organic almond butter
1 Tsp of raw honey
Blend well. Thrive.

I want to say something about flow today. You are an energy field, much like a ray of sunshine.
As you are born, grow through childhood, and enter adolescence, the process of metabolism and growth is hard at work, and the internal energy: emotional, physical, hormonal, mental, is strong, very strong. High rates of energy there.

Flash forward to your forties or fifties. You have now been on the planet for several decades. You are no longer necessarily producing as much energy as you were when you were a youth.
You may not be sleeping as deeply (remember those teenage years?). Maybe you don't feel naturally motivated to go outside and move your body as much. You are going through the process of aging.

But the human being is a miraculous instrument. Evolution of millions of years has created a pretty resilient, very adaptable, extremely curious and resourceful mammal. You have incredible potential to recapture the energy of your youth, to feel surges of energy, and the accompanying feelings of excitement, passion, virility, sensuousness, creativity, aspirations, and more.

If you are not quite feeling that way these days, let me start by pointing something out. Your bod and mind may be lacking energy because you are putting low quality fuel into the Mazerati that you are.

In order to feel natural, vital, passionate, you need good fuel. You need enzymes.

Enzymes, some research has shown, are responsible for every cellular function in every organ of your body. Your heart pumping blood is due to enzymatic response. The same for digestion, for respiration, for perspiration, for brain activity.

When you are born, your body has vast storehouse of enzymes at the ready to navigate the challenges of childhood metabolism. As you age, you deplete your storehouse of enzymes, and in order to replenish them, you need to take them in in the form of enzyme rich nutrition. The problem with cooking food, is that enzymes die in your food at temperatures that exceed approximately 110 degrees. Cooked food is deceased food. Eating fresh, uncooked food as the staple of your diet replenishes the enzyme storehouse, which in turn allows your bodily functions the fuel they so desperately need for high performance function.

Going raw gives you the tools to use the amazingly evolved anatomy that you own, your own flesh and blood, to the highest, purest, most noble, most exciting ways possible.

You will feel a surge of energy and passion that you may not have experienced since your 20s.
Your digestive tract will easily process your meals and indigestion often becomes a thing of the past. Your brain is now functioning much better, you can think more clearly, remember details more easily, and use creative problems solving techniques with ease.

Stress begins to melt. Raw cacao has the chemical, Phenylethylamine, a natural stress reducer and mood enhancer. The little pesky things people around you say and do cease to bother you as much, and you simply laugh things off more.

Your perspective becomes enlarged. You start thinking about exercise more. Your start actually exercising regularly. Success builds on itself. Your outlook broadens, you become hopeful, your relationships improve, your more fun to be around, and sleep becomes deeper. I am speaking from experience here.

I am almost 50, and I had not been doing well for a very very long time. Since going mostly raw about 4 months ago, I've noticed all these changes and more. I'm down about 12 lbs. I think there is a lot to be said for this lifestyle and each person must find their own way. Begin with a morning smoothie. It is the best way to start, in my opinion. If you begin to notice changes add more salads, veggies, raw nuts, etc into your diet. Go at your own pace. Find your own flow, listen deeply to how you feel, your mood, your energy, your inner intuition. Make the time, and you can thrive and be in the flow.