Day 13: Getting Topical

I love how I slathered even more benzoyl peroxide mask on my spot and it really stands out. Nice. My skin has had some minor flare ups but has managed to stay relatively clear. No repeat offenders so I'm happy to have that be the case. Overall, my complexion, in natural sunlight, is looking much healthier as I'm not as pale and I have a bit of a glow.

Eating healthy truly works. I would encourage anyone to do it. Sounds simple enough, but I think sometimes it's too easy to fall into a fast food habit in this fast paced world. And it's also easy to keep fueling with java to keep up with the daily grind. Believe me, I know all too well how the vicious cycle works. Yet proper nutrition is altogether too fundamental to ignore. I wonder how many health problems would be vanished if more people were to eat extremely well.

Although it's been proven that purchasing healthier foods costs more than buying junk food, I would argue that in the long run, eating unhealthy is more costly in terms of medical problems and the associated treatment costs. Spending more on good groceries is a hard trade off for many people, I know, but I think everyone, regardless of their means, should do what they can.

I suppose that it is with no surprise that these days I seem to be heading towards the field of nutrition. I have acquired a passion for social justice (thank you, liberal arts undergraduate career) and I am wondering if someday I'll end up working on addressing inadequate nutrition and hunger issues in the 'developing' world. Or even here in America as there is plenty of nutrition deficiencies present in today's society.

Feeling guilty, here's what I was blessed with for food as of today:

• 1 cup of hot water with lemon slices, 8 glasses of water
• oatmeal with cinnamon and nutmeg topped with vanilla yogurt and pomegranate
• 1/2 pear
• 3/4 mango
• lots of grilled steak with horseradish sauce
• brown rice
• 1/2 baked potato with balsamic red wine vinaigrette
• lots of boiled carrots

How I moved:

I took 2, 10 minute walks with my doggies and they're sleeping now, at least in between a bit of growling at unfamiliar sounds.

How I feel:

Better than yesterday. I had some downer hormonal moments when I was running errands today, however, thankfully, the black cloud is starting to lift. I have been craving chocolate with carmel and ice cream. Go figure.

Would love to feel more productive in spite of getting some much needed chores done. There's 2 projects around my home I've been putting off for far too long -- tomorrow is the day to do them both! No excuses!

Additionally, I have been meaning to put more recipes up on my other blog, Shut Up and Eat It: Eccentric...there's a link at the top right of the page.

Tomorrow I'm making a huge pot of beef stew. I think it'll be yummy. It will include lots of Roma tomatoes. I have to get rid of them. I bought several pounds for, I don't recall, like a dollar, and it's time to get 'er done.

We live in an abundant world, there's no excuse for people to go without. There's no excuse for junk food to be poisoning people. And there's no excuse for children to die from diarrhea and other preventable health problems.

Healthy Eating in an Otherwise Healthy World,

Jennifer

Day 12: I'm exhausted

Food:

• 6 glasses of water, 2 cups of hot water with lemon juice, Passion tea (hopefully decaf) from Starbucks
• scrambled eggs with steak strips and fried Roma tomatoes
• bowl of meatless spaghetti with vodka tomato sauce
• mixed veggies
• a little kale with balsamic red wine vinaigrette dressing
• stuffing
• cheese danish
• 2-3 bites of sandwich with tomato, chicken, cucumber, marina sauce

Exercise:

• 10 minute walk with dogs

Energy/Spirit:

The weather's colder, it's that time of the month, and I'm an emotional fiend. Exhausted. I curled up on the couch to watch "A Christmas Carol" and I fell asleep for 2/3 of it. Yay for old Christmas movies! And yay for over sharing!

Merry Christmas,

Jennifer

Day 11: The sad panda with dark circles

It must be the dairy! I haven't quit dairy and my under eye circles are getting worse! I'm sure the wine didn't help either! I type this as a polish of a bowl of peppermint ice cream. Haven't broken my twice a month indulgence rule, or at least, I am sure I have not.

