These past two weeks I have been reading, eating, sleeping, researching, working, took a short trip, more reading, and of course TRAINING. (Now it's already 2 days after I started writing this post.. where does the time go!) Here's what I've been reading, thinking, and doing >>>
ALMOND FLOUR COOKBOOK: I finally got my hands on Elana Amsterdam's almond flour cookbook! It is incredible! I thought her website was IT, boy was I wrong. Her website is just the beginning. There are some duplicates of recipes from her website in her book, but the book has SO MANY others. I encourage EVERYONE to explore this method of gluten-free cooking. It has completely changed my perspective on eating gluten-free. When I went gluten-free I thought that I would either have to give up certain things for good (like pizza, cakes, etc) and settle for gluten-free versions that were just 'okay', or that I would 'cheat' with these gluten-filled foods and pay a huge price. NEITHER! Now, when I want something that is not exactly good for me (in it's regular form), I can have my cake (or pizza) and eat it too! These recipes are not bad for you! And they TASTE BETTER than the originals (at least to me and Ramman). I'm not saying that I will never have gluten again, but when I'm craving chicken strips, I now have a delicious, good for me, gluten-free option. This woman is a GENIUS.
CLEAN: I'm reading this book "Clean" by Alejandro Junger, M.D. and it is giving me a little hope for the American health care system. Just the fact that a Western M.D. like Dr. Junger even exists is inspiring, not to mention he has been extremely successful in helping sick people become well with his methodology. He has a very interesting story, in short: he was born and rasied in Uraguay, lived a very simple and healthy lifestyle there. He was very active and ambitious and ate very healthy food. They did not have all of this overly processed and poisonous food where he is from. At a very young age he decided he wanted to become a doctor and so he went to medical school (in South America). For his residency he moved to New York City and over the span of three years of rigorous training in cardiology, he completely lost touch with his physical and emotional self. He gained weight, was fatigued, ate crappy food, and became depressed without even realizing it. After he finished his residency he took a big risk and was thought foolish by his colleagues for taking a job in India where he would be working in an integrative medical clinic. he worked with Aryuvedic doctors, Acupuncturists, Naturopaths, Chinese doctors, etc. and during that time started to develop his own philosophy on being a doctor that largely went against traditional Western medicine. This philosphy is becoming more widely known as "Functional Medicine". Throughout this journey as a young doctor, he developed a method of cleansing in order to completely detoxify and reset the human body's ability to heal itself. Not only is it about physically detoxifying, but also mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. This is profound, especially coming from an M.D. I am about half way through the part of the book that is necessary to read before you actually do the Clean program, which is 21 days long. It isn't a fasting cleanse, although it is a calorie restricted and elimation diet. I'm excited to see how my body responds to it and if I can once and for all heal myself of these chronic digestive probelms. It's all about reprogramming your body, mind, and spirit.
PAYNOWLIVELATER: This is a fantastic blog about Primal eating. The author (who calls himself Methusula) spends a lot of time and energy sharing with people not only how he prepares food and how physically we are a direct result of what we eat, but also the psychology and emotions surrounding food. He also uses himself as a test subject for experiments on physiological reactions to food, which can be quite entertaining. He cites A LOT of valuable references that have to do with the Paleo diet and primal living.
MOVNAT: When it comes to how to physically train your body to be it's best, Erwan Le Corre has nailed it thanks to his extensive research on George Hebert and Methode Naturelle. Check out MovNat for some serious inspiration for changing the way you train. The philosophies that he represents exemplify precisely why I train and what I want to train for. LIFE. It's not about looks- that is secondary; it is about mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical growth through movement, and also a connectedness with ourselves, our environment, and our surroundings.Check out this video of Erwan practicing what he preaches:
BAD ASS.
WILDFITNESS: (wildfitness.com)This is a company based out of London who has teamed up with Erwan Le Corre (I think he is a consultant or something for them). Their philosophy is directly in line with MovNat. They host fitness vacations in Greece and Kenya (right now at least, I can only imagine how they will grow), and the coaches also run classes and training in the parks back in London. I have convinced Ramman that he and I need to apply to be Wildfitness coaches. If they like your application and your phone interview, then they ask you to come to London to train with them so that you can coach either in Greece or Kenya. We could work part-time or full-time. This is a company I would love to work for.. I don't think I have ever thought that of any other company or business.
ADVENTURE: Still trying to save some cash for our Spring 2010 adventure to Central America. It's a little stressful at times when I think that we'll never be able to do it, I just have to keep the faith, otherwise it will never happen. I am thinking of this adventure as a catalyst for change: the time to quit march (and for Ramman to quit the Mac), the time to not have a home (temporarily), to feel uprooted and open to opportunities that we otherwise would not have seen, and really just a time to gain a new perspective on our own lives as they are now. I need this. Sometimes it is necessary to take a step away from the place you are in to really see what it means and where to go next. Plus, saving for this and actually making it happen is such a HUGE goal of mine, that when I actually accomplish it, I will realize even more that I can do anything I want to do.
VISITING FAMILY: Last weekend we took a four day trip up to Seattle and Vancouver B.C. We had a great time hanging out with friends in Seattle, my sister Lindsey, and even my mom. I won't go into it here, but the last year has been a little rough with my mom, let's just say she doesn't believe it's right for a couple to live together before they are married or at least engaged. And she doesn't understand that to Ramman and I, we already are at that level of committment and we don't need some sort of social standard to validate our loyalty or love for each other. I was a little nervous about how seeing her would go, but it actually went pretty well. She and Ramman got a chance to discuss their views (still different) and learn a little more about each other. I think it was a good beginning for the lines of communication to be more open. After Seattle we went to Vabcouver B.C. which was such a pleasant and relaxing trip. We stayed with Ramman's dad, Dave and stepmom, Melody. They fed us well and we slept a lot:) We had a lot of stimulating and inspiring conversations about energy, self-realization, and the power of the human subconcious. After this trip I am fully convinced that I can heal myself of my digestive disorders and manifest my own reality to what I want it to be. We also got to see Ramman's cousins Sene and Chi and Chi's wife Tara and three month old Nyha. It felt really good to be able to connect with that side of Ramman's family. Here's Ramman, Chi, and Nyah:
As you can see, a lot of thoughts, feelings, ideas, and reflections have been happening inside me recently. So much that I hardly feel like I have had the time to process most of it. Writing about it all definitely helps, so I will commit to getting back to writing more often. It's interesting how when we feel overwhelmed with things positive and/or negative, we tend to just freeze, unable to to get anything out or let anything else in. It's all about continuing to move and change and grow.. Constant evolution.
