CSD - Week 2

I am happy, happy, happy!!  For the first time in a long while, I have been happy, optimistic and pleased with where I am in life for several days in a row without a end-of-the-world crash!  Why you ask?  Well I have to say that I really think I found the motivation and steps to get me to keep going and make a change.  Following a way of eating that is compassionate and about being in tune with my body, cravings and emotions as well as following a plan to turn my negative thoughts to positive ones has really had an effect on how I feel and think!  On top of that, it hasn't been as hard as I thought it might be.  Don't get me wrong it has taken dedication to get up early every morning to do my yoga, affirmations and mediation when my husband is still lying in bed sleeping.  And I have had to make sure I am aware of my thoughts and have had to fight a few nagging negatives away, but it hasn't been a painful journey.  I know that it was probably easier because I was already vegan and have tried several time before to turn my thoughts upside down and be positive all the time, but the way Kris writes has really helped me too.  Her writing is humors and she includes fun words and phrases that make me smile, but she also writes in a way that pushes you to try what she suggests without any judgment; if you fall or falter, just dust yourself off and keep on going because we are all human and NO ONE is perfect :)

Though my intent was to blog everyday and chart my "progress," my daily routine has been pretty much the same (as far as the CSD goes) and what I have learned over the past two weeks can be summed up as well. (Though I do wish there were times I could "download" my thoughts to my blog and expand on them later because I feel that my enlightenment moments happen when I am away from a computer, with no writing instrument or paper and I often just stumble upon them and can't quite remember them later.  This usually happens when I am exercising and it is just me and my thoughts).

• Wake up around 7ish, give or take a few depending on when I get to bed.  I have been trying to get 8 hours of sleep every night!
• Drink my glass of water with a little fresh lemon juice and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper
• 25 minute morning yoga routine
• 5-10 minutes of reading the goals for the day and saying the daily prayer and affirmation.  (Though I am not religious, my prayers are to Mother Nature and as I say them I picture myself in a beautiful forest feeling the effects of my prayer).
• 15 minutes of mediation.  This hasn't really gotten much easier.  My thoughts still wander, but I'm not going to give it up!  I downloaded some guided meditations and have added a candle for me to focus on.  I also would like to make a shrine so that I am not staring at our TV.
• After waking up my sleeping husband, I make my morning green smoothie to which I have added strawberries and a date and removed celery to make it a little sweeter and less green tasting.  I couldn't down the pure green smoothies any more.  Again, if I had a juicer it may be a different story.  I think the texture would make a difference.
• I drink my smoothie as I get our lunches ready.  My lunch includes a big salad with lots of goodies on it and lately has also been a sweet potato and black bean burger with cumin avocado spread, both homemade and both delicious!
• After that, I have found that I need a little more fuel to get through to lunch, especially on the days that I cycle at noon, so I have a small bowl of oatmeal with some dried mango.
• Then it is off to work or whatever else the day has in store.  My aloe water comes along with me too, and I sip on that until noon or so.
• Monday and Wednesdays I cycle at noon, so I have a snack before I go and make sure I bring my homemade energy bars for after.  I tried going to a cycling class last week without eating beforehand, and I was zapped 15 minutes in to the 45 minute class.  It was a struggle to keep my legs going for the whole class, so I don't do that anymore :)
• Other days, I eat my lunch around noon and have a snack around 2 or 3.  When I don't cycle, I usually work out in the afternoon and come home to dinner.
• Dinner has been lots of different things, but the other night I had orange glazed tempeh with quinoa and steamed veggies which was de-licious!  Tonight I made Indian lentil dalh and had it over the rest of the quinoa!
• After dinner snack has been vanilla chia seed pudding and sometimes a single square of dark chocolate.  (I went a whole week without chocolate just to prove I didn't need it!)
• I am trying to be done eating by 7, er 7:30 (sometimes I don't sit down to eat until 7), but I am often hungry before bed and gab a cracker or too to calm the rumbles enough to sleep.
• The nettimeds!!  The only downside is that I think my jaw forgot what to do when it is closed, so I have found that I hold it funny and it starts to hurt.  I am trying to be more conscious of how my jaw is aligned during the day, but I know when I am not paying attention I hold my bottom jaw jetted slightly forward and to the left.  I am hoping it will fix itself in time.
• I am also trying to remember to dry brush before a shower, but I often forget.  Even moving the brush to the counter hasn't helped jogged my memory!  I have done it a few times and it feels really good and I can see the dry skin flaking off.  I hope it helps with my unevenly dry skin and brings out the radiantly beautiful me underneath!
• Bed time come around 10, so that we can be to sleep by 11 to get those 8 hours of beauty sleep in! 

Now what come of all this?  Is it something I feel that I can continue on with, or will it be a 3 week adventure with an end?  How has it helped and what changes have I seen?  Well I want to answer all these questions, and I will, but that clock has crept up on me and it's time to hit the hay!  Tune in tomorrow to hear how my negative Nancy has turned into a positive patty!  And how it has really opened up my mind, my spirit and my heart!

Good night and good health!