How the Program is Going So Far:

Starting a Lifestyle Makeover just as the holidays approach is like a head-on collision, the excesses of the season crashing into my resolve and enthusiasm for this program.  Still, my answer is a strong “thumbs up.” The frequency of coaching sessions (weekly) in combination with Rosie’s ability to ask powerful, provocative questions is helping me gather momentum for change, like a pressure cooker slowly building. I’m actually beginning to believe I can change some of my old, cherished, and steadfast habits. And, as one of my spiritual teachers once said, “You’ll see it when you believe it”—an empowering turn on an old useless cliché.

Biggest Successes This Month:

The most empowering change I have made as a result of this program is to think small, which, for me is a very big change, indeed. In life I have always seen the big picture but missed the details, as in writing: It must be the Great American Novel for me or why bother? It’s all or nothing, like the time I wanted to do an internal cleanse a few years ago and didn’t eat for a week.  This global view is paralyzing; after all, I’m just a human being, a regular person filled with shining moments and neuroses like everyone else. I am not super nor a saint, though I have aspired to be these to escape the dreariness of my humanity. I have thought, “why bother with the petty concerns of human life when the soul is so much more interesting?” The answer—because I AM human—may be an obvious one, but it has never penetrated my psyche. I have missed a lot of life gazing into the ether.

Through this program, I’m getting it. Slowly. I can feel my focus narrowing down to the routine minutia of my daily life: Diet. Exercise. Sleep. Finances. Work. Relationships. Meditation. Care moment to moment for soul AND body, and by God, I just may build a fulfilling life. Not the life of a saint; just the life of an ordinary happy human being.


Biggest Challenges This Month:

With the frenzy of the holidays, it seemed at times this month as if it was a moment-by-moment decision: Do I really want to eat this, buy that, race here, or am I getting caught up again? Whatever the answer in a given moment, I did indulge a lot, which I regret. I’m looking forward to starting my 28-day Ultraclear detox program next week (don’t worry, it’s nothing like the week-long fast I once did; this is much gentler).

How the Holidays Were for Me This Year:

As we marched toward the holidays, I found myself swept up in the frenzy of it all. I was constantly faced with the opportunity to eat, spend, and do, which is not like me (well, the eating part is, but not the other things). I had to consistently seek myself in the midst of the cultural tide, which is filled with excess at this time of year.

Insights or Major “A-Ha” Moments:

During one of my sessions with Rosie, I was talking about the sad state of my body and my inability to commit to exercising. It was then that I had the startling revelation that my body is just as sacred, just as much a miracle as my soul. It really was mind and heart-opening and had a direct impact on my health.

Here’s how: I have had recurring low back pain for a few years, made worse since the coming of my child, who is getting heavier with each meal and still wants to be carried a lot—and I no longer possess the strength nor stamina I had long (very long, it seems) ago.

I have been told repeatedly by physical therapists, chiropractors, and my own inner knowing to strengthen my core: Strong abs support the low back. I would follow this advice, but only until my pain subsided; then I would stop, and the exercises went under the radar.   With the coming of my babe, though, the pain isn’t going away. And, for reasons of which I’m still not sure, I refused to get down on the floor and do what I knew would help—my ab exercises. Instead, I complained to my spouse and tried massage, acupuncture, chiropractic, and Advil. They all helped, but only a little and never for long.

It was that coaching session that changed my mind, the one where I realized the divinity of my body; that it deserves as much care as my spiritual life. I finally committed to taking those fifteen daily minutes and doing my exercises, and the results were instant. My back felt better after my first set of exercises! It was as if my back had been crying for just a bit of attention, and when I finally gave it some, it relaxed. Just like my baby.

So, I learned, yet again, about the power of intention and follow-through. The results can be instant and dramatic. The challenge, of course, is to make it regular. One day at a time, as the saying goes.

My Goals/Plans for Month 2 of the Program:

My goals going into January are to continue my daily ab exercises; create a healthier bedtime; and begin my detox program. I may add other goals along the way, but for now, that feels like enough. In fact, send me some good wishes on the detox program (even though you don’t know who I am), for it requires that I give up sugar and dairy for 28 days. If that weren’t challenging enough, there is one week in the middle of the program that asks me to eat only fruits, veggies, fats, rice, and the Ultraclear powder. That should be interesting. Still, it’s a small sacrifice compared to the possible health benefits, and the whole thing looks to be a lot easier than eating nothing but juice for a week. We’ll see how it turns out.