sugar

Lately I have been craving sugar, sweets, dessert.  Possibly since I am practicing dry January and am missing that sugar from wine.  That would be my guess.  And my salt intake has decreased.  I crave sugar.

Takeaways of dry January.  First and foremost, better sleep.  I go to bed and immediately fall to sleep.  There is no negotiating or talking myself into slumber.  It happens when my head hits the pillow.  And it sustains throughout the night.  With one exception.  Last night, I experienced the stress loop which I loathe.  I woke up and had the same conversation of anxiety in my head.  I would fall back asleep and reawaken to the same conversation.  

Water.  I always drink water and my water bottle serves as my binky.  I always have a water bottle with me to ensure that I have access to water at all times.  In the past, I have experienced dehydration and heat stroke.  As much as I thought I learned my lesson, the face plant of 2012 would suggest otherwise.   (And, no, alcohol was not involved.  I was severely dehydrated and did a face plant at a laundromat.  Busted my lower lip/bridge of nose and my laptop was crushed).  I felt like I drank an adequate amount of water, daily, until this month.  Making an effort to truly drink a gallon of water is illustrating how dehydrated I have been.  And that I pee frequently, lol. That is the most annoying part.  The need to urinate all day.  

I am eating on a schedule.  I wake up.  Make coffee, drink lemon water, take my vitamins and juice.  Typically--apple, ginger, beet, carrot and lemon.  Sometimes, I add cucumber, bell pepper and another fruit.  Currently, cantaloupe.  I make eggs, eat a protein bar or oatmeal for breakfast.  Lunch has been a variety of things--tuna wraps, eggs, lentil soup, pasta.  Mostly, anything that I can create at home.  

I stopped by Sprout's yesterday and found some manager specials that were handy.  50 cents for a package of spinach and kale.  99 cents for a stir-fry dinner.  99 cents for cauliflower rice.  Affordable items that need to be utilized within the next three to five days.   On that point, I am cooking at home.  Yes, I have ordered take-out a few times but that has decreased.  When I dine out, my bill is a fraction of what it normally is which I also enjoy.  Being moderate is helping me consider how I want to continue with the rest of the year.  I would like to eliminate sugar from my diet as much as I can.  That will be difficult with my love of wine.  I could minimize sugar.  No sweets or desserts with the exception of special occasions.  I will have carrot cake for my birthday as it is tradition.  

I am over the halfway point of my thirty-one days.  And I am considering extending it til my visit to Santa Fe in February.  Noncommittal but considering it.  There are many things that I am considering doing differently this year.  Choosing to stay in the unconventional lane.  Cheers!

cold weather

The last few days have been frigid in Colorado.  Motivating me to remain indoors, cooped up and attempting to occupy my time.  I have tasks that I am actively avoiding.  (I seem to be a great procrastinator when I choose to be).  Eventually I will handle them.

I watched Saltburn and will return to what I thought of it in a bit.  Read a few books, prepped yoga classes and appetizers for the happy hour tonight and tried to walk outdoors.  That idea fizzled quickly.  I was unable to protect my face.  I wore yoga pants, jeans, knee high socks, a long sleeve shirt, hoodie, winter coat and hat/gloves.  Walking three blocks convinced me that it was too cold, and I should enter a coffee shop instead of walking to the market.  My daily steps have been affected by the cold.  I am unable to stay true to this habit which is frustrating.  I prefer getting movement daily.

Since Saturday, I have been reclusive.  Managed to drive to Trader Joe's before my check engine light came on.  No idea why and it freaked me out.  My car was driving well.  I observed the temperature gage and watched for black smoke to indicate some sort of issue.  I turned my car off and, on a few times, to see if it would reset and the engine light would turn off.  Thankfully it did, earlier today.   Instead of calling my mechanics in a frantic state (which I have done in the past), I decided to reach out to my neighbor who is a wrencher.  Lee has offered a couple of times to change my oil and I trust him.  After driving around this morning, my check engine light, cleared and I felt more confident in my car.  I no longer felt vulnerable.  Still, I wanted the reassurance.  I met with Lee who assessed that my car was fine.  

Lately I continue to hear people talking about the movie Saltburn and how disturbing it is.  This one girl was bothered by it.  Told her friends that they shouldn't watch it because it was really fucked up.  Some of the scenes were very disturbing.  She was really upset about it.  Her boyfriend asked me what my favorite movie was and without hesitation, I remarked, American Beauty.  I have always enjoyed this movie, immensely.  Well-acted, thought provoking and something I can watch and find something that I had not noticed before.  In 1999, I watched it five times at the theater.  Yes, five times.

