Week one of the cleanse is slowly coming to its end. As I gather up a few of my belongings to go up to danuns with Edith and Co this weekend, I'm going to take a quick moment to share what I've discovered.
Day One: The hardest part of this day was going to the slumber party. Sabrina and Landon were in town so we had a little food fest. I ate the salad and the tortilla chips/salsa and strawberries I brought, sadly skipping the pasta. EJ rolls in at about 10 with a dozen Crumbs cupcakes. SO MEAN! They went out for fried chicken at about midnight and I hit the hay. Phew.
Day Two: Caffeine. I was the biggest bitch in the world on Monday. I couldn't function, was incredibly unproductive, and actually warned my boss about the status of my caffeine withdrawal. I had a great Mysore practice with second series in the morning, but then I usually have my cuppa Joe. I had also come straight from a slumber party with a rowdy crowd filled with cupcakes and The headache began around noon and I was not happy when those little kids started coming into the office. I was mean to people in person, I was mean to people in cyberspace, I was mean to people in my head. It's insane! I had to go out and buy lunch and was ABSOLUTELY APPALLED by the amount they charged me for a salad. I went home and popped a couple of IB profin to reduce the pain and hammer out my midterm. I turned in my midterm and fell asleep in class...had to see apartments that night too. ooooo I was not happy. Haha!
Day Three: Edith's Birthday. No caffeine headache on the second day, so I was quite relieved. I was also a little bit more with it. I practiced the Primary series in the morning and then realized when I got to work that I left my work keys and my computer charger in the drawer. This proves how out of it I really was on Monday! I was really hungry all day and could not be satisfied with almonds, apples, or veggies and rice. I researched some edible options for Edith and I to head to for her bday and we ended up going to Rockin' Raw. I had "live" pasta with pesto, E had the gumbo, and Amanda had the "live" pasta rojo. The food was decent, however, at my second attempt eating raw I have come to the same conclusion: the raw foods diet will NEVER satiate my appetite. In fact, it makes me hungrier! I went to Babycakes before dinner to pick up some cleanse-approved cupcakes and we sang and gorged like there was no tomorrow. We then went to Foodswings, a vegan fast food place in Williamsburg, and gorged ourselves on the gluten free options of BBQ "chicken" drums, fried plantains, and french fries. It was halfway through our meal when I realized that we couldn't actually have BBQ sauce or ketchup. Oops. Slip #1....We then went to Bembe to listen to some latin beats and fantasize about the mojitos and watermelon drinks we could have had. I got Edith a watermelon drink. I mean, c'mon, it's her birthday! She has to have a celebratory drink! We acknowledged the addiction and moved on.
Day Four: Second series day and feeling super sluggish. I've been feeling really unenergetic the last few days. I'm going to say it's the caffeine...it could also be the last minute apt hunting and the like. I do have a new place, so that's a relief. I signed a lease, went to class, and then went to Zoe and Caitlin's bday celebration at a Thai restaurant. I had the green curry with tofu, knowing that they probably put in soy sauce and fish sauce. But hey, you have to be flexible.
Day Five: Did not get up for yoga. There was so much rain I "snoozed" my alarm and ended up waking up at 8! Headed out to work for a full crazy day of trying to sort out the practice's life....it was pretty insane. Edith and I planned a sushi night with her brother and sister who were in town. My friend from Ghana had a layover in New York with his little brother, so they stopped by (super jet lagged...his little brother actually just slept in my bed the whole time haha!). We had sushi with cucumbers, asian pears, carrots, imitation crab, and egg. So. Here's where I really slipped up:
-I cooked the egg for the egg people and began snacking on it. Oops.
-I just googled imitation crab meat. It turns out it's made out of real fish WITH sugar, egg, and wheat binding agents. This explains why my kidneys felt like crap last night and today in Mysore...
Today is the 6th day. I could go for a glass of wine. I could also go for a nice juicy steak. But it's ok, because I will just say no!
