A Late New Year’s Resolution

With Christmas music in the mildly chilly air, December in south Texas marks the first twinges of what other states call fall. I am spurred to reflect on the time that has passed since last this season sprung, and the changes that I see inspire me to attempt to direct my future evolution with what (if little!) wisdom I’ve gained.

Only a month left in the year makes this a very late Resolution. Perhaps the first New Year’s Resolution that I might actually keep for the rest of the year, assuming I can cut it: chilling out.

Just yesterday I met with the surgeon to discuss chopping out my recently attacked gallbladder, and I mentioned my chagrin at getting gallstones so soon after doing a liver cleanse (I left out the Master Cleanse…and 5 day fast…). “Oh don’t bother with those,” said the Morgan Freeman look-alike, brushing off the very idea, “I don’t recommend them.” This advice, from such a sage figure, along with the recent recognition of French Cuisine by UNESCO cultural heritage, has given me pause to realize my rush and bother to live to 2100 is probably doing more harm than good in getting me there.

What, you may ask, do the French have to do with it? Well, their entrance into the intangible cultural heritage of humanity hall of fame was noted by one writer as a nod to the French conception of food as a social celebration of life vs. the American view of food as the package for the tabulations of nutrients, calories, and antioxidants that are needed to keep our body machine going.

Ever since my gallbladder bit back after all of the stress I put myself through I’ve felt a big need to step back from this blog to regroup and reconsider what will make each day of however the hell long my life ends up being as worthwhile and happy as possible. = less extremes, more French food. I by no means regret the detoxes, diets and fads I’ve chased so far this year to see what they’re hiding. I’m the type who needs to learn the hard way, through experience, and hopefully my foibles can better inform you, dear reader, as to what not to do.
So even if my recent lifestyle was not the main cause of the stones in my gallbladder (which I’ll be keeping for the near future, by the by!), the annoyance I’ve come to feel even in my own head at constantly considering nutritional breakdowns instead of a respect for my food means it’s time for change.

So the big lesson??? The Resolution??? Chilling, man. I got extreme in the past, but even now that I’m swinging on the opposite direction I am taking with me the clean good feeling of eating fresh, healthy food and the bright exhilaration of using my body to its full potential through daily exercise. Intense detoxes and supplements are a thing of the past, but having tried them I know my body and mind all the better.

So see you around, and happy holidays. I’ll be back with more on the quest to 2100…you know, when I feel like it.

Chapter II: A New Level in Living Longer

Well, it finally happened. I officially crammed so much trivial information about eating, detox, food and nutrition into my brain that gravity collapsed within me last weekend, forming a black hole which was noticed to devour:
-at least a dozen Reeses,
-a six pack of beer so black most people don’t even like it,
-oreos,
-snickers, and
-a tantalizing trio of dark chocolate truffles.
Other, even more horrifying sights, like the late-night Taco Bell that was consumed, oozing greasy red hot sauce, disappeared into the black hole without anyone even noticing.

Truly horrifying, even despite the health benefits supposed about dark chocolate and dark beer.

Still, there’s something to be learned here!

The experience reminds me of miserably trying to master math. I would think that I could never possibly understand and quadratic formula of chapter 5 until, against my will, chapter 6 came along, which was twice as hard! I could barely get through it, but damn, looking back at my homework from the week before, the quadratic equation sure was easy!
The so the moral of my story: No matter how hard you study or practice eating right or whatever, you will generally continue to suck at it for awhile…until you push yourself to do something even harder, and in that way master your former challenges.

So! Whats the next big challenge?
Exercise!

I’ve been detoxing, fasting, eating raw food, looked orthorexia right in the face and shot back with a weekend of binge eating that says, “sure I might be crazy, but I’m not your kind of crazy.”
I’m sick of thinking about food! I know enough to know better by now if I’m really screwing up, and even plenty of good tidbits, like to always get plenty of omega-3s for great skin. If food was Chapter 1, I’ve learned it all, mastered it, and gotten drunk after the test. Time for Chapter 2: exercising!

Right now I’m keeping things very simple.
My goal is to work out for 1 hour a day.
I’m not talking hardcore sweating-trembling-muscles-at-the-brink-breakdown exercise, I mean brisk physical activity of any kind, with at least a few times a week being more intense.
Today I did some energizing yoga stretches, including the Wild Thing, before going on a long bike ride. Turned into quite a battle with the wind coming over the bay, but the flowers blooming at Moody Gardens distracted me. An hour well spent.

We’ll have to consider this Chapter 2.1 in the Big Book of Living to 2100– just like in math. Let’s see how it goes this week before moving on!

Master Cleanse Day 6: The Good and the Bad

The spa today was wonderful, fantastic, rejuvenating and detoxifying all at once. Mom and I walked out feeling reborn and smelling like flower shops, with a good chunk of toxins that are held in the skin melted away. After so much good, how could there possibly be bad news? Well, first thing’s first.