Food:

• 3 cups of hot water with lemon juice, 5 glasses of water
• bowl of yogurt
• my bok choy chicken flavored soup but this time with broccoli and red onion
• 2 yam slices with brown sugar, butter, and marshmallows
• 2x baked potato
• 3/4 cubed green apple with 2 spoonfuls of creamy peanut butter
• 3 bites of turkey with salt and pepper
• mixed veggies with spinach and stuffing
• bowl of peppermint ice cream

Exercise:

• 10 minute brisk job
• 20 minute walk
• 15 minutes of various stretching
• 15 sit ups
• 5 wall push ups

Skin care:

Cleansed and moisturized, some topical benzoyl peroxide spot treatment

My skin is continuing to clear up! Yes! I will continue to treat these stubborn red spots and tomorrow I am going to try an egg white mask. Thinking it will be helpful!

Energy:

I am a sad panda today. Need change. All but one thing is perfect in my life. And that thing shall remain unchanged until I change it.

Sighing like a sad panda,

Jennifer

Day 10: I smell like an onion and leftovers

Yay for concealer and foundation, people!

Howdy, fine folks.

Thanks for visiting my blog on Day numero 10.

Consumed:

• 2 hot waters with lemon juice
• 4 glasses of water
• slice of cheesecake
• turkey
• stuffing
• mixed veggies
• 2x baked potato
• 3 croissants with ham, zucchini, Roma tomato, red onion, olive oil

Movement:

• 10 minute brisk jog
• 10 minute walk
• 10 minutes of various stretches

Energy and Spirit:

Realizing that I CANNOT eat improperly for even a day without a little tiny breakout. I'm that sensitive and it at least confirms how diet-related this all seems to be. Also, the makeup I wore on Thanksgiving stayed on my skin pretty late (got home way past bedtime) so I'm thinking that has something to do with it.

I didn't get to the intense workouts I wanted as I really wore my tail bone with the sit ups last night.

A final thing I've started to realize, ever so slowly, and every so surely, you have to do what you want and can today. Not tomorrow. Today. There is no guarantee for tomorrow. Now is the time.

No Youtube video, yet, need to come up with a 'worthy' production. :)

Waking up an hour earlier these days and I hope to keep it up!

Slowly starting to get my carpe diem on,

Jennifer

Day 9: As silly as it sounds

Food:

• 2 slices of cherry pie (not in one sitting, mind you *wink*)
• turkey
• bowl of stuffing
• ham
• croissant roll with butter
• 2 cups of hot water with lemon juice, 3 glasses of water

Body:

• walked 2 miles with the pups to the park, sat and prayed for 10 minutes (out loud!)...I could have just been a crazy lady talking to an imaginary friend in the park, but I hope God (if He is out there even? I dunno haven't met God yet) was listening...
• sprinted 1/4 mile at the track, 75 jumping jacks, arms rolls, 30 lunges, 20 sit ups,
• 10 minute stroll with dogs

Face:

I will try the lemon sugar scrub followed by oatmeal banana whipping cream mask...both are always delightful.

My red spots are going down down down, I continue to feel the detox/cleanse of my system, even if I threw it off course a wee bit yesterday.

Must drink tons more water as I have intense workouts planned for tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!

Spirit:

This is where I feel silly. I prayed today for the motivation to do something to "turn my life around". Let's just say things aren't exactly peachy at the moment. There's a lot of things I need to do differently. I used to be a highly motivated individual and I have been told numerous times about my potential. Call me silly but I believed those people. I just want to experience a form of success and take care of a lot of worries I have...I know that this economic recession sucks, but I feel like I could have done a lot of things differently these past 2 years....

The one thing that currently makes me happy is blogging, especially about food. I have a lot of recipe ideas in my head. I will be trying them out of over the course of these next few weeks.

