Day 5

This would be A LOT easier if I didn't have to cook 3+ meals a day for two hungry kids!
And I must say, the food I cook looks delicious! 


I'm grasping for inspiration and motivation everywhere I can find it! 
My most motivating thought is: "Kim!  You're going to Mazatlan in one month!  You'll be wearing a swimsuit AND enjoying all inclusive meals and drinks for 8 days! Relaaaaax!"


I keep on accidentally reaching for food.  (As I prepare the kids' meals.)  I licked my finger after cutting up Story's burrito tonight.  !Food!  In my mouth!  So many strong habits to squelch out.


I'm staying super nourished with my Dynamic Greens drinks and my juices. And my soup really calms down my cravings. ...Detox Tea -not my favorite.  Guzzle it quick and try not to let it touch my tongue.  :)


Today I drank a glass of 5 carrots, a red kale leaf, a handful of parsley and a bit of ginger.  Pretty good.  No fruit on this diet though.  Half an apple added to any glass of veggies makes it super tasty.  Carrots are the sweetest veggie to juice.  I haven't gotten up the courage to juice my garlic yet.  Maybe tomorrow? 


I'm loosing about a pound a day but I think the inches are falling off my waist.  We'll see.  I measured everything on the first day.  Results in 16 days! 

Day 4

!!!  I'm feeling pretty good about that.

Day one was prettty easy.  Day two was okay too.  Day three...  more difficult.  Unfortunately my 21 detox days had to be scheduled over Christmas.  But today, at my family's Christmas party, I was a woman of willpower!  I brought my "free soup" and I made it through.

Free Soup is acceptable cheating.  :)  Water, veggies, and spices all cooked and blended up smooth and liquefied.  Kiiinda just like baby food.  :/  But it was warm and tasty!

Getting past the temptations of Day 3 makes me feel even more powerful!  I'm on a good path.

I see on the facebook page that people report feeling completely awesome during the end of the fast.  I'm looking forward to that.  Though these first days aren't as difficult as I expected them to be! So that's good.

As of AM of Day 3 I'm down 5 pounds.  Pretty cool. Oh yeah, Goals!

-I'm hoping for those 21 pounds!
-I'm really hoping to think more clearly.  I've been swimming in brain fog lately and people claim that it clears after detoxing.  I want in on that! 
-I guess I don't know what else to expect.  I don't have too many ailments to complain of so I'm just excited to be living in a healthier, much less toxic body.

I should tell one of the biggest reasons I decided to detox.
This summer I just finished nursing my daughter.  My diet was really strict and one thing I couldn't eat was dairy.  (When I did, Story broke out in a terribly itchy rash.)  I, too, am allergic to dairy but I haven't been strict enough to take it completely out of my diet on my own.  Well, watching Story scratch until she bled was very motivating.  And the longer I didn't eat dairy the more weight I lost (and the less itchy Story was).  It was awesome!  :)

...But when I was finished nursing I rewarded myself  >> with dairy.   Like once or twice a week.  I quickly gained 20 pounds.  20!  Ach!  I just don't think macaroni and cheese is worth that.

So here I am.  Working to reverse what I did to myself. 

There's also the 24 years I spent eating gluten.  Gluten attacks the digestive system (if your allergic/intolerant).  So maybe this will give my body the time and energy to repair any damage left over from that.   Who knows?

And I'm not often on prescription meds.  But the nastiness that they drug you up with when you have a c-section (or two) ...I feel like some of that is lurking in my body somewhere.  This is my body's opportunity to shed that, too!

So now that I've spilled all my goals and motivation!  I'm going to go oil pull, drink some dynamic greens, take a shot of aloe vera, pop an enzyme supplement, relax on the chi machine for 20 minutes, and sink into bed.

Prepared

That's me!    I've been reading and educating myself.  I've watched numerous food/health documentaries to get mentally geared up.  I've been making lists.  And I've ordered all my supplements and such.  Prepared!!!   Want to know what's on the shelf of my detox cupboard???    :)




Detox Teas
Traditional Medicinals Everyday Detox Herbal Tea
Bija Deep Cleanse Tea
Yogi Tea Detox


Dynamic Greens 
This is like Superman juice.  Second to juicing your own vegetables. 


Aloe Vera Juice 
Tastes so gross!  Thankfully I'm just drinking a small amount daily. 


Organic Coffee
Errr...  I do not have this for it's intended purpose.  It's about to get awkward. 


This
I don't want to talk about it ...yet.
 BUT I do not need the "combination" pack.  It's just the only one I found. This will have one purpose.  Oy.


