New Start

Today I went to the doctors.  After lots of prodding, poking and testing, plus a procedure under general Anaesthetic, I was given a clean bill of health (finally).  The feeling was overwhelmingly of relief, and excitement that issue which had preoccupied me for so long was over.

Unfortunately, I was given no reason as to how I became unhealthy, but I can guess that demanding high performance from my body, whilst not nourishing it properly, and sometimes even poisoning it might have had something to do with it.

Yesterday I went to the chiropractor that had got me (I believe) onto a line of cure for various physical issues, using a combination of treatments in her rome, plus some supplements.  I told her that I really felt a sense that I needed to make some dietary changes, and wondered whether a detox was in order.  She muscle tested me (check out kinesiology if you want to find out more), and said that a major detox would just make me sicker.

I have always loved the radical detox in the past, such as the 10 day challenge that one does on the back of Unleash The Power Within, or the 10 day reboot recommended in "Fat , Sick & Nearly Dead", but my body was saying that it needed something else.  In the end I was told to forego gluten, sugar (yes, that includes alcohol) and dairy produce until further notice.  Coincidentally, those are the substances that I overindulged in, especially over Christmas.  I look forward to seeing the results.

I have also decided to exercise at a lower intensity for a month, to give my body some recovery time.  Most importantly, I now have the headspace to tackle other things in my life.

Day 9 - Big Day

Well, it has been a HUGE day, going from 7 in the morning until 8 at night. Some things got done, some didn't.

Aerobic exercise - done (consisting of a walk and lots of cycling).

Egoscue 1/2 Done

Lymphacizing - Not Done

Breathing -Done

Connecting Heart and mine - Done. This is something that I have not concentrated on - the idea of just quietly being still and focussing on my breath, centring myself. The best part of this is that you can do this at any time. I have concentrated on the physical, but not so much on the emotional and spiritual.

The highlight was that I managed to keep to the dietary guidelines, simply by taking all of my food with me.

In all honesty, one needs to really plan one's time as well if you want to do all of the exercises. The fact that I am only occasionally missing out, whilst experiencing a heavy workload shows that noone is too busy if they really want to do the 10 day challenge.

ONE MORE DAY - but who knows - I might continue on this path...

Day 7 - 4 Star Detox

In the last 48 hours I have been away at a 4 star hotel in the middle of Sydney. Once again, with a little planning, I managed to stay 90% on the 10 day challenge path.

Simply put, if you think vegan, no sugar and no wheat, and don't drink caffeine or alcohol, you are most of the way there. Our hotel was next to a number of gourmet outlets, and we ate both well and healthily. My biggest transgression was a paneer curry (the only vegetarian meal on the room service menu), and a fruit platter that had a thimble of greek yoghurt and a trickle of syrup on it.

I even managed to do an aerobic workout, with a gentle run around The Sydney Opera House and Royal Botanic Gardens - something I don't normally get to do.

I look better and feel better, and my wife might agree that I am performing better as well. I will take photos after the last day and post them, so you can see if you can notice any changes. I am hoping that my renewed energy will allow me to start achieving more in other facets of my life. Speaking of this, I didn't plan my week terribly well last week, so will review and plan first thing tomorrow - it's just a little too late to do that tonight.

Halfway there.

After 2 days of early starts and late nights, today I got to sleep in. It felt great to get 8 hours sleep. My body seems to need a lot of recovery time at the moment. I can't wait for the energy to "kick in" again. Weighed myself, and found that I'd lost 2.6kg.

Managed to do all of my Egoscue and some lymphasizing. Aerobics took the form of a bike ride with the family. Did the breathing exercises too. Needed a sleep in the afternoon, so energy still not how I would like it to be.

Things went badly south in the afternoon. I needed to do some technology stuff for my daughter and my wife, got frustrated, and completely lost my temper. I had to apologise later to the pair of them. At this stage I am very thin-skinned, and need to realise that I should keep away from difficult frustrating situations, or at least admit that I am not up to them.

Had to work tonight, and for the first time for a good while didn't have shoulder pain whilst playing the trombone. Also enjoyed having better acuity through not drinking. Had to bring my own food, so it was cold curried beans for dinner. Didn't seem to matter to me - just wanted to stay on the path.

Tomorrow I am taking the wife for a night out out - interesting to see how I face that challenge! Once again, planning will be the key.

Day 4 Ends in Triumph

Today was further proof that planning is the difference between success and failure.

