Even more so than usual, some might say.
For almost two years now, I've been part of a wonderful 12 step program which has helped change my body, my mind, and my spirit, and brought some wonderful people into my life and helped me finally "clean my side of the street".
Things have been going well for me in my personal life, and my sons are both healthy and happy, I'm more than grateful.
My artwork has been received positively, I've "put myself out there" more and am gaining confidence.
i think it shows in my newer pieces and I'll keep learning and growing in this area that brings me the most joy.
But sometimes i still spend way too much time on Facebook, my way of procrastinating and avoiding.
So I find it very karmic(?) that one day on FB i came across a survey that was posted by a certain TV Doc about stress and the havoc it plays on one's body. I answered the survey and hit "send', thinking no more about it, since a zillion people saw the same post. Weird then that that evening i got an email asking me for some more details about the stresses in my life, and how stress has affected me physically as well as mentally.
I answered it. and again didn't dwell on it.
The next day or so i got a call from a producers assistant asking to talk to me. We talked. We hung up.
Two days later the producers assistant called again and told me that Dr Dean Ornish is putting together a study group of a few women who, like me, have trouble "letting go" of stress (me???) and have had some illnesses that were stress related. (me again). Would i be interested in the information, the group, the commitment to change the way i ate/exercised/dealt with stress?
Would I be ok being filmed doing all this?
Hell yeah.
Being that i believe there's no such thing as coincidences, and that I've been working on reconnecting with my higher Power and all i lost spiritually a few years ago, I truly believe God dropped this opportunity into my lap. I'm one of those people that doesn't hear the whispers, I need a 2x4 to the head. This also happened during the same time i screwed up the courage to talk to the gorgeous, super fit, trainer of the trainers at my gym, and ask her to talk to me and help me face my fear of doing uncomfortable classes at the gym.
All this in the same week. There's gotta be a reason.
So for the past three weeks (with 9 to go) I make the train out of Summit, head to NY and work with our team.
I've been so unbelievably lucky to have been chosen to be part of this community of Doctors, Trainers, Therapists, Nutritionists,Yoga instructors etc, who monitor me, have changed my diet, have upped my work outs, have taught me to meditate, and continue to do so daily with emails, phone calls, texts etc.
Dr Ornish had walked me down to the room where i had to be weighed, measured, poked, prodded and drained of 6 vials of blood that first day. On film yet. He promised me that would be the worst.
He was right.
I thought i was eating pretty well, and i was, but i still needed Lipitor for the dreaded high cholesterol that plagues my family. So thats where my focus is. (The other gals have their own stuff to deal with).
I'm now on Dean's Spectrum Diet for heart disease reversal. He said my eating could use with a little tweaking. So out went the animal protein and fat. buh bye chicken, my faithful staple in almost every meal....
In came soy products. Who knew tofu was in other things besides miso soup?
and meatless meatballs? ok, I'm trying a lot of new stuff. not all home runs, but i feel so much better,
lighter even. Its taking some thought and planning but slowly I'm getting together some new recipes.
The first week or so was the honeymoon stage I know, and perhaps I won't feel as over the moon in a week or so, who knows. But right now I'm proud of myself for putting my health first.
if you want to check out the Spectrum Diet go to www.feelthelove.ornishspectrum.com
and check it out.
I've been journaling my food, my workouts and my feelings about this.
more to come.
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