It’s time for me to challenge myself again.  I’ve been rocking the SAD vegetarian diet since the beginning of October and I’m feeling the effects.  Ergo, I have committed to doing another 30 day 100% raw challenge beginning Sunday November 29, 2009.   I’m starting after Thanksgiving.  That’s a big food-focused holiday especially for my family.  I will succeed in staying vegetarian, no problem.  It’s not a time to be hard-core on the raw though.  Christmas isn’t as food-focused for us. We celebrate quietly, with a small amount of gifts, and a moderately special meal.  I like the idea of creating a raw holiday menu.  I’ve not done a holiday fully raw yet.  No better time to start than now.  I also give myself permission to make that Christmas celebration cooked vegan, should I change my mind. One meal does not undo the other 29 days of eating 100%.

A challenge means setting up some goals.  Obviously, the main goal will be to stay 100% raw vegan.  I had 17 days at 100% during my September challenge.   I will consider myself successful in meeting the 100% goal when I increase the number of days at 100%.  I’ve signed up for Natasha’s 10 day juice feasting program.  I do not intend to be 100% juice feasting during those days.  The purpose behind it is to inspire me to have at least 1 green juice per day.   Getting the greens in increases my raw mojo.  And, I like to investigate various people’s coaching programs.   I’ve poked around juicefeasting.com for example.  We’ll see how Natasha’s fasting regime compares.

My other goals are the similar to my last challenge.

1. Stay 100% raw vegan
2. Get 30 minutes of cardio 5 times per week
3. Continue doing 3 mile walks 2 times per week with my buddy (this can count towards the 5 cardio sessions)
4. Honestly journal my daily food intake.
5. Spend time each day reflecting on what is good in my life (practicing gratitude)

I’ve informed my spouse that I’m doing another challenge and asked for support.  She has agreed to provide it.  I will periodically remind her of my personal commitment  prior to Day 1.   The time for mental preparation has begun.  Next week shall be the time for physical preparation.  That means adding more living foods (greens!) to my diet and easing off of caffeine and dairy.   It also means preparing some raw staples for the month.  I need an adequate supply of crackers, raw breads, gRAWnola,  and deserts/snacks.     Time to try a new recipe or two.  The count-down has begun.

Ok – I’m really late posting about the last week of my September 30 Day Challenge.   I’ve been traveling on business, so I’m using that as my excuse.  I was also taking some more classes at Living Light.  This time it was Knife Skills and Science of Raw Food Nutrition.  I’ll blog more about that when I have some more time.  Let’s get back to the challenge wrap up.

The last week was ok.  I ended up finishing the challenge on day 28 since we had an out-of-town guest who brought yummy bean burritos (how could I resist?).  The results of the challenge were subtle, but there. 

• I lost about 6 pounds (since regained by going a bit overboard on the goodies – but I at least know that if I’m consistent about eating the healthy stuff there is a pay-off, however slow)
• all of my chronic joint and tendon pain disappeared!  This is huge.  I’ve had pain in one form or another since 2002.  I’m still feeling pain-free even though I’m not eating as well.  It did take a couple of weeks for this
• I had an insane amount of energy. I literally had a hard time getting to sleep at night because I just wasn’t tired.  And there was no brain-fog fuzziness in the morning.  I jumped out of bed ready to rumble every single day.
• My mood was rock-star happy and consistent – no swings!
• It was easier to exercise – I had the energy, and with the good mood I had the motivation
• I really got into the habit of making better choices.  It’s amazing how you can find ways to stick to eating living foods if you make it so you have no other choice.  Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
• It got easier the longer I did it.

Would I do it again?  Absolutely! I’ve been taking a bit of a break (damn you dairy my nemesis!) from eating strictly vegan and living foods.  I’ve paid the price by finding my lost 6 lbs, returning to my typically moody emotional state, and I’m feeling really tired and unmotivated.

I think it’s time to do a cleanse and return to the high-raw state.  The experience has convinced me that eating this way is the best thing I can do for my health.  I know the biochemistry behind it all from the Science of Raw Food Nutrition class I just completed.  Knowing it and living it are two different things however.

Knowing it and feeling it don’t make it any easier to do regularly however. It’s still a struggle.  I’m starting to believe that it will be easier to just stick to it all the time rather than going on again off again.  Everytime I start over it seems harder somehow.  The victory is in continuing to begin again.  Success can only come when you make the journey.  I’m learning this the hard way.  Sooner of later the habit will become so ingrained that it’s like taking my daily shower: it’s just something that I do.  Period.

I made it out of the slump! Yeah, it took a few days longer than I would have liked.  I blame sleep deprivation. It’s a bit more difficult to hold the line with new habits when one is groggy groggy groggy. But, I did rally! I spent the rest of week 3 eating blissfully 100% raw (don’t ask about the bevvies.  I did slip back into coffee — see the part about sleep dep). I was really beat and didn’t exercise too much but managed to get in two stellar cardio workouts nonetheless.  So here’s the stats on my monthly goals so far:

1. Complete a 30 day 100% raw vegan challenge: I’m on day 25.  I’ve had 17 days of 100% raw.  I’ve had a stretch which ran 7 days — the longest run of all-raw I’ve ever had.  I’ve gotten into the flow of regular raw routine.  I actually think about my choices when I reach to grab food.  I’m considering extending the challenge into October! Even though September hasn’t been perfect, it’s been the best period of raw-eating that I’ve ever done.   That’s something. I’ve got 5 days left.  I’m going to end on a high point.

