Change Your Approach and Succeed with Your New Year's Resolutions. It's Not Too Late.

Happy New Year all!  I love this time of year:  A time to reflect on the past, a time to look to the future, a time to make change and energize the present.

I'm not a life coach, but I want to offer you some great advice to make sure you succeed with your resolutions and goals while making awesome change this year.  You can do it!  Read on!

The key to a successful resolution is all in your approach.  This entails your intentions and the perception of yourself among other things.  Unfortunately, many have not learned how to create a successful approach towards reaching their goals.  We are over saturated with poor advice coming from every facet of media, i.e. television, films, web articles, magazines at the grocery store check out, etc.

I often find you learn best from your own failures.  Our society and media often portray failures as a negative thing.  Our exposure to this can create a fear of failure that discourages people from trying something new.  FORGET all of that right NOW.  Failure is a great thing!  It makes success feel greater!  And as long as we can learn from failure, it is always positive.  Michael Jordan would agree.  Read some of his quotes on failure.

We're gonna learn how to make a successful resolution approach by breaking down a failed approach to one of the most common resolutions every year:  I WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT.

Tip 1:

How you phrase your resolution and every single word of your resolution is VERY IMPORTANT.  Empower yourself with your word choice.

When you study your words carefully, they describe your intentions and self perception along with your attitude of whether or not you think you will succeed.  You must STOP wanting and trying and START willing and being.  Although it's still not the best approach, you can improve the above resolution by changing the words to:  I WILL LOSE WEIGHT.

I recently read a very common resolution from a woman via Twitter/Facebook:  I want to lose 10 lbs this year.  This could possibly be a worse choice of phrasing for a similar goal.

Tip 2:

Make a concrete resolution that has tangible steps and goals that you can possibly see or measure.  Do not phrase your resolution with abstract words or ideas.

The idea of losing 10 lbs is somewhat abstract.  Sure, you can measure 10 lbs.  But you really don't know what the loss of 10 lbs is gonna look like.  And why 10 lbs?  Why not just a few pounds.  You can lose a few pounds by fasting without food and water for a couple days.  You may be severely dehydrated but you reached your goal right?  This is logical but sounds crazy.  It's crazy because you lost a few pounds, you succeeded with your resolution, and yet you still don't feel right.  Maybe it's because you're dehydrated now, or you forgot why you made this resolution in the first place, or the result doesn't match your original intention.

Tip 3:

Ask yourself, really, why are you making this resolution in the first place.  The why will help locate and describe your intention: Your reasons and actions for making change.

People often fail at resolutions when their intentions are misguided due to negative feelings, attitudes, and a negative perception of themselves.

For example, I'm going to guess that one reason you might make a resolution to lose 10 lbs is because you're not feeling happy with your body image.  This feeling may have come from self destructive media that portrays celebrities, athletes and skewed versions of health, beauty, and perfection.  Negative feelings of self perception often result from this media exposure.  Although these feelings are not good for you, they're really good for an economy where people want to make money off you by selling you gym memberships, athletic products, food and supplements, 'beauty' products, and a host of other things that, most often, do not make you any healthier or feel any better.

Tip 4:

Make your resolution about YOU and ONLY YOU.  Although it may have a positive ripple effect on others, you should be the primary one to feel the success of YOUR resolution and no one else.

Now, you're starting to realize that your intention to lose 10 lbs was not to look better for anyone else because you don't really care about them.  YOU CARE ABOUT YOURSELF!  

Tip 5:

Tell yourself that you LOVE and RESPECT yourself and THANK yourself for this love and respect.  Say it in the mirror. Say it out loud.  Say it all the time.

You must tell yourself, "I love you."  If you think it's not true, then you're letting the negativity of media, others, and your own self doubt speak for you.  Saying it is the first step to believing it and when you believe it, you will be empowered to create the change you want within yourself and the world.

Tip 6:

While making decisions, remember that you love and respect yourself.

