Weekly Beginnins Redux
So I’ve been doing some thinking about how well my Weekly Beginnings have been going, and the first one was a complete success, but the ones after it haven’t been. I’ve been exercising daily, but I’ve forgotten about the push-ups. I’ve started writing a novel but I forget about finding a better job. I could say it’s my laziness, but I’m thinking it’s because the mind can focus 100% on one item, or only 50% between two items, or 25% each!
if that’s the case, starting multiple 4 week challenges at once is a bad idea, the more you add, the more you have to keep track of. One challenge at a time, until it’s firmly underway, then focusing on another in the next week seems to work well. You will have up to 4 going at a time, but only one in focus, the others should already be on semi-autopilot or at least easy to keep track of.
On top of that, having a big visual guide is a help. You can see where you are at and where you have progressed or lagged behind. A scoreboard could help as well. In order to do that, I’m going to go buy a whiteboard.
For now though, the raw diet, exercising daily, writing a novel and looking for a better job are my 4 challenges.
Lets see how I go.
Weekly Beginnings 4 and 5, and planning.
Beginnings 2 and 3 were kind of a bust. I didn’t managed to do them every day. I’m not quite sure why, but I think it’s because I didn’t fit them into my overall plan of being fit and healthy. The diet was simpler than the exercise, it was something I had to stop doing rather than something I had to actually do. I need a better system.
Aside from that though, this week I’ve going to work on one item that’s critical and one that’s not.
WB 4: Find a better job. I don’t mind working at KFC, but it’s out of alignment with me and what I want to achieve in the future. I’m going to have to get a better job elsewhere. It’s as simple as that. It’s going to be my main focus this week.
WB 5: Write a novel. This is a much more long term goal, and starting today, I’m starting work on it. I had the first chapter of a book finished, but it got lost many formats ago. Today I restart the novel and continue on from there. This inspires me.
WB 2 and 3 are still on the table, and adding 4 and 5 means I need to find a way to definately do them every day. Once I figure that out, I’ll post it.
Until next time, have fun and grow. 
Going Raw Postmortem
Going raw is one of the best and hardest things I’ve done. It was the cravings mainly, because your body/brain tries to trick you all the time, whispering things like “Noone will know.” and “Just one bit won’t hurt.” It didn’t take so much willpower as much as dedication. I really wanted to be healthy far more than I wanted junk food.
The main benefits though were the increased energy and the overall feeling of health. The energy wasn’t bursting out of me like a sugar rush, it was much like a vast background pool of tapable energy. It could be used at all times and keep you going no matter what. I didn’t have problems getting to sleep either, the energy wasn’t a problem at night, it was still there, but I could turn off the access to it.
The health feeling was just an overall well being, but at the same time I was in detox. I had the same aches I get after eating junk food, but it would come and go throughout the day. It started on day 2 and lasted until day 11, but considering that I went straight from a high junk food diet into nothing but fresh ingredients, it’s not suprising.
The food was great, but all the ways to prepare it was overwhelming. I need to find better places to shop, more types of food to eat, and not worry about recipes. I prefer just eating the food like it arrives, raw and yummy. Also, having fruit and vegetables and nuts sequentially in a meal is a great way to eat, you feel like you’ve had three meals at once.
With the two week trial over on Friday night I had cooked food again, a takeaway burger. I really wanted it I thought, but after having I felt ill. Eating the burger I could taste all the grease, the meat, the breading and the spices seperately. It felt like my taste buds were on supercharge. I guess even your tastebuds go numb when you eat crap, because I couldn’t taste it before. I’m still eating cooked food until the end of monday night, but right now I feel like crap. All the energy has been switched off and I feel permanently sleepy. The trial was a success, so much so that I think I will go back on a raw food diet starting Wednesday again. After two short weeks I’m starting to wonder how we could live like this for so long, in a permanent food coma.
I do have to get a new job though. It feels karmically wrong to serve food that I know is bad.