Random Task Day and the Urgency of Creativity

If you follow the online home organization guru the Fly Lady, you know that Friday is clean out your purse and car day. I confess I am not very good at following this routine, but I heartily applaud it. But today I will do some random tasks I've put off--washing my yoga mat and bag, plus some other tote and little bag I use all the time. It's been a few years since I cleaned these. I don't want to think about all the germs on this stuff and go all Sheldon Cooper--I just want to finally, finally wash 'em as I keep saying to my yoga buddy.

If you're interested in reading a blog by someone who followed Fly Lady for a year, check out http://365dayswithflylady.wordpress.com/ I searched for "alternatives to Fly Lady" because I've never fully committed, and I stumbled upon some wise words about how routines help us make space for creatitivity. She talks about how when routines help us go on auto-pilot, we get stuff done and have time left over to do what we love. I wish I could find the post I read a few days ago--my memory is that she said the housekeeping is NOT a replacement for creativity. It simply keeps us freer and lighter so we have more mental space to focus on the fun stuff. I've heard this and even written about it, but it's taking a long time to sink in!

As for  the importance of creativity in the lives of ordinary people, I love what  Dr. Brene Brown from the University of Houston said in an interview with Oprah. According to Brown, "Unused creativity is not benign. We are creative beings!" That rings so true with me. I feel much more joyful when I tap into my right-brained side. Brown has some new stuff coming up on Oprah life classes this September. I hope I can check them out online. If you haven't yet seen her famous TED Talks, go check them out. Her research is encouraging because it's stuff you already knew, but now there's proof!

Pushed over the Edge

Amongst some decluttering projects and testing for a gluten allergy, this has also been a summer of working out with friends. Somehow this was the summer I lucked out in having not one but two workout buddies who are members at my gym. I hadn't had a workout buddy since, oh, about a decade or so ago, so I felt extremely grateful. Had it not been for a younger friend, I would have never tried Zumba or Body Pump. I had fun, but I am also proud to say this week I was able to fit into an old pair of capris for the first time in a year. I haven't lost tons of weight, but the 5 or so pounds I've lost have made a difference, and I have more muscle than before.

I've learned that gaining too much weight is a serious bummer when it comes to shopping. (I'm not talking a few pounds and still staying in a healthy range. I'm talking about reaching a size when you know you are out of shape and your body fat percentage is too high. See Gaiam's body fat guide.) I hovered around the same size for three or four years, and then BAM, my lack of regular exercise caught up to me in a major way. In my 20s I couldn't conceive of getting a muffin top. Now I understand that for some women, it's a serious battle to keep off the abdominal fat. And not just for cosmetic reasons--Dr. Oz and friends warn that abdominal fat is the worst kind. But getting back to clothes--shopping is a lot harder when you're trying to hide newly acquired weight, and it's frustrating to not be able to buy what would have been a flattering, easy purchase in the past. My options were getting too limited!

I've thought "I'll get in good shape again" over the last few years, but my frustration shopping and then my listening to a podcast helped push me over the edge into taking my fitness seriously. I decided to listen to a podcast of No Excuses Workout, an exercise program that's part of the Fly Lady community. The host Jonathan Roche is extremely positive, and while the show can get repetitive, one of his cohosts said something about how the "teammates" needed to make health and exercise a top priority in their lives. Simple idea, but it clicked for me that I needed to make working out a top priority in my life. Now. I was seeing the frustrating and unhealthy results of hoping that a bit of yoga and strength training would somehow carry me through and keep my metabolism running high enough.

My excuses or gripes had been that the gym was boring and that a foot injury was keeping me from dance classes. But turns out I was lucky to have friends to work out with this summer, so they helped me keep showing up. And while they might not always be so available and our schedules might not match up so well forever, I did get used to the gym and now want to go because I feel better. I'm in the habit and excited to finally see the results of my consistency. And I also have new respect for the people I see who are in good shape--for a lot of them, it takes work and routine. I admire that persistence. I finally feel enough motivation to get out there and join them, even if I use the smaller weights and am slowly working up to my old fitness level. (Not high school fitness, people.) I'm happier for having gotten back in the habit. And I had no idea fitness would end up being a highlight of my summer.

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As an aside, I'll add that one of the most interesting shows I saw this year was The Truth About Exercise with Dr. Michael Mosley. Apparently some people have the right genes for getting in shape by doing a few short bursts of intense exercise (as in a few minutes each week!). It'd be nice to know if I fit into that group! I'm thinking not, though...

Goin' Wheat Crazy

Perhaps you saw my post on testing for a gluten allergy. The protocol is to abstain from gluten for two weeks and then reintroduce it with some servings of 100% rye bread. Now, true rye bread tastes almost nasty. It's also hard to find. I had to go a large Whole Foods downtown to get it, and no amount of Horizon organic salted butter makes it taste good. I had some mild reaction to it, but I think it's because rye bread is just heavy and bit gross to eat, really. Anyways, tried it again some days later to see if I reacted, and again it was mild.

