Friday, December 21, 2012

Wellness Wednesdays

Living life Passionately


     When I started my Treat Yo Self Cleanse I sought inspiration. Wednesdays became Wii Fit Wednesdays and most recently they transformed into Wellness Wednesdays.  
     Starting the morning off - I do my Wii Fit check in. Which this week's number made my heart skip a beat - I've transformed 35 pounds away from this beautiful body and turned it into light and love! Woot! Woot! And those pants hiding on the top shelf are now getting to go out on the town!
     And my afternoons (here's where so many things happen) are spent in a healing and supportive presence with my favorite holistic chiropractor, Dr. Margaret at Traditional Healing Arts. Her gentleness of spirit and love focus on my wholeness. Together, we've not only created the Treat Yo Self Cleanse (I'm now on day 93), she helped unveil the connections between my physical symptoms and feelings or experiences that needed healing. Why so many headaches? Why don't I sleep well? Why does my stomach hurt after most, if not all, meals? Why does my lower back hurt? How do I use food when it's beyond nutritional value? All these symptoms were messages - so with my willingness to continue exploring my heart; I've found guidance and support.
     For several years I've lived with migraines and in the last 2 years I couldn't go a week without light and sound sensitivity, a throbbing head and nausea forcing me to bed and requiring 1, 2 or sometimes 3 of my prescription medicine to find relief. 
     Even before the Treat Yo Self Cleanse a part of me knew I was sensitive to milk and yet I'd still eat ice cream, just suffering with the after affects. I knew after eating pasta and bread I didn't feel quite right - bloated and gurglely and yet I still eat them. I coped with these things, not by changing what I was eating, but by developing my own way finding map to the nearest restroom.  Consuming caffeine and refined sugar also ensured me a bedtime spent frustrated with thoughts racing through my mind. It's been over 4 years now since my body started sending me these High Priority Messages, one after the other and yet I didn't pay attention. 
     And now, that I've started paying attention and began transforming what I eat - it's amazing what I no longer have to live with.  It's been over 8 weeks since I've had a migraine. I no longer need to frantically search for a restroom after each meal. I've also been transforming weight away (I don't say lost - because usually "lost" means it can be "found" again). While this wasn't the primary reason I started the Treat Yo Self Cleanse, I must admit it's been the sugar-free icing on the gluten-free, dairy-free cake.  
     Amongst all these beautiful physical transformations - my heart, my soul and my mind have come together to find beauty in life. To let each emotion: love, joy, sadness and anger live. Through the embrace and support, I've found gratitude and forgiveness. I am facing myself. I am facing the fearful heart afraid to release food as my comfort. And the part of myself that closed off my empathy towards others because it became so painful to know what others were feeling. Remember my Care Bear Belly Badge? My heart, that continues to dream of having children. And the part of me that is letting myself take root into the soil before I blossom into a relationship my mom.
     With Dr. Margaret I've been able to unfold patterns and reveal walls that blocked me from creating the life I want. It's not always easy to acknowledge their presence and it can be rather messy (trust me, anytime that I've done this before I've come away from the experience feeling worse about myself and the situation.) Not with Dr. Margaret! We work together to create healing so that I can incorporate this into creating the life I want to lead; to continue to connect deeply and passionately with this beautiful life.


 I encourage you to listen, ask questions, seek answer and be willing. 
Know that this life can be lived passionately.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

T is for Transformation - Day 84

 Give Me A "T"

    While I don't miss fast food (or how I felt after eating this food ~ugh!) I do miss the experience of going out to dinner. Enjoying heart delighted conversations; savory bites and the biggest plus - not having to do the dishes. 
     With the dietary restrictions of Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Refined Sugar-Free, Corn-Free and Yeast-Free the idea of dining out is concerning. At the beginning of the Treat Yo Self Cleanse I needed time to live without. It was almost a mourning period of letting the way I used to eat transform into the way I'm eating now. I needed to build confidence with choosing other foods and gain comfort got asking for what I need.
     My inner cheerleader jumped up and down and is cheering for me as I recognized that I can really have fun transforming with the Treat Yo Self Cleanse. As I now celebrate day 84, I realize how great I feel with the dietary changes and know that my commitment to this transformation is alive and well.
    So I was ready - ready to finally discover restaurants that could cater to my list of specifics. In my search for the perfect restaurant my frustration grew and I knew I needed help. I reached out to a coworker - who by her delightful (and informative response) was the perfect resource. I started with asking for recommendations for Vegan Twin Cities restaurants. Here are the ones I'm most excited to try:
  • French Meadow CafĂ© (Lyndale and 26th)"is a great sitdown restaurant (in the evening) with several vegan options for each meal. They make amazing food and it’s a perfect fancy date place, or a very un-fancy breakfast place."
  • Ecopolitan (Lyndale and 24th) "is the only all-vegan restaurant in the Twin Cities. They have an entirely raw menu, which can be a turn-off for some or it can be a huge selling point. I’ve found that some of their food is just too rich for me, while their juices/smoothies and desserts are amazing."
  • Namaste (25th and Hennepin), Gandhi Mahal (Minnehaha at Lake), and Himalayan (Franklin and 25th-ish) "all offer amazing Indian food that has clearly labeled vegan options. Namaste and Himalayan do more north Indian food and Gandhi Mahal is more southern Indian. Namaste has amazing chai tea and the best chole I’ve ever had, Himalayan has great values for their prices and Gandhi Mahal is a great place to bring a date - nice atmosphere and a great range of dishes for everyone."
  • Sen Yai Sen Lek (Central and Lowry) "has delicious, amazing, fantastic Thai food. They are very knowledgeable about what’s vegan and what’s not, they have a good beer/wine selection, and they also have gluten-free options. They always have one vegetarian/vegan curry each day."
    She also provided me this resource: http://www.vegguide.org/. So thank you my friend for helping support this transformation! As I continue on with this journey - I realize that I will always need to ask "what was that made with?" or "does this include X?" But starting with these places with a conscientious approach to food is a great start.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Holiday Traditions: F*R*I*E*N*D*S and Christmas Movies

