29 Gifts

Update: gave for about 3 days, then was busy getting ready for the holidays...definitely want to try it again.

29 Days of Giving

Check out this site: http://www.29gifts.org/

This movement started with Cami, while battling MS, began giving 29 gifts in 29 days. She noticed changes in her heart & health. With Christmas coming & being a Christian, what better time to focus on giving.

I thought I'd document my giving here.

Fruit Fasting (update)

I maintained the fruit fast almost 24 hours. Now I feel much better. It was definitely harder than I expected...

Fruit Fasting

I've been feeling a little under the weather today, sinusitis, sore throat. I've read from many sources to help the body heal to drink only water and eat fruit. Hard core health enthusiast would say to water fast. Ok, that doesn't really appeal to me, not to mention the fact I have to keep up with 2 young children. So I'm planning to fruit fast until I feel better. Dinner tonight was an asian pear with clementines. The asian pear was super yummy, mmm. I'm thinking farmer's market tomorrow. We're really blessed to live near the state farmer's market...yes that's definitely in order for tomorrow.

One of my most favorite blogs, http://carrotsncake.com/ mentioned in a recent post she began blogging for accountability during a weight loss journey before her wedding. I thought, what great idea, you know even fun, in a cool, geeky sort of way.

So back to fruit fasting...I plan to continue until I feel normal again...OK, no wise cracks from those who know me. I don't want to ever go back to the typical SAD, but I don't see myself doing a totally clean, pure, diet either. Actually only God knows where my journey will take me. All I know is when I don't feel my best, to fruit fast & rest as much as possible, sort of a garden of Eden diet. I have been to the gym twice this week. It feels so good to exercise. However until I feel better, no exercising.

Bathroom Challenge

One of the challenges at sparkpeople.com is the bathroom exercise challenge. Basically every time you go to the bathroom commit to an exercise of some sort. I thought wow what a great idea. I think I can find time to do that. So I've decided that every time I use the bathroom at home I'll do 10 girlie push ups and at bathrooms elsewhere I'll do 25 wall push ups. Then I thought why not add a jumping jack every time I opened the fridge or squats at the pantry. I wonder what the neighbors will think, seeing me jumping around the house.

Now if only I could increase my cardio...maybe running in the shower? Knowing me though I'd probably fall & break something ;).

Getting busy...

...livin' or dyin'. In other words am I putting into my temple life giving or life depleting foods. Here lately it ain't been the life givin' foods. So I've been wondering, if one were eat life giving foods & only life giving foods what would be the outcome? I don't know the answer to that because I've never tried it. Would I feel better? Would some of my health maladies disappear? You know I can't wait to find out. Will I experience a healing crisis? Only time will tell? Can I do it without falling off the wagon? I know I can.

So what do I plan to do? It's not going to be a plan established by some diet guru. I just plan to eat food as close to the way God made them as possible, basically close to a genesis 1:29 diet, meaning as unrefined & unprocessed as possible. That means for me I will be eating predominantly vegan raw foods at home, but at someone's home I will enjoy vegan cooked foods occasionally. I really want to see what an optimal diet will do for my health.

I want this to encompass more than diet though, to impact all areas of my life: my walk with the Lord, exercise, sleep, sunshine, relaxation...you know all that is me. I want this to be so much more than weight loss.

I believe to see any benefit at all I need to practice this for at least 21 days. I try to post updates often.

So what are you doing for the next 21 days?

Wonderfully made

Psalm 139:14

I praise you because I am fearfully & wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

This verse is really speaking to me recently...Right now I just don't feel healthy. I think it's partly because I've not listened to my body that the Lord made. I've been prayerfully considering changes to make.