We booked it to The Galvez Hotel Spa immediately after school. After a rough day with my class of 30, I was ready to relax, and relax we did. We arrived about half an hour early to enjoy a stint in the steam room, where our pores prepared to detox by opening up to the cloud of heat we wrapped ourselves in.
Next came a meditative moment in the relaxation room, where we were given a warm neck wrap to begin to un-knot our shoulders and a chilled water zested with lemon to stay hydrated. We lounged on the fluffy chairs and cleared out heads until the spa therapists came in to steal us away to our treatment rooms.

With a low key and melodic flute drifting into my ears, I let go of every ounce of stress from the day as Donna, my masseuse for the day, began to open my pores with an exfoliating pad that woke my whole body up and got circulation going. Next, jasmine scented sugar was scrubbed over (almost!) every inch of me to exfoliate. After a good scrub, she wiped the sugar away with a tension-taming hot moist towel in preparation for the main event:

The clay body mask.
Now as a respectable human being I’ve had plenty of clay masks on my face, but never before have I given my body the same treatment. It’s especially nice letting someone else do all the messy work of coating the warm, creamy mix onto arms, legs, back and belly. After I was thoroughly covered in mud, Donna took the plastic wrap I’d been laying on and wrapped me snugly within. Underneath I found there was a thermal blanket (looks just like aluminum), which was my next layer, and to top it off she tuck me in with a big down blanket to add heat.
When she took another satisfyingly steamy towel and gently wrapped my face with it, I felt like I was floating in a cocoon through heaven. For the 15 minutes or so I must have been in there, she massaged my scalp and eased the muscles in my face that had grown tense from giving the “teacher look” at school.
At one point, I sensed that she was using a lemony aroma therapy oil, wafting it toward me. The strong scent woke up my mind and kept me at an alert relaxation, all the better to enjoy the pampering.

Finally, after unwrapping me and releasing me to a quick Swiss shower (it would be quick with 4 shower heads coming at you from all directions!) she ended with a full body massage using a creamy and hydrating Hawaiian lotion.

Paradise.

I steamed a few minutes more waiting for mom, who soon arrived in a similar state of bliss. And to think that this all came from the master cleanser! How fantastic to know that this treat was a reward for doing something that was already good for our bodies. My masseuse even mentioned that cayenne pepper, a main ingredient in our cleanse, is a metabolism booster.

So, what’s the bad news?
We lost mom today. No, she didn’t keel over from starvation, as many people who hear about the master cleanser expect.
After running a few errands after our spa trip, I walked into mom’s room with a question. And found her…
Chewing.
Food.
I had a sudden flashback to walking in on a particularly cheesy (now ex) boyfriend kissing a girl that wasn’t me, and knew that I was now going solo for the rest of the cleanse.
I’m still very proud of mom–this shift in eating patterns has been MUCH more challenging for her, since her habits before were of the emotional/snacky/addictive kind we both share that got us so toxic to begin with. She made it a whopping 6 1/2 days without real food on this cleanse, and that’s amazing.
I am worried though about how the food–a sandwich of some kind on white bread– will affect her tomorrow. Everything you can read online or off stresses the importance of gradually building back to eating everyday processed foods. I suppose the benefit of this is that now we’ll know just how true that is!

So now I go it alone for the last 4 days. I can already feel how much I am missing a partner–my insecurity over it already has me growing emotional munchies….or maybe it’s the delish smelling zucchini soup dad’s making. Either way, day 6 was a roller coaster, so we’ll see what direction things go next!

Fast Family

Really never thought I’d see it.

Mom and dad, enjoying a 100% raw and organic dinner. That’s right, me and the ‘rents are going on a green smoothie fast. This is only the warm-up day of raw fruits, nuts & veggies. To give you an idea of why this is such a surprise, here’s a clip from a facebook conversation pops and I had earlier before I went shopping for more raw veggies to feed us for a week. He was telling me he just
“Had my first green smoothie”
Me: ooooo, what was in it?
“plum,orange,bananna,green beans,spinach and lime”
Me: Mmmm! Sounds good…

Really though, I thought it sounded good.
And it definitely sounds to good to be true to hear my parents discussing how they’re going to manage resisting temptation as they challenge themselves to a cleansing week-long raw food fast. (And while raw food definitely doesn’t count as a 100% no food fast, for our detoxification and cleansing needs it’s counting for something. We originally agreed to fast, and this is our test run, you might say.)

It’s especially tempting to dad, the owner of Shrimp ‘N Stuff, a local fried-seafood landmark, to stay on a raw diet, even for a week.
“I usually check the shrimp a few times a day to make sure it’s cooked just right. That’s what Jim (The man who started the Stuff) told me to do.”
So now it seems some other unsuspecting liver will have to taste-test the sinfully-delicious fried shrimp while my dad takes a few days off to go raw.
He’s also very interested as to how eating will be when he reintroduces his normal foods back into his diet. I know I felt a big difference in how my energy fared after my first fast when I delved back into complex carbohydrates and glucose. I can’t wait to see how things turn out for them.

I’m glad for mom because we’re teaching at the same 2000 person public high school, where I’ve been watching everyone around me slowly get sick…Giving your body a week of raw food majorly boosts the immune system. It’s like the physical equivalent of the psychological treat you give yourself when you eat that luscious slice of chocolate cake.

