Running home to the self

The last several weeks have been a blur. I have been working many 16 hour days. Feeling constantly on the run, I have been eating out a lot. I have also been walking less since the weather is cooling. I have had no time for self. Finally, I crashed. Feeling exhausted, sick, and bloated I said, "Enough". I decided I needed a book to help guide me back to health. I picked up Alan Trudeau's book Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You to Know About. This definitely did the trick. I also ordered a book from Amazon on how to train for a marathon called Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide and Skinny b---- which is an awesome no-nonsense book about health and nutrition for women. I feel that I need more continual guidance on that matter.

I decided to get back on the horse of natural health and well-being by beginning with a colon cleanse. I did not go out and purchase an expensive cleansing kit. I also do not have the money for "15 colonics in 30 days" as Mr. Trudeau suggests. I simply went to my local pharmacist, who is a peachy little old man right down the street from me (who is going to become my main source for bulk herbs) and discussed the matter with him. Awkward right? Yes. However, who else am I going to discuss my colon health with? He suggested magnesium citrate, a powerful oral laxative that they prescribe for clients preparing for a colonoscopy. This definitely seemed to do the trick! It is amazing how many things the colon impacts when it is clogged. Besides the obvious - the digestive system - it also affects the thyroid, the skin, and a zillion other things. It is worth looking into. Of course, my digestive system has been slow, my skin is broken out, and I am feeling very bloated. I just KNEW that my cleansing process needed to start with the colon. I think I am going to maintain this cleanse once every week or two. The next cleanse I do is going to be for the liver/gallbladder. However, once again I refuse to go out and buy an expensive cleansing kit. I am not saying there is anything wrong with this. I simply can't afford it. I am also an apprenticing herbalist so I really want to utilize my herbs for this process. I am going to make some milk thistle infusions and drink them for a few days next week. If I recall correctly, nettle root infusions are great for this also so I will switch between the two. Dandelion root is another great detoxifier for the body so I will use that too. I actually bought some dandelion greens from the store tonight. They taste very bitter in salads. I ended up picking them out of my spinach salad. Uggh!! I found a recipe for pickling them that removes the bitterness while retaining the nutrients so I am going to experiment with that tomorrow night when I make dinner.

Tonight I made myself a healthy salmon dinner with spinach and a feta buckwheat salad. I also began preparing meals to take with me when I go to work. This included root soup (soup with many root veggies in it such as turnips, potatoes, etc.) with cabbage and jalapenos for some extra flavor and heat. It is yummy!! I have committed myself to "paying myself first" (a suggestion that many investment books and financial advisory books make to individuals). What does this look like? Well, it looks like doing the best I possibly can to be healthy with a limited budget. It also means paying myself first with time, even if that means getting up earlier and getting less sleep. What will I be doing with this time? My yoga, workout, meditations, etc. Whatever I feel compelled to do that morning with my personal time. It is MY time to spend caring for ME.

I made some personal goals for myself this week. In addition to having quality me time I have also committed myself to eating only home cooked food which I shall prepare as healthy as possible (I am trying to only use distilled water so as to avoid fluoride, and all organic ingredients but this is definitely a process that requires additional finances). I will also take the time to read one whole book this week (I chose The Way of the Shaman while I wait for my other books to arrive in the mail). I feel very distant from my spiritual practices and hope this will jump start that aspect of my life as well. I will do research (for personal growth) for at least 2 hours. Finally, I will work on my book for at least 2 hours. I have already scheduled these times into my planner. When the marathon running book arrives this will jump-start my workouts. In the meantime, I need to focus on re-habituating myself with the gym. I have been there once in the last 12 days. Yikes!!

I feel like I am back on the horse again and being true and kind to my self. I came home to my self. I felt like the prodigal child returning home - to my inner wisdom and place of self-nurturing - doing what I know I should be doing for myself.

I will check back soon to update you on how I am meeting these goals and how this week is going. I can't wait to get back into the gym tomorrow with this freshly cleaned and sexy colon I now have! I'm bringin' sexy back people! Watch out!

Sincerely,

the marathon runner wannabe who veered off track for a bit...