Growing Into You

“After half a century in psychiatric practice, I know without a doubt that the source of addiction is spiritual deficiency. Irrespective of whether we are religious or atheist, all human being are spiritual by nature, and spirituality is the cornerstone of our recovery.” –Abraham Twerski

As I have now gone through Day 3 of my 40 day abstinence of solid food (the first 3 days are suppose to be the hardest), I have come to the realization that most of the “hunger” you or I feel is not really hunger at all. Ninety-five percent of the time, when we feel like eating, it is our mind that is “hungry”; or in other words you are just craving the food you are about to eat.

The Difference: Hunger vs. Cravings

It is very important to understand the difference between hunger and cravings. When you are truly hungry, it is a signal from your body telling you that it needs nourishment. Without the nutrients your body receives from healthy food, it would not be able to function properly. It would begin to wither like a flower from lack of water and soil.

Craving food is something completely different. When you crave something, it is your mind’s boredom or addiction to the food that you eat at work. Your mind is a very powerful, and many times destructive, tool. It is constantly working; rambling away while you listen to it. When your body is at rest, your mind becomes restless. It makes you feel as if you are hungry. Almost every time you feel hungry, you will crave junk food.

Your mind also can become addicted to the food you eat. As I have posted before, research has shown that foods high in fats and sugar allow your mind to become addicted. After eating these foods (mainly fast food or other junk foods) for a long period of time, your mind constantly craves them. If you then abstain from these foods for more than one day, you begin feeling withdrawal symptoms such as headaches.

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“Exercise: you don’t have time not to.” -Unknown

About four months ago, I had my second shoulder surgery repairing both my labrum and rotator cuff. So, for the past four months, I have sat on the couch and not done a whole lot of physical activity. The first two months weren’t my fault, I was in a sling unable to move. The last two months, however, have just been laziness. It is hard motivating myself to run. Running is the only thing I was really allowed to do, and since I am so used to doing all explosive workouts, the thought of jogging just did not sound appealing to me. The result: A gain of 30 pounds, 4 inches on my waist, and huffing and puffing walking up and down the stairs.

Today was the first day I truly did any physical activity, and I paid for it…DEARLY!! I volunteer for one of the local high school baseball teams as a coach. Today was the first day I was really able to do anything. So, I grabbed a bat and began hitting groundballs to the infielders. Now, you have to remember, for the past five years I have paid my way through college hitting baseballs, and I have spent the last 18 years swinging a bat hundreds of times daily. Six months ago, I could have gone out and taken batting practice for hours, swinging as hard as I could every single time. Not today, however.

The first couple of swings I took were very light because I did not know how my shoulder would react. After the first few swings, I was warmed up and ready to go. So, I hit about 20 baseballs pretty hard, and I had to stop; I was out of breath. Then, about five minutes later, I felt a burning sensation on my hand. I look down and noticed I had blood all over. In the ten minutes I had been swinging, I had already formed a blister AND ripped it open! Then, after another few minutes, my hamstring cramped up. Finally, I let somebody else hit, and I went out and coached before I hurt something bad…like my shoulder for the third time.

Now, I do not want you to think I am complaining about my experience. I most certainly am not. I thoroughly enjoy my time out on the baseball field. These “injuries” are the result of my actions. Every one of these could have been prevented if I had just maintained my physical ability instead of letting myself completely go.

I have decided to compile a list of the top reasons as to why you should not make the same mistake as me.

