GULP...I ate dinner twice on day two!!! But hold on before you start to judge me. Hold my hand and take a walk with me as I guide you down this day's journey.
I woke up at the crack of dawn, committing to exercise for a solid twenty minutes. I drank two cups of water, consumed an apple and checked the weather. I think I may have been a weather person in another life because I love checking out the Earth's atmosphere to try and predict the current weather. You see, if I notice water condensed from atmospheric vapor falling on me from the sky...I become 100% certain it's raining. If I don't see a cloud in the sky and the sun is beaming directly on the Earth, and I start to sweat...I become 100% certain I'm experiencing a hot day. Last, but not least...if the clouds are cold enough, and water vapor from the clouds condense into ice crystals and the crystals begin to fall ever so lightly on my eyelashes...I know it's snowing; hence time to break out a coat.
So...when I checked the weather this morning, I knew with absolute certainty I'd be okay putting on my black biker shorts, my black tee and some gymshoes. Side bar Chicago! I'm just teasing you with examples of metaphors to show you that oftentimes the answers to our questions are right before our eyes. I know that I have tendencies to be a complex writer, but bear with me.
I went outside to the field by my house and alternated full speed ahead sprints and power walks. I wanted to really sweat so I pushed myself hard on the sprints. Running is not my favorite sport, but sprints are becoming more doable. I was definitely having challenges running fast, but I completed my twenty minutes of exercises.
I returned home by 6:30am and began to get ready for my day.
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Eleven hours later, at 5:30pm I was driving southwest to my Hapkido class. Hapkido is a part of the Total Martial Arts (TMA) at Bally's Health Club. I wanted to arrive at least one hour before class to relax in the sauna and/or steam room. I don't think it's a true experience, unless you are able to spend a good hour in a sweat bath. I am true sauna & steam room enthusiast! I love to take sweat baths as frequently as possible. If I could, I'd go into a sauna (or steam room) daily--which is extremely healthy.
My favorite of the two is the dry heat from the sauna. It's just a personal preference.
O I love the sauna for so many reasons. It relaxes me. The sweat bath opens my pores and flushes out impurities/toxins from my body. When we bathe we clean the surface of our skin. When I take a sweat bath I am digging through layers and layers beneath the skin for a deeper cleaning. As a result, I am afforded healthy skin, a glowing complexion and better health.
Let me take a moment to add, that if you are consuming toxic foods at high levels (& you begin to visit the sauna regularly) your body will go through a detox. Your skin may begin to break out, but don't be alarmed...this is just the toxins leaving your body by passageway of your skin. This is completely harmless, though it may not be a pretty sight for a few days.
Though I spend an hour in the sauna and steam room I WILL NOT ADVISE ANYONE ELSE TO DO THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It can become dangerous for you, especially since your skin and internal body temperature will rise to well over 100 degrees; creating an artificial fever. The artificial fever is what stimulates your immune system to increase the white blood cells to attack any diseases. Many Sauna enthusiasts, such as myself get fewer colds than the average person.
Now, let me tell you how I am safely spending one hour in the sauna, such as on this day.
I drink two cups of water and take a freezing bath before entering the sauna. I never walk into the sauna without a waterproof watch to keep track of time. When I first enter the sauna I close my eyes to erase everyone around me, then I begin to meditate. I focus and draw the energy towards appreciation for where I am in life. I acknowledge all the good within me and around me. I allow my mind to touch all of the possibilities in my life. I am usually just beginning to break out in a sweat, when my alarm on my watch beeps, alerting me that twenty minutes have passed. I then consume another two cups of water. I spend the next ten minutes observing my surroundings, wishing good-will and exerting positive vibes to everyone in my presence.
Aware of the time, I leave out of the sauna when a total of thirty minutes have passed by. I take a freezing shower for a minute or two. Then I take a hot shower for a few minutes. Then another freezing shower and head back to the sauna. I don't want to shock my system, so the freezing showers are quicker than the hot showers. The contrasting showers aid in removing toxins & wastes from your body. The showers also normalizes your body, boosts your immune system and gets a better circulation going within your body. THIS ISN'T FOR EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I did a lot of research before doing this and have found that you should not do this if you have the following: diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma, inflammation, weak tissues...etc. PLEASE CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE TRYING THIS!
When I have taken my last freezing shower, I head back to the sauna. I again close my eyes and meditate. This time I visualize what I want in life. I see the details in my vision, what I am wearing at the time of my accomplishment, who is around, what it feels like, what I am smelling. This fools the brain into believing you are actually in the moment experiencing the success. So...when the success you are pulling your way happens, your brain believes it has done this already and so does not freeze up with nervous anticipation and actually allows you to logically and rationally embrace your success.
