So.  I'm feeling somewhat disconnected from artistic expression.  I haven't done any photography in almost a year (that includes being photographed).  I haven't sung (ya can't really count singing in a wedding).  And my shoot with Stu was so fast and furious that I barely felt like I was in front of the camera.  My character was...actually, I don't think I caught her name.  :-)

So. My mom is currently battling ovarian cancer.  

So, we're working from an "integral" perspective, here. You've got the brilliance of Shawn and Rob providing you with Focus Intensity Training, a practice which succeeds in developing and strengthening the physical body. That's the most simplified version, FIT is oh so much more, but due to the intentions behind this blog, I'll say send Rob a line if you want to know more.

You're on board with FIT, let's say, training your body in a conscious fashion. You leave the gym, your basement, the studio, feeling grounded and strong. It's now time to replenish the body.

And...Cue the confusion! Perhaps you already have a really good grasp on the "best" way to fuel your body. But, more often than not, I experience dialogues with people who are in the dark when it comes to nutrition. And, it's not surprising considering the ever changing "shoulds" and "shouldn'ts" that bombard our society in regards to our diet....
Dairy is good, eat it and lose weight. Eggs are good. Eat them. Wait, no don't eat eggs. Soy rocks, it will lower your cholesterol. Oh, wait, we meant to say, don't eat soy, or not too much, rather. Trix and Lucky Charms are now made with whole grains. Yeay!???

It's murky and can be overwhelming. The food industry has it's own money making agenda. And, unfortunately, we, as consumers are left to do our own research on what we believe we "should" and "shouldn't" eat.

So. Back to the original thought. Recently I learned that body composition is roughly 70% diet, 30% exercise/training. In other words, the make up of your body depends mostly on what you consume. That's HUGE, people, HUGE, I say! The choices you make in the kitchen, at the bar, in the restaurant, at the coffee shop, in the grocery store, they determine 70% of your body composition!

My bias, strength train, you must. AND, eat consciously, you MUST. As a former personal trainer, I had people working their asses off at the gym, only to go home and make poor, unconscious fueling decisions. They were incredulous when they saw rather minimal body comp. gains.

It's not only about the body composition, however, let's not get stuck there. Fueling your body results in various states of consciousness and emotional affect as well. With so many of us out there wanting to cultivate our spiritual practices, be outstanding students, and be of service to others, why not choose to do it in a more present, focused, balanced state of being??

Exercise: Next time you eat a meal/snack, take note of what you eat, how you feel WHILE your eating it, immediately AFTER you eat it, and then check in again over the next couple of hours. Do you buzz then bust? Do you hum at a steady frequency? Are you pissed about what you ate? Are you joyful? Headaches?  Sleepiness? 

So, with this big boy of a 70% pulsating in our awareness, perhaps we can make a move to become better consumers, better body fuelers. Rather, I think it is our responsibility to better educate ourselves about what is in our food, what is most appropriate to put into our bodies, etc. It is time to make conscious eating a priority in our Life Practice.

I have some conscious eating exercises for those who are interested, and would love to field any questions (within my area of expertise) or comments you may have regarding food, this beautifully rich part of life.

Most of us know the basics. Hmm...this probably has a lot of fat in it, hmmm, pasta...eating a lot of carbs, a slab of chicken...getting my protein, here...so on and so forth. But, do you actually know what's INSIDE of your food, what all of those crazy words are that follow, "whole wheat flour", "chicken breast meat", etc? This is where it gets interesting. The food industry has jacked so much shit into our food (high fructose corn syrup, nitrites/nitrates, partially hydrogenated oils), and they've done it with such finesse that our bodies are paying for it and we're hardly aware. This gets me fired up, and therefore, I think I'm on a mission. K, so...here's my suggestion for those who read the blog and are somewhat curious about this jazz. Do a little mini inventory in your kitchen. Check out bread labels (look for high fructose corn syrup), check out your meats (nitrites/nitrates), and your nut butters, cookies, energy bars (partially hydro. oils). There's a good chance that if you're not in the "all organic club", these little naughty nasties are staked out in your food. I'm not out to convert everyone to "all organice" mind you, (although it's not a bad idea) but rather to give folks a heads up about what is lurking in their food. Hope this was thought provoking. Would love to hear your thoughts!!

And, therefore, I'm doing another cleanse. What a devilish thing sugar can be. Remember in Star Wars when Yoda said, "Sugar, your enemy will be." Well, he didn't say those exact words, I mean, you kinda had to read into what he was saying...but...he was so dead on. I definitely have an intimate relationship with sugar, and it's quite fun to watch how I work when I'm within its grip. Sometimes it gets to this point, where I say...enough. No sugar. none. for weeks. And, while we're at it, let's throw in refined flours, processed foods, dairy, and red meat. So, my current diet is quite "clean". It's exciting, motivating. Last cleanse rocked, and I'm expecting a similar experience this time. My strength training coupled with the significant drop in unnecessary carbs delivered a lighter affect and leaner, meaner bod. So...day three, 18 more to go. Love to hear other "cleansing" experiences...drop me a line!