Can you believe it’s June already?  I feel old when I say things like that. 

So it’s the third day of the online virtual pretend summer retreat.  Yesterday was all about sleep, and I generally get plenty of sleep so I felt good about that one.  Today is about my diet. 

On day #3, the main goal is just to cultivate an awareness of what/when you are eating and think about how your diet is serving you.

It’s very interesting timing because my trainer’s weight loss competition started yesterday.  I’m attempting to lose 12 pounds in the next two months or so.  I’ve been eating pretty healthfully, and I know (hypothetically) what I need to cut out of my diet to lose weight (or minimize, at least, i.e. cheese and alcohol.)  If I win the competition I get a free month of training…

The recommendation is to "play food blogger" for a day and keep track of everything I eat.  I am supposed to be keeping a food diary (not like the food diaries from my "trips out west" in middle school where ice cream was served at 10 am and turkey sandwiches shortly after and then bedtime…then again, perhaps a very similar idea…) and while I haven’t officially started keeping a food diary yet, perhaps today will be a good day to start.  I will not be blogging that, however.  You don’t get to see what I eat in a day, sorry.  None of your damned business.

(I know if I want to lose weight that I will go to bed hungry.  That is just how it works.  The question is am I ready for that, and can I work out and run the way I want to if I am going to bed hungry?  And don’t say, oh that’s not healthy.  That’s how it works for me.  And yes, I embrace that feeling of hunger.)

Next comes the Michael Pollan book suggestion.  I haven’t read "In Defense of Food" but I did follow the link to the 12 commandments of eating (and I love seriouseats.com so it was a win-win).  Follow this link!  I know I should read it, but I read "The Omnivore’s Dilemma" and found him to be somewhat insufferable and pretentious.  Sorry.  I just can’t.

Perhaps I’ll try the meditation idea for lunch (– for one meal, try to go without media/entertainment –) I generally read while eating (if I am alone) and I suppose no harm is done to try to simply eat.  

Happy Wednesday!

It’s amazing how my outlook has changed lately simply by being DONE with in-school teaching for the year.  And for more than that.  Possibly forever.  I just wasn’t enjoying my work the past six months or so, and now that I am DONE with school, I am much happier and carefree.

If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile, you know this.  And April/May were particularly tough months for me, but now I feel lighter and more ready to face my future.

One of my favorite bloggers is running an online six week virtual summer retreat, and I first read about it a few weeks ago during a darker time.  And thought, wow that’s a perfect idea to get my spirits up!  This retreat started today.

This week’s theme:  Inside/out

Now, the retreat doesn’t require blogging about it, but I just wanted to touch on a few things that I thought of while working on today’s "assignment."

Writing assignment: we were asked to write down what an "ideal day" would look like.  In the spirit of the retreat—making it work for me rather than somebody else– I decided not to actually do this, but I did brainstorm some of my favorite activities and things that I love to do.  Basically, I love to read, cook and eat, and hang out with Chris and other friends.  The next part was to try to incorporate some of these "ideal day" activities into today.  EASY as it’s a holiday…I am basically having the perfect day!  I already read quite a bit and soon Chris and I are going to a barbecue with friends. The only thing perhaps missing is a long run with Jen to really feel alive, but I did that yesterday.  I even "meditated" for a few minutes and considered how to redirect my outlook on a few matters that have been causing a bit of trouble.  Yes, even though I make a lot of jokes, I do occasionally look seriously within myself—this retreat is part of that.

I also read the recommended reading "you’re already perfect" by zen habits. 

The author says "You’re already good enough, you already have more than enough, and you’re already perfect."

"You’re already perfect. Being content with yourself means realizing that striving for perfection is based on someone else’s idea of what “perfect” is … and that that’s all bullshit. Perfect is who you are, not who someone else says you should be."

It’s so true.  I forget how good I have it sometimes.  My life is pretty darned awesome, and I need to remember that all the time.  It’s so hard for me to NOT compare myself to others (and my competitive streak always kicks in then, because I want to be the best.)  Instead I should remember I am already awesome and perfect!  So I can relax. 

(It’s easy for me to say this right now, in a few hours I will likely be again comparing myself to everybody else and noticing where I come up short.  Such is the way my brain works.  Excuse me, my perfect brain.)

In addition to the daily assignment, the weekly assignment/goal is to ruminate on the following:

■ what really works for you?
■ when do you truly feel your best?
■ what gets in your way from making your ideal health practices a reality?

I’ll be thinking about these things all week. 

Want to join me on the virtual summer retreat?  There’s no cost and no commitment.  Let’s do it!