A great example of this is public speaking. If you have to present a speech (at your job, your school, toastmasters...) and you follow my above advice on meditation and visualization. your speech will be a smashing success. When you actually present the speech, you will feel like you have done it a dozen times before and your nervousness will soon dissipate. If you are meeting the man of your dreams, you will feel like you have already met and will be able to show your truest essence. If you are going for a job interview, you will have already visualized yourself being in their employment and something about you will make the interviewer want to immediately give you the position!! I promise you I am trying and living proof of this success!
Ahhh...I digress. After my sweat bath I consume another two cups of room temperature water. So...in one hour I have drank six cups of water. After following this practice...I took one more quick shower (warm water) and then put on my Hapkido uniform for class.
When I walked into the class I noticed a different teacher. He explained that Master Lee's working visa was denied and that he is being forced back to Japan. Wha!!?? I was really loving my instructor. Recall my post from day 1 of 21. Master Lee gave me my first red tip on my white belt. He believed in me, and saw my potential. I was sad to see him leave, but even sadder to see how my fellow classmates felt. Many of them practiced under Master Lee for two years. Some even receiving their black belt from him.
I could feel how tense the room was, but I cleared it from my soul and allowed myself to push on. Master Kim (I think that's what he said) pushed us really hard!!!!!! His teaching style though different, was appreciated. He taught me two sparring moves today, and helped me make my kicks sharper and more refined. He also put us in pain, even the black belts by showing us a hand grabbing, arm twisting move.
At the beg. of the class he noted the students who did not know the martial arts pledge and gave us the paper to study. Master Lee's style was more so...you'll learn it by continuing to come to class. Neither style better, just different. Master Kim (new instructor) also showed me the pressure points on the neck and shin bone I should aim for while learning the first two sparring moves. He even demonstrated on me (OUCH), but that was a quick lesson learned. In one class I have mastered two of the ten sparring moves expected to have learned under the white belt. One point when I looked up and out (there are glass windows so people on the second level can look down into our class) I spotted Master Lee and he smiled at me. He shook his head up and down as if to say good job.
When class was over, I changed out of my clothes and went looking for him. I could tell he was sad. I also saw Kristina (fellow hapkido student and Bally's employee) sitting in his office crying because he was leaving. I took a picture of Master Lee so that I can remember him. Master Lee has a strong grasp on English, but so much of what I wanted to say to him, I think would have been lost to him in the mind's decoding of my message. So...instead I turned to Kristina. I said "Kristina...he should first find out why his Visa was denied. Then we (all of his students) can petition on his behalf. I think Master Lee made a clerical error (I truly don't know), but I do know how he affected my life, so I want to stand and be a support to him. Kristina mentioned an upcoming meeting to have all of his students (over 100 of us) go to court fully dressed in our Martial Arts uniform to support him. I agreed to do it and confirmed that she knew my number.
I am optimistic for Master Lee's future.
So in ending day 2 of 21 I exercised for over two hours and spent one hour in the sauna.
For breakfast, I ate a half cup of oatmeal with margin, blueberry yogurt and an apple. I drank two cups of water before breakfast and two cups of water after breakfast.
For lunch, I went out and had a steak sandwich with raspberry tea. Midway between lunch and dinner I had 2 more cups of water.
For dinner, I ate steamed carrots (mixed with brown sugar), mixed greens and chicken. My mother came to my house to cook this for my children. I love you ma!!! She watches my children (as mentioned in post 1) three times a week for me.
When I returned home again, I seemed to have this voracious hunger. So...I ate dinner again. I heated up some leftover red beans and rice, leftover greens and leftover chicken. This was a bad thing to do. Chicago, I ate my second dinner at 9:30 at night. However, I am sharing this because I want you to know that instead of focusing on your failure, you should focus on your accomplishments. Turning your energy to the positives will make that grow even more. Focusing on the failures will only put you in a mindset of encouraging more failures to come.
So...I ate dinner twice, I messed up, but I am prepared to immediately jump up and correct future behaviors. I will get to the point I am not eating at night, but until I get there...I will make a conscious choice to consume fruit or raw vegetables if the hunger overtakes me again.
As far as water, I had 12 cups of pure water. That was good!
Until day 3..., remember if you believe you can do it, then you will!
Treena Renee Glover
Producer and Co-host of Self Portrait
selfportrait@rocketmail.com
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