Regarding Saltburn, I didn't think it was that bad.  Yes, there were a few cringeworthy moments (really cringeworthy) but overall, I was not that bothered by the movie.  It was easy to follow and predictable. Reminded me a little of Parasite, but that was more graphically disturbing from my perspective and surprising.  

Tom lent me a book about Vietnam.  So far it is dry and difficult.  Not as enthralling as reading fiction.  I am struggling to read it.  I will continue to plow through it as I am interested in the content.  I was not taught about the war while in school.  I would like to know more about it.  And I am committed to increasing my reading this year which will include nonfiction books.  I tend to gravitate towards fiction and can breeze through them.  I read the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo yesterday.  It was an easy read and although I wasn't in love with it, I did finish it.  Somewhat enjoyable as the story continued.  I suppose it is interesting to explain the desire to marry seven times.  They were all different and served a purpose.

Cold weather dictates indoor activities.  Maybe I should learn a new card game?  Solitaire occupies my time when I am alone.  Rummy when I see Tom and perhaps, crazy eight's.  I wish I had learned how to play spades, cribbage or bridge.  A forgotten way to pass time with friends.

Stay warm and healthy!

Decreasing waste

In an attempt to stay committed to dry January, I have decreased my reliance on ordering take out.  Don't get me wrong.  It is convenient and preferable when you live alone.  Cooking for one can be challenging.  The shopping, prep work, cooking, clean up, leftovers.... isn't it more desirable to order take out?  

Resoundingly, yes.  Favorable, desirable, convenient.  As well as wasteful, expensive and lazy.  Yes, lazy.  If I wanted to cook more at home, believe me, I could make it happen.  Either way, I am not in love with eating leftovers, but growing up in the Midwest, reinforced the belief that you minimize waste.  Either eat the meal, completely.  Or utilize leftovers until they are finished.  Not always appetizing or sexy when describing your life and livelihood.  Yes, I make food and eat the leftovers throughout the week.  Please come dine with me on reheated food.  

And I tend to order a glass of wine while waiting for my takeout order.  Rarely do I use a third party to have food delivered to my house.  The fees and other unnecessary fees take a $15 meal to about $28 which seems wasteful to me.  I can walk to pick up the desired goods or cook at home.  

So, I tend to order food, walk to pick it up and enjoy a beverage while waiting for the order to be composed.  Dry January does not allow for this, and I am committed to making this work.  I am on day #8 and feel fantastic.  Sleeping better and feel productive.  Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night and replay a loop in your head.  You try to turn off the loop, finally fall back asleep and reawaken to that loop of stress, anxiety, fear.  For me, it tends to deal with work or finances.  A vicious loop.  My sleep has improved, and I am thankful for the rest.

After the yoga session this morning, we sat around and chatted about a variety of topics.  Movies, music, books, vegetables.  One of my clients piped up with the--did you know that you are not supposed to put cucumbers in your fridge?  I knew that because I follow a guy on instagram that has many reels with suggestions of how to store fruits and vegetables.  I will admit, I used to buy cucumbers and put them directly into the bin in the fridge.  I did notice that often the cucumbers would go bad before I used them.  I juice daily and always have an array of fresh fruits and vegetables in my apartment.  I despise wasting products that I buy.  It is such a waste of money, and it irritates me.  

I knew the cucumber hack of placing them in a plastic bag, cutting holes in the bag, and leaving the cucumbers in a cool, dark place.  Basically, out of direct sunlight.  It is the best way to store cucumbers and avoid mold.  I buy citrus and store them differently now, too, to avoid mold or waste.  I wash them before placing them in a container filled with water and store them in the refrigerator.  Since I started storing lemons and limes in this manner, I have not thrown out any citrus.

In addition, I store celery and carrots in quarts of water.  These, too, hold up better.  I had no idea that there were ways to maximize the length of fruits and vegetables.  I realize that I am not the only person that has no clue that there are hacks to help eliminate waste.  Did you know that you should keep apples and pears separate from the rest of your fruit?  They tend to speed up the process of ripening other fruits.  Currently, I have a three lb. container of mini apples to juice.  I feel fortunate!  