I still wonder what it is that is making my kidneys feel so bad. I thought it was gluten (and still might) but was bombarded with a plethora of statistics on facebook on why gluten would not be the culprit. Sigh.
It's pretty interesting what this cleanse is showing me. First of all, caffeine really allows me to function as a human being. Second of all, we never really know what we're putting into our bodies! I started reading labels and it's pretty incredible which foods have wheat, sugar, etc in them and which don't.
I'm looking forward to this weekend for a reprise from the New York drama.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Cleanse, Cleanse, Cleanse...
I'm finished with this cycle of mind-body-soul abuse.
It has truly gotten out of hand and I have hurt one too many people on this downhill path.
In order to jumpstart my path to self-discovery, I am partaking on a 21-day cleanse of sorts. This is a cleanse called Quantum Wellness by Kathy Freston--it's been hailed by Oprah and the people at my yoga studio have raved about it. While thumbing through the book, I find that, although I fundamentally disagree with wealthy white women telling us all how to be skinny, I do like some of the basic principals.
The cleanse is basically the elimination of the following five things from one's diet:
I know that in 2 days the caffeine headaches will set in. I know that in 6 days the meat cravings will be unbearable. I know that in 8 days my sugar cravings are going to be absolutely abominable. But I'm determined.
My little cheats are decaf coffee and Luna bars. Luna bars aren't on the list of "approved items," but I haven't seen any thing in the ingredients that indicate any of the big 5.
Edith and I went grocery shopping last night and stocked up on unsweetened dried fruits, alternate grains, beans nuts and lentils, etc. This should be interesting.
Following this little kickstart, I will be making my way to India for a month. I will be practicing Mysore in Mysore from July 21-August 25! I'm so excited and still in disbelief at my impulsive ways :)
Today is day one. There is a "slumber party" tonight and I know it will be my first major challenge. Thus far I have had gluten free kids cereal, vegetarian chili I made the other day, and am drinking decaf coffee as I plot out how to complete this disgusting midterm in the next 4 hours.
It has truly gotten out of hand and I have hurt one too many people on this downhill path.
In order to jumpstart my path to self-discovery, I am partaking on a 21-day cleanse of sorts. This is a cleanse called Quantum Wellness by Kathy Freston--it's been hailed by Oprah and the people at my yoga studio have raved about it. While thumbing through the book, I find that, although I fundamentally disagree with wealthy white women telling us all how to be skinny, I do like some of the basic principals.
The cleanse is basically the elimination of the following five things from one's diet:
- Animal Products
- Sugar
- Caffeine
- Alcohol
- Gluten
I know that in 2 days the caffeine headaches will set in. I know that in 6 days the meat cravings will be unbearable. I know that in 8 days my sugar cravings are going to be absolutely abominable. But I'm determined.
My little cheats are decaf coffee and Luna bars. Luna bars aren't on the list of "approved items," but I haven't seen any thing in the ingredients that indicate any of the big 5.
Edith and I went grocery shopping last night and stocked up on unsweetened dried fruits, alternate grains, beans nuts and lentils, etc. This should be interesting.
Following this little kickstart, I will be making my way to India for a month. I will be practicing Mysore in Mysore from July 21-August 25! I'm so excited and still in disbelief at my impulsive ways :)
Today is day one. There is a "slumber party" tonight and I know it will be my first major challenge. Thus far I have had gluten free kids cereal, vegetarian chili I made the other day, and am drinking decaf coffee as I plot out how to complete this disgusting midterm in the next 4 hours.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Small small reflection of sorts
As I my final semester as a technical undergraduate nears its end, I can't help but ponder about my future.
A) Unemployment
B) Continuing education
C) The amount of money spent on education
D) My travel bug
Unemployment is ever present and looming in my weary face. Not only is there a practical hiring freeze across the globe, but I'm not qualified to do what I want to do. Please tell me why one must have a Masters just to INTERN at a big organization? It's absurd.
