"Well, we're wet and cold, but at least we're exhausted."

My husband, Craig, and our friend, David Patterson, ran the Covenant half marathon this morning. The above quote is David's response to my post-race query about how he was feeling. I feel your pain, David - not because I've ever run a half marathon (one 10K, back in the day was plenty for this ex-runner) but because I've been through the training and eating patterns and knee braces with Craig as he prepared for the race. I observed the determination, grit, and perseverance it took to prepare your body and mind for this kind of adventure, and I respect the heck out of the folks who do it. No I don't aspire to do it myself, but I believe the characteristics that must come into play to accomplish something like a half marathon are also valuable for accomplishing other great feats in our lives. Feats such as building a business and creating authentic relationships, among others.

First an intention must be set - I am experiencing the joy of completing a half marathon; I am thrilled to be starting a successful business; I enter into relationships in an authentic, joyful way. Then we make a plan for getting from where we are now to where we want to go (spoken like a true Life Coach, I know!). Next we figure out ways to determine if our plan is working - are we making progress? Can I run further today than I could last week? Do I have more customers now? What's working? What isn't?

Accountability is also a key. If left to our own devices will we stick to our plan, or do we need a coach to hold our feet to the fire? A cheerleader to encourage us when the going gets rough?

When we've reached the goal, it's time to celebrate! How do you reward  yourself? This step is important. Remind yourself of the energy you expended, the hard work it took to make your goal a reality. Give yourself a pat on the back, and let others pat you too. Bask in your glory for a while, then start all over. Move to the next goal and the next and the next...

Create your life with intention and attention. Finish the race, and you too can be wet, cold, and exhausted!

Don’t Spit In God’s Face

God has endowed each of us with certain inalienable talents. They may be different gifts or talents for each of us, but they are there, inherent in the structure of our DNA, waiting for us to recognize them and put them to use. If we don't, it's like spitting in God's face - not a good idea.

Sometimes it's easier to recognize someone else's gifts than our own. We appreciate the way a friend is always calm in a crisis, but we don't realize how our own sense of humor brightens peoples' days. Or we value a leader's ability to make things happen, without seeing how our compassion softens others.

Even when we do recognize our own talents or gifts, we have often been taught that it is rude or conceited to call attention to our positive characteristics. So we down play the very aptitudes that could help make the world a better place

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What gifts are you hiding under a bushel? Wisdom gained from tough times? Serenity in the face of adversity? Courage under fire? Discernment? Whatever it is, let your light shine and inspire others to shine their own light.

Your 'call to action': Discover your inherent gifts and talents - ask a friend or family member what they see in you that you don't see. Or schedule an appointment with me and use the Enneagram to glean information about your personality and your gifts. Believe that you can make a difference in the world and commit to exploring ways to use your own special gifts to make the world a better place.

New Beginnings

Spring has sprung and along with it, the urge to write and blog and twitter and facebook. I'm getting serious about all of the above, so I invite you to subscribe to this blog and my e-zine, follow me on twitter, and add me as your friend on facebook. Together we'll explore what being healthy in mind, body, and spirit means.

Many of the major religions celebrate new beginnings in the spring - Passover and Easter, to name just two. But we don't have to belong to a specific religion to begin anew in the spring or to clean out and clear out our bodies, minds, houses, cars, closets, etc. Getting rid of things we don't use anymore, be it clothes, extra weight, or beliefs that no longer fit, frees up space for new ideas, new ways of doing things, new clothes, and makes for lighter bodies and spirits.

You really don't have to do anything drastic if you don't want to - drastic can be overwhelming and stop us before we even get started. Gradual is often better. Rather than fasting from all food for 40 days, give up sugar or caffeine for a week. Don't de-clutter your whole house in a day. Do a drawer each day, or a room a week.

Pace yourself as you clean or clear or eat differently or begin to exercise. You can always increase your efforts, if you aren't making the progress you want to. And don't hesitate to ask a friend or family member to support your efforts or make the changes with you. Having someone on your team can make all the difference in your success.

I DID IT!!!

And now...ahhhhh...I'm enjoying a cup of coffee with peppermint creamer, which I found at Target yesterday.  What perfect timing!

I did lose 2 & 1/2 pounds last week. Didn't do anything different, so I don't know what to think about that.