You care about yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.  Your love and respect of yourself will promote a healthy mind and body by influencing your decisions.  You realize that the earlier resolution to lose 10 lbs is actually not about losing weight.  It's about caring for yourself, primarily the physical.  It's about creating a healthy body that you love.  It's about empowering your body and enjoying your body which is only one part of enjoying yourself.  When you enjoy yourself, that energy radiates to others.  It's positive.  It's beautiful.  It's attractive.  It will most likely attract more positivity.

Physical health is not a secret.  However, with the great amount of poor and negative marketing and misinformation today, it may seem that way.

Physical health is comprised of 3 core ingredients:

-Good Nutrition

-Good Exercise

-Good Sleep

Obtaining great physical health involves a healthy balance of these components.  When thinking of balance and health, remember this:  Everything in moderation is NOT necessarily healthy.  But, everything healthful in moderation, IS healthy.

Now that we have clarified our intentions in a positive and healthy way, we can now rephrase and create new successful resolutions and approaches that will likely yield the same result to the original resolution: I want to lose weight.

Example:

I will love myself and my body.  I will take care of my health with proper nutrition, exercise, and sleep.

This resolution has a positive intention and message that you can remind yourself of everyday.  You will likely empower yourself and reach success with this resolution.  If you use the old resolution and you remind yourself everyday that you want to lose weight, it will likely promote negative feelings of body image which will hurt more then help you.

Again:

I will love myself and my body.  I will take care of my health with proper nutrition, exercise, and sleep.

This resolution also provides direction for creating sub-resolutions and small steps towards your health success: nutrition, exercise, and sleep.

Some examples of sub-resolutions:

-I will eat a fruit or vegetable I've never tried before (every week).

-I will check out a book from the library each week about nutrition.

-On Sundays: I will wake up without an alarm clock.  I will not do any work.  I will rest.

-I will join a recreation sports team, meet new people, and have fun.

-I will dance in my room or outside for 15 minutes a day.

Tip 7:

Make your resolution FUN!

If you make your resolution or sub-resolutions fun, you've already succeeded.  This is especially important for exercise.  Many people who make resolutions to lose weight also dread exercise.  If that's the case, you need to make it fun!  Or make it a game.  Get creative.  If you're a theatrical person, maybe find a rabbit costume to wear along with a friend who will wear a turtle costume.  Chase each other around town.  Perhaps if the turtle wins, the rabbit must make them a healthy lunch.  You will be exercising, having fun, and spreading laughter and joy to others while indirectly reaching your goal to lose weight.  But again, remember that the goal should not be to lose weight, but to love and care for yourself and your body.

Tip 8:

YOU are ultimately responsible for YOUR OWN HAPPINESS.  No one else.

Be conscious of the decisions you make regarding your health and know that you are responsible for the results.  You have the power to make better and better decisions everyday.  Since you are establishing a love and respect for yourself, it is likely that you will automatically make better decisions which will likely result in improved health and an improved sense of self.

Tip 9:

When approaching your resolutions: Always be positive, and never be negative.  Congratulate yourself on your successes while learning from and forgetting your failures.  Guilt must NEVER be considered when pursuing a goal or resolution.

This is very important on the day to day basis while pursuing a resolution.

Here's one common example: Say you made a healthy resolution and are achieving success.  You've joined a fun sports recreation team, you're exercising, you're learning about nutrition and preparing delicious healthy meals... then one day you breakdown and you try a little bit of junk food.  You feel like you failed.  You feel like you disrespected yourself.  You allow that negativity to sink in and then you don't care anymore.  Perhaps you forget that you care about yourself and you gorge for the rest of the day in bed on junk food while feeling sad.  You feel that it's hopeless.

You must remember that you have made a resolution to yourself and that you are making better decisions and getting better everyday.  That doesn't mean you're never going to make a bad decision.  Bad decisions happen.  They are natural and healthy when we learn from them and move forward.

Again, congratulate and support yourself on your good decisions.  Remember that you love yourself.  Remember your intention.  When you slip up, don't feel guilty and dwell on your bad decisions.  Move forward.  Get better and better.

Tip 10:

A resolution is a change.  A change of actions, thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, ideas...  Change is a transition that takes time.  Make sure to enjoy each moment of it!