Enzymes
Source Naturals Daily Essential Enzymes
Digest Gluten Plus
The first one I found according to the guidelines in the book.  The 2nd was recommended by my doctor because I am allergic to gluten.  I don't eat gluten but since I did for twenty years he wanted me on it for 6+ months anyway.  I took it for 3 months and saw results.  So since I'm supposed to take enzymes I thought this would be the time to take the gluten ones again. 



Epsom Salt for detox baths.


Apple Cider Vinegar for drinking and for detox baths.


L-Glutamine
This isn't mentioned in the book but it supports cellular functions and the entire gastrointestinal tract.  So I'm going to supplement with this occasionally.


Oil for Oil Pulling.
Also not in the book.  Oil pulling is a natural ayurvedic thereapy that helps your body get rid of toxins and supports overall health.  I've done it routinely over the last year and it's awesome.  Why quit now? 




Niacin
Again, not in the book.  :)  Aids in detoxing.  I think I'll use it a few times over the 21 days.  Not daily.  It's an experience in itself.


Activated Charcoal
One last thing that's not in the book.  After recently reading this article I ordered it last minute.  In a post on the 21 Pounds in 21 Days Facebook page I asked what their thought on it are.  It's likely that this will be a part of my regimen but I'm looking forward to hearing their thoughts on it.




Body Buff for sloughing off skin.  Hmm, now I think I may have purchased one made of the wrong materials.  I'll have to check the book.  But it was just $2. 


Mud Bath and Mask 
A little detox pampering!  I thought since I'm supposed to be scrubbing of skin every day this would be a perfect supplement to pair with that.  



Of course I also have my Juiceman Juicer ready to go!  Now all I have left to do is stock up on veggies and distilled water.  I'll do this on the morning of day one.  I conned my lovely friend Michele into detoxing with me and she's going to stay with me for the first two days.  So we'll do our shopping together on Day One. 


I hope I have everything!  6 Days (and 25 minutes) until my 21 Day Detox starts!

Motivation

Just read this little motto in an Experience Life magazine. 


Defy Convention!
Do the healthy thing, even when it's challenging, inconvenient, or considered weird.  Take pride in that.



Yes!  I love this!  It's hard to do the right thing when the world around you considers it the wrong thing.  Especially when you apply those things to your family. 

Well I'm proud of informing and educating myself.  Making healthy choices and carrying them out in my kitchen and for my kids.  :)   

I know this is a bit off the detox topic.  But this little quote is what I needed right now.  I feel supported and encouraged.


Boom!

Resources

 Documentaries:
Food Matters    >So much real, applicable information in this documentary! I learn something new every time I watch it.

Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead   >This is a very inspiring movie!  The first half is a bit slow but stick it out~  I think this one is the most related to the detox I am doing.   

The Beautiful Truth   >Good info!  Interviews with crazy people. Loved it. 

Dying to Have Known    >This one is kinda weird but I really like it.  This one and The Gerson Miracle are pretty similar. 

The Gerson Miracle    > More good info on health and food!

Food Inc.   >Everyone knows about this one, right? 

Supercharge Your Immune System (14:13)
Kiss Your Fat Goodbye: Get Fit Now 
 >These last two are weird.  Kind of like sitting in a classroom being lectured by Dr. Gary Null.  Very odd but there is definitely some good info.  I liked them but I listed them last because I recommend watching the others first.   (I noted 14:13 for myself -he talks a lot about greens and I'm about to be juicing a lot of greeeeens!)



Books:
21 Pounds in 21 Days  >Must read.  Every page has important info.  Don't dive in without reading this book. Everything you need to know to detox correctly. 

 The Miracle of Fasting  >You know Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar?  Well Bragg is this crazy supernaturally healthy dude who has some strange information on how to live forever.  :)  I really like this book! 




Websites:
http://mvdietdetox.com/ >Martha's Vineyard Diet Detox Official Website

http://www.facebook.com/21poundsin21daysfanpage >I've been using this one a lot.  Asking questions and reading about others' experiences.






I think if you were to choose only two I'd say you must read 21 Pounds in 21 Days for vital information and you should watch Fat, Sick and Nearly dead for a good kick of inspiration.  But all the movies are available to watch instantly on Netflix and you can get the books used for ultra cheap on Amazon.  Do it!  :)

Heads Up! New 21 Day Challenge

  Starting my 21 Day Detox on December 15th. 

I am starting a few weeks before New Years.  For a number of reasons but one of them being that if anyone is hoping to start the New Year with the detox you can follow and ask questions and I'll be 2 weeks ahead of the game.  I'm nervous to tell anyone to join at the same time as me because I just know I'm going to make mistakes and I don't want to take anyone down with me!  I'd rather share what I learn so you can refine and apply what is relevant for yourself.  (I have my friend Michele and Ryan detoxing along with me, I'm hoping they will share their experiences too.)
 

