Within/Without

Peace. I went to my family reunion this weekend In Savior Cee. Also my mother is in the hospital. Some how, some way I got food poisoning. I don’t know who or how. I did eat a lot of food not specifically prepared for me. And I am stressed about my mother being sick. I just know that things are coming out of me that are slightly disturbing and I have sharp, really sharp cramps preceding the event. Y’all know I REALLY don’t like physicians. I know enough of them, I know how they were educated, and being a health care professional myself, I KNOW that I am worth more than a shot in the dark. I only go if I know I need something only they can do for me.   So for this belly issue there are a few things I can do for myself. The 1 st thing is too fast. According to ancient medical systems fasting always aids the body in healing. Eating takes a big toll on the body. And by not eating the body can use that energy else where. In nature, animals fast when they are unwell. Wh...

Peace. I finished Queen Afua's book. I stand behind my opinion that it wasn't the most inspiring work. It had a few gems, a few things I'm going to give a try. It allowed me to recognize that I need to do better with relaxing and being peaceful at work. It is causing me to be very stressed out and stress makes me hungry and causes cortisol release which gives me a belly. So it wasn't all bad. I still don't think she wrote it, though. You know my challenges go from month to month. But I'm thinking I never fully revealed I consider a month from menses to menses. so I have been taking these Under (age) 50 Centrum multivitamins.... And do you know what? It's not so bad. I carry them in my purse and have my alarm set so that I get reminded. I take them at least 4 times a week. I think that's consistent enough. I feel good. No particular deficiencies that I have noticed. No supper tiredness, moodiness, and lip cracks that are indicated when B-complex is lo...

Peace, I get why I didn't like this "City of Wellness" book. Now i want you to know I haven't finished it. I am almost half way through it. It is not a complicated read. I'm just forcing myself to read it because there is so much I find fault with.... First, I want to ask y'all if y'all ever heard Queen Afua speak before? I have seen her on 3 occasions, but I have never heard her utter a sound. Her handlers do that. I'm wondering if they wrote this book too. this is so not "Heal thyself" or "Sacred Woman." Both of which I have read on numerous occasions and would read again. I find this book, preachy and judgey. I have heard that vegetarians are arrogant compared to meat eaters. I stopped eating meat 14 years ago. I never held it against anyone. But I have come across the "veg-police" who want to scrutinize everything on another person's plate. Even if the scrutinzee has more "veg-seniority" than the sc...

Peace. I hate when I am looking for more information on a natural/holistic modality and the only thing you can find on the internet is some pay information. I only pay for what I choose to pay for. And that information is suspect anyway. Too many of us have bought into the philosophy of the devil; selling something that should be free. Well, my mother always says to be the change you want to see.... I am reading the book "The City of Wellness: Restoring Your Health Through the Seven Kitchens of Consciousness" by Queen Afua. I was looking to see what types of experiences folks are having with this book. There is no free information online... until now. Now short of Word is Bonding another challenge that I know I'm not going to want to complete I will say that I will do a bit of Building with what I read, do (because it is a workbook kind of) and the results. Don't hold me to Building on the entire book. Another thing I would like to see is some discussion on s...

Peace. I don't take vitamins. I try to eat well and exercise. Breathe fresh air, think good thoughts. Meditate, learn new things, etc. And I assumed that would lead me down the path of vibrant health. So far it has. I feel really good and and still meeting my goal of not needing meds chronically. But I get older everyday. I am constantly battling deficiencies. Every time I get one under control another one pops up. It's like a part time job! I have been hesitant in taking vitamins because I don't 100% agree with the usage. Example... You get Vitamin C from oranges, but you also get fiber, water and other natural and necessary things along with vitamin C. With a supplement you get chalk and foolishness. Well... I'm going to start taking the chalk and foolishness. We live in a polluted world. The people most affected are the clean ones. Think about it... If two people lose at tug-of-war and fall in the mud, one has a white shirt on and the other has a brown shirt; w...

Peace. Yesterday (6/5/13) was National Running Day. And even though it was hot as hell I was planning to log a few miles in after work. But by the time I got home it was raining. Now I know you cannot spell TRAIN without RAIN but it was that real deal tree knocking over, electricity losing type of torrential downpour. So..... I ain't go out. I don't have a treadmill. Mark 1 to the game. So.... I decided to review my new kicks. My Adidas Liquids. I got them at Burlington. I gave the Saucony's to my mother. they were too big, too, thick , too heavy, too everything. She claims to like them, but I know she is only saying that because I gave them to her. I needed a new running shoe and I didn't go to Burlington with the purpose of buying shoes but I saw them, they fit, felt good and were $40 so I got them. These are my 1st pair of Adidas. When I was a teenager I had a little stupid job. But it was enough job that I was able to save up enough money over the summer t...