      I love this time of year and am grateful that I am filled with love and excitement. While, I know I am a little late in posting my favorites for Thanksgiving - I still want to share. The day before Thanksgiving always gets me excited, typically we host and I love planning this meal. As I whip up delicious dishes the evening before I watch my favorite episodes of F*R*I*E*N*D*S.
      Then the day after Thanksgiving is always (always) decorating for Christmas. I love putting up the tree as early as I can. I love the golden lights, my favorite ornaments and my electronic Santa stuck in the chimney always makes me smile. 
      The Christmas movie viewing begins at this time too. When my husband and I started dating we created a tradition of purchasing a Christmas movie each year. This year I was impassioned to find the made-for-tv movie from 1986 staring Dolly Parton: A Smoky Mountain Christmas. And as if Santa came early, the movie came in the mail on Friday (what luck). 
      Here's a list of my favorite Christmas movies - enjoy!
  •  Elf (2003)
    • When I saw this movie in 2003, I was grateful. There had been several years where I didn't enjoy the holidays and felt they were more work than joyous. This movie helped me fall back in-love with Christmas and the holiday spirit. 
  • A Smoky Mountain Christmas (TV 1986)
    • A heartfelt and lovely holiday tale staring Dolly Parton. Music memories and a family of orphans finding love and a home with Dolly - love it! 
  •  Santa Claus (1985)
    • This was one of the treasures we found a few years ago. I remember watching it on a VHS tape we borrowed from a family friend. When we were searching for it, I could only remember the little orphan boy drinking a Coke-Cola and the reindeer eating the sparkly hay that made them fly. 
  • Home Alone (1990) 
    • A light hearted and humorous classic with great lines, like "When I grow up and get married, I'm living alone!"
  • White Christmas (1954) 
    • Dancing, singing - it's a musical holiday! Oh and when the general walks in the hall - it gets me every time.
  • It's a Wonderful Life (1946) 
    • Probably one of my all-time favorites. The tears flow every time and sets my heart a light. 
  • Christmas Vacation (1989) 
    •  When you need a good laugh, pop in this movie and enjoy great lines like "You couldn't hear a dump truck driving through a nitroglycerin plant."
  • Mixed Nuts (1994)
    • It's quirky and makes me laugh
  • A Christmas Story (1983) 
    • This was always on the television growing up, but I didn't get it or even like it. Plus, I always seemed to catch the movie in the middle. In July of 2003 a friend and I were looking for movies to watch and we ran across this movie. I rolled me eyes and she convinced me to give it a try. It made all the difference watching it with someone who loved it and now it lives as on my favorites. We even have a mini-leg lamp in the front window!
  • Love Actually (2003)
    • Another movie my friend and I watched in July 2003 - I fell in love with it. I always love movies where the characters end up crossing paths. 
  • Surviving Christmas (2004)
  • Disney's A Christmas Carol (2009)  
    • By far, my favorite version of A Christmas Carol.
  • The Polar Express (2004) 
    • The first time we saw this was in the IMAX theature in 3D - it was amazing and continues to be a favorite.
  • Original Television Christmas Classics (1969) 
    • Includes: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer / Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town / Frosty the Snowman / Frosty Returns / The Little Drummer Boy. Who doesn't remember watching these clay-mations on TV?  
  • How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966)
    • The original and cartoon version - timeless. 
  • A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa (2008) 
    • After last year's The Muppets (2011) came out, we just needed to add a Christmas Muppet movie!
  • Noel (2004)
    • Another movie about connections. Where you meet characters and by the end of the movie, they have crossed paths and found miracles. This one makes the tears fall, but well worth it.
  • Bad Santa (2003)
    • This one falls under the "I'm not sure why I like this movie" category. Maybe it's the hope that even when your life doesn't seem like it will ever turn around (ever!) - it will.  
  • Miracle on 34th Street (1994) 
    • Sweet version of the classic - I love this Santa.
  • Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
    • While the entire movie is not all about Christmas, it reaches to the heart of family. Plus Judy Garland's performance of 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas' is lovely.