Progress, not Perfection

Why does time fly so quickly? I have so much to write and no time in which to write it!

Wednesday

My morning smoothie consisted of 4 pieces of kale, almond milk, cucumber, salted almond butter, 1 whole banana and my secret ingredient – it kept me satisfied for almost 3 hours! I had my last Coco Choco Bar as a snack around 11:30 and chugged away on some water. I had to prep for a meeting at 1:30 and didn’t want to rush my sandwich, so I ate a container of cherries (about a cup and a half or so) before my phone call. Around 3, I had my last whole wheat English muffin with almond butter, sea salt, banana chips and dried cranberries. I enjoyed this lunch so much! Then I had a Clif zBar around 4 in preparation for the gym and some nettle tea.

I got an email from the beautiful Gena on Tuesday inviting me to Wednesday’s Beam Green event at Tavern on the Green and I was so excited! After banging out a quick 4 miles on the treadmill, I hopped in a cab to the restaurant. Thank goodness I opted for the cab because I’d never been to Tavern and I never would have found it on my own. What a gorgeous space! The halls are paneled in small mirrors and they reflect all the lights and send rainbows all over. Gena took some great pictures of the room our event was in (The Terrace Room, I think?), thankfully, since I was too bashful to whip out my camera! Before the lecture began, I snacked on some fresh fruit and a few pieces of avocado roll while getting to know fellow bloggers Melissa, Emily, Diana and Gena. Let me just say, when I started blogging, I had no idea who might be on the other side of the blogs I read and I am so fortunate to have met such vibrant, friendly women at this event! It was so wonderful to be surrounded by people who are all striving to be the best version of themselves and who encourage others to do the same.

To get the meeting rolling, the founder of Beam Green, Mary, spoke to us and I truly believe I was in the presence of someone incredible. She and her mother (who is incredibly involved in Beam Green as well) have experienced so much sadness and so many challenges in their lives. Yet, Mary’s smile made me smile, her words touched my heart, and her enthusiasm for a healthy future was infectious. In short, she is absolutely gorgeous inside and out!

Gil Jacobs was the featured speaker and what a treat it was to hear his story and to witness the life raw foods and natural cleansing have given him. He was truly over the top, bouncing off the walls, blissfully in love with life. I also appreciated the level of detail he gave in his lecture since I am so new to this healthier lifestyle. Much like Diana, I spent most of the lecture bent over my paper scribbling notes as fast as possible! Gil spoke a great deal about the concept of alkalinity and magnetic energy: our bodies are negatively charged! Fruits and vegetables are also negatively charged, which is why they pass through the body so quickly. Meats, cheese, grains and processed foods, however, are positively charged. Like a magnet, these opposite charges are attracted to the body and stay in the system, rather than passing through. This “lining” builds throughout our lives and can be a cause for serious diseases and health issues later in life – cancer, hypothyroidism, diabetes, arthritis, bone and tooth decay, and the list goes on.

Having a science background, I really appreciated this approach to health and anatomy! However, I started thinking about my lifestyle and my personal tastes and I began to panic. What if I ate a steak in six months?? Would I undo all the cleansing I’d done for my body? What if I accidentally had some vegetables prepared with butter? What was the point?!

As if he could hear my thoughts (maybe that’s another perk of his clean lifestyle?), Gil reminded us that life is about progress, not perfection. Wow. If you can, say that out loud to yourself. Life is about progress not perfection. His example was such:

If you take a person who has been eating the SAD (Standard American Diet) and suddenly put them on a diet of brown rice, sautéed chicken breasts and fresh greens, their body will cleanse! Even if they aren’t juicing every morning, eating fruit for lunch, having a salad and a light dinner in the evening, all is not lost. Quite the opposite, in fact. That person will lose weight, their skin will glow, their organs will function more efficiently and they will be happier!

He also reminded us that he never gives his clients rules only guidelines, and that there is no magic formula. All the fad diets capitalize on the public’s desire to take a magic pill or eat a magic food to look like Gisele (think cabbage diet, Atkins, Zone, etc). It’s not the foods you’re eating on those diets. It’s the abstinence from other foods! Selective undereating and abstinence were two of Gil’s other major points. I interpreted these terms as calls to reevaluate my diet a bit and minimize the bad while capitalizing on the good. I don’t have to eliminate red meat, or a glass of Riesling from my diet. I just need to eat more greens and fresh fruits. These negatively charged foods will naturally cleanse my body and I will be healthier than I was before. That’s what matters. To me, it’s really about progress, not perfection.

What does “progress, not perfection” mean to you?

Even though I think I’m still processing much of the information from the lecture, I know Gil (as well as everyone in attendance) had a huge impact on me and I will definitely be back next month.

Oh, and last but certainly not least, I won something in the raffle!! For the first time since I was six years old, I won something in a random drawing. While I was a little bummed that I’m now down to two “interesting facts” about myself, I was super psyched for my prize! Two SIGG bottles and brushes and tablets to clean them!! I’ve already decided the 1L big mama will come to work with me every day and I’ll use it for juicing if (fingers crossed) I happen to get a juicer for my birthday next month. Hint, hint, Husband 😉 Note: it’s important to store juice in an opaque container if you aren’t consuming it immediately because sunlight breaks down the enzymes and nutrients in the juice. I imagine the same goes for Green Monsters so it’s a good thing I usually drinks those down right away! I’m excited to use the smaller one for transporting Green Monsters too – my GMs are usually in the 15-20oz. range so I can store one in the smaller SIGG and have absolutely no concerns about leaking or oxidation. Thanks Beam Green!!

Thursday

I woke up on Thursday wanting one of my new CocoBanana bars so who was I to deny myself? I had a bowl of cherries and sliced strawberries with a ZBar for my midmorning snack.

Then a tasty wrap for lunch:

I wrapped organic herbed turkey breast with alfalfa and broccoli sprouts and feta cheese in a flax wrap. Delicious!! The bite of the feta really brought this meal together and it was so substantial that it kept me full all afternoon!

Since I’d made a Green Monster in the AM, I drank it while I took Bodhi for a walk and I was full enough that I could just pick at things a bit for dinner. We had some leftover Indian food, a couple of blueberry oaties and some coconut sorbet. Nothing very photo worthy, but still tasty and satisfying.

We also cleaned the entire apartment top to bottom in anticipation of our weekend guests! My best friend in the whole wide world is coming to visit this weekend with her new beau and his puppy. I can’t wait! Thankfully I’ve got some fun plans before they get to the city around 11 tonight, but more on that later 😉

Any fun weekend plans? What are your favorite summer weekend activities?