Good morning and happy snow day!
Score one for this sleepy teacher who stumbled out of bed to teach an 8 a.m. class and then happily discovered she could stay home and work on her neglected PCP blog. Sorry, students. I know you were dying to discuss that Henrik Ibsen play, as was I. Though today I did have a slightly more interesting lesson in mind--the screening of a fascinating, frightening, enlightening movie called Food, Inc.
Watch it, learn, and give up eating Tyson chicken for life.
Speaking of removing hormones, antibiotics, and animals raised in feces from your diet, a few days ago, Patrick asked us to share some of those not so expected bodily changes that accompany revolutionizing one's eating and exercise habits. Besides slipping into my jeans a bit more easily, I am enjoying the "unseen" benefits of clean eating and isn't it rad? We get quality and quantity.
My older sister, who studied Iyengar yoga in India, always lectured us about "emptying our bowels" before our first meal of the day, and after every meal throughout the day. I used to laugh at how much emphasis she put on our trips to the bathroom, but now that I'm processing everything at rapid speed - getting rid of the stuff I don't need, the way nature intended - I can see what she means. This new lightness helps me feel strong, capable, and confident as I move about my day.
Speaking of getting rid of excess, on Thursday a friend commented that my "booty was shrinking." My first instinct was to grab it protectively, and plead, Don't go! Don't go! Then I figured I could do without the extra fat on my hips and thighs. Plus, all those lunges are totally going to give me some of that Rihanna/Fergieliciousness! I am SO wearing this outfit on Day 90:
In other news, though I don't notice a big change in my photographs (it depends on the light, I guess) I've noticed that my skin isn't the bumpy mess it normally is when I'm going through my monthly hormonal fluctuations. People around me have said I seem more relaxed since I've started the PCP and I have to say that while the pressure to follow every rule is a bit much (self-imposed?), I do find the detailed plan totally liberating because I'm not the one setting the guidelines for what and how much (my friend Emily mentioned this in her blog when she was ending the PCP. Check it).
Sure, when I saw that my lunch carb allowance was upped to 220!!! I thought, duuuuuuddeee! That's some serious whole grains! Have you ever consumed 220 grams of bread/pasta/cereal in one sitting? It takes discipline, focus, concentration! I had to turn away a student last week because it took me like, 40 minutes, to plow through my lunch! And the pre- and post workout snacks? What if you eat dinner after your workout, and your afternoon snack beforehand? What's a girl to do?
Reminds me of the diet Hilary Swank was on while training for Million Dollar Baby. She had to get up in the middle of the night to drink egg whites. It takes work to become a machine, people.
So here's a tip, team. If you find yourself reaching for your forbidden beloveds, the now dejected/pushed-to-the-back-of-the-shelf jars and bottles of sugar, olive oil, and sea salt, here are some ways to incorporate them into the PCP -- by buffing that bangin' body of yours with homemade exfoliating scrubs! Like this one, which kind of looks like a margarita....Treat yourself!
Isn't that movie disgusting?!! Ugh! Even put me off eggs for a while!
ReplyDeleteYou totally reminded me that I have to push the olive oil back to the back of the cupboard. The salt - no problem (even though I love salt) - I didn't even buy it for the new house. But oil and I... we go way back, and I still use about a tablespoon-a-day.
That's my goal for the week....
p.s. - I was a full week early - so who knows what the inner hormones think about these changes.
Lol, using all your salt for exfoliating scrubs.
ReplyDeleteHey Shivani - give me your recipe - I've got some use for that!
ReplyDeleteNickety, I mix twice as much oil as sugar/sea salt in a bowl (you can add a few tablespoons of water if the sugar/salt is too grainy). It's about 2 cups of oil for a body scrub (depends how much you want to use -- I tend to focus on the flaky parts) and 1 cup of sugar (you can use brown sugar as well). I add whatever leftover things I have in the fridge -- avocado is great, so is lemon juice (though this can lighten skin, so be careful), lavender essence if you happen to have that lying around! Buff buff buff your dry skin with the mix and then rinse. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteI lurrrrve a good salt scrub exfoliation. I have a lavender-vanilla blend in the shower right now which is delightful. So relaxing.
ReplyDeleteAs to wearing that outfit on Day 90, I'd advise not venturing near traffic, lest you cause some head-turn-induced traffic accidents! (Great tush-inspiration photo, btw.)
I begin to eat at 10:30 am with brief breaks of 30 minutes and stop eating at 11:00 pm. I haven't spent so much time sitting at the dinner table since I was a little girl and food would just not disappear from my plate...
ReplyDeleteShivani, I really don't need to be any lighter, so I'll leave the lemon juice out. If I step in a dark room after being outside, I give off a glow for 10 secs. Blame the celtic genes and the long, dark, cold winters.
ReplyDeleteI need a holiday somewhere hot and I need a tan.