Wow. A part of me is amazed that I am doing something like this and writing in a blog. I’m reserved by nature. An introvert. Someone who never wants the spotlight or attention. But I’ve been doing a lot of this type of thing lately – stepping outside my comfort zone.

Take a look at the picture of the spiffy new shoes I purchased two weeks ago. The last time I owned anything like this was back in high school for P.E. class and I think they’re probably collecting dust in my parents’ house somewhere. Deciding to get a new pair, this is what I purchased. So far I’ve only taken them on one 30 minute walk, but I plan on going on many many more walks.

Exercise is definitely outside my comfort zone.

I know that sticking with what is safe and comfortable left me in a place where I didn’t like myself when I looked in a mirror, and as I push myself to try new things, such as exercise, I find it’s not as bad as I thought. I mean, who wants to be all hot and sweaty, but there is a feeling of accomplishment afterward that feels good. Although, while my workouts are probably laughable to someone else, not even a warm up, my baby steps are leaps and bounds for me. Every minute spent exercising is a minute more than before.

So back to my comfort zone and food.

When it comes to food, I stick to what I know. The only leafy green I eat on a regular basis is spinach. I’m a finicky eater and refuse to try new things. Or at least I used to be. In the past few weeks I’ve tried kale, swiss chard and bok choy, and plan to expand my horizons even more. The more I have to chose from, the more likely I am to stick with eating raw foods, making the transition that much easier.

At least I like my veggies raw. There are a few exceptions, like potatoes, but for the most part I prefer my vegetables raw, so at least that goal is simpler.

More changes.

I’d already cut out wheat and dairy before coming across Eating for Energy. I decided to start with the Total Wellness Cleanse to jumpstart my raw food diet, so my big changes were cutting out meat and high-sugar fruits as I tried to restrict my sugar intake, even from fruits. Besides the smashing headache I had the first two days, I haven’t had any real problems or detox symptoms. Surprisingly, I haven’t had the cravings I was expecting. Thank goodness.

At the moment, I’m in the stage of bringing old foods back into my diet.

I had some chicken recently to see if I wanted to include it in my diet again and realized I didn’t really want it. Not to say I’ll cut meat out entirely, but restricting it to a couple times a week shouldn’t be a problem.

When it comes to dairy, I now realize that my congestion was largely due to my milk consumption, so that knowledge combined with what I now know is in milk purchased at the store will make walking away easy.

As I slowly leave my old comfort zone, I create a new one.

Things that would have left me going, What! Are you crazy! before are becoming normal. I still have progress to make, but the future looks bright.

I’m hoping that writing in a public way like this will help keep me motivated and accountable, so follow along as I chronicle my successes, setbacks, and general observations about this excursion into eating raw foods.

Nichole

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