Why Are You Doing That?

Happy 1st Monday of January, or January 2nd, 2012, as it may prefer to be known.  It is the beginning of a brand new year, a brand new plan, hopefully a brand new attitude. 

Yesterday, I was having a conversation with a friend at my gym and she said something to the effect of "You have to stop looking at the past.  All that stuff is gone and in yesterday and you just have to focus on the future and move on."  It kind of smacked me in the face, because, yes, I have been living in the past and not letting ANYTHING go. 

Some of it is justified.  Mourning the loss of a parent, especially in a fairly sudden and traumatic way means there will be a certain amount of dwelling in the past.  Everyone takes a different mourning path, and there is no time limit.  You move on when it is time to move on.  Mine took a little longer than I expected, and if I am being truthful with myself, I am not quite ready to "move on".  I am, however, ready to start moving forward and stop using that as an excuse for self-destructive behavior.

I also broke my leg.  Yeah, yeah, we have all heard it too many times.  Yes, I am still having a lot of pain in that leg and there are things I can not do yet, may never be able to do again.  Time to quit using it as an excuse and start strengthening everything else I can in order to be a fully functioning body in the universe.  I've got a crappy knee, I've got crappy joints.  Get over it.  Move on.  Next!

So the "next" is that I have joined a TOPS group, meeting every Tuesday evening.  We weigh in, discuss strategies, encourage one another.  I like it better than the old Weight Watchers meetings because 1) everyone is following their own plan and 2) there isn't a leader standing in front of a classroom lecturing us.  We sit around tables in a discussion format and although we have a "leader" she is more like one of us, than the almighty Wizard of Weight Loss.

The other "next", the part that started today is my 21-Day Sugar Detox.  (Also, the reason for today's blog title.)  The same woman at my gym, when I excitedly told her that "tomorrow I start my Sugar Detox" said "Why are you doing that?"  Kind of turned her lip up a bit, derisively.  I know she didn't mean it badly or negatively ... more like "why do you want to do something as crazy as that".  The first questions out of her mouth after I started explaining were "What about fruit?  You can't have fruit?"  Well, yes, a green apple or a green, not quite ripe banana per day are allowed, but I'd rather not.  It's only 21 days after all.  But she did make me think.  Why, indeed, am I doing this?

Well, the obvious answer is that I have over indulged in Christmas Cookies this season and feel like I have enough sugar coursing through my veins to open a bakery.  I want to get my system purged of the stuff as I start the new year and lean out again.  Another answer might be that my friend Kaz has been doing it for years and has been touting the virtues of a Paleo style diet for quite some time.  (The 21-day is a precursor to that lifestyle.)  He also claims to feel like a million bucks.  Paleo is being embraced by many in the cross fit world and it seems a pretty natural fit for the competitive kettlebell and boxing world as well.  So this is a way to check it out, while ridding my body of some excess sugar in the meantime.

Who knows ... maybe I will find that my mind quits working entirely when carb-depleted.  Or maybe I will find that my muscles heal faster with the protein load.  I might find it works super well for me, or I might find that it does not ... but either way, I won't know until I try.  I do know that I have ALWAYS been a fan of eating clean, healthy, GOD-made foods, instead of engineered foods (or Frankenfood, as many like to call it.)  I have always purchased organic or grassfed whenever possible.  I shy away from artificial sweeteners because there is something just wrong with working hard on building a better body, and then filling it with chemicals.  I have always felt that nuts make a better mid-day snack than a protein bar.  Real food.  And Real Food that actually tastes good.  Eating should be enjoyable.  You should look forward to the meal, prepared with fresh ingredients and bursting with nutritional value and great taste.  If I am going to spend time eating it, it should be worth the time spent.  It should taste GOOD.

So, today's breakfast was 2 eggs, 3 slices uncured bacon and a cup of steamed brussel sprouts.  Brussel sprouts?!  Yeah ... I needed a green veggie and it was what I had convenient.  Also, black coffee, because that's how I drink it most of the time anyway.  (It's only during the holiday season that I indulge in skinny-gingerbread latte's.)  Lunch is going to be a mixed greens salad with tomato, onion, a handful of kalamata olives and some chicken breast with an olive oil vinaigrette dressing.  Not sure what dinner is ... but if it tastes good and looks pretty I will post it as Food Porn.  I might even share the recipe on my food blog. 

Ringing in the new ~ !

"Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion.  You must set yourself on fire."  ~Arnold H. Glasow