I'm trying something new. well, i'm trying a lot of things new. some of it scares me and it's out of my comfort zone. we'll see if i can keep them going.
the first thing-- vermicomposting. worms freak me out. they're gross and scary and when they're in a huge pile they make this weird noise that sounds like death crawling under your skin. i also don't like the way they frantically crawl up onto the cement gasping for air whenever it rains and the soil floods. they squish under my shoes and bike tires and it makes me sad that i killed something. but i think i need to do this. both for myself and for my garden come spring.
I generate a lot of organic waste. tons of scraps from fruits and vegetables, grains, egg shells, coffee grounds you name it. and it fills my garbage can and it made me so sad to see all that good stuff go. I'm getting some worms from a friend and i'm excited to see how it goes. i will ahve to touch worms. i might throw up, but whatever. there are grosser things in life.
the second thing-- the whole30. food, eating, and nutrition and have always been a passion of mine. i will admit i love food and i love eating it and making it and looking at it. i have a strange emotional attachment to the things i make, watching people eat, the action of eating, and i love food for the flavors of it. last semester, i was talking to a colleague about nutrition and she suggested i read this book. "it starts with food." i'm giving it a whirl because why not. i should give it a try before i bash it. if you google "whole30" usually what comes up is a lot of paleo recipes and foods. but rather than think of it as a diet, i think about it as a means of building a healthy relationship with eating and helping my body manage its insulin spikes, reduce cravings for processed foods and sugars yadda yadda. i don't want to think of it as some weird pretentious diet even though some may think it is. "it's just 30 days" is what i'm telling myself. i'm on day 4. and so far, it's going ok.
i think the most difficult thing so far is the fact that as an ovolacto vegetarian for nearly 7 years, processing and digesting meats these past couple days has been a little hard. also, the whole 30 recommends that for the 30 days of metabolism managing, you should avoid the following: snacking, gluten, grains, dairy, added sweeteners (like sugar, honey, syrups, high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeterns....basically anything that's sugar or tastes sweet), beans and legumes, alcohol, and obviously drugs. at first this was a huge pain because beans and rice were a large part of my diet. i also love to bake which makes it hard for the gluten and sugar part. i also love to drink and snack.... a lot. so................. yeah. complete overhaul. after your body adjusts to this basic diet, they say you can begin to add things back to see how you respond to stuff. so if dairy doesn't bother you, then go for it. if grains don't make you feel terrible, then go for it. and drinking in moderation is A-OK!
these restrictions on what you can eat and when you can eat (three meals a day spaced like, what.....4 hours apart?) it seems like there would be nothing to eat at all, but the idea is to have a protein source and build your meals around that using vegetables and some fruits. fats are encouraged in moderation and many recipes seem to love the coconut milk which is cool with me. i'm just wondering when it'll get boring and/or frustrating. but there are a multitude of tasty vegetables out there. and tons and tons of different herbs and spices..... and a variety of animals that i am readjusting to eating. i also have tons of chips, crackers, cheese, wine, candy, chocolate, jams, jellys, sauces, and everything around my house. and maybe i just i want to eat that one piece of dark chocolate raspberry frango..... but i walk away.
they say it's going to help you feel more energized, you'll go longer without feeling hungry because you're forcing your body to switch to fat metabolism over sugar metabolism, and they say you'll sleep better and your skin will clear up and whatever ailments you have will somehow become more manageable. i can see how this would be helpful for a lot of people who have autoimmune, food sensitivities, weight problems, and insulin resistance.... i'm curious to see how it'll work for a relatively fit younger individual.
i really believe in the words of hippocrates: “Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food.” so i'm game to give the challenge a chance. maybe it'll be life changing. or maybe i'll hate myself forever. who knows. only time will tell.
the third thing: yoga. i've been practicing for a couple years, but never really pushing myself to make it a lifestyle. it was fun and exciting and then it plateaued to just the standard routine. a few months ago, i started attending classes with a different instructor and man, she really pushed us to our limits mentally and physically. and it was a fantastic change of pace. i feel like i've grown a lot since then and i'm ready to make it a regular part of my life. i just need to build more confidence in my body and the way it carries itself. i want to be more comfortable doing inversions and i want to be more limber and more calm and more balanced. so here's to a new mind body relationship. here's to more confidence, strength, and will power. i'm also excited to have befriended some fantastic yogis around town who i'm sure will push me to limits i have never imagined.
the fourth thing: languages. i just want to learn languages. i think languages are fascinating and i wish i was better at them and knew more. i want to brush up on the spanish and korean. learn some german, some french, and....... maybe italian. but we'll see how that goes. here's to being more worldly.
the last thing: read more books!!!!!! i love reading. this just gives me a reason to put down my computer and all electronics (except maybe the kindle) and let my imagination take me somewhere away from science and classes and research. i've always been happier when i've had time to unwind, when i get caught up in a fantastic book, and when the fantastic books always lead to more fantastic books.
yes..... i was that kid who would never leave the library or the book store...... and yes, i *might* have cried a little when borders died.
and in the mean time, i think i'll write about my journey with food for the next upcoming weeks. we'll see how a life without baking treats me.
til then, happy eating.
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