I am very excited about one thing I am starting: my cooking show on Youtube. I'm doing it tomorrow, I have no more excuses! I know it could easily be seen as silly, but I think it will turn out to be great fun and a hobby of sorts...Who knows? Maybe I'll be an Internet celebrity? *Gush* Who knows, maybe I'll ask Kathy Griffin (another cheeky red head) to be on my cooking show because she's all about her little concept of hers known as the "D List." And if I may flatter her (because I know famous gals like her take time to diligently follow my skin improvement blog, hahaha) I would have to refer to myself as a wannabe "D list" Youtuber...But those are some of my many fantasies playing around in my idle head...idle of "practical" solutions to my current issues.

On the plus side, again, as silly as it sounds, the fact that I've taken control over my skin in such a brief time period, or rather, seen substantial progress in my face, that I feel confident to improve other areas of my life.

God, this is boring and perhaps a little whiny, a little depressing... I think I made God yawn today with my troubles, wishes, and dreams. Sorry God, I must sound so silly. :P Prove me, wrong, God! Hahaha! Why, you're not supposed to test God! Hehehe....

Silly willy billy hilly nilly philly,

Jennifer

Day 8: I ate and then I ate some more

Happy Turkey Day, people! Thanks for reading my blog, even on a holiday of gluttony and stuffery.

So, I ate. And I ate some more. I broke a lot of rules today, exception being coffee. Which is fine. I had all the basic things you could imagine at a Thanksgiving table...and then some.

• turkey
• gravy
• 3 types of stuffing
• 1/2 coke
• hot chocolate with whipped cream
• steak
• ham
• green bean casserole
• 2 croissants
• 1 tortilla
• mixed veggies
• 2 large yam slices
• 2 baked potato with mashed potato inside
• spinach dip
• broccoli
• pineapple chunks
• 2 bread roles with butter and marmalade

I feel stuffed. Like my stomach is nearing my throat. Ugh....I did not do any exercise today.

I am very blessed. I am thankful for the blessings I have in my life. Namely my partner who makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside -- especially when it's cold outside. I am thankful for family and friends. I am thankful for my dogs. I am thankful for the roof over my head, the clothes on my back, the experiences I've had (particularly the good ones!), the conversations I enjoyed today, the feeling of being loved and welcomed wherever I went today. These are but a few of the amazing gifts I can think of...I am relieved my home was not broken into (I live in a scary neighborhood) and I am thankful that we made it home safely (lots of angry drivers, possibly drunks on the road today).

I hope you had a wonderful day. I hope you were greatly blessed.

Peace, love, hope,

Jennifer

Day 7: One week -- progress!

Why hey there, you, yes you! ;o) *Winky winky*

I cannot believe that it's been one week of straight blogging. And I love it. YAY!

So, confession time, no I didn't have any coffee but I did break the dairy rule: uh-hum...well, what can I say, I was at Wally World shopping for some last minute Thanksgiving items and all of a sudden I was hungry. Given that I had soup and fruit for breakfast, that made me a little less than full by lunch time (but I was full after eating that morning, thankyouverymuch). I saw some Tostino's pizza on sale for mucho cheapo. And so I though why not?. You should know I rationalized it by putting some sliced Roma tomato and red onion on top. Ah, the lies we tell ourselves. Not super unhealthy but not allowing me to get a good picture of how diet is impacting my skin and energy. I've already established that I feel a zillion times better without coffee despite the occasional craving which I'm confident is primarily psychological at this point.

I'm waiting until AFTER thanksgiving to be totally good. Like most of us, right?

Oh s!*t! The cranberry sauce I am making from scratch is burning! Better go get it. Alright, I did, and it is okay. Phew. Oh yeah, I made some killer (note to self: invest a little time with a thesaurus!) stuffing.

Food of this day:

• fresh pineapple and pear salad (yum yum)
• my Bok choy chicken flavored veggie soup with an addition of rotini noodles and green pepper
• supreme and triple meat (equivalent of 1) Tostino's pizza with Roma tomato and red onion
• samples of the following I am making for Thanksgiving:
• green bean casserole
• cranberry sauce
• non in-law friendly stuffing
• in-law friendly stuffing (so nobody gets sick with food allergies and never invites me over to Thanksgiving AGAIN!)... both recipes will be posted soon!
• 3 cups of hot water with lemon, 6 glasses of water, 3 glasses of red wine, swig of fat free milk

El ejercicio:

• 1/2 hour walk with the doggies!
• stretching and breathing...soo....soothing...soo...nice....

