Working in a nutritiously oriented restaurant I have access to delicious and healthy foods, but there are also plenty of tempting vices I often choose over leafy greens. Mainly freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, rich and creamy avocado brownies (hey! there's no butter, so they're O.K.!) that our chef bakes lovingly everyday...and FREE ORGANIC FAIR TRADE COFFEE for Staff. I did not even drink coffee before I started working there five years ago. Three sips and I am on the ceiling for the next three days! My typical cash up ritual once we are closed is a cup of coffee and a dessert (or two) placed on top of the mug to warm up while I count the day's sales, slurping and dunking between sorting stacks of $5, $10 and $20 bills. Not exactly what I need to end the day.
Thank goodness I won a free spot in Journey of the Yogini's Be the Change: 30 Day Body Mind and Soul Challenge to give me a kick in the pants to give up bad habits and be that healthy girl I know I can be. Now, to be fair, I am a pretty healthy person to begin with. I care about what I eat and how certain foods makes me feel, but every now and then we fall off our bandwagons and develop habits that we know are not beneficial in any way, shape or form. Especially muffin tops and side boob!
The really cool part about this Challenge is that it starts just as my 3 Month Intensive 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training is wrapping up (I'm an official graduate as of Sept 5th!!!). I feel the Challenge will keep me on track and aid me in growing my practice as a new teacher. It will also keep me in touch with my Yogini community that has very much become my family this summer.
I am dedicating this 30 Day Challenge to three areas of improvement:
- A daily personal Yoga practice at home (yes, at home! I can do it on my own now).
- Dietary changes, which I have decided to cut out dairy, eggs, fish and sea food, coffee, alcohol and will be opting for more herbal teas. I have been a Pescetarian for 4 years and feel it may be time to let fish go.
(This is me at the J.O.Y 4th Yogini Yogathon May 2013 eating tasty things from The Nourished Self and drinking David's Tea)
- Girly Time! In the spirit of Be the Change's fundraising focus on The Women's Innovation Centre in Nepal, I am taking time for myself in the realm of beauty, honouring the Divine Feminine that we all share within. I'm growing and looking after my nails rather than cutting them down completely. I'm the store manager and do not need dishpan hands. I am growing out my hair to Khaleesi lengths, and beautifying my annoyingly sensitive skin. Although I do not feel I need make-up to be beautiful, I am choosing to make time to adorn myself each day.
Tomorrow is the very first day of Be The Change and I have managed to not eat a singe cookie or sip the tiniest sip of coffee all this week. I did not feel right about bingeing on bad things before starting. My nails are already nice and clicky on my keyboard and I've been batting my mascaraed eyelashes at all the lovely souls who come in for lunch at work. I've even had the juicer out of the cupboard twice in one day!
Change is a part of life and I am loving the life I am creating through change.