Tip 11:

It's never too late.  Only seven days of the new year have passed.  It's nice to make resolutions at the beginning of a new year but really, you can make them whenever you want.

Congrats on reading thus far!  I wish you love, joy, and success while you empower yourself, better yourself, and make change with your resolutions.

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If any of this resonates with you, I always appreciate comments and feedback.  It's nice to know that I don't write these posts to an oblivious internet.

  

Change Your Life with Choices: Top 5 Regrets of the Dying

The article below is a great reminder of how important health and freedom are in pursuing our dreams and happiness.

Read the Top 5 Regrets of The Dying

http://www.activistpost.com/2011/11/top-5-regrets-of-dying.html

I will remember to keep my life simple.

I will maintain my good health and freedom.

I will listen to my heart while making choices.

I will choose a life full of love and happiness.

Change of Shoes: 488 Miles and a Marathon Later

I'm now a marathon runner! Last Sunday I ran to Canada and back at the Detroit Free Press Marathon- pretty cool! I ran 26.2 miles and felt pretty good throughout the whole race. And I met my personal goal to finish within 4 hrs! My final chip time was 3:57:22.  Boom!

That night, I rode around Meijer in the electric shopping cart to purchase some epsom salt while wearing my medal: proof that my legs were sore and I'm not goofing off... Well, I still did a lil' obstacle course through the women's clothes section!

I ran 488 miles in the past 5 months- crazy!  I'm gonna retire my current pair of running shoes now.  And I'm gonna retire to the couch because my right foot hurts...  

Change of Tire + Attitude

This is me back at my temporary home in Brighton with my bicycle and a balloon I found.  This is the end of a somewhat unfortunate 4 hour journey.

4 hours earlier I leave Dexter on pictured bicycle.  Before that, I'm kayaking with a friend.  I opt to ride my bicycle back home instead of doing a 6 mi run for my marathon training.  It could be a pleasant 16 mile ride, an hour of sun and fall colors...

And it is all swell for about 8 mi... and then I get a flat.  Shitty roads- damn!  No worries.  I grab an extra tube and a hand pump from my bag.  Both of which could be very useful in this situation, except that my crappy wrench isn't useful at all.  I carry the crappy wrench to save weight in my bag... but now it isn't saving me anything.  As I try to take off my back wheel, the wrench bends and won't hold the bolt.  I try just pumping up the tire and it won't hold air either.

Insert said F-bombs here.

Okay, no problem.  I can call a friend for a ride and they'll probably pick me up.  However, as I search through my bag I realize today is one of those rare instances where I forget my phone at home.

Awesome!  Insert more said F-bombs here.

8 miles of pushing my bike home starts now.  Every now and then a car honks at me.  I hope one may offer me a ride.  It's not happening.  I pass a high school and get looks from a few cars of girls... no ride... c'mon! 

Discouraged, I start to think of how much I dislike suburbia... after a mile or so of negativity, I try to flip my attitude.  I think of all the things I'm grateful for... after a while I feel better.  It's gonna take me a while to get home... but I can enjoy the long walk.  Yeah!

Now my bike feels weird.  I stop and find that my front tire is flat now too!  Dang!  I just bought new tubes!

Insert said F-bombs here.

I walk for a while and wish I had a hybrid... they're expensive though.  I'm discouraged from buying an expensive bicycle as my last one was stolen.  I like my bicycle.  It's cheap, but it's light and fast.  On smooth roads that is...  I can't stand mountain bikes because they can be so slow... but nothing's slower than my road bicycle with two flat tires right now... aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!

Now I'm pushing my bike along busy roads.  With each car passing I feel their rush of air and squint to avoid getting dirt in my eyes.

My Camelback runs out of water.  I stop at a gas station for a green tea.  I take a break on a picnic table next door at the AA club.  I talk to a couple of guys.  They say, "Nice bike."  "Thanks, but it's a lot nicer without 2 flat tires."

I journey on with 3 miles to go.  On the side of the road, I find an orange balloon among other debris.  It, too, is holding little air.  I pick up the balloon in effort to think positive and cheer myself up.  I will carry it the remaining miles home.