So now I get to go a step further and not just test for a gluten allergy but for a wheat allergy. (Wheat contains gluten, a protein, but is not gluten itself.) And today is the Fiesta De Wheat. 

Breakfast: Whole Food breakfast bar biscuit, waffle, and breakfast plantains smothered in cinnamon and sugar (a wonderful and gooey gluten-free discovery)
Lunch: Bean and cheese breakfast taco on flour tortilla
Dinner: Sausage and garlic Home Slice pizza with salad that comes with a delicious garlic roll

Now, I think I am full, but there is something about pizza and garlic rolls that says, "Eat more of me!" I wonder if it's an evolutionary reaction triggered by going without wheat for three or four weeks.

I will say my stomach is a bit uncomfortable with the sudden food change. I'm feeling a bit bloaty. Hopefully it's the only reaction I'll have, though. Me like pizza and garlic rolls. But, sigh, I keep reminding myself that it's better to find out if I have a sensitivity or allergy instead of suffering from chronic inflammation and whatnot for years to come. I did realize that I don't have to figure it all out right now either. If I want to revisit this testing process down the road, I can. Thought it's certainly frustrating to limit myself to gluten free stuff, especially when the grocery store throws so many wheat products in your face. (SUSHI has wheat in it. SUSHI!) And I've influenced lunch spot choices when out with friends--no crepes from the crepe truck! Gotta go where they at least have salads.

I will say this city is much more accommodating than I ever realized. Sure, you can buy packaged gluten-free foods for premium prices (a dollar or two more than regular stuff), but I found some restaurants post their GF stuff either online or on their menus. (I'm talking about you, Firebowl, Ruby's, Galaxy, and Kerbey Lane.) It made me wonder how many people are really living with this restriction all the time. I heard 1 in 10 people have some type of sensitivity or allergy to gluten! No wonder the GF food industry is booming! 

Back to me: People are asking if I feel better. Well, I did lose four or five pounds, but I've also been hitting the gym. I do look better and feel stronger, and it's probably a combo of the two. And if I don't seem super sensitive to wheat, I think I'll cut back on it. I've had some fun trying out new foods and it's probably been good to take in fewer calories from carbs.

Is it over? Not quite yet. I need to see what happens this week....and then I will probably test for problems with dairy at some point. Ay caramba.

Decluttering Other Losses

Here's a new topic for this blog:
Forgiveness.

Hmm.

You know I like podcasts or videos that I can apply to my life. I've talked about grief and clutter, but what about the old clutter of frustration and resentment?

I am no expert on forgiveness, so I find the web's many resources educational and helpful. If you're looking for videos and articles on happiness in general, The Greater Good Science Center at University of California Berkeley (and no, it's not just for hippies!) is extremely grounded in research. Dr. Fred Luskin especially blew me away in some of his video clips on forgiveness--especially viewing forgiveness as a stage in the grief process. Grief as in something I didn't want to happen happened, and I'm experiencing a loss because of it. (This usually isn't about death--it's more about disappointment.) Like some others I've read, Luskin says you must go through your feelings before you forgive. Then you can let things go (although I would argue that feelings might come up again later....oh well!). He also stresses that simply because we are vulnerable to hurt, we'll get hurt sometimes. It's inevitable.

You can find a handful of clips from his presentation, but this one might be my favorite:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=50oNi4KUaqU

Clearing out the Gluten

This post is perhaps more about body clutter. (Fly Lady Marla Cilley has a book by that title.) I don't know about you, but that Dr. Oz has me freaked out about dairy and gluten allergies/sensitivities/intolerance. If you keep eating irritating foods, your body will suffer from inflammation, a major cause of disease. So I asked a naturopath about allergy tests and she said they're so unreliable that the best way to test is to "challenge" certain foods by fasting from them for at least two weeks. So I've given up gluten and am on Week 2. And I am hungry! My mouth often waters when I go to the store. Clearly I don't know how to stay full with gluten-free options, partly because I simply have to be more creative and buy new foods.

Good news: I can still eat all the dairy and tortilla chips I want.
Bad news: Eating eggs and hash browns for breakfast gets really old, and I think corn chips actually irritate my skin a bit. Might have more of a corn allergy.
Strangest food buy: Seaweed rice crackers from Whole Foods, used to transport guacamole to my mouth.
Comfort food: Gluten free mac n' cheese with rice noodles.
Surprisingly okay food: A cheeseburger wrapped in lettuce. I never did the low-carb diet, but I felt pretty happy w/ my lettuce wrap. fries, and lemonade. But the fact that this is only two weeks makes this more okay!
Bright side: I am more educated now that I know gluten is a protein composite found in wheat, rye, and barley. And you can eat yeast because that ain't gluten.

I am optimistic that I don't have issues with gluten....and I've told friends I think the dairy weeks will be when I whine the most. Still, it's fascinating to see how one can handle going gluten-free and to consider all the folks who do this all the time.