Treatment of el skinio:

• lemon and sugar scrub
• regular washing (gentle cleanser) and moisturizing...ran out of toner and I have yet to replace it

A couple of red bumps have popped up on my chin and I think it's due to a certain toothpaste that I have not used in quite a while. So I will not use said toothpaste. And interesting enough, it wasn't a whitening toothpaste as those kinds of toothpaste have a bad received a bad rap on causing breakouts.

Mwuah! Mwuah! *Kissy face* *Kissy face* Ok, I guess it's the wine talking now.

Ay luvs ya my bootiful beechessss,

Jennifer

Day 6: Cleansing is not for the faint of heart

Howdy voracious readers of my bloggy bloggity!

It's time to say goodnight.

It's time to close my eyes.

Soon I'll be snorin'.

Hope this post ain't borin'.

Just a few words to the wise.

Le foodage shoved down me gullet:

• brown rice (boiled with ginger and nuked and slightly fried) frozen mixed veggies: carrots, peas, carrots, corn, green beans, 1 scrambled egg, served with black pepper and hot sauce
• 8 teaspoons of peanut butter and a cup of milk
• bowl of peppermint ice cream
• 2-3 ladyfingers with pumpkin spice cream cheese
• a very large salad with cheese and balsamic vinaigrette as well as red leafed lettuce, Roma tomato, black olives, red onion, French's Onion Crispy thingees, cucumber and zucchini,
• 2 1/2 large pumpkin spice cream cheese and sweetened condensed milked pancakes with cinnamon and nutmeg in the batter, and topped with butter and strawberry jelly
• 10 glasses of water, 1 cup of chamomile tea

Revised Adjustments starting TOMORROW:

No more dairy!

I've taken out coffee, and I've been drinking plenty of water today -- and I got a new white head! Yuck! No more huevos, no more butter, no more milk, no more cheese, no more ice cream. I am going to try this one and see what effect it has on my skin. The cystic red things, however, have been reducing in size as well as intensity. Obviously a good thing.

Energy:

Yawning at 10:00 pm and later. Like, ridiculously so. Which is a good thing as I believe it means my natural rhythms are balancing out. Nice.

But I must must MUST get better at going to bed on time. And get up earlier. Yup, that covers it.

On the bright side, it would take me an hour or more to 'wake up' when I was a java junkie. Now, it takes me about 5 minutes to fully adjust with a cup of warm tea. And I don't feel as tired when I wake in the morning! Life is beautiful!!!!

Still no sunrise but aiming for it on Friday...

Exercise:

• I did a 5 minute brisk jog.

Cold winter air was oh so nice to inhale. Seriously, I mean it. I usually would go on long walks an hour before bed but it's just too cold, I'm too tired, and I know I better start doing things differently because the pups are getting antsy and rightly so.

How my face is doing:

I tried a mask that made my skin literally glow containing: 1 cup of oatmeal (microwaved because I'm a lazy bones!), 1 banana and 1/2 cup of whipping cream. Word to the wise: don't mash this stuff with your fingers like I did and end up seriously burned on the finger tips. Duh.

Face is feeling softer, redness reducing, but some tiny whiteheads popped up earlier today. Ugh. I've also worn a face mask to bed last night. Was not meant for overnight but I wanted to suck up all the excess oil I was feeling on my chinny chin chin. Yup.

About the cleansing part that is naturally a result of my increase in veggies:

Let's just say all of the greenage I've been eating is pulling all the toxic gunk outta my system. I will spare you the gory detail unless you really really really reallly wanna know what's up...or down. Two words: skunk funk.

But it's all good, right? I mean, in a sick and gross way I am happy to undergo the not-so-pretty aspects of cleansing and just because I'm producing all sorts of weird byproduct doesn't make me any less of a person on a mission to get things straight with her health!