3 Big Things!

1) Get this book!  21 Pounds in 21 Days  Please don't be deterred by the title!  I'll share why I think this title is terrible later. This book is so important to have.  I'll share a list of other references but this one is a priority!  I got a used one on Amazon for $3.  I'll be following this detox.

2) Use this coupon!  A Colon Hydrotherapy appointment costs around $70 and the detox plan calls for three of them.  I'm so glad Groupon is offering a package of three appointments for $69!  Perfect timing.  The coupon is for LifeCleanse in Anoka.   It doesn't say when the offer expires but I wouldn't wait too long if you are serious about detoxing!  (You have a year to use the appointments.)  Today I purchased mine and made my first appointment.  :)  (Obviously, a lot more on colonics later, too.  Great. ;))

3) You neeeed a juicer.  My mom found mine for me at Goodwill for $10.   I found one at Goodwill for Michele for $5.  Average price on craigstlist is $20-30. New juicers can cost up to $300.  Start your search now if you want to save a buck. 

I have so much planned!  Blog drafts started, supplements ordered, lists made.  Let me know if you're excited! and if you want to detox, too!  )
<3

Failure Eminent!

Okay.. so :) with good intentions, we began to realize that the timing of our challenge (as in time of day) was inconvenient. Extended eye contact was cake and 10 minutes of it seemed to fly by. Even our catch-up days of 30 minute eye contact (when I happened to fall asleep at night with Sully) went really well.

But...however, the evening (say 10:00) time slot after the kids fall asleep was not the best target time. The kids would either take longer to fall asleep than normal. Or, I would fall asleep with Sullivan and wake up around 12:00 (okay! lets get our eye contact in at midnight...). We need to rethink when we are going to plan the execution of our challenge, play time? During sesame street for 10 minutes?... we are reviewing the situation!

-Ryan

Oh Geez... AGAIN!

Seriously.  We're like 10ish days into our first Twenty-One Day Challenge and we already can't seem to keep up!  We do go to bed pretty late so I guess we have to give Ryan some credit.  We're tired.  We yawn a lot during our 11:50pm stare-athons.  But I really don't want to do another 30 minute round!

It went pretty well -the last one that is.  Not excruciating.  :)  Our eyes were dry and the dog chewed up a toy because she knows she can get away with anything now.  It's really odd to yell at the dog while gazing into your love's eyes. 

I think now that we've done quite a few 10 min rounds and one 30 minute one I can say that the perfect (weird) date would include about 15-20 minutes of continuous eye contact.  I kind of feel cut off as I'm really settling in when that buzzer goes at ten minutes.

So tonight, again, we have a 30 minute date.  Did I say, "again?" 

Oh yeah, and we're buying a condo.  :) 
...So we should have some pretty interesting conversation, right???

Oh Geez...

I am nervous.  Kinda nervous-excited maybe?  Thirty minutes of eye contact coming up in about three hours!!!

I feel like there's something I should do to get ready.  Liiiiike a singer warms up before a concert.   Haha!  I should start staring at people out my window as they walk by on this super beautiful spring day or glare myself down in the mirror.   :)

Look out Ryan!  If there's a winner tonight it's sooo going to be ME!  :) 

Ryan is a Slacker...

and a Sleeper!  When Ryan puts Sullivan to bed he often falls asleep right along with him.  And it is really hard to get Ryan to wake up once he falls asleep.

Last night he fell asleep and we hadn't had our staring contest yet!  I really tried to wake him up but gave up and decided that today we would have a 20 minute session.  *When you're the only one awake, you get to make up the rules.  :) 

I've been really excited about it all day!  10 minutes was challenging the first time but after only 4 sessions I'm actually kinda bummed when the timer goes off.  Ten minutes goes by quickly!  20 minutes would be really hard but really awesome!

And again, Ryan is sleeping.  I've tried three times to get him up.  He even had a coffee before he started Sully's bedtime routine.  And he has not completed our challenge.   Dun, Dun, DUN.

Apparently we need some rules for our Twenty-one Day Challenges.  What are the consequences of missing a day?  Is thirty minutes of continuous eye contact even possible???  Right now this is all I can think of.  Thirty minutes is going to be really, really hard.  Really hard!  Oy.

4 Days In

Juuuuust in case you're wondering.  Did they even do the challenge?!

Of course!  Proof:

(This is obviously 10 long and very, very boring minutes.  Are you really going to watch it!?)