Shortly after, an inspiring idea for a short film and/or photo series strikes me.  It keeps my mind busy with positivity for a while until a sign interrupts: "Scuba Lessons Start Today!"  Awesome!  I stop in to get more info on scuba certification.

2 miles out my feet hurt.  I take off my shoes to prevent a blister but I'm too late.  I walk the rest of the way home barefoot with a blistered heel.  Awesome!  Blisters: Just what I want before a marathon.

Will someone please give me a ride?  I have a balloon.  Is that cute, strange, weird?  I dunno...

Still trying to keep positive, I near my street sign home and ponder the possible irony that may happen in 30 seconds.

30 seconds later an SUV pulls over to the side of the road.  I approach the vehicle smiling as to what may be confirmed:

"Is something wrong with your bike?  Do you need a ride?"

"Yes, I have 2 flat tires... but this is my street right here so I'm okay.  Thanks though!"

Although I partly wish I found her three and a half hours earlier... I'm happy to still have found a good samaritan.  And if I did find a ride earlier... I may not have this new creative idea that I'm really diggin on...  Nor this stupid balloon...  Nor become inspired to start scuba diving... And maybe this was good marathon training for mental strength...

Anywho, stay positive.

Change in Distance: Going for 26.2 miles

It's less than a week before I run my first marathon at the Detroit Free Press Talmer Bank Marathon. It's kind of a big deal for me. I started this running earlier this summer after adventuring towards a raw vegan living foods diet that heightened my energy level. My training has been DIY: I started researching a lot about running, reading forums, watching Youtube videos, and changing my running form from a heal strike to a toe strike- all in effort to get myself to a 26.2 mi race without injury. 

If you don't have Sunday plans yet, I'd def appreciate any support on the course and/or at the finish line- I'm also looking for some photos/video at the finish line if you can help. When I ran the Dexter/A2 1/2 marathon it was pretty awesome to pick out Brad's and my family's cheers near the finish line. 

The marathon race starts @ 7am - Sunday Oct. 16th @ Fort/Cass Downtown Detroit.

My real goal is to finish. But, my estimate/goal is that I'll finish in approx. 4 hours. Since there's about 4,400 participants (in the marathon alone, not to mention the 1/2, 5k, and relay) I may not cross the starting line until about 7:30am. So, I'm guessing I'll be at the finish line around 11:30am, possibly 11am possible 12pm. This guess may not be accurate as I haven't ever trained with a watch.  The overall race ends at 2pm. 

YOU CAN TRACK ME, VERY COOL.

Thanks to technology, you can track my progress during the race (whether you're there or not) with the free Detroit Free Press Marathon app available for iPhone and Android. You'll need my bib number which is 5866. My bib has a little computer chip that tracks with a sensor at each mile marker- crazy! You can search for the app or go to the website to download. 

If you will be there, please send me an email and I will write your name on my arm and run a mile for you. Last time I ran 20 miles, my feet became very sore around mile 19 and I just started yelling while running down the road looking like a lunatic. Who knows, if you come to the race, I could be screaming your name and cheering you on too! 

To help spot me: I'll probably be wearing all bright blue with headband, tank top, and shorts if the weather's good. 

Okay! Lemme know if you'll make it out. Thanks! See ya!

http://www.freepmarathon.com

Change "Only Important" Stories with Facebook: Alien Encounters and Preserving the Future with Pizza!

Personally, I think Facebook is relatively a waste of my time.  I took a 3 month hiatus over the summer while interning and learning the raw food lifestyle at the Creative Health Institute.  Most of my communication was by snail mail and I used my cell phone very little.  That was nice.  And healthy.

I reactivated my account a couple of months ago when I needed to Share videos for a freelance job I did. Since then, I've stayed "plugged-in" and may be regretting it...