I've yawned 10 times since I started to blog this very post.

Go to bed, you there, sir or ma'am reading this, it's past your bed time. Unless you're on the other side of the world from me or whatever...

Yawning like it's goin' outta style,

Jennifer

Day 5: grEASY Street

The grub:

• oatmeal with banana, cinnamon, nutmeg and honey
• steak salad with red leafed lettuce, Roma tomatoes, cheese, green pepper, zuchinni, cucumber, black olives, cilantro and balsamic vinagrette dressing
• bowl of creamy butternut squash soup
• hot and spicy, barbeque boneless chicken nuggets, seasoned fries with garlic parmesan cheese sause, coleslaw, yeast role, celery and carrots
• 8 glasses of water with lemon, lime and cucumber, cup of camomile tea with lemon juice, sip of hot apple cider

How I moved my bootay:

• Took out the trash (c'mon it was HEAVY)
• Took dogs on a 5 minute walk (c'mon it was cold) but they did at least get to run around outside for around outside for about 1/2 hour today supervised, so I'm sure they got some cardio! Woof!

I feel:

Tired as I write this blog. It's already wwwwaaaaaaaayyyyy past my bedtime and I've failed to keep it. I noticed that I get tired waaayyy earlier before I normally used to (around 7:00 pm) and I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. Either way, my energy winds down earlier and I happen to wake up earlier than I did last week by an hour. My goal is to wake up with the sun everyday as sunrise is my most favorite time of day, like ever!

I feel like I could have eased back on the grease...and around 7:00 pm I wanted a cafe sooo badly. It was an especially cold night and I thought warm java would have done the trick but alas, I kept to my guns on that one.

Yesterday and this afternoon, the lemon juice/white sugar scrub has worked wonders. And the heavy whipping cream and honey mask I used last night left my skin a little too smooth if you know what I mean. They don't call is grEASY street for nuthin'. Last night, I also took a steeped bag of green tea and pressed along the red spots on my chin -- helpful? Maybe.

When my significant other commented on how my dark circles were lessening and the redness on my chin went down, he did so by stopping and deeply looking into my eyes with the utmost compassion when he spoke. I felt really pleased at having received such a genuine, heartfelt compliment on the progress my skin has made in this brief time. Made me go all soft inside.

Love,

Jennifer

Day 4: Dairy Daily

Food:

• oatmeal with fat free milk, cranberries, nutmeg, cinnamon and honey
• 1/2 green apple with peanut butter
  

• Bok Choy Chicken Flavored Soup (my own culinary delight!)
• grilled steak withdried garlic, sun-dried tomato, salt, pepper

• red skinned mashed potatoes with butter

• homemade mac n' cheese with microwaved broccoli
  
• 4-5 glasses of water, 1 cup of caffeine free herbal tea, 1 cup ofhot water with fresh mint, lemon, and (get ready for this part, it's kinda weird) sweet condensed milk

Exercise:

• My boo-boos (dogs) and I went for a hike (approximately 4-5 miles today) on a forbidden trail. There were NO signs marked but found out through someone else walking along...OOoops...
• On the hike, I meditated or at least, something along the lines of enjoying stillness. The birds were out singing in fullforce, we were followed by the same orange butterfly and we met a yellow one, as well. I felt my breathing get deeper in the few quiet moments sitting there enjoying the sounds around me.

I'm feeling:

Good. Not feeling the headaches, but enjoyed dairy city today and feeling the slight runny nose and congestion. Eeewww...Easy on the dairy there, eh?

I passed by a Starbucks advertisement for their holiday drinks and I started to lick my lips, my eyes got bigger, but, saving about $4-5 dollars, I ultimately passed. Go me!

For my skin tonight, I'll be trying a mask containing the following:

• green tea, honey, whipping cream, 1 egg white, white sugar

Sounds like the beginnings of an interesting cake mix, and we'll see how it goes.

Unsurprisingly my spots are still red, they're getting a little lighter. It's a gradual process and I have to be patient.