Peace. Last month I undertook a new challenge. Y'all know I like a good monthly challenge... If it works, YAY for me I have a new modality. If it doesn't... oh well only 28-31 days of it. I know y'all sick of hearing about the day in day out struggles of my various challenges so I keep it to the unveiling and finishing unless I'm having some problem with it. May's challenge was a bit rocky, but I gave up dairy, tofu and eggs. The rationale behind that was to get at my fibroids by reducing my estrogen dominance through holistic modalities. I'm a long term vegetarian and changes to my diet is tricky simply because it's already restricted. For example, I can't do the no carb thing because I wouldn't have anything to eat. Can't do paleo without meat. So I take changes to my diet very cautiously. And dairy, tofu and eggs is a big part of my diet. Well, once I got used to it, I found it not that bad. It was doable. Physically, I felt less bloat...

Peace. I know I haven't posted here in a minute. But it's okay... I'm okay! If I want more followers I need to give them something to read right? Other bloggers manage. But I'm not like oher bloggers. Anywhoo.... I have really upped my running game to 4 miles every other day unless it rains. I feel amazing at the accomplishment. My body likes it too. For my Ayurvedic dosha I am supposed to do serious cardio and I have been getting it in. But also because of my dosha, I am supposed to switch things up from time to time. I did that this weekend, and this is what happened.... I am always peeping new spots to run in my own neighborhood. Other folks get to run in their neighborhoods, why shouldn't I? so I decided to run this path I had already measured it should have been 4 miles round trip with some crazy hill to lift my butt. I leave out of my house at 6 am and start on the trail. 3/4 into the 1st part (of 2) I run past a police car with a white, yes I said whit...

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Peace. I have not been feeling well since coming off fast. I am wondering what it is about. Let me share my symptoms….. 1. odd stomach cramps 2. nausea whether I eat or don’t eat 3. headaches 4. REALLY BAD heartburn 5. odd appetite 6. strange cravings 7. no longer regular 8. super tired Now I know what it sounds like…. And you’re wrong. So what else could it be? Do you know what’s funny and consistent in my life? I can’t always tell when someone close to me is pregnant. I get their morning sickness until they tell me. Then I’m fine. I swear I almost died when my brother’s wife was pregnant. I have been striving to be high raw. And I define ‘high raw’ as 51% raw vs. cooked. I’m being generous and not saying 50.0000001%. How’s that going? Not bad. I eat a green smoothie for breakfast and a salad somewhere else in the day. I make raw entrees that are always close by. Unfortunately chips are close by too. But my fetish of choice has been air popped pop corn. that's not...

Peace. All this week I have had 3 shitty runs. Real shitty. I can’t seem to put my finger on why they are ALL shitty. For the last month, they have been really wonderful. Is it my shoes? Is it the fasting? Hormones? I have no real idea. I get that some runs are going to be shitty and some aren’t. I don’t usually get a slew of all shitty ones. I am always trying to zoom on why the runs are bad vs. good. Let me detail it out…. I cannot run the distance I’m used to running. I had gotten back up to my 5k. But now a mile zaps my energy. There is no sweet spot. This may because of fasting, but I ran the 1st week of fasting with no problems. It actually aided my detox. I ran some last week… shark week… and was fine. I am carrying water and make sure to drink a smoothie 30 min before I head out. I haven’t noticed any cramping with that regimen. I am also having some serious calf tightness. The coach/7 said I’m not warming up properly. Well I NEVER warm up and I never had this problem bef...

Peace…… I got the 1st week down. I’m passed detox to the point where I’m not hungry at all really. To the people in my personal cipher who care to pay attention, I am a wonder. It kills me. The human body is capable of so much but we only challenge it but so far. Let me say this… I picked the absolute WORST time to fast. I will keep this in mind for subsequent fasts. I just wanted to be finished by/before the Asiatic New Year. I have so many other things that I am planning for after the fast. And winters aren’t what they used to be especially in Georgia so I wasn’t really concerned about the weather. What I should have been looking at was the calendar… My Calendar! I started my fast when PMS was beginning to rage. So there is a week of PMS and then 5 days of “shark week.” I set myself up to suffer. I find the best time for me to fast is right after my cycle passes or maybe on the last few days. I suffer for those 2 weeks with headaches, nausea, bloat, mood swings, etc. As healthy...

Peace Y’all, Today begins my annual 3 week juice fast. I have been doing this fast since 2002. I did take a year off. One year I didn’t diet at all. (I didn’t gain any weight either that year… go figure) But this is something that I do, and have done for 9 years. I fast as preparation for the spring equinox. A lot of indigenous cultures around the world consider the spring equinox as their new year. And so do I. It is the Asiatic New Year! And in order to properly prepare for the event I fast. Last night was a blast! I was in the kitchen just enjoying and eating any and everything I wanted and felt not the slightest bit of guilt. I had Kit Kats, Triscuts (that I really shouldn’t eat because they hurt my stomach sooooo bad I can’t sleep afterward. And I was up last night in pain), brussel sprouts, 4 cups of coffee cookies and a lot of other things I normally wouldn’t eat at once. I’m okay with that. Though this morning…. I don’t feel well. My stomach isn’t right. But I’m not worri...