Thanks to preparing my meals last night, I knew that I could walk out the door at 5:45am with the appropriate food. Despite having a disjointed day where I had to work in three different places, I managed to stay on the path with little trouble.

I also brought exercise gear so that I could do my 30 minutes of running, despite the fact that I was very tired and it was raining. Also did the egoscue exercises. My shoulder is still painful, although there are episodes of improvement - fatigue is definitely a contributing factor.

One thing I am noticing is that simple pleasures really make a difference - I never thought that a slice of cantaloupe, or a glass of vegetable juice would be so eagerly awaited.

I hope that I will start having the energy to actually start doing some of the other things that I have planned for this year, both professional and personal.

day 3

Ok - I'm completely exhausted, but thought that I would check in.

1. Planning works - I have stuck to the eating plan by having food ready to go in the fridge.

2. The Egoscue program seems to have had a positive effect - it may just be that my body can heal better, but there is noticeable improvement.

3. This afternoon I was at my most irritable so far - managed to recognise this, and only get grumpy with my wife once. Partly caused by really feeling hunger leading up to mealtimes.

Should report more tomorrow - might have time on my hands - no aerobic activity today, but planning tomorrow.

A Challenging Day

I am just coming to the end of day 1 of the 10 day challenge, and have done (and avoided) all the things one should do, aside from a session of lymphatic breathing.

The biggest thing is the fatigue. The lack of caffeine has meant that I have been dragging myself through the day, and have had 3 naps - two during breaks eat work, and one after.

The food is the easy part - I enjoy vegan food, and have felt a need to give my body a chance to recover for some time now.

For the record, I did the 10 day challenge in the wake of Unleash the power Within 2007 and 2008. In 2007, I stretched to 25 days. My physical improvement was remarkable, so nothing will surprise me this time around.

I got on the scales, and found out that I had hit 86.8kg (191lb), no wonder I felt sluggish. The aerobic exercise went fine (walk to the park, run for 1/2 an hour, walk back), and I actually enjoyed the broccoli with lemon juice and flaxseed oil! Morning tea was an apple, and lunch was a salad with home made hommous. Did lymphatic breathing on the train home, and then cook Dahl, a Cauliflower dish, and rice for dinner. Jumped up and town on the lyphasizer for 20 minutes, and am now writing this blog.

On top of the fatigue, I am finding myself to be feeling VERY sensitive - to noise, arguments etc. This could very well be because of the lack of alcohol, and there being nothing with which to replace it. I am sure that by Day 4, things will be greatly improved.

Til tomorrow - let me know if you think that I am missing anything!

Back and ready to begin.

Spent 10 wonderful days with friends and family, and tomorrow I begin work, along with the 10 day challenge, as prescribed in Unleash The Power Within.

I have been in a great amount of discomfort with my right shoulder. My plan is to complete the 10 day challenge, and see what effect aa detox will have on my general health - can my body repair itself, given the chance?

I got my daughter to take somne photos of me. Below them is the structure of the 10 day challenge.

Vital breathing. 1-4-2 in three sets of 10 each day.

Living waters and live food. Drink plenty of water and eat 70% water-content food—a salad every meal.

Aerobic power and maximum strength. Exercise six times in the next 10 days. Warm up properly. Exercise at your proper heart rate for at least 15 minutes. Cool down properly.

Maximum nourishment.

1. Break your fast (breakfast) with green vegetables, green juices, non-acid producing, low-sugar fruits and fruit juices, or light, alkalizing foods only.

2. Properly combine your meals.

3. Don’t eat starch and proteins together.

4. Eat in a relaxed state.

5. Eat comfortable amounts.

6. Drink water before your meals, not during or after.

7. Eat organic as much as possible.

8. Eat well before the time you retire.

A directed mind.

1. Create joy where before you had stress.

2. Ask problem-solving questions.

3. Direct your appetite.

Structural Support. Get some rest, get some sun, and/or get a massage. Keep your body in alignment with stretches, exercises, and/or professional care.

Eliminate or dramatically reduce processed fats. Eat enough natural or unprocessed fats but watch your processed fat consumption.

Eliminate animal flesh for 10 days and judge by the results.
Eliminate milk, cheese, and all other dairy products (with the rare exception of a condiment).

Eliminate acid addictions. For 10 days cut out sugar, salt, vinegar, nicotine, alcohol, caffeine, and drugs.

Here's hoping that I get a result from the above discipline!