Facebook continues to lose its usefulness for me over the years:  I no longer need to find that drunk girl I met the night before during a party in college.  I can remember the majority of birthdays of my family and select friends.  I am okay with being a jerk for not knowing your birthday with my lack of checking Facebook.  I use to find "Events" useful... but after college, fewer friends use Facebook regularly to make an invitation reliable, ex. "Why weren't you at my birthday party man?!  I sent you the FB invitation."  The layout has become more and more cluttered with lame "Friend" stories and statuses.  And I don't care to learn the "New" features with each frequent update.

The one thing I find Facebook useful for is to contact the friends of which I don't have their email or phone number and vice versa.

By having an active Facebook account, I still get sucked into checking it on a regular basis to see if anyone's contacted me.  Afterwards, I scroll through the "News Stories" for that sixth sense of what my friends are doing far away.  

The problem for me is that a lot of the "Stories" are generally lame or from people I don't know well.  99% of the time, even if you're my close friend, I don't care what you ate, what you saw, what you did.  For the remaining 1% of the time, I want to read something really awesome like, "Crazy night!  Got really drunk, surfed a tidal wave, and ate the raw meat of a shark after killing it with my bear hands!!!!!!!!!!!! :)"  I also want that Status Update followed with an Event invitation to have a bonfire on the beach with a bunch of friends to eat the remaining shark meat while playing drums and dancing with the shark jaws. 

Just the other day, I couldn't find any cool shark stories on Facebook because the Detroit Lions beat the Dallas Cowboys and are undefeated.  I don't have to watch football to know that.  A hundred people told me that with their Status Update.  In an effort to find a good shark story, I made another effort to Unsubscribe from the Stories of people I don't know well enough and/or care.  

It was at this point I discovered a new Facebook feature that gave me more options of how I can Subscribe to this crappy content: "All Updates, Most Updates, or Only Important."  It was the third option that made me laugh!  "Most Important."  Really?!  Come on Facebook!  I know you're company is worth millions or billions of dollars, but this "Most Important" feature seems a little self righteous.  I don't think I've ever read any "News" or anything of real importance via a Facebook Update.  They certainly might exist, but they're at the bottom of the list of drunken photos from the night before and what people ate afterwards.

Actually, this "Most Important" could be a great idea!  If I Subscribe to only the "Most Important" updates from all of my "Friends," I can then find out those who I should absolutely avoid.  I'm very sorry to say this, but if I read that you have eaten a pizza and that is the most important thing you can tell me... Well, I'm gonna stop being your friend, both on the internet and in real life. 

I'm not counting myself out on all of this either.  I certainly contribute my fair share of links and status updates to clog the toilet of information which is the internet.  I still contribute wasteful tweets and links about how I'm running, or eating raw food, or blah blah...

At this point I'm not sure where I'm going... So I travel 88 m.p.h far into the future while reflecting on all this rather lame information being archived on some crazy giant Google server.  Here, I meet an alien riding a hover board around a Google server that stands alone amongst mountains of concrete debris and bent steel.  I look to the alien, whom I've never met, and he or she says, "Welcome Lazer!"  

How does this fricking alien know my name?  Before I can ponder the question, the alien feeds me an entire pizza, 10 shots of booze, and takes a 100 photos of me while I vomit.  What the fuck was that for alien?  Hiccup!  The alien captures my vomit in a large glass vile, straps it to his back, and pulls me onto his hover board.  We fly towards an enormous starship and the alien explains:

I need to keep you alive!  I'm well informed about your subsistence on pizza and alcohol along with your necessity of self documentation.  We've got lots of questions for you!

My skin tans from the bright entrance light of the starship.

I'm an anthropologist and I've been studying the human race for millennia.  We recently discovered this artifact on Earth that we call Google.  From it, we've collected countless data.  We've been very fortunate in our research to uncover your Facebook!

Inside the starship, I'm lead into a large cathedral with thousands of aliens and one giant alien on a thrown at the top of a thousand stairs.

Please proceed to our Leader.

I stare at the alien while trying to process all of this information.  He or she pushes me forward and I now stand at the steps before their Leader.  He or She begins:

Mr. Lazer, I'm impressed we have found you!  Although the human species discovered time travel, very few of you have made an attempt to use it.  You were all too busy documenting your present that you forgot about the past and stopped looking towards the future.  We thank you for coming!