1. Weight gain: This is probably the most obvious result of letting yourself go. As the weight pours on, it leads you into a dark hole that is very hard to get out of. Depression can sink in as well as a lack of self-confidence.
2. Injuries: As your muscles begin to get weaker, you are much more prone to a muscle strain or pull. Everyday activity, whether it be picking up something off of the ground or just walking can lead to an injury (O.K. walking is a little bit of a stretch, but the other day I took a quick step to get onto a curb, and my achilles tendon locked up. It was the weirdest thing).
3. Back problems: This is a repeat of number 2, but back injuries belong in their own separate category. The back is very delicate, and even when you are in top notch shape, it is very easily injured. When your core muscles begin to break down, the chance of injury is heightened that much more. Bending over to pick up your one month old baby can lead to WEEKS of pain!
4. Difficulty getting to sleep: I have found that since I have gotten out of shape, it is much harder for me to fall asleep and sleep deeply. When I was working out hard, I would be able to fall asleep within five minutes of lying down. Now, on most nights it takes well over 30. I am restless, and my mind wanders all over the place.
5. Built up stress: I know for me, and a lot of people, exercising is a great way to relieve stress. As I have been sitting around, I have noticed my neck being much tighter and an overall feeling of being stressed out quite a bit. Lifting weights and hitting baseballs were a great way to just let all of my stress out by being able to have some time alone enjoying what I love doing. Without it, I have a lot of negative energy that is being bottled up with no where to go.
6. Increased physical ailments: As you continue to slide down the “out of shape” pole, it is much easier for you to become sick or develop some other physical problems such as heart problems.
7. Shorter lifespan: While this problem may not arise for a long time down the road, it is a harsh reality. The problems that develop as a result of a lack of exercising can, and most likely will, lead to a shorter life.
8. It is MUCH easier to stay in shape then get back in it: If you have ever let yourself go and then decided it was time for a change, you know EXACTLY what I am talking about. I have had four surgeries requiring extensive time sitting out, and getting back in shape is always hard. The first two weeks, you are in a constant “soreness-pain-tightness” state. Even if you would have just done 20 minutes of SOMETHING a few days a week, getting serious about workouts again would be much easier. You would maintain your base, and when the time comes to improve, it is just a matter of increasing your workout intensity. When you have let yourself go, you have to first build your strength/conditioning base before you can even attempt to make gains.

Obviously there are multitudes more reasons to keep yourself in shape. If you are out of shape however, there is no need to fret. You can begin the process of getting in shape any time you feel committed. By getting in shape, you will have more self-confidence and be on your way to a healthier life.

Now that I have been truly out of shape and have seen the terrible effects on my body and my mind, I have definitely learned my lesson.

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“Feed the soul, let the body fast” -Unknown

About a week ago, my significant other brought to my attention a detox diet that lasts between 10 and 40 days. Since I have known her, she has always researched nutrition, supplements, and detox diets in particular. For anybody that doesn’t know, a detox diet is one that helps rid the body of toxins. The benefits of this type of diet could include weight loss, loss of food cravings, having much more energy, and the general feeling of feeling better. The detox system she recently came upon is called the “Master Cleanse.” It is also known as the “Lemonade Diet.” She got me to research the diet and asked me if I would do it with her. After a few days of soul searching, I believe this is the perfect time in my life to cleanse my body. This diet will allow me to change the way I see food and force me to reach deep into my spirituality in order to get through it.

About the “Master Cleanse”

The “Master Cleanse” has three different components to it. The first component is the sea salt flush. Basically, I will be drinking a quart of water each morning mixed with two teaspoons of non-iodized sea salt. This is suppose to help push the waste through my system. The second, and most important, part of the detox is the lemonade drink. This lemonade drink consists of two tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon, two tablespoons of grade B organic maple syrup, a pinch of cayenne pepper, and eight ounces of purified water all mixed together. Basically, this does a few things for your body. First, the maple syrup provides your body with all of the nutrients it will need. The cayenne pepper helps break up any mucus inside the body and provides many of the B and C vitamins. This drink is suppose to keep me full. It will not, however, keep me from craving the foods I am detoxing. I will be able to drink this mix between 6-12 times per day (as I get hungry). The third part of the cleanse is the laxative tea. The tea is taken at night and basically helps get things going for the next day.

Why 40 Days With No Food?

There are a number of reasons as to why I have decided to do this. First, and foremost, are the GREAT health benefits I will receive. Right now, like 99% of Americans, I am addicted to food. If I do not eat food, I get cranky. Without it, I have terrible cravings. I also get headaches on occasion. My food addiction has also been the source of my weight gain. Two weeks ago, I weighed in at 210 pounds (The most I have weighed in my life). Today, like the past few days, I was at 196 pounds. My goal is to get down to 180 pounds by May 20th. However, I do not want you to think that weight loss is my sole goal, or even my main goal. Weight loss is a goal in my short term, yes, but the benefits from this cleanse are far greater than any weight I may lose.

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“The task of leadership is not to put greatness into people, but to elicit it, for the greatness is there already.” -John Buchan

I was pulling in to work today at Indiana University’s Assembly Hall (home to the Hoosier basketball team) when I saw about 2,000 people lined up around the entire building. I knew that IU was announcing the hiring of their new men’s basketball coach, but I could not fathom why that many people of all ages would be there to watch that. As I walked into the building, I began to see both pro and anti Hillary Clinton signs everywhere, and again, I thought how strange that was.

I dropped my stuff off where I work and walked to another building to attend my Financial Management class. The class lasted about an hour and a half. I figured that by the time I returned to Assembly Hall, all of the commotion would have died down. To my great surprise, there were news crews, police cars, and people everywhere. There was also political propaganda everywhere.