Peace. One of my New Years resolutions was to make the blog more interesting by adding more pictures. I don’t generally like adding pictures, not because I don’t take them but because they are a pain in the ass to upload. But…. I personally don’t like blogs without pictures so I gotta do my due diligence and get on board with the current trend. See how much I love y’all? I thought maybe the folks who read this might be interested in where I run. I run in my own neighborhood. I live in the notorious section of Atlanta called “Bankhead.” Not to be confused with Buckhead. T. I. made Bankhead nationally famous because it’s “hood.” And parts are scary rough; but in any neighborhood is cool. We haven’t had a ridiculous amount of crime. Just 1 dead body across the street. Who doesn’t have that? But this is where I choose to live so this is where I choose to run. Why should I be afraid of my own neighborhood? The street I live on is 1.25 miles in length, and I live in the middle. So to run...

Peace. People take these kinds of pics all the time. I see them in all the running blogs. I don't know why they do it but I decided to be a little more proactive with my photo taking. So.... Here are my legs post workout. Speaking of workouts.... One of the New Years goals is to run a race... hell a few races! I was planning to run a particular race in March in Charlotte. For more than just running reasons. My niece lives in the area and she has a new son. It would give me an opportunity to visit with them. The race is at the Charlotte Motor speedway. The God is a big NASCAR fan and this would be a cool outing for him. And he MUST come to all races. He is my unofficial coach. And finally it's a twilight race. I'm not a fan of the morning. Twilight racing makes more sense to me. So I have put myself on a schedule where I go hard for 5 days a week to prepare for these mystery races. That coupled with my yoga streak has made me strangely sore. I say strangely, because...

Peace. Yesterday I was stuck in traffic and started to thinking… Why am I struggling to lose weight??? I started to make a list. (1) To be healthier: Well… I’m pretty healthy. I exercise regularly (and that’s not new), I’m a long term vegetarian. I eat a lot of fresh produce and have adjusted my lifestyle so that I am rarely tempted by processed foods. I can hang physically with chicks half my age. I don’t have any health issues. (2) To wear stylish clothes: Well… I have a closet full of clothes that fit me and are stylish. Seriously. I don’t have room for all my clothes. I work and sew most of my clothes. If there is something I see I want, if I can’t afford it, then I can make it. A lot of things I make I could afford to purchase, but I know I can make it and I enjoy sewing, so I do. I only buy things that are either cheaper to buy or I just don’t feel comfortable sewing like, undergarments. And I make slips and camis. So….. (3) To pass an arbitrary number on the scale: I thin...

Peace. Starting 2/1/13 I have been on a yoga streak. I plan on streaking the whole month of February in addition to my running. Streaking is defined as doing an activity every day. I decided I need to be streaking yoga as part of my annual preparation for spring. Most folks in the wilderness of North America get very excited about the holidays that end the Gregorian calendar. I partake in those holidays simply because I like the vibe of folks during that time. They are nicer that time than normal. But my excitement comes with the Asiatic New Year. Conscious Original people celebrate ANY, though not in a meaningful way. I hold onto the traditions that I grew up with, though I have stripped the religion from them and ran them through the lens of Supreme Mathematics. I fast for 21 days, I start preparing my summer garden, I make myself a new Easter outfit (that I wear on Easter) and I’m adding the yoga streak to the mix. With February 2nd just passed, I have shifted to preparation mode...

Peace. I know I haven’t been blogging… It’s because I haven’t been running. The last good run I got was on the same date and time as the Sandy Hook shootings. When I got back it had already happened. The last time before that I got a good run in was Thanksgiving. That date ended my consistent running and I entered a slaptastic hit and run type program. I don’t really have an answer to why. I was up to 5 miles on the long runs. And then just poof. I didn’t want to put on my shoes anymore. I do blame my shoes a bit. My Nikes that I started with just broke. They were old but underused when I started running in July. They worked until December and then the entire sole came off. That is one way of telling me they need replacing. The pain in my shin that started in November wasn’t a clue? I had budgeted new shows for January not December. I ‘found’ some cash to buy a cheap pair of sneakers; the previously blogged Sauconys. I don’t like them. I bought the size I wear and they are too big. ...

Peace. It’s a new year. And before I let the year get to far away, I want to publicly post my health and fitness goals for 2013…. (1) I plan to run more: that is VERY vague, I know. But it the general gist of how I want to do with my running (a) I plan to run a 5K at or under 30 minutes. (b) I want to increase the speed in which I currently run (or the last times I run) (c) I want to increase my distance. Right now my maximum distance is around 6 miles (d) And I want to explore running new routes. What’s the point of having all these apps if I’m not going to use them? (2) I am going to also do my standard 3 week juice fast starting February 27th of this year. (3) I plan to grow a vegetable garden this summer. From past experience, that requires a bit of exercise and I will be rewarded with the freshest of produce that one can get! (4) I’m going “high raw” this summer. I say I’m going to do that every summer and I start off with great intentions that fall by the wayside. I blame Pre...