Mooing Peacefully,

Jennifer

Day 3: Huevos Sans Cafe

Be careful not to eat more than one egg a day unless you want to smell like a sulfur garden.

Sorry folks, but this blog is about the whole truth: the good, bad, and the ugly.

Today's eats:

• scrambled egg with spinach and nopalitos (I'm really on a nopalito kick these days!)
  
• 1/2 plain bagel with pumpkin spice cream cheese
  

• a few tasty bites from my very own spicy tuna salad recipe
  
• Roma tomato and celery salad with dried rosemary, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon and olive oil
  

• Breakfast burrito: scrambled eggs, cheese, ham, tortilla
  

• 4-5 glasses of water, cup of peppermint tea
  

Exercise:

• I took my dogs for a 6 mile walk, and when they got home they still wanted to run around for 5 minutes

I'm feeling:

Great! After that heck of a walk, feeling it in my hips and thighs. Will sleep good tonight!

On a less than stellar note, last night I went to bed nauseous and with a massive headache. I know it was the caffeine withdrawal kicking my bootay like something fierce. But it's gone. Thankfully and finally.

Throughout today I had milder versions of those headaches.

Ate lotsa eggs today, enough eggs for the week I think. Did not make my steak and brown rice...perhaps I'll do that tomorrow.

On a mental note, I'm starting to experience a little more clarity. Although I had envisioned this highly productive day of well, let's just say, I don't want to share it at this point, forgive me, I managed to get a few things checked off my to-do list, in one way or another at least.

Admittedly, with this project I've focused on a rather boring topic: daily diet. But what about the skin care approach to solving acne woes? Tonight I'm going to try (like on previous occasions) putting lemon juice on my spots. Clinique came out with a spot reducing product that I'd like to try but sadly cannot afford at the moment. Whatever. I'll see if the natural way works first.

On a positive note, I think my dark circles are getting lighter. Could be wishful thinking but I think there's a tiny bit of progress in that department.

Thinking I should have a piece of fruit before I go to bed, but I'm just feeling too full from that burro.

Snuggles and Gas,

Jennifer

Day 2: Another day without coffee

Why hello there millions of people who have yet to read my ever-so-compelling blog about my daily diet! Here's today's food update in no particular order concerning breakfast, lunch and dinner. And what one might affectionately refer to as "snacks."

The food I've consumed in my body as of today:

• oatmeal with honey, cinnamon, nutmeg
• green apple with peanut butter

• cheese quesadilla with corn tortilla
• 1/2 can of microwaved French green beans with olive oil, dried rosemary, garlic, and salt

• soggy Ladyfingers soaked in creams, cider with cinnamon and nutmeg, cranberries, green apple and pear, reheated from the previous day

• 1/2 batch of lemon bars (estimate approx. 3-4)

• kale salad with roma tomato, cilantro, lemon, Mexican onion, cucumber and nopalitos...(nopalitos are the fleshy part of a prickly pear cactus, high in fiber and yummy!) sprinkled with dried Mexican oregano and olive oil

• 7 glasses of cold water, 1 camomile tea with lemon and honey, 2 cups of hot water with lemon
• handful of green olives (that had the seeds inside, tasted kinda funny)

Exercise:

• I took my dogs for a 10, yes, I know, how sad, 10 minute walk
• Played "fetch" for about 5 minutes

Last night's dinner:

• Grilled chicken breast marinated with lemon and cilantro and black pepper mixed with artichoke pesto tomato pasta sauce, angel hair pasta, and stir-fried zucchini, spinach, and green pepper

How I'm feeling:

Other than having ate a little too much, I had some caffeine withdrawal headaches. I felt pretty sluggish today and managed to get very little accomplished. My mood hasn't necessarily improved. I read somewhere that caffeine withdrawals can make people feel down. I am feeling very critical of my skin as it still looks like a mess, but at the same time I acknowledge that I cannot be too hard on myself...

Without having realized it, I didn't get a lot of protein today and maybe that would attribute to my low energy. I think it's a combination of not being outside. I went out for a walk with my dogs and my headache got worse, followed by some mild nausea. I suppose the caffeine withdrawal symptoms have kicked into high gear today.

