Cut the Crap! (aka - Teresa's epiphany)

I can honestly say that I've never before used the words crap and epiphany in the same breath, and I'm guessing you could say the same. There are just not a lot of opportunities to use those words in general (well, ok, maybe the first one, but it's borderline rude sometimes), never mind together. So, what's it all about? I'll tell you, while I sip my honey-sweetened green tea. (If I begin to sound a little delirious, don't be alarmed - I didn't fall asleep until after 2:30 last night, and my 10 minute "nap" today, didn't really make a dent in the sleep deprivation deficit).

We all have problems that we face on a daily basis (and if you don't, I want to know your secret!). Some of us face huge challenges, perhaps with health, jobs, family stuff, etc., and lots of us just have sort of regular, day-to-day problems. That's currently where I'm at, and I'm very thankful for that. I truly have nothing to complain about, and the things I do complain about are things that I can take charge of and change. My biggest "complaints" were a general feeling of perpetual tiredness (I don't go to sleep every night at 2:30), generally not feeling motivated, brain fogginess, occasional headaches, skin that's starting to look its age, and those extra pounds that don't feel like they belong on my body and that some of my clothes were becoming adverse to. Anyone else have similar problems? Maybe I should call them issues....

I have been feeling myself falling into a rut, and it's getting deeper and harder to pull myself out of it. Sure, I'm running more, and trying to get enough sleep, but those things weren't really making the impact I was hoping for. It's also pretty hard (for me, anyway) to just tell myself to eat healthier - I love my food, both the good and the bad, and plenty of it! iRun so I can enjoy my food! I'm a true "meat-a-tarian" as the Wendy's commercial puts it - it's a personal choice!

Then, last week, I was checking out a few blogs that I happened across, and all of the sudden, a giant lightbulb came on above my head, and I knew what I needed to do - cut the crap! I realize this is not rocket science, and I'm kind of laughing about how simple it is, but when something just suddenly makes sense to you, you wonder why you never really got it before. In a nutshell, I've decided to make my diet as raw as possible, something I never would have imagined doing in a million years. Everywhere I was reading, people were talking about the great improvements they had when they went raw - more energy, less tiredness, mental clarity, better skin, and of course, proper weight management! There it was - all of my problems could be solved with one solution!

I'm not about to call myself a vegetarian, or a vegan, because there are certain foods I'm just not willing to give up, ie. salmon, potatoes, coffee (with the good stuff in it), my homemade cinnamon buns, cheese - actually, there are quite a few things on that list. The point is to add as much raw food into my day as I possibly can, and then not feel guilty about the rest. In less than a week, I've already decreased my desire for some of those things, and I'm slowly cutting out some of the crap! My goal with this is not to try to live to 100, but to live whatever years I have in better health.

I read a suggestion to start by going raw one day a week, but I've come up with something that works better for me. Seeing as how supper is a family event at our house, and I don't make separate meals for people, I'm going to leave it as is. But breakfast and lunch are perfect chances for me to eat raw. It feels fantastic to eat raw all day, then thoroughly enjoy a cooked dinner. Does the cooked meal cancel out all the raw meals? I don't think so - I think any positive changes are a step in the right direction.

I've already tried a bunch of unusual foods this week - some were great, some not so great. My staple so far is the green smoothie. I've always enjoyed a good smoothie, full of fresh and frozen fruits, juice, yogurt. But now I'm starting my day with a green smoothie and I'm surprised to find that they are very tasty, and oh-so healthy. I blend up a mixture of spinach, chard and a little kale with some water and it turns into a beautiful bright green frothy mixture. Then I add (this varies) a frozen banana, frozen mango, fresh or frozen strawberries and raspberries, some flax seed, some hemp seed (loaded with protein), and maybe a date or two for extra sweetness. It actually turns into an odd brownish-green color, but it is a fantastic breakfast! I'm looking forward to throwing in some fresh peaches when they're in season.

You're probably thinking how unappetizing it is to drink spinach, and yes, it does sound weird, but fortunately all the fruit makes it taste yummy. Trust me, I wouldn't drink it if it wasn't yummy! So there you have it, my foray into the world of raw food. I'm excited to see some results in the coming months, and will let you know what happens! I have an incredible amount to learn about all this, but I do love to read, so doing the research and finding recipes should be quite entertaining for me. I'm quite excited about the new raw cookbook (it's probably called an uncookbook) I just bought and hoping to be inspired!

My green tea is gone, my eyes are watering, and my family is all snoring away happily, which means I need to get to bed, too. Tomorrow is Canada Day, so sleeping in is on my agenda. Thanks for following along with my crazy ramblings. As always, I love to hear your thoughts, so keep 'em coming, even if Blogger doesn't let you comment on here.

Happy Canada Day!