Five Days In

      Well, I have made it five days. There have definitely been highs and lows. I had a long weekend off from work and noticed that I definitely had a little case of the blues...and horrible headaches. I am assuming the head aches are from cutting out coffee and the processed sugars. They were horrible and lasted for almost four solid days :(  I was also CRANKY! Tiny things set me off into a bad mood spiral and everything was annoying. I am guessing the food and sugar withdrawals are partly to blame as well as the introspection I am also doing. I am trying to pay attention to how I feel and the issues that bother me and doing that can be very hard.

    I have not stuck to all my rules with 100% accuracy. I have not been eating as cleanly as I would like unless sugar free Klondike crunch bars are made with all natural ingredients. I also have not done my mediation and stream of consciousness journal everyday as I planned to do. Being who I am I immediately beat myself up and judges myself harshly for "failing" in the first week. Why are we so hard on ourselves? I could only focus on the rules I did not stick to instead of focusing on the many I followed through on. I have not had any meat, I am working out, I have given up coffee (my favorite thing) and I am meditating more than before. Its progress not perfection and I am learning to be happy with that.
 
I am hoping to be following the plan a little more closely in week two but if I do not I will focus on the positive changes I am making and remember that self improvement is a life long journey and not something that can be done in a 30 day challenge.


Love and hope,
    Katie

One day to go- Time to establish the rules!

WOW, my challenge starts tomorrow. I would be lying if I said I was not a little bit nervous. After all I am about to start working out much more than I have in years. I am eliminating some of my favorite things to eat and drink and I am diving into meditation which means that some thoughts and feelings that I have been avoiding will most likely come up as if to say "hello, its us! No avoiding us now".
    In order for this to actually be a challenge there must be rules to follow that will help me stay focused and as a way to track my progress. The rules are as follows:

1. I must work out five times per week- with at lease two of those days being yoga

2. Daily meditation split into two sessions- One 10 minute session in the morning and one before bed

3. Two pages stream of consciousness writing every day- For those not familiar with this it is basically journal writing but with no filter. You just write what ever comes into your mind with no editing. You may end up writing things like "i am writing with no filter, this is weird. Why am I doing this?". The hope of this is to get out all the junk floating around in our minds that can sometimes keep us from developing clear thoughts and intentions.
4. "Clean Eating" Monday- Saturday- That means NO PROCESSED FOODS!!!!!!!!!  I am allowing myself a little break on Sunday's but still healthy!

5. No meat- Vegetarian for this girl for 30 days (and maybe longer)- I used to be a fairly strict vegetarian and really loved it. I am hoping this is the kick I need to keep back to my animal friendly way of life.

6. Drink 3 liters of water per day- Yes that is a lot but water is a beautiful thing and so healthy. I know I will need it with my increased exercise. It will keep me hydrated, energized, and even serve as a mood elevator  :)

7. Blog daily about the challenge-  thoughts, feelings, obstacles that come up, hurdles overcome, and just basically how things are going.

8. No coffee- This is probably the saddest part of the challenge. Oh how I love my coffee!!!!!! Sadly,  I have become slightly dependent on this amazing liquid. To the point where I get intense headaches and quite irritable if I don't have it in the morning. I do not want my mood or body controlled by any substance. I am  replacing coffee with tea that provide the little bit of caffeine needed to wean myself plus healthy polyphenols (antioxidants).

Well that pretty much sums it all up! These 8 rules will guide me over the next 30 days to what I hope will be a healthier, happier, more settled 30 year old Katie!

Love and hope,
   Katie

Oh my gosh I am about to become a blogger and I have no idea what I am doing!

Hello World,

    My name is Katie and I am turning 30 in 30 days and frankly I am a little(nope scratch that) very terrified. Twenty something Katie thought she would be in a very different place at 30. Probably running some difference-making world health organization out of Africa where mothers passed me daily thanking me personally for saving their child from starvation. You know, ending world hunger, little things like that. I would have 2.5 kids and a lab (chocolate of course). I would have a wonderful doting husband...well I have that one! His name is Chris and he is my partner in crime, best friend, and unending supporter of all my craziness. He is pretty awesome... but I am digressing. 
    So as you may have guessed I am not running a program in Africa. I am a nanny and live in a one bedroom apartment in St. Petersburg, FL. We have no kids yet, hard to do that when you have tons of student loan debt but one day it will happen. I'm not knocking being a nanny, I love the little girl I take care of but I quit my job in sales to go back to school to get a degree in dietetics so i could finally do something I love, finally have a life centered around health and wellness and I am just not there yet. When I entered the program I was in the best shape of my life, I had just competed in a triathlon, I was a vegetarian, I did yoga; basically I was living what I was learning. Some where along the way I lost myself a little bit. I settled into full time student and devoted wife and some how my needs came second and before I knew it one week of rest after a race has become...oh many years!  I hardly ever do yoga anymore and I can easily convince myself why eating a large basket of fries is no big deal. Don't get me wrong, to most people I am on the healthier side, especially when compared to the typical American diet. I am not over weight, i don't have high blood pressure or cholesterol but I'm not being me and that is the problem.
  I have been having a little bitty pity party for myself the past few months and the time for change is upon me. I have somehow put almost my whole identity into what I am doing profesionally and not into who I am as a person. I am entering a new decade soon and I plan to leave my 20's "crushing it" as my spirit guide Schmidt from "New Girl" would say! Over the next thirty days I am embarking on a 30 day challenge to try and find myself again through exercise, yoga, diet, mediation, and yes, blogging.

I am not even sure exactly what I want to happen at the end or if anything will be different. I can only hope that this journey will provide some comfort with what is and what cannot be different and to find peace in the present and not always looking to some future thing as the key to my happiness. I have never blogged before so I cant promise it will always be pretty, articulate, or classy in any way but I can promise to always be honest, heartfelt, genuine, and open. Follow at your own risk!

With love and hope,
                          Katie