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A lot has changed…. I've been at NF for over a year now; I made huge progress last year but then went backwards late spring/early summer as I went through a tough spot with anxiety, depression, and some family issues. Last challenge was a wash in terms of the goals I started with, but I did a lot of other good work for myself both physically and mentally. Still, I wasn't happy with myself for giving up halfway through (heck, a week in) and totally dropping off the face of the NF-earth. For this challenge I'm narrowing the focus down to just finishing the challenge. FINISH. THE. CHALLENGE. C'mon, Sambie, you can do it... A key part of my challenge this time is yoga and belly dance, both of which are meditative, emotive, body-mindful activities in their own ways, so I am joining the Druids for this challenge. Hi! :::waves::: Things that are true for me: Sugar makes my stomach upset. Too much bread makes my stomach upset. Too much cheese makes my stomach upset. When my stomach is upset, I feel like blah. When I feel like blah, my day goes poorly and my stress level goes up. When I feel like blah, I don’t want to do anything active. So I eat more bread, cheese, and sugar. Which makes me feel stupid, bad, depressed, and anxious. Which makes me feel like blah. So I don’t work out, I don’t go outside, I don’t like myself. Whole foods make me feel good. The simpler the better. Not too much salt, and not too many spices; my stomach doesn’t like either of those in excess. Bread itself is ok, homemade and in very small amounts. Not the centerpiece of a meal. Cheese itself is ok, in very small amounts and on occasion. Not a main source of protein. Yogurt is ok, but not cups of it a day; my stomach will be angry. Sugar is a minefield; better to avoid it except for a very good reason. Better not to “splurge†on storebought sugary stuff; I will regret it later when my stomach is angry and it was not as good as something I could make. (Because I am an epic cook.) Wine is delicious and my belly does not hate it. Wine can be a treat. Belly dancing is fun. I’m taking a class. Yoga is fun and it makes me feel good. This is the because I said I would challenge. I recently found the BISIW website and the concept rang true for me. In the past two weeks, since finding that site, BISIW has helped me do things I've been wanting to do for ages, like start flossing daily and live by the rule of halves until I can get to the other side of my distorted relationship with food. The rule of halves is simple; as I seek to learn how much food my body actually wants to eat, I will take half of the amount I would normally eat, for trigger foods. So instead of making a whole grilled cheese, start with half. Instead of putting 4 pieces of pizza on my plate, start with two. Instead of doubling that mug cake, only make one. Yes I know I could just cut these out completely, I have done that in the past by exercising an enormous amount of willpower. But I didn't learn anything, I wasn't able to get at the root of my relationship with food, so nothing really changed. I want to learn WHY I want these foods, HOW MUCH my body truly wants to eat, and HOW they make me feel afterward. I have been doing this for a couple weeks now and it has made a huge difference in how I look at food. I've been able to actually feel my stomach and my digestion, and the various feelings of satiety, hunger, discomfort, bloatedness, etc. that come with eating certain types and amounts of foods. As an added bonus, without even planning to, my rule of halves has expanded to "take half and make the other half of your plate veggies." The rule of halves now also, without thinking about it, includes not grabbing things that make me feel yucky, like sugar or too much dairy. These "extras" came out of nowhere, but the fact that my brain started doing that all by itself tells me I'm headed in the right direction. Main Quest: Finish this challenge. Benchmark 1: I will attend belly dance class 1x/week. First class is Sept 23, and goes for 6 weeks. (For the first week of this challenge, I will do a belly dance video class online.) [+2 CHA, +1 CON] Why will I do this? Because I already paid my $65 for the class. Because I really want to meet some new people. Because I enjoy practicing belly dance. Because the teacher sounded really nice on Facebook. Benchmark 2: I will complete a yoga session 1x/wk. [+2 DEX] Why will I do this? Because I love yoga. Because my muscles feel good after I do yoga. Because yoga helps my posture and posture affects my mood. Because I can access great free yoga videos at doyogawithme.com. Benchmark 3: I will floss and rinse every night when I brush my teeth. [+3 CON] Why will I do this? Because it is simple. Because my dental health is important. Because an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Life Quest: I will update my challenge thread once weekly, and post on at least one other Rebel’s thread once weekly. [+3 CHA] Why will I do this? Because relationships aren’t things that happen to you. Because I love being a part of NF. Because it is good for me to be helpful, as so many Rebels have helped me so much in the past. Side Quest: Mind Fitness [+3 WIS] I will re-read Augusten Burroughs’ “This Is How†and I will read Susan Forward’s “Toxic Parents.†Why will I do this? Because this is a key piece in what I have been dealing with for the past two months. Because I need the help. Summary of Benchmarks and Side Quests: 1 - Dance class 1x/wk (6 classes = A, 5 classes = B, 4 classes = C, 3 or fewer classes = F) 2 - Yoga 1x/wk (6 sessions = A, 5 sessions = B, 4 sessions = C, 3 or fewer sessions = F) 3 - Floss/rinse nightly (38-42 nights = A, 34-37 nights = B, 29-34 = C, 28 or fewer = F) LQ - Update thread 1x/wk, support a fellow Rebel 1x/wk (6 weeks = A, 5 weeks = B, 4 weeks = C, 3 or fewer weeks = F) SQ - 2 books: “This Is How†and “Toxic Parents (2 books = A, 1 book = B, 0 books = F) Main Quest Scoring: B or better on all benchmarks = successful completion. A on all benchmarks = something special, not sure yet. Weekly Updates Week 1 Week 2