As I walked into the building for the second time, they were allowing people to enter the approximate 20,000 seat arena in a very orderly fashion. Security seemed to be very tight, so I knew something big was going on. I walked up a tunnel and I saw an usher and asked what was going on. The usher said, “President Clinton is on his way to give a speech.”

When she told me that, I became very excited. I did not become excited because I agree with his political views, morals, or anything else (I am not turning this into any kind of political article). I became excited because a part of America’s history was coming to Assembly Hall, and I was going to be able to see him. After going into the arena and finding a seat with one of my friends, I found out that he was suppose to have given his speech at 2 P.M. Well, the time was currently 4:20, and he was still a no show. The man was two hours and twenty minutes late, and there were still 8,000 people sitting in their seats waiting on his arrival.

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“Good habits, once established, are just as hard to break as are bad habits.” –Robert Puller

In my post, “My 21 Day Habit,” I told you I was going to focus on no more than two habits I either want to form or want to break for 21 days. 21 days represents the amount of time I believe it takes in order to form or break a habit. After the 21st day, if I have succeeded in forming those habits, then I will proceed to go after two more habits. This page will be continuously updated to inform you of my progress.

I encourage each one of you to try this on your own. Putting your goals out there for others to view allows others to hold you accountable (which I have discussed briefly in my article Why Blog? .) Being held accountable will put more emphasis on completing your tasks in order to not let the other readers down. Any encouragement I receive from you, whether via e-mail or posts, will give me more motivation to continue. (more…)

“First, we make our habits. Then, our habits make us.” -Charles C. Noble

When I was a kid, one thing sticks out in my mind. My father was a great motivator. Starting at a very young age, my dad always gave me motivational talks about what I needed to do in order to achieve great things in life. Being young, I would always shoot out of the box right after one of these speeches. Then, my mind would wander, and the fire would dwindle down.

There are two different points from my father’s speeches that I will never forget. The first, which came when I was slumping in baseball, was an acronym. He told me that that when I am getting ready to do a task, repeat the word “K.I.S.S.” in my head. I’m sure many of you have heard this acronym before. “K.I.S.S” stands for “Keep it simple stupid.” What he meant by that was don’t over think the situation, and most importantly, don’t over complicate it.

After my dad got tired of having his great motivational speeches work for about one week, he began to stress another point that has stuck with me. He told me that it takes 21 days to make a habit stick. So, after his speech, we would sit down and make a plan. No longer would I sprint out of the gate on a 400 meter dash only to run out of gas 300 meters in. Each day, for the first 21 days, I would focus solely on doing one or two habits differently. Any more than that and I would have been breaking the “K.I.S.S” code.

So here is the challenge I will set for you and myself. I will have my 21 day cycle running on a tab on the top of my home page. Each 21 day cycle, I will post no more than TWO habits that I am trying to form (or break.) Each day, I will report back to that page and let everybody know where I stand.

I encourage each one of you to do this with me. You can e-mail me what your habit is or you can post it through the comments section. The more times you e-mail me throughout the 21 days, the more likely you will make it through. You will be able to get encouragement and be held accountable from other readers and myself.

I am counting on each one of you to hold me accountable. Together, we can change our habits.

“Anger will never disappear so long as thoughts of resentment are cherished in the mind. Anger will disappear just as soon as thoughts of resentment are forgotten.” -Buddha

Have you ever accidentally cut somebody off on the highway, and then about three minutes later they come flying by you like a bat out of hell giving you the bird? What about the person that just looks for fights over the smallest things? As bad as those hot heads are, there is a type of person that is much worse. This type of person will stay mad for hours, days, or even weeks at their good friends for the smallest fight. We all know these people. They are known as grudge-holders.

Believe it or not, at a point in my life, not long ago, I used to be a HUGE grudge-holder. Looking back on it now, I am embarrassed how I used to act. At one point in high school, my best friend and I got in a fight about what to do on New Year’s. We had made a plan to go over to one of our friend’s house. Then, when we got in the car, she mentioned to me that we were changing plans.

I did not get visibly mad at her then, I just said O.K. and went our way. We had a decent time with our friends, but that was the last time I spoke with my friend for three weeks. That’s right; I did not say ONE word to my best friend because of one stupid night. I did not confront her about it, I did not even bring up why I was mad. I completely ignored her. Finally, after three weeks she came up to me to see what was wrong. I finally had gotten over it by then, and so we talked about it. After we talked, we were fine and have been good friends ever since. (more…)