Week 1, day 2

 

Week 1, day 2!

How was your first two days without sugary sweets?! I walked by this twice today at Bellevue University, in Nebraska, where my husband works (and I am his lovely assistant!) and we did NOT give into temptation! WOOT WOOT! 

Funny thing about that candy was that there was a lady carrying around a big tub of it on campus and we passed her a few times, and then walked by this pile she left in the offices where we had our meetings! Haha! 

For my personal challenge, I am giving up soda! I usually carry around my insulated cup with crushed ice and diet soda (usually caffeine free, but sometimes it's Diet Mt. Dew- those videos were NOT a joke!) everywhere I go! It's kind of like a security blanket, I think! But so far so good, just water for me on this trip to Nebraska! It feels nice to be untethered from my cup, even though my mouth does miss the feeling of crunching on ice. I'll survive somehow!! 

What did you pass on today? How are you feeling about that? Do you get a sense of satisfaction from not giving into every temptation? Did you realize that you CAN live without SUGAR for a day or two?  Are you hungry and realizing you must really eat a lot of goodies! (I am!)

I don't want to get overly strict with my body but I also want to let it know that it can't have every little thing it desires. I am not a child. The things I put in my body have an effect on it! I had an ah ha moment a couple months ago when I was talking to my daughter about medication for anxiety. I have been dealing with some past trauma and have been taking an anti-anxiety medication for 1.5 years and I tried to wean myself off of it a few months ago. I was only taking a very small and it comes in a TINY pill I was feeling pretty good and wanted to see how I did without it! After it was out of my system for a few weeks and I had a few really terrible days in a row, so i semi-frantically made an appointment with my therapist. 

I told her how I had been feeling awful. It was like my mind was on fire again and I was swirling in negative thoughts about myself, guilt, shame and worry that I would never feel better. She said I probably needed to consider going back on my medication, maybe not all the way but to find a better balance, (and continue working with her on this deep down trauma). I was shocked at how this teeny tiny little pill could make such a difference in my mood, and the way I perceived myself and my life. So, I semi-happily, semi-reluctantly  weaned myself back up to half a pill a day and have found a good balance between the benefits and the side-effects, for now. 

But HERE is the "Ah Ha" part... Those little teeny grains of chemicals make a huge difference in how I feel every day. How many MORE chemicals are in the stuff I dump into my body each day when I give into the Diet Mt. Dew (which is usually when I go on a business trip) or even regular diet soda? What about all the m&m's and their dyes, and all the artificial crap that goes into so many processed foods I eat? Those have to be effecting me, don't they? Are they influencing my energy levels, my mood, making me bloated, or jittery or stressed? It was one thing that led me to want to start this challenge again... I need to cleanse my body from some junk that just doesn't belong there. Were our bodies created to metabolize large amounts of caffeine and such? I want to give my body the things it really craves and needs to thrive. I love this body! I'm not really in love  with my love handles, but this amazing body has done a great job housing my spirit and helping me bring my children into the world! Just think of all your body does for you every second of every minute of every day! I plan on being more intentional of what I do for it! I spent a lot of years treating it harshly, or cursing my every physical flaw. I think it's time to become BFF's with my hot bod!!  :) 

OK- To round out the night... 

Here is a fun and quick video Bill and I made last night after our cool event with Bellevue where we got to see (not meet) Gary Sinise! 

Click here to Learn an important sugar SECRET from Bill and I last night!

What sugar loopholes have you found? Are you going to be looking for them or avoiding them?? Haha! 

Below is a pic of Gary on stage with a slide of message he wrote to the soldiers on the side of a building when he was in Iraq. He signed it, "A Grateful American" and that just happens to be what he named his new book. I have heard it is excellent! It's on my list! 

Flying home to catch up on some sleep and see my daughter, who just got to town before we left! Do you think if I wore the mask at home all day I could avoid sugar and soda and get points easier???!? I might have to try it!!

GOOD JOB EVERYONE and GOOD NIGHT!