As for me, am I ready for a WHOLE WEEK of nothing but raw food, when I was just fasting like a month ago????

Psh. Who’s live to 2100 blog you think you’re readin?

Check out how awesome dinner was:
Raw Avocado Sweet Corn Soup Recipe

Put a bunch of vine-ripened organic tomatoes,
some squeezable fresh avocados,
and a few ears of juicy sweet corn
into a blender or food processor.
Puree to preferred smoothness.
Add some Himalayan Salt and a bit of fresh pepper.

I like to spice mine up with some cayenne and paprika too, but experiment and enjoy!

30 Dates with my Liver #25: Cleaning Inside and Out

Mmmmm, super-cleaning out the garage your parents haven’t touched since a hurricane (thanks, Ike) literally ripped through it? Sounds fun huh? It does when you’re on a date with your liver!

Being the badass I am, I started this overhaul in the heat of the summer, in the enveloping humidity of an overcast Galveston day. It was actually really nice–first of all, I was feeling soooo accomplished actually getting this off the to-do list. The heat had been putting me off, but in the end, once you’re all dusty and sweaty anyway, who cares? I was sure to keep me and my liver hydrated.

And my liver loved it! All that water and sweat made for a nice flush out of my whole system, and that’s not to mention the workout I got hauling boxes and lugging furniture around.

I’m only about halfway done, but the corner I’d chiseled in the garage for my painting studio will now expand to the whole area. Unexpressed creativity is a terrible toxin that does a number on your liver and your soul, so cleaning things out has been sooo worth it. And now that things will be more presentable, I can even have people over for a healthy dark beer or two…

30 Dates with my Liver #24: Pampering Your Loved One

All relationships benefit when person A sends person B to a spa day. In this case, my liver and I were person C benefiting from joining a good friend being sent off to a spa morning by her fabulous fiancee. I have never been so relaxed in my life.

The scene for old-school glamor was set by our location at the Hotel Galvez. When my grandfather moved here from Italy after WWII, he stayed at this gorgeous historic hotel before settling into the city that is now our home. I’ve always loved the island casual elegance of the architecture, but this was my first time inside.

The spa experience begins with the lovely staff inviting you to enjoy some lavender champagne in the relaxation room, or take a moment in the steam room. Access to these amenities is complimentary with any of their treatments, from the best pedicure I’ve ever had (massage chair and expert attention from a girl I found out was in my graduating class! (God I love Galveston)) to the detox bath therapy that’s only $35 to add to another service (that one is on the to-do list…).

Between the eucalyptus aroma therapy to the warm shoulder wrap that was handed to us at the relaxation room door, I could not have been more content. The atmosphere was so calming that even the enduring thoughts that have been bugging me lately couldn’t break into my consciousness. When they did, I simply realized that everything would be ok. Did I offend so and so with that remark? Does this hangover mean that my detox plans are sabotaged, pointless, or in general kaput? As I allowed myself to be coddled by the care of my aesthetician, I was able to let go of the worries I’ve been harboring in a moment of clarity that helped me see that as long as I make sure I am doing the right thing right now, everything will be fine.

My liver appreciated the break from the day to day grind possibly more than I did. A weekend with old high school friends was hard work for my ever-patient liver, and stepping into the steam room is a sigh of relief for over-worked livers. In the steam room, the skin takes over the majority of the detoxification process as it expels toxins through sweat.

My fantastic facialist explained that the different zones of the face reflect that is going on with the body. In general, forehead breakouts are from stress, nose eruptions from hormones, and chin activity from digestion. So cool! And good to know that this chin on my zit will benefit from my detoxing as much as my liver will.

So the monthly budget I’ve been working on will now include a monthly trip to the Galvez. For health reasons. That kind of relaxation may cost a pretty penny, but the moments of health-boosting bliss are saving me money in hospital bills down the road. So next month: express facial plus a hair mask? I think yes.

30 Dates with my Liver #23: Jewelry

Indescribably wonderful day in the downtowns of Galveston and Houston. My liver and I were in top form. Jewelry was involved- a big moment in every relationship. This silver necklace has an inscription in Theban which translates to “As above, so below, as within, so without.”

For those of you who have seen my latest sculpture, a 12 foot tall metal and cement tree with roots quite similar to this one, you might see why I fell in love with this piece.

The inscription really captures one of the key concepts of the sculpture (titled Hegelius Fractalia), which also was highly inspired by fractals .

My liver loved it because it ties in to the same holistic well-being theme of the interconnection between body, mind, and spirit. Everything, really.

Then I had a superb dinner out at Vietnam restaurant in Houston. Love their veggie-ful egg drop soup. My friend discovered an incredible and I imagine little known miracle of mixology:
pour a fat dollop of jasmine green tea in your Vietnamese iced coffee. The taste is out of this world, a full bodied and yet delicate floral earthy moment of bliss.

My fortune cookie book-ended a beautifully happy day with a connection to, of course, the 2100 challenge:

“The joyfulness of a man prolongeth his days.”

So live long, and be joyful!