I never fully intended on doing it "vegetarian-style" today and I'm already dreaming of the meat I'll eat tomorrow: steak and brown rice, tuna salad (it's a special version that I like to make...) Nonetheless, I feel ok considering some of the foods I ate had significant amounts of iron.

I started fantasizing about grinding my coffee (espresso roast, dark, yum!) and making a pot, but then I stuck to my guns and opted to smell some coffee grounds instead.

I know it might seem odd but the very smell of coffee perks me right up! Instead of going through with brewing a pot, I drank some hot water with lemon. It curbed the craving ever so slightly, but at least doing so helped my headache. After I ate the kale salad, my headache started to go away. Hurray!

All of this food for thought has turned me into a food nutritionist nerd wannabe. I have googled the health benefits for everything I ate to justify the health factor on everything I've consumed. I'm slightly obsessed at this point. I'm not doing this for weight, but rather for my skin and energy. I reviewed some interesting findings, but admittedly, the science went over my head.

Sleeping last night didn't go well, although I did go to bed a little after 10:00 pm and fell asleep about 20 minutes later. At three o'clock, I woke up to go to the bathroom, and when I was done, my fiance told me he heard gun shots outside. This has been a repeated occurrence where I live so I'm probably going to move soon.

My dogs have already lied down to go to sleep as I type. It's really cute and puts a smile on my face. Before bed, I will take them out for a walk around the block. They'd like that.

Cheers and sweet thoughts,

Jennifer

Day 1: A journey starts with one step

Hi all!

Thanks for reading my blog. This is my first post in what I hope becomes a remarkable journey of change.

Here's my "mug shot"...As you can see I have plenty of room for improvement with the acne on my face and dark circles under and on my eyelids. Clearly I'm not doing this for vanity purposes, well at least not for today. ;)

What I've realized...

I cannot tell you the countless hours I have spent reading self-improvement books and articles on virtually every area of life. I have spent so much time reading and having procrastinated for so long on starting something, I decided that I had to get all of the thoughts out of my over crowded mind and onto paper...or a computer screen. Granted there are many self-help journals that advocate journaling as a means of witnessing your own progress and allow for thorough self-examination, I do not yet know of any that suggest taking this approach to a public level. Perhaps life coaches would be recommended as an alternative to blogging about sensitive topics, but given my lack of interest in using someone else to help me change, I have decided to create my own life coach of sorts that costs virtually nothing except my time and ability to commit to a project.

What I want to be different...

Now that you know the impetus for my approach, let me explain what I'd like to see change. There are several areas for improvement needed in my life. Personally, professionally, financially, and those areas related to my health. For the purposes of this blog, I will be focusing on my health but from time to time I will discuss other areas of my life because I believe that they're all interconnected and not one is compartmentalized by itself. A belief I have recently come to hold is that it all starts with health. A lot of reading and and videos I have watched support this. In later posts, I will go into more detail about those very articles, blogs, and videos that I found to be most beneficial and accurate. And give a major thanks to the authors and speakers who shared their valuable knowledge free of charge.

What I'm going to do...

I felt inspired to change my diet and lifestyle. Here are the rules or guidelines that I am going to try to live by:

Minimal to no coffee. There are actually health benefits to coffee, but considering in my case how adversely my skin and energy levels have been affected by my over consumption, I am starting to eliminate coffee and caffeine entirely from my diet save the occasional small cup that I will drink to ward of withdrawal headaches. If you've never experienced one, they really suck and last for several hours. Ugh. Luckily I have been blessed with not having any right off the bat because I drink plenty of water.

Drinking more water, specifically, 1 glass with every meal, one in the morning before breakfast, one before bed, and 1-2 glasses while running errands and driving, and one while walking the dogs. That leaves a total for potentially 7 glasses or bottles of water. I'm 130 lbs, is that enough? Also, I live in a dry climate.