The first time was really difficult!  It took a lot of concentration and focus to keep my eyes from looking away for a moment.  Today, we just finished our fourth 10 minute session and I really love it!  We wait until the kids are in bed and it's quiet.  Taking this time to connect at the end of the day is feeding my soul.  I feel stress slowly melt away as we sit together. 

It's reassuring that we're so comfortable doing this.  Sometimes we're completely quiet and sometimes we rehash our day.  Putting 100% of our focus on each other just feels so gooood.

Now that I think about it... these are ten minutes that have to be happy.  In times of tension and frustration we ever look right into each others' eyes.  If we did I'd probably end up laughing or something.  I think I read about a couple who, whenever they were in an argument, they would hold hands and, of course, they immediately find compromise.  Seeing and being seen...  :)

I really hope people are trying this with us!  Oh, please try it!  And tell us what you think! 

I love it!

Our First Challenge: Eye Contact.

Challenging?  Eh, doesn't sound too tough.  But wait, it gets interesting.  Here's what you do:

-Choose a quiet time when you know you won't be interrupted for at least 10 minutes.

-Grab a close friend, family member, or your true love.

-Sit down on the floor or couch and get comfortable.  Face to face.  Knees touching and/or holding hands.

-Set a timer for 10 minutes.

-Go!  Look into each others eyes and maintain your gaze for 10 minutes.  Go ahead and blink but don't look away!

-Come back and tell us what you think!!!  We'll be blog-sharing our reaction with you!

Since we'll be doing this 21 times we are going to choose to allow talking the first 7 times, enjoy silence the second week, and we haven't decided on the third week.

The Science!

The selective focusing of attention on a single object for a period of time appeals to traditional Buddhist meditation methods and yoga exercises. Selective attention theory espouses the general idea that focusing your attention on a single target for a measurable period of time increases your ability to identify distractions and redirect your attention on the desired object, increasing your self-regulatory abilities. When you increase your ability for self-regulation, you become more adept at identifying and detaching yourself from a whole spectrum of emotions and distractions. This detachment and purposeful focusing of attention on a target (versus your distractions) allows you to objectively accept how your body is feeling and where your brain is trying to lead you, without getting caught up in the whim of your senses and sub-conscious intent. For more info, here is an article...you may have to focus to get through the jargon :).

The target: Now, what happens when you focus all of your attention on a person? You find that your attention attempts to wonder towards the emotions, feelings, values, and thoughts about your target. In our case, each other! This correlation between focusing our attention and our sub-conscious thoughts about each other brings about all kinds of possibilities regarding our relationship, feelings of intimacy, and experiences together. This is our goal, to strengthen our bond in marriage and life together. So... 21 days, 10 minutes a day, meditation masters.. go!

Mission Statement

Who:  We are Ryan and Kim.  And you!  Please join us on our 21 Day Challenges!

What:  Together we will research, choose, and pursue a habit forming, enlightening challenge. We will share our reaction to each challenge in word, photo, and video form via blog!  We hope you feel moved to share your experiences with us as well!

When:  We will complete one 21 day challenge every month.

Why:  Our hope is that by pursuing challenges together we will experience life changing events, grow to learn more about ourselves and each other, and live a fuller, more incredible life!

-The Science!

When you dig down deep into the formation of habits and patterned routines in your life, you find that your behavior controls your learning. Neurologically, your brain is very adaptable and continuously forms and prunes (synaptic pruning) your neural pathways based on experience to achieve maximum efficiency. This process is especially salient in infants. When infants experience something new, neurological pathways are formed. The pathways strengthen as the frequency of that experience increases. For example, infants are experts at knowing they are hungry (because they're hungry all the time!).

Alternately, an infants neurological pathways are pruned when something they experienced only a few times, does not happen everyday. If an infant heard the word cercopithecoid last week from his smarmy uncle when shown a picture of a monkey, but mom always calls it a monkey, the kid's brain is going to prune the pathway connecting cercopithecoid to the picture.

Fast forward to adulthood. Although, it was once believed that our brains only had a critical period of time to form neurological pathways, Science (capitalized for emphasis) has recently found that our brains are mutable in nature even into adulthood, continually changing based on our experiences and grounded in the theory of neuroplasticity. Our experiences fundamentally change both the composition of our physical brains and the organization of our neurological pathways.

Running with the simplistic conclusions that these theories suggest, we can, fundamentally, choose how our brains develop using a little thing called intent. Kim and I have decided to run with it. We plan to organize our routines through planned repetitive experiences, 21 days straight. Join us, follow us, and decide to change your brains! Stand back, we're going to try Science!