Do you have any hacks to share?  This is my year of opportunity.  Opportunity to evolve some of my beliefs, habits and practices.  Today has been a lovely day.  Full of different practices.  Yoga (typical Saturday morning habit), then made lunch.  I tend to order sushi on Saturdays for some reason.  Today, I utilized some leftovers before creating a pasta dish.  Afterwards, intended to walk to the grocery store to pick up some vitamins but it is 1 degree.  I could not make myself walk seven blocks.   My body was insulated but my face was exposed which motivated me to stop into a coffee shop to warm up and focus on reading a book.  I can always walk to the market tomorrow.  

I have been listening to a bunch of music today which is great.  I feel lighter and inspired to dance around my apartment.  I want to try to read a book a week, minimum.  I am way too reliant on streaming to occupy my time.  Time to challenge, engage and continue to learn.  All in an attempt to decrease waste of produce, time and energy.

Any other strategies to eliminate or decrease waste?  I am open to suggestions and creating new habits.  New year.  New focus and opportunity.  Cheers to the weekend!

Saturday morning yoga

Yoga at the Jazzercise Studio.  Saturday mornings at 10:45. All month long.  I love this studio space.  It is welcoming and has a lovely vibe.  I found this opportunity through my trainer, Courtney.  The owner of the studio, Traci, and I both train with Courtney.  

Mainly they offer jazzercise classes and I have been offering yoga classes throughout the month.  For the last three months, Saturday mornings and twice a month on Tuesday morning.  Tuesday mornings have been infrequent due to my schedule.  I try to travel to Santa Fe frequently.  I go when it is convenient for me which does not always line up with offering classes, consistently, on Tuesdays.  This year I intend to make more of an effort to be consistent and travel to Santa Fe as well.  

Saturday mornings are a staple in my schedule.  I have been offering a class for the last three years at City Park when the weather is nice.  During the winter, I have utilized a bar on Colfax in the past and now the jazzercise studio.  It is something that I am proud of to offer and be a part of.  I never know who will attend or what we will discuss afterwards.  I only know that it continues to be a highlight of my week.  I try to keep that slot available to my clients instead of traveling.  There are exceptions, of course.  Travel and holidays tend to disrupt my calendar.  

This month there are no exceptions.  Yoga on Saturday mornings at 10:45.  Check it out!

Cheers to 2024

I am so thankful for 2024!  New energy.  Opportunity and my willingness to be done with 2023.  What a meh year.  It was not terrible.  Only not very inspirational.  

A reminder to continue the path that I embarked on in 2019.  I suppose I need reminders to keep me on the unconventional path.  It is much easier to return to what is familiar and comfortable.  There is that comfort of doing what you have always done.  Even if you know, you want more.  The pull back to the familiar path is no joke.

I embarked on this path in 2015. Getting certified for yoga and dreaming of a different life.  I didn't know how it would play out and I was terrified of actually teaching friends.  Friends that like me.  How would I teach people I didn't actually know?

One day at a time.  You build confidence, knowledge and an understanding of how to craft the class.  I know that my style speaks to many people but not to others.  I prefer a power-driven class.  I thought that is what my class would always be like.  Then, I began teaching yoga to people.  Each class offers a unique experience to cater to the people attending the class.  For example, I know that if I host a group session and it turns into a private, I think of what best inspires the client.  Perhaps, slow and stretchy with a touch of power.  Or maybe an astanga type of flow if I have a client that likes strength.  I try to make it work, each session.  

It is that way in every area of life.  I would be lying if I said that I enjoyed every yoga class that I have taken.  It can be frustrating to carve time out of your day to attend a subpar class.  And I tend to stay in my head and overanalyze why I am frustrated.  It is not a winning combination.  

For the past ten days, I have managed to build new habits.  On day six, I stopped drinking wine for the time being.  I want to participate in dry January for the remainder of the month.  Actually, I hope to practice multiple damp months this year as a way to reset and reflect.  Already my sleep has improved.  I am making better food choices and feel better in my body.  

Reading more and minimizing my takeout tendencies.  It is easier to order take out.  More convenient and accessible especially where I live.  There is sushi, Thai, multiple Mexican options, Italian restaurants and a ramen spot.  I can walk to a mediterranean restaurant if I crave gyro or Greek salads.  I love that aspect but believe I can do better.  I can make healthier choices and see how it affects me.  

2024 is about opportunity and thriving.  I truly believe it.  Last year I was in survival mode.  Not exciting or adventurous.  Just there.  I refuse to have a repeat of that this year.  

Cheers to opportunity, abundance and gratitude!