Sleeping before 10:00 pm. I was considering taking a waitress job as a second job, and although I could desperately use the money, I have made the decision to put my health first. I spent years (almost 6) abusing my body but working multiple jobs as a student, getting irregular and inadequate sleep (too much, too little) not enough exercise or ways to release my tension in what was a very stressful life. I went without meals as I was constantly broke and it damaged my spirit as a result. Now, I want to take the steps to create a healthy body that I can benefit in years to come, especially during my menopausal days. I hope my 40 something or 50 something year-old-self looks back and thanks me for this very moment. I also want to do things to restore my spirit which you'll find below.

Walking regularly for 30 minutes to 1 hour daily. I have two dogs and they could totally use it. I have started to do this, and we go on 1-2 moderate to long walks a day. They feel great and I feel revitalized but not over stressed.

Practicing yoga or meditating. I have a tendency to read a lot and I love it. But my mind is constantly on overdrive and I need to quiet it for at least 10 minutes a day. I tried yoga and being the sensitive gal I am, I didn't appreciate instructors pointing out what I was doing wrong to the class. I realize that without that feedback I would not get the full benefits of doing it "right" but apparently there were stretches that my body was not ready to handle and I should like any yoga instructor know when NOT to push. Fortunately, I have had some phenomenal yoga instructors and they truly respected the limits of the class. Especially those of my tight-muscled ass, or more specifically, those of my hamstrings and thigh muscles. I meditate best outdoors by myself. If I'm in nature I can loose myself for a while and just focus on the beauty around me. That's why I chose the green and blue template for this blog as it says to me: "healthy and natural". Aaaaahhhh....Feeling more subdued already. Cheers.

Eating only healthy foods: lots of greens and fresh foods whenever possible. Today I spent $30 on green produce and got some killer deals. My crisper is overflowing. Better eat it all before it goes bad.

Allowing the following indulgences no more than twice per month:

Dark chocolate

Wine (mostly red, especially Pinot Noir and some whites)

Ice cream

A lot of the studies I read discussed eliminating all to most dairy and sugar, as well as alcohol, but I am being realistic. I believe that I can restore my health by practicing good diet overall and rewards now and then. I am no health nut. I'm not overzealous. If I make a mistake, I'll forgive myself and move forward. I want to keep this a positive source not a live or die scenario.

So without further ado, I am going to list my diet and exercise as of today. You may or may not find this interesting. And that's actually ok with me because I'm well aware that the benefit comes from my own personal review. I've already broken some of my rules and I'm going to forgive myself because I've just started. At the end of every blog I will post a picture to show the progress in my skin. Maybe my spirit will radiate, too. If you have not noticed by now, one tool in my arsenal is my positive attitude. I never believed in having a positive attitude until recently, and I hope I prove myself right!

Here's what I've done today...

Diet

Breakfast:

• 1/2 cinnamon raisin bagel with pumpkin spice cream cheese
• 1/2 asiago cheese bagel with egg scrambled, Mexican shredded yellow and white cheese, 1/2 slice of peppered turkey
• 1 cup of 100% apple juice
• 1 glass of water from Sparklets (I have a water cooler in my house and the stuff tastes amazing!)

Lunch:

• Whatever is 3 slices left over from a large pepperoni pizza
• Lady finger soaked in various liquid creams and cider with green apple, pear and cranberries

• 2 bottles of water

Dinner:

Will share on next blog post! I have yet to eat. This one's getting pretty lengthy and I applaud you if you have read all of it until now thanks to today's ever decreasing attention spans.

And if I've inspired you to do something differently in your life, I'd like to know. Thanks.

Oh, as a warning, rude and disrespectful comments, anything vulgar or obscene or blatantly cruel said to me or someone who leaves a comment will be reported and blocked. Thank you in advance for being good. Besides, the type of readers I hope to attract with my writing are more than likely sincere, decent, rational, and somewhat mature folks. I hope I'm not wrong. A little immaturity and mischief if OK, but if taken to far, I'll kick you outta here, buddy!

Thanks.

Peace and Love,

Jennifer