2. Exercise 30 minutes per day, 5 days per week.  Week 1 I did 4 days of workouts, a couple of which were longer than 30 minutes.  One was significantly longer – I rode the tandem with my beautiful wife for 2.5 hours.  We’ve started doing that on Saturday afternoons – another good habit instigated! Week 2: 3 30 minute workouts, 1 2.5 hour workout.  Week 3: 2 workouts.  Hey! It’s better than zero workouts.  Week 4: I’ve done 1 1.5 hour skating workout, and 4 half-hour workouts.  One of those was a high intensity interval skate.   I’d say I’ve been pretty successful at this goal given the circumstances surrounding my lack of sleep and resulting exhaustion.

3. Attend 1 Iyengar Yoga class : this is still pending.  The 30 days are not done yet though!

4. Cycle to work 3 times.   I’ve cycled to work 5 times.  I’m getting close to doing it every work day.

I’m feeling pretty good about it all.  In the past I’d take my less than perfect results as an excuse to beat myself up.  I’m practicing being kind to myself.  Attitude is everything.  We are what we think we are.  I think I’ve made amazing progress.  I’m going way more exercising than I was before.  I’m eating much healthier than I was before.  I’ve resumed activities which give me great joy (cycling, and in-line skating). I’m becoming accustomed to making the raw choice when presented with obstacles.  I even celebrated my birthday in the raw.  I made an awesome raw  German Chocolate Cake (recipe to follow) which was very well received by the carnivores in my life.

I’m counting my September 30 day raw food challenge as a success even though the month isn’t done yet.  I’m planning on giving myself a juice feast challenge pretty soon as a follow-up.   At the end of the month, I’ll do a wrap-up and list the positive benefits I’ve experienced from the challenge.

I’m trying to rally.  Really. I’m still in the 2nd week slump, however.  I slept very poorly Sunday night.  I was exhausted Monday.  And Tuesday.  Here it is Wednesday and I’m still not recovered.  I blame monthly hormonal shifts. I need to blame something.  It’s either that or lack of exercise.  I haven’t managed to get any since Sunday. It’s been one of those weeks.  Monday has been my scheduled day of rest.  Yesterday was just highly scheduled.  It happens. I have to be flexible when other things like work or family take priority.

I’m just finding it very difficult to garner the energy to go out and do it.  I’m using every trick I’ve got to motivate myself.  I’m reminding myself that by exercising I’ll actually increase my energy level and want to exercise more.  I envision myself putting on my gear.  Just putting on my gear.  That’s very do-able.  Once the gear is on, I’m more likely to go out and move.  I’m telling myself that I can do 5 minutes.  If I still feel bleh then I can stop.  In all my years of exercising, I’ve probably only had 1 time where I stopped when I told myself that.  When I get going, I usually want to keep going.

Mood wise I’ve been very very crabby.  Between the exhaustion and the mood I’m finding it incredibly difficult to stay 100% raw or vegan.  I’m at the 90% mark so far this week.  I just want to grab what’s convenient and not have to think about it.  I just want things which are “comfort food” and I haven’t had the energy to do my pre-preparation on complex recipes and I haven’t had the groceries on hand to just grab a piece of fruit.  And the kitchen’s been a mess.  In other words, I’m encountering many barriers this week.  That leads to a latte here, a few saltines there, and a quick meal of sliced cheese since it was the only appealing thing in the fridge.

I said before that the some of the “one-littlest-thing’s”  I can do each day to be successful are to pack the night ahead, plan menus/meals, keep appropriate groceries on hand.   And I haven’t.  It’s getting difficult to continue treating myself nicely when faced with adversity.  I can see what’s wrong here.  I know how to fix it.  I just can’t seem to apply the knowledge.  Here’s the part where self-talk and willingness to change enter the mix.  Falling into familiar barriers leads me to practice familiar habits.  These habits are choices.  Choice implies the ability to select between alternatives.  What alternative to choose then?

Today, I choose to head to the grocery store after work.  I’m going to get some pre-washed, pre-cut, fruit and veg.  An abundance of it.  Enough for my dinner tonight and my meals tomorrow.  That way, I don’t need to think about anything meal related.  I can grab and go without grabbing my wife’s coffee-pot left-overs in the morning.  I’m also going to get some more ingredients for my birthday cake.  When I get home, I’m going to change into my workout gear the instant I arrive (well ok, maybe I will feed the dogs first. Make that the second instant after I get home).    I’m going to exercise.  And watch a movie at the same time.

Finally, I’m going to ask my wife to help me get the kitchen cleaned up.  Then it will be ready for me to make fabulous things tomorrow night when I (hopefully) will be feeling more energetic and happy due to the exercise.

The most important thing is to not give up.  Patience, persistence, practice.  I’m doing great.  Having a less than 100% day is not a good reason stopping the challenge.  I’ll carry on and let you know how it goes.