Monthly Goals: March 2013

March is always a very busy month in my world. With tons of birthdays, including mine on the 7th, term papers and assignments due, spring around the corner and an imminent move to prepare for before I get swamped by exams in April so that I'm ready for it come May, there is tons on my mind!

So let's get to March Goals!

First and foremost, let's talk food. I am still 100% raw (woo!) and loving it, despite still having some random cravings and having a few bumps here and there. This month I want to start incorporating more juicing into my daily routine. I used to juice a ton and got out of the habit a bit. I find juicing to be amazingly beneficial and plan on writing a post entirely dedicated to it this month. Green juice is definitely my favorite,a nd with greens FINALLY getting cheaper, it'll be much easier to do.

Another food goal, is to try to be more consistent with my calorie intake and up it back to 2800-3200 calories a day. I've been keeping it a little low for my liking around the 2300-2600 mark and I know that I thrive even more when my calorie intake is higher. Also, my water intake has been less than it should be, so with 2.5 liters a day my new goal, I'll be getting enough to stay hydrated.

As for fitness goals, I'll be continuing with the same system I set up (picture below) but with a little more intensity. I'll be rotating all the categories by choosing 2 or more per day, at a minimum of 4 days a week with an ideal goal of 6 day a week. With the weather getting nicer, I might be able to attempt some outside runs!

A big one that I'm more or less introducing this month concerns my sleep schedule. I've always had difficulty balancing this one with all the others. Either I sleep tons, or not enough. I want to concentrate on getting a minimum of 8 hours of sleep everyday, ideally it would be 10, but I want to be realistic and work my self up to my ideal. This means being much more organized and time efficient with everything that I want to do. Less procrastination means more zzz's!! By establishing a specific morning routine, I'll be getting up earlier and exercising more, which means getting to be earlier and actually being tired is much more likely.

Let's see...what else...

Spiritual goals are basically the same, meditation every day for a least 15 minutes and yoga a few times a week, usually at home but I would like to get to a few classes as well to vary it up since I'm doing all of my workouts at home now. I want to explore some new methods of meditation as well, guided, new techniques and positions. 

I wanted to add one more category in these posts as well, a blogging goals section! So this month I want to write another Fun Fitness post, this time about Yoga. I also want to write a post about how raw has helped with my debilitating anxiety and lastly I want to write a post about letting go of the numbers aka the scale. I might have a few more ideas, but those are my must do's for March! :)

Here's to yet another amazing month!!

Finding Solutions: What is a calorie anyways?

When I first started looking at the raw lifestyle, I was a typical calorie restrictor, in fact I had been doing it for so long that it was normal for me to eat under 1800 calories a day, even when I was eating SAD. So obviously I saw the amount of food I was supposed to be eating as humongous and nearly impossible. a min of 2500 a day from fruit only??

First off, I do want to clarify the whole calorie deal. a calorie is defined as:

A unit of heat equal to 4.1868 Joules formerly defined as the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius under standard conditions.

It sounds really complicated but it basically means that its the amount of energy any substance, we use it for food, gives off when it's "burned". This process isn't actually 100% proved to be what our bodies actually do, it's a theory that is basically taken for truth until it's proven wrong and at this point is the best way for us to determine our food intake since we are very far removed from our natural instincts on the matter. 

I use a tool called Cron-o-meter, you can find it here. Its a free application that you can used two ways, wither web-based (what I use now) or you can download it to your computer. Basically it makes my life much easier. I input my daily food intake and it lets me know not only my caloric intake, but also my macronutrient ratios and my vitamin and mineral intake for the day. There are few things that need to be changed for anyone eating a low-fat, high crab raw vegan diet, but that's another perk, that everything is editable! 

So my daily intake of calories now is 3500-4500 a day. Something I seriously would never have believed would be happening even 6 months ago when I was struggling to eat 2500! The way I did it was to basically slowly up my intake over time and:

I pushed myself to eat a bit more everyday. 

Smoothies help me get it all in.

I've found that 4 meals a day works best for me. 

Sometimes I even add in a little snack. 

Bananas and dates are my best friends in this. 

As much as I love other fruit, they are not the bulk of my meals. 

I try to get at least 1000 calories in every meal. 

To mix things up, I add berries or other fruit to my nana smoothie, keeping food combination rules in mind.

I drink water all day, no less than 3 liters a day.

I do intense workouts, I move much more throughout my day as well.

I take time to play, exercise is fun!

I try to get in a MIN of 8 hours of sleep a day.

I meditate before bed and sometimes in the mornings.

I seek balance in life, having intense moments as well as lazy times. 

The true way to succeed on this lifestyle is more than just food. But it is nonetheless very important. Finding the best strategy for me is what is making it work. I took in the advice of others and put it into application in my own way. 

I used to never be hungry. My body didnt send me the signals I needed to eat. Days used to go by where I didnt eat at all. A combination of poor lifestyle choices,  eating disorders and drug use had damaged my body and as much as it still healing from those today, I am on the right path to true health and vitality. If I can do it after all that, I seriously think that everyone can do it. It's not easy, but it's sure as bananas worth every struggle, every bad day, every detox symptom.