METAPHORICAL SKI TRIP

I can't remember if I had stated somewhere early on that this was the year for me to explore more, whether with or without family.

I'm celebrating my 45th birthday tomorrow by going to Tahoe for a ski trip with my uncle. I'm elated. The girls will be home schooled by their grandparents...which should be fun for them.

This scene represents all that it means to get unplugged and get plugged into things that really make a difference. Being one with the mountain, one with oneself, one with the elements is what being unplugged is all about. All the incidentals, like dining at a nice restaurant or buying something in the gift shop are completely insignificant and irrelevant to feeling and thinking, juxtaposed by nature. 

I look forward to not buying more stuff and keeping up with my nutrition vision for my competition. Let's not confuse enjoying with indulging. I think that most people do, and I'm not talking solely about food indulgence. I think vacations somehow give people in our society an excuse to spend more money, waste more time, and completely empty their souls. 

Since this is another get-away where I have to figure out how to stay nutritionally sound...I will pack enough food in my cooler to take on the plane with me tomorrow morning. The lodge doesn't have a refrigerator...but the lodge does have a place to buy some quick foods. I anticipate that there will be enough stuff for me to choose from without having to go to a restaurant for breakfast or lunch. 

I don't have to worry about the workout facilities, since I will be skiing and burning and building my body and hopefully top it off with a peaceful dip in the spa in the evening. 

Perhaps age has just gotten to me and the crazy pace and indulgences we all seem to have in Southern California...that I'm just checking out of the crappy expectations we all seem to place on ourselves and each other. 

I much prefer to live as the monks in Tibet, where your mind and body are challenged to the point where you must learn to create strategies physically and mentally to deal with being on the edge of destruction. We are given so much here in our first world country that there seems to be no challenge or need for people young and old to strive for greatness. Instead we are driven to undermine, circumvent, and prevent. 

This year at Christmas time, I decided that my husband and I would not buy the kids presents, other than a few stocking stuffers. (Actually their gift was a trip to Washington D.C that we took early in December). 

The kids would of course receive a few gifts from relatives, but we were not going to go and buy all the stuff again this year, only to see it stuffed in one crevice or another in the house. To our amazement, the kids started packaging found objects and significant toys for each other. On Christmas day they were so excited to give gifts to each other and give some of their favorite toys to each other...that I just about cried. It was simply the happiest Christmas ever. 

So, as I leave you with that thought....

I will be out of town until Friday. No blogging from me for a few days. 

In the meantime, get plugged into your true self / needs....and trust that moving forward with those steps will bring a calm into your body. 


RsmKettlegirl@gmail.com

Exercise:
30 minute run at 4.4
30 minutes of chest and back: 4 sets lat pull downs, 4 sets flat dumbbell presses, 4 sets seated rows, 4 sets push ups

Foods Yesterday:
Messed up day....for the first time. I ended up eating 3meals, 4....because I ended up having or needing 2-3 Tablespoons of peanut butter. My body was feeling a little undernourished...and I knew it needed more fat. So, I compensated for the calories, by eliminating my 3pm meal. I felt fine, however. I was not hungry. But at dinner, I also ate a little more, to compensate once again for the missed meal. I had two corn tortillas, ground turkey, salsa, and an apple...which I don't normally eat during the evening. The apple sugar tasted exactly the way I had hoped. I did not gain any weight...just stayed the same. By the way, I do weigh myself daily. I think that whether you keep a food journal or weigh yourself, you must be accountable for your actions. It's important not to fool yourself into believing that you are something you are when you are not...or vice versa.