MINDFULNESS
For no reason at all, and for every reason in the world, June 17, 2019 became the 1stday of the rest of my life. No, not my actual life, but the life I had for so long convinced myself that I wanted but one that required a lot of hard work to achieve. The life of unbound mobility, unstrained physicality, and quiet breaths. You know the silent, unlabored kind unheard by people walking past or standing near you on the elevator. June 17thalso just so happens to be the birthday of my 5-yr. old Shih Tzu, Bella Mia Cook.Maybe I should adopt this day as my honorary Life Day. Since all good things come in 3’s. I just need another major event on this date to make it officially, (unofficially)mine?!
This will be a 3-part installment of my June 17th(Un) healthy experience. (My ramblings on undoing unhealthy habits) For three months I will catalog my journey and the many techniques implored to gain whatever happens to be the result, at the end of which, I will wax poetically about my failures and successes and pray that I won’t bore you to tears in the process.
I consider it happy coincidence that the date just happened to be on a Monday, the day that is commonly known as the first day of the work-week for most employed 9-to-5’ers. On this day I just, DECIDED. Everything in our lives worth having and doing are first realized in our minds. We. Just. Decide. Our ideal weight, our desired salaries, that business we have always dreamt of starting, the ideal man/woman of our dreams, our determination to walk/jog more, go to the gym, eat healthier, paint the basement, yep our minds control that.
There are volumes written and theorized on the number of days it takes for any action to become a habit; the decision to commit to any pending habit is first explored in the mind. For me this commitment required a close examination of how I got here and how not to be here in this specific space ever again. How could I possibly know where I was going if I wasn’t painfully honest about how I got here? Mindfulness, in this instance has greater power than having a plan, and we all know how essential planning is to become successful. Mindfulness guarantees that we are always present in our experiences no matter how joyful or desolate.
I had to own my life of bad choices and settling, I had to turn and face the fact that I’d seduced myself into thinking that I had time. Or that a pretty face is enough. I had to stand in the mirror and own emotional eating, and damaging habits borne of grief, the lack of physical activity and discipline, and generally just not giving a fuck. Well what did that get me? Yeah, you guessed it, an untamed state, increasingly bad health, but mostly just fed up. However, it also required that I give a nod to my strengths and turn them into co-conspirators on this journey. I figured I’d see how being loyal to myself for a change would serve me, how about I give myself “my word” and keep it? What if I used the formula that I use in my career for being the best by only competing with me... the person that I want to become as my only competitor? How novel, the decision to love, be loyal, and commit to me? Perhaps most importantly, I had to allow that there is no greater motivation for success in any arena than deciding to do anything strictly for yourself, because you love yourself enough, because you can perceive that you are worth it.
So now that I have partners, (love, loyalty, commitment) the journey seems less intimidating, and I have begun to feel more audacious about my ability to endure and win.
How did I start?
JJ Smith’s 10 Day Green Smoothie Cleanse, I own, and have read the book countless times, I am even a member of the Facebook Group of the same name. I read constantly the inspiring stories of people like me and I cheer for them, I cry for their happiness, I see them and know that I can do it too, not just because they are doing it, but if I am honest with myself, I know that I have never really tried. And therein lies the crux of the matter for me. I have never tried. It’s damning to know that you have only ever been half-hearted in your efforts because somewhere deep inside, you didn’t think it mattered, rather you never believed you mattered. So, these people from all walks of life, from all over the world became inspiration, if not motivation. They inspire me because they are authentic, and transparent. They aren’t afraid to put themselves out there and say, “hey I am flawed, but I am worth the effort”.
JJ’s book is truly a revelation, the Green Smoothie Cleanse that she designed, works!! I won’t go into the details here because I really want you to read the book! 10-days of fresh fruit, green vegetables, and water-based smoothies, that to my surprise are easy to consume, and ultimately makes for excellent meal substitutions. My first try on the cleanse netted results of 16lbs of weight loss and 4 inches off my waist. And honestly, by day three I was thinking that being a pretty (Phat) fatty, was not so bad. I had been this way for half my life, soooo? Thankfully, just as the book suggested, the 4thday was a pivotal. Headaches gone, hunger pains gone, aches and pains gone, energy levels noticeably higher. By the time day nine arrived I noticed that I even moved differently. Cue the joy!
The book will teach you that the Cleanse/detox process will have the inevitable side effects. Ones that are universal like frequent urination and bowel movements, (don’t cringe, we all must go and make poo) and others that are more closely associated to your own toxicity and state of health. For me it was pimples. Not the big puss-filled nightmares of our pubescent years, but enough of an aggravation to convince me that my body was indeed beginning to expel toxins from my skin and through any available means. Along with the weight loss at the end of ten days, my face was a smooth, even toned, younger looking, noticeably lighter, pimple-free wonder. YAY!!!!!!
The book explicitly warns against detoxing for more than the requisite 10-days in a row, and it is also goldmine of healthy, clean eating, and life-style-changing suggestions. However, I decided to challenge myself in a more aggressive way. While on the cleanse I discovered and researched the probability of another presently-popular, though ancient method, known as Intermittent Fasting.
June 17th- June 26thResults 16lbs 4 inches gone.
What is Intermittent Fasting?
Follow this link to learn as I did, the pros and cons of Intermittent Fasting for beginners.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/intermittent-fasting-guide
Please return here next month (September 1st) to read my Ramblings on the intersection of Mindfulness and Planning, where I will share in detail my challenges and successes with Detoxing and Fasting.
As always, trust the process.
Yours,
Tiki Cook,
Tiki is a hippie-recluse with a love for football, and a thirst for life. Reader. Lover. Writer. Woman.
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