In an instant, the Leader flies down the thousand stairs feeds me an entire pizza, 10 shots of booze, and takes a 100 photos while I vomit again.  Before I can wipe my mouth, he returns to his thrown at the speed of light.

Your Facebook, Mr. Lazer, is the most impressive document we have read among any other species.  It's more important than anything our ownkind has authored.  The last generation of humankind successfully destroyed planet Earth while documenting every single detail leading up to it.  From this authoritative document, authored by every member of your species, we have insight into the last living day of Earth: We know what each of you was doing, what you liked, what you ate, what you thought, what you were feeling, what you looked like- it is truly incredible!

The Facebook, Mr. Lazer, is like a religious text or philosophy for our species.  It offers us all of the insight and knowledge on how not to live.  Humankind destroyed its very own environment that it created and the Facebook tells us exactly how you did it.  Our species learned the secret to surviving happily and sustainably by doing the opposite of what the Facebook says.  In doing so, our species and millions of others have inhabited millions of planets for millions of years.  We thank you for your contribution to the Facebook.  It has saved millions of lives.

Whoah!!!  Facebook is very important I guess.  I never looked at it that way...

Can you tell us more about the original Creator, Mark Zuckerberg?

Ummm... well I never personally met him, like in physical person you know... I think there were a few more than he... at least originally... Did you happen to see the film The Social Network?

Oh yes, the Mr. David film, very interesting indeed!  We've only seen select scenes though... We uncovered a scratched Blu-Ray disk under remnants of Arizona... Tell us more!

Well, I saw it at the theater and-

Was there popcorn?

Well yes, there was-

Tell us, what is popcorn really like?

Well, it's like popped kernels usually covered in butter and salt that you eat-

Oh, are you hungry again?

Before I can reply, the leader flies down the stairs, stuffs me with another pizza, and 10 shots.  I'm not sure if he takes my photos or if I vomit because at that point I black out.

Now I'm hungover, trying to collect my thoughts and finish this blog entry.

Lately, I was thinking that Facebook can be pretty dumb along with the people, including myself, that contribute to it. I thought that the quality of our lives may suffer from the use of Facebook and other lame technology and communication.  I thought we are creating an exponentially growing clutter of crappy pointless information.  I wanted to at least inspire myself and others to create better lives for themselves and better content or "Stories" that we share via Facebook, Twitter, etc.  

Now I realize that I may be wrong.  Every bit of information we share on the internet that may be dumb and useless now... will be very important to the survival of aliens and the Universe in the far future!

So... If you want to eat a pizza, go for it!  And please tell me about it via Facebook and Twitter.  And know this: For every person that "Like"s you eating pizza, one alien will be saved!

Change in Taste + Health: I'm a Certified Raw Living Foods Chef!

Citrus Mint Gazpacho.  My own recipe.  Delicious for that hot summer day!

Last weekend I completed my internship at the Creative Health Institute in Union City, MI where I have been transitioning to a raw living foods diet.  I spent 3 months of the summer here and several hours in the kitchen preparing delicious healthy gourmet raw meals, snacks, and desserts.  I've felt a great transformation in my health and energy as a result of this diet, including: increased physical performance with my running, a boosted sex drive, mental clarity, general happiness and more!  I'm now a firm believer that a balanced high raw diet is a critical component for a healthy life.

Receiving my certifications from Master Chef Na Young Anderson.  Na began her journey to raw living foods when she first came to CHI with ovarian cancer in 2009.  Since then, she has healed herself and continues to teach at CHI.

One of my most rewarding experiences in the kitchen was the development of my palette:  My first day, I tried a salad dressing that was prepared and the chef asked me, "What does it need?"  At that time I was pretty clueless. The majority of my food preparation in the past was simple and singular: SPICY.  I still love spicy food, but now I understand the complexity of all the flavors much more: spicy, sweet, bitter, sour, etc. and how different ingredients, herbs, and spices will affect that.  I can now taste a recipe and figure out what it may need to improve itself.  It's so rewarding to add that pinch of this or that from your intuition, taste it, and say, "Much better!"  Since then, I've created several meals just from intuition and taste and people will say, "That was fantastic!  I must have the recipe," and I smile, point to my head and say, "It's up there!"

