The Cha-Cha

This post is so named the "cha-cha" because, like any person making major changes to their lifestyle, I'm struggling. 

And to help myself adjust to and progress through the struggling, it's best to be both honest and optimistic about it. 

By that I mean...


After my half marathon in Hyannis on Sunday (in which I attained a new personal record of 1:58:28!!), I have been eating so poorly! The day of the half I had a huge buffalo chicken sub with provolone cheese, lettuce, and avocado (to make myself feel less bad about eating the sub, I added avocado to it--LOL). Then I had an enormous salad with all the goat cheese and all the raspberry vinaigrette (which I'm sure was full of all the artificial flavors). 

And on top of that I've been eating all the dark chocolate I can get my hands on. 

What is happening!?

But instead of seeing it as a failure (or a disaster if you refer to the picture), I'm choosing to recognize it as a cha-cha. A little step backward, followed by another step to propel me forward. 

I'm back to eating quinoa for breakfast with cinnamon, a tiny bit of stevia, almonds, goji berries, and dried cranberries. I could probably do without the dried cranberries because they're packed full of sugar. 


I've almost finished reading Clean by Alejandro Junger, M.D. And I plan on beginning the three-week clean program on June 9th. My last day will either be the 29th of June or the 30th. I might stretch it out another day or so depending on how I'm feeling. I was thinking, if my skin issues have not cleared up to where I want them to be, I might even stretch out the program for a fourth week--wallet permitting. 

I'm a little nervous about what my exercise regimen will look like on the cleanse. The book talks about how hard exercise halts the detoxification process. During this time the body is accessing its other resources to fuel the muscles, thus placing detox to the wayside. So the book calls for milder exercise during the cleanse. Such as yoga and...walking. =(

But I can't picture myself without a ten mile run two to three times a week for an entire month! 
I'll have to meditate on it and hopefully come to terms with the greater process at large. 

That's about all I have for now. The moral of today's story is: if you're making a change and you encounter a set-back, don't let it ruin your hope for the change. You're only human. We all struggle.

My old supervisor used to tell me, if you're going to eat the cookie, eat it fully and wholeheartedly. Don't eat it and feel guilty while doing so. Just eat it and enjoy. Likewise with change, embrace it fully and wholeheartedly. Set-backs or none, reward yourself for the progress you've made and continue to work toward your goals. 

We're all just doing the cha-cha. We step forward, we step back, and we step forward again. Make the steps to get yourself back on track, and forgive yourself for the back steps along the way. If you keep moving forward, the back steps are miniscule compared to the long-term journey pushing you forward. Believe in yourself. 

And continue to take care of yourselves, my friends. xoxo