You may or may not know that I am currently working on my MPA. This just means that I get to wrack up 36 more credits and add an MPA to the end of my name. I can also intern at the UN. What is an MPA? Master of Public Administration...for public and nonprofit management and policy analysis, with a light focus on health. It's a mouthful. This also means that I will be adding about 40K to my education costs...bringing me to my next topic.
Over the past four years, I have spent approximately 200K on my education. By "I" I refer to my loving parents and Sallie Mae. Due to the ever changing significance of education, my BA is now worth about as much as a GED, requiring me to attend more school and shell out more money. This year I didn't purchase any text books, as they raised tuition 2K a semester. Sigh.
What could I have done with 200K in four years? Hm. Let's think. I could have flown myself around the globe and traveled to far and near lands. I could have studied to be a yoga instructor and moved to India for a touch. I could have actually afforded to live in New York. I could have bought a pretty decent house (in this economy). ETC. There are many things that I could have done with that 200K.
What could I not have done without spending the past 4 years as I did. I wouldn't have experienced ridiculous roomates. I probably would not have lived in New York. I wouldn't have lived in Madrid. I wouldn't have become a mechanic for 3 months (who knows). I wouldn't have lived in Ghana and worked on an incredible project. I wouldn't have met a lot of people. I wouldn't have figured out what I wanted to do with my life academically. I wouldn't have learned such valuable life lessons. I wouldn't be the same person whatsoever.
Was 200K worth it? Who knows. But I did it and it's done and I'm here. And very very very much in debt.
The travel bug is a different issue entirely. I've always had this, but now it's INTENSIFIED! I'm thinking India, Kilimanjaro, or Kenya. Hmmm....
All in all I'm pretty blessed to have such a challenging yet unchallenging life. It's like my yoga practice--only as challenging as I want to make it. It's like I'm always IN control and NOT in control....interesting interesting interesting.
A) Unemployment
B) Continuing education
C) The amount of money spent on education
D) My travel bug
Unemployment is ever present and looming in my weary face. Not only is there a practical hiring freeze across the globe, but I'm not qualified to do what I want to do. Please tell me why one must have a Masters just to INTERN at a big organization? It's absurd.
You may or may not know that I am currently working on my MPA. This just means that I get to wrack up 36 more credits and add an MPA to the end of my name. I can also intern at the UN. What is an MPA? Master of Public Administration...for public and nonprofit management and policy analysis, with a light focus on health. It's a mouthful. This also means that I will be adding about 40K to my education costs...bringing me to my next topic.
Over the past four years, I have spent approximately 200K on my education. By "I" I refer to my loving parents and Sallie Mae. Due to the ever changing significance of education, my BA is now worth about as much as a GED, requiring me to attend more school and shell out more money. This year I didn't purchase any text books, as they raised tuition 2K a semester. Sigh.
What could I have done with 200K in four years? Hm. Let's think. I could have flown myself around the globe and traveled to far and near lands. I could have studied to be a yoga instructor and moved to India for a touch. I could have actually afforded to live in New York. I could have bought a pretty decent house (in this economy). ETC. There are many things that I could have done with that 200K.
What could I not have done without spending the past 4 years as I did. I wouldn't have experienced ridiculous roomates. I probably would not have lived in New York. I wouldn't have lived in Madrid. I wouldn't have become a mechanic for 3 months (who knows). I wouldn't have lived in Ghana and worked on an incredible project. I wouldn't have met a lot of people. I wouldn't have figured out what I wanted to do with my life academically. I wouldn't have learned such valuable life lessons. I wouldn't be the same person whatsoever.
Was 200K worth it? Who knows. But I did it and it's done and I'm here. And very very very much in debt.
The travel bug is a different issue entirely. I've always had this, but now it's INTENSIFIED! I'm thinking India, Kilimanjaro, or Kenya. Hmmm....
All in all I'm pretty blessed to have such a challenging yet unchallenging life. It's like my yoga practice--only as challenging as I want to make it. It's like I'm always IN control and NOT in control....interesting interesting interesting.
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