Lessons? I think way too much about food, probably eat too much too. And I had to think even more while cleansing, b/c the choices are so limited. I need to just enjoy my food and my healthy body and eat as healthy as I can without obsessing about it. Being hungry for a few minutes or hours won't kill me, and I'm grateful to know that the hunger is always temporary. 

Will I do it again? I plan to do it a couple of times a year, just for the 'lightning' effect - I feel lighter inside and healthier (and, of course, hungrier - LOL).

Today I'm having sugar, dairy, caffeine, and gluten, but I'm saving alcohol for the weekend. My blueberry smoothie was especially delicious this morning, and my sweet tea at McAlister's with my buddy Andrea (the neighbor to my left that, according to Kathy Freston's book was required to do the cleanse with me) will probably be the best tea I've had this year! Tomorrow I will be more intentional about the sugar, maybe have coffee or tea, not both. But today is a day to celebrate with all my favorite things!

Muchas gracias to my supportive family and friends who held my hand, listened to me whine, and put up with my crankiness these past three weeks. I couldn't have done it without you, especially, you, Jane!  xoxo

Day 17 of 21

Almost there!  Only four nights and four days to go. Here's some surprising news - I have not lost any weight, not one ounce. Now this wasn't solely about losing weight, but it's hard to figure how I could be consuming no sugar (and practically no-thing else) walking and doing yoga most days, and still be ingesting enough calories to maintain my weight. My friend Jane (whom you may remember from the first post as the friend who refused to do this cleanse with me) suggested that maybe my current weight is my 'ideal' weight, and that I should accept myself just as I am. What a novel idea! I think she may be right, but I would like to do a little work on what I fondly refer to as the 'two-baby roll' around my middle. So more yoga is in order, with a side of Pilates.

In the meantime I'm still thinking about what happens Monday. Perhaps McAlister's for lunch - sweet tea and a spud ole with veggie chili, and Craig's famous homemade pizza for dinner. The good thing about not losing weight while cleansing is that I shouldn't have to worry about gaining weight when I can eat normally again. :-)

But I have discovered that I can have a very good salad without cheese or eggs, I enjoy Balsamic vinegar salad dressing, crackers without gluten, and I can definitely do without potato chips. Maybe the most important thing is that I am more intentional about eating...and hopefully by Monday I will be eating to live, not living to eat.

And, BTW, my friend Jane, even though she chose not to participate, has been an awesome support while I've been finding my way through this. Thanks Girlfriend!

Day 14 of 21

I haven't blogged in a while, so just in case you think it's b/c I've fallen off the cleanse wagon (or I'm dead), I'm here to tell you that I'm alive and well and hungry - ha! In some ways the process is getting easier. I know what I can't have and why I'm doing this, and I'm not tempted to cheat. But in other ways it's harder. It's really getting old to have such a limited choice of foods.  There's only so much you can do with vegetables. Don't get me wrong, I love vegetables, but raw, steamed, put in a soup, stir fried - after a while, it all looks and tastes the same.

But you know what? I really don't mean to complain. I am eternally grateful that I have access to good vegetables, a warm home in which to eat them, plenty of seasonings, something to cook them on, and family and friends to support me on this quest. And I'm especially thankful that it's only for three weeks, and I only have one week to go! Then it's a joyful trip to McAlister's for some sweet tea!  Eat on, Annie

Day 8 of 21

Today was fairly easy, but I can't really say why. It's not that I won't say, but I really don't know what was different about today. I didn't think about food so much, and I wasn't too tempted to cheat when I was warming up that home-made mac & cheese for Craig to have with our salads. I won't say that the salad actually filled me up, but the popcorn I ate after dinner while watching Reba did.

I had a terrible meal yesterday with rice almond bread, fake cheese, tomatoes, olives, and basil. The tomatoes and basil were from my garden and were delicious, along with the olives, but they couldn't make up for the dense, heavy bread and not-cheese. Maybe there are some other gluten-free breads out there, or maybe I'll just forsake sandwiches til after the cleanse.

Anyway, the home-made lentil soup made up for the disastrous sandwich, no matter what my son says about it. And lentil soup just gets better each day that it lasts in the fridge. Bon appetit.