Month: May 2018

May

2018

DAY 2: 10 Day De-puff Challenge

How are you feeling now? If you’re hungry I have a few tricks you can try. Your body is most likely yearning for starch, since most people eat it day in and day out. In fact, I’d venture to guess that more people are addicted to starch than any other substance—even tobacco and heroin! Rather than throw in the towel, I have a few tips I remembered on day 1, as I was feeling hungry for the first time in months.

1. When the empty feeling arrives, drink 8-16oz pure water. Wait 15 minutes and see if you still feel hungry.
2. Next, try eating a turkey roll-up. That’s a handful of turkey inside a slice of Swiss cheese, like a taco. You can slice some julienne veggies for the middle, or a dill pickle spear. Another option is a hard-boiled egg with half an apple.
3. Don’t do non-fat. Fat is what makes you satisfied. If you use healthy fats, you can eat plenty of them. Healthy fats are:
-Olive oil NOT heated, but drizzled over salad or steamed veggies
-Raw, unrefined coconut oil, used in cooking and even eaten from the jar. It may take some getting used to for you, but I will sometimes take a tablespoonful of raw coconut oil and grind some Celtic gray sea salt on it, then chew it up and swallow for instant energy. The fatty acids in coconut oil convert directly to ATP (energy) rather than being stored as fat! Your body will actually heat up slightly, which is why I often use this trick in the winter. This kind of fat actually helps you lose weight.

A reminder: let go of bananas and mangos for now. They are the starchy fruits and actually contribute to weight gain. If you read my book, you will come away with a clear understanding of why this is true.

Smile – and don’t give up!

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May

2018

10 Day De-puff Challenge

I woke up today clearly ready to get back on my “program”. The move three days ago (from one storage shed into another – all of my remaining possessions gathered over 63 years) messed up my sacroiliac joint, hip socket, ribs, middle back, and neck. Luckily I have a great chiropractor, but have to revisit him today to get back to full function.

I look terrible—had to resort to meds, had fallen off my “horse” a few months ago, resorting to all of my favorite crutches—Lays Potato Chips and more than enough margaritas and wine. These favorites make me puff up all over and add a nice dark circle under each eye bag. Gotta say, this body looks and feels like a train wreck!

TODAY I am going back on my program. And if you are one of the thousands (GO LTHS!) who have a class reunion this fall, or if you’d like to get into your swim suit before the summer is over, why not kick off the warmer season with a 10-day de-puff challenge? IT WON’T BE EASY but you will love yourself for it.

There are only two cardinal rules for the next 10 days: First: NO STARCH. This means nothing made from any grain or potato. Limited fruits are OK, but we’ll skip mangos and bananas for now (they are the starchy fruits). Second: No fruit juice or sweetened drinks, unless sweetened with stevia. Period. I’ll explain why later.

There’s more I’ll share with you as the days go by. You can expect a new post every day or two—just during the challenge—even though I normally post less often. These extra posts will give you a little more info to keep you on track, and once the challenge is over, you’ll have some concepts in your back pocket that will help you continue rambling through life in your best body for years to come! Take a picture before you start and when 10 days are up.

Join me?

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May

2018

When Quiet is Too Quiet

Recently I accepted an invitation to help a friend insulate his cabin, which was situated on 35 acres of wooded property in southern Colorado. At first sight, the land was beautiful and I looked forward to taking breaks from the work to hike around, drink camp coffee, listen to the birds and enjoy the wildness of the place.

My host kept remarking to me how quiet it was there—and it was. I wondered why he mentioned that people didn’t hunt here anymore. It was really quiet. In fact, I took silent note that I didn’t hear any birds, and although I did see one chipmunk—that was the only animal I noticed during my two-day stay.

On my last morning I wanted to take some quiet time to do yoga outside and sit and listen to the sounds of silence. My host recommended I visit Yoga Rock, a nice flat rock at the edge of the property, perched atop a cliff that dropped down to the dirt approach road.

As I navigated through pinion and brush, I noticed a hum. It became more and more noticeable as I approached Yoga Rock. My curiosity was piqued. I kept wondering what it could be that would make a constant sound like that way out here in the hinterlands. Looking down from yoga rock I saw an ugly concrete pad with a few metal buildings, and learned later that it was a gas well. In fact, I learned that my host had allowed two wells to be fracked on his property for a sum of money.

Then I knew why there was no wildlife there. The eerie quiet (sans birdsong and would-be crackling of twigs made by scurrying wild creatures) was due to the constant humming and vibration from the wells. I’m not going to berate my host for his decision to sell out, but I have to say that I had no desire to stay there ever again.

This experience underscored my decision to take the summer-long trip I’d been planning for nearly a year. Our wildest, most beautiful places won’t go away, but they are changing. I want to see them while the birds are still singing.

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May

2018

My Office-in-the-Woods

(SORRY – YOUTUBE LOST THIS VIDEO. (You can still READ my post though!) CHECK BACK FOR A NEW VERSION OF THE VIDEO.)

My trip through our country’s most beautiful western places is also a working trip. I plan to write at least four hours, four days a week, which will leave three for hiking, visiting special friends, picking up a game of pickleball when available, and outrunning bears.

Even though I don’t have an RV or even a converted van, I’m feeling Class Act with my equipment. I’m not taking much, but I will be very comfortable. I made the decision to buy the best when choosing gear. I also had to take into consideration my size ( 5’1 ½ “) and the fact that I am not going to use my back seat and trunk area for storage. Take a look at the book, Essentialism – The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, and you’ll understand my mindset!

Have you ever tried to do your work on a laptop outside when it’s sunny? It’s heartbreaking. You just can’t see the screen. This shelter gives me a solid roof and four screen walls, so I can see my computer screen clearly while the birds and critters keep me company—and the bugs won’t break my focus. I’ll probably write by lantern-light after dark too.

Launch day is less than a month away, and when my Office-in-the-Woods arrived, my heart sank. Instructions say you need at least two people to set it up. Thankfully, my friend Sun King spent an hour with me figuring out a way I can do it alone.

If you’re crazy enough to venture out on your own, this video will help. I’m ignoring the manufacturer’s instructions, so take my advice at your own risk!

Clam offers larger versions, but for me, a minimalist with negligible storage space, the 6’x6’-is perfect. I’ll sit at my camp table and write to my heart’s content—and for early wake-up time when I’m waiting for the cowboy coffee water to boil, I’ll have plenty of space inside to do my morning yoga. Saa-weeet!

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