Raw Vegan Blueberry Banana Crepes with Cashew Frosting.

Aside from flavor and taste, I'm becoming more and more intuitive with the nutrients I eat.  I'll typically eat to nourish my body and not just be full.  I feel more and more connected to what my body needs.  My body has craved both nutrients and junk food during this transition.  I've found my appetite to shrink at times when I was eating nutrient dense raw living foods.  Then my appetite grew tremendously at times since I've been training for a marathon.  I would crave more carbs and fruits.  Then, there were other times when I was able to eat a GREAT amount of junk food, more than I had prior to my transitioning, and STILL not feel full.  That's usually what happens when your body is hungry for nutrients and you give it junk.  It's been a crazy fun experience as I continue to experiment both with my diet and exercise.

Staff, Volunteers, and Guests at Creative Health Institute

As I move towards the future, I'll continue to incorporate the raw living foods lifestyle and share it with those who want to learn.  I may also try working as a personal chef for a few of my family members to get greater experience. I'd also like to travel and perhaps work as a personal chef on a ship!  We'll see!

Wheatgrass Face.  Good for skin.  Taken during my 10 Day Detox.

A quiet night at CHI.

CHI grounds.  Firefly show.  The photo doesn't do justice.

---------------------------

Now I'm not a nutritionist, but a few tips if you are interested in transitioning to a raw living foods diet:

-RESEARCH.  Read books, websites, watch videos, listen to podcasts on nutrition and the raw living foods lifestyle.  Everyone has a different body type, will experience the diet in their own way, and will need to develop their own personal approach to better health.

-TIME.  The transition takes time.  And unless you're extreme, it will most likely continue to be a transition for a long time.  Judgement and guilt can present itself on the day to day basis:  Say you "slip" and have X food one day and you feel like you blew it... That happens and you shouldn't have any negative feelings about it.  Just remember that you're intention is to improve your health, your working at it, and getting better each day.

-ADD FIRST.  THEN SUBTRACT.  The important thing is to add healthy raw food to your diet.  If you love a particular food, don't subtract it right away.  That approach most likely won't work for you.  As you make progress adding more and more raw, the later steps are to slowly subtract the unhealthy components, perhaps doing less and less quantities until you can do without.  Again, it's a transition.

- DETOXING.  Toxins enter the body through a variety of means: the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe.  The body naturally tries to release toxins through a variety of means: lymph fluid, excrement, urine, sweat.  However, toxins are stored in the body's cells when you consume higher levels of toxins: chemicals in processed foods, pesticides on non-organic foods, unnatural cleaning supplies, etc.  

When you start eating a high raw diet, you're body will detox.  And it will continue to detox throughout eating raw foods.  Detox symptoms can include: irritability, fatigue, headaches, and more.  If you slowly incorporate more raw, you may slowly feel detox symptoms.  

Some suggest doing a rapid detox cleanse such as the detox programs offered at the Creative Health Institute and other centers.  When I did my 10 Day Detox at CHI, I had days of irritability and fatigue.  And I came in as a young rather fit individual with no health conditions.  I did eat meat and dairy, but, I ate a good amount of raw fruits and veggies and tried to avoid processed foods.  I also exercised somewhat regularly.  It wasn't until my 3rd or 4th week on the diet when I experienced my "awakening" of energy.  And it felt great!  I started running everyday and now I'm training for a marathon.

So if you're beginning the transition at an older age, or with a poorer diet, just know that these symptoms are natural and you'll probably experience them more than I did.

Again, I just want to reiterate that I'm not a nutritionist, doctor, or expert.  I'm still transitioning, will continue to do so, while researching and learning more of what I think is a wonderful lifestyle.  I strongly advocate a well balanced raw living foods diet from both my personal experience and some of the miracles I've seen while at the Creative Health Institute, but you must be responsible for your own decisions and perhaps consult experts while doing so.