Cleaning House

I thank God today for the belly dancing, and for good friends with timely advice.

The belly dancing has been really fantastic for me in many ways.  Most notably, my lower back has been much better since I started dancing.  I can always feel it the morning after a dance class, as a notable absence of stiffness.  I have started using the belly dance stretches and moves whenever I remember, to remove tension from my lower back, hips, and also upper back.  I have not noticed any change in weight or the fit of my jeans, but I feel stronger through my abdomen and other "core" areas.  And it has helped me, to some degree, to deal with some of my feelings about my body.  Being able to look at myself in the mirror, and have others look at me, while learning new moves (I'm not the most coordinated person I know), has been an interesting and positive experience.

As for friends, my dear friend Andrea very kindly kicked my butt the other day about my reluctance to let go of my "stuff".  It is true, everywhere I go, I accumulate lots of "stuff", and for various reasons can't seem to get rid of things : feel guilty I bought it and never liked it enough to really wear it, someone gave it to me so I can't really give it away, I might need it some day, maybe my kids may want it some day...

She really challenged me to look at how I hold so tightly to stuff, and urged me to try to let go.  So I have.  In the first round of closet cleaning, I got rid of 47 shirts and pants from my closet, as well as a big pile of socks and undergarments, and about a dozen each from the two kids.  Instead of my usual approach of looking for things I didn't want anymore, I threw everything out, and then only picked back the things which I quite surely would wear.  The others were donated.  I even found myself a pair of capri pants in time for our summer vacation at Otter Lake, so that was great timing.  My daughter cleaned out two drawers of hair accessories which she doesn't use anymore, keeping only a few just in case.

On the second round of closet cleaning, I pulled about 9 more clothes from my closet, and 80 (!!) articles from my son's closet.  It is much easier to get rid of his stuff, since he has a younger cousin to pass them along to.

Since then, I bought 4 more shirts for myself, similar to ones I already have and like and wear often.  It was funny, they were all the same brand and style, but the price differed depending on the fabric design.  I guess some were older stock, and others newer.  I was proud of myself for buying the 4 which I liked the best, not the 4 which were the lowest price (which I might have done previously, and then not worn the couple which I didn't like as much).  In the morning, I am able to pick clothes based on the temperature outside, and what I feel like wearing, rather than sifting through what I think fits or doesn't.  It is a good feeling.

I am trying to do the same with items.  I need to clean through books and other clutter which I am keeping for no good reason.  My husband is also in a cleaning mood lately, and did a pretty good sweep through the office clutter the other day.  Not too long ago, we spent a few hours pulling everything out of the shed, and placing back only the items we need or think we will use.  That was gruelling, but since then I can actually walk through the shed, and pull tools off the back wall, without straining over the clutter on the floor.  In his case, his clean up was prompted by his purchase of 3 ATVs for the family, which we have subsequently fit in the garage beside the 2 cars (in the area which was previously home to a lot of clutter). 

I don't know how or if they are linked, but this external purging of clutter may be somehow related to my holding on to weight.  I was reading a book during our trip (one of the few times of the year when I find myself actually sitting with a book in hand) about a 48 hour kick start to weight loss.  The book explains how our body holds on to a large amount of excess water and fat as a means to protect ourself from toxins.  And an excess of waste products since our liver and kidneys and other parts of our body are too fatigued and slow to process and remove them.  Something like that.  So it talks about what foods will boost the liver function, and help eliminate toxins and waste products, and what foods to avoid during this cleansing process, since they slow down digestion and elimination.  Although I am not likely to dedicate a 48 hour period to doing something like this, I made notes on a little paper which I am carrying in my purse (I carry a small one, so I don't end up with too much in it!), so I can incorporate many of these ideas into my every day life.

One thing it explains is that if the body doesn't get enough water, it actually stores excess water to protect itself.  So drinking more water will actually reduce water retention.  It is recommended to drink 2 liters or more of water every day - 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after eating, but not during, so that it won't slow down the digestion process.  And don't eat more often than 4 hours, since that adds more new food to the food already digesting, also slowing down the process.  Interesting.

As for current weight, I am hovering at 6 to 9 pounds below my New Year's weight.  I haven't hit the 10 pound mark yet.  But I have a good feeling that I will be able to change my ways and "clean up the house" in that way also.