Sunday, March 4, 2012

Quiet Time - AKA - Meditation helps children during school time

I just had to cross-post this wonderful piece about a San Francisco school that holds daily Quiet Time sessions with middle school children.  I found this to be quite fantastic!  Please take a moment to click through and read, especially if you have children or if you are a teacher, administrator or counselor.

Juicing Update

As promised, another juicing update.  After doing the renovation BluePrint Cleanse last Wednesday and Thursday, one benefit really became apparent.  I struggle with finding right choices that will energize me throughout the day.  I liked he simplicity of nutritious juices that were fresh, balanced and healthy.  As a result, I decided to go to Whole Foods and buy some more of the BluePrint juices, to supplement for the next few days.  I decided to drink four of them a day instead of breakfast and lunch, have two decent snacks and healthy dinner.  I'll let you know how it goes.  I think I will find the happy medium.

One caveat about any green juice type product - if you are taking anything that has Vitamin K, please be careful to check with your doctor first if you have any type of cardiac condition or are taking blood thinners.  I am not an expert, nor do I profess to be.  Any time someone decides to undertake a drastic food change, they should always check in with their medical professional first.  Also, if you have an eating disorder, or are flirting with one, speak with your medical doctor.

I am fortunate to have neither an eating disorder, heart condition nor do I take any types of medications.  I am proceeding carefully and with consultation and discussion with my medical professionals.

Friday, March 2, 2012

Juicing Update

As promised, I did the BluePrint Cleanse on Wednesday and Thursday this week.  I did the "Renovation" cleanse, which is for beginners.  That's me!  Though it took some getting used to, I felt great and knew I had a good choice waiting for me when I got hungry again.  I wondered if I could be satisfied with six little bottles of liquid, and the answer is....yes and no. 

Yes for a couple of reasons. After all, it was about 1100 calories in total, not starvation by any means, because I never believe in starvation, even if you have a significant amount of weight to lose.   Yes also, because I really did get accustomed to feeling satisfied with a reasonable amount of food, even if it was in liquid form.  Also, all of the juices were delicious.

No, because there were other people around me eating at appropriate societal intervals, and I felt like I, well, wanted something.  On Wednesday, I had a meeting that included lunch at a restaurant and I brought my juice along.  The juice was delicious, but I supplemented with half of an avocado with a bit of salt.  As a 1/4 of an avocado was allowed, I felt I was cheating, which, of course, made me feel like that was a ridiculous attitude.  (We should choose what we want and feel good about it with no judgment.  It surprised me that an avocado would make me feel this way.  It tasted pretty great!)  On Thursday, I had a meeting that also included lunch, this time in a conference room.  I brought along my juice and supplemented with some cucumber and celery stalks and some sea salt.  It did the trick and I felt like I was eating right along with everyone else.

Also, they recommend that you can have 1/2 cup of black coffee, herbal tea, or a few other little things if you really need it.  They also recommend hydrating with water regularly, which I should have done more, but just woke up this morning feeling just a bit more thirsty than usual.

I had coffee with a little cream both mornings, mostly decaf, and just one small dollop of cream each day.  I cooked for my family at night and took just a small taste of the seasoning, but that was it.  I did okay, and I lost 3.5 pounds.  I only need to lose about 10 lbs, so this was a nice jump start.  I felt that was the added bonus, as I really do feel good today, full of a new understanding about how much food I think I need and how much I really need. I had energy throughout, remained regular, if you know what I mean, and maintained my normal schedule, which tends to be a bit demanding.