thelawofdharma

Training Log – The 21 Day Detox is MY BEEATCH!

Monday: Workout at St. Catharines Amateur Boxing Club

Tuesday: “MUSHIN” with Wayne

Wednesday: SELF-IMPOSED BREAK

Thursday: SELF-IMPOSED BREAK

Friday: SELF-IMPOSED BREAK

Saturday: SELF-IMPOSED BREAK

Sunday: SELF-IMPOSED BREAK

It’s Tuesday morning. I’m sitting in the basement of the Hen House and I’m on my second cup of coffee.  As I take each gulp, yes, since being able to drink coffee again I’ve been gulping it, I’m reminded of how fucking good it is. Coffee is the bitter-sweet nectar of the Gods. The only drawbacks to this morning’s coffee consumption is the fact that I have no desire to eat, my hands are a bit shaky and I have damp sweat marks under each boob. I’ve gone to the dark side. After another cup I may have to pull in the reins by emptying the coffee pot in the sink, eating some breakfast and taking a well-needed shower. Maybe…who knows, instead I may pour myself a fourth cup, make another pot and simply change my t-shirt.

Okay, enough about coffee, it’s time for me to look back on last week’s training log and any learning I may have stumbled upon along the way.

There’s really not much to report on in terms of training. Last week the tendons in my right foot started to act up in a way that was not at all conducive to training, actually walking at times was a bit of a strain. After going to Conrad, who is a friend and my chiropractor, we decided that I need to take a bit of a break and rest my foot. When reaching this decision last week I didn’t know if I could make it through a week without working out, but then the week happened and there was simply no time to worry about my lack of activity.

To celebrate my Dad’s birthday (June 14^th) and Father’s Day, I decided to sneak into Ottawa for a quick family packed visit. And as I put head to pillow on Wednesday night, I felt pretty good about my stealth-like return to the city.  Then Thursday happened; there’s nothing like a car accident in the middle of one of Ottawa’s busiest intersection to announce your arrival. Thankfully no one was hurt. That’s the important thing. Well, Bonbon (aka my car) took a beating. He`s still in Ottawa and is waiting to be put back together by all the king`s men at Scotty`s Garage. He`s pissed, but I`m confident with time he`ll forgive me.

As I stood on the side of the road, my hands shaky, my voice even more so, I called Alan and Asfrah and Hector.  Within minutes Alan was by my side and not long after Asfrah and Hector stood by me. (And Monkey, you know I would have called you, but I didn`t want to drag you all the way to the west end. Damn the east end!) That night, as I lay head to pillow, a tear or two ran down my cheeks as gratitude filled me;  I was back in the safety and comfort of my parent`s home, no one was hurt and had people in my life who I dearly love and who love me in turn.

On a somewhat lighter note, despite the stress, I didn`t break down and abandon the 21 Day Detox. I was steadfast. So I can proudly say without any hesitation, “Detox, you’re my BEEATCH!”  More than the trash-talking rights, I’ve earned a renewed vote of confidence in my willpower. I’ve doubted it of late and this accomplishment has put those doubts to rest. Did I lose any weight? No. Weighing in on Sunday morning, the number looking back at me was the same one that I had faced 21 days earlier. Oh well, did I feel better in my skin? Yes, I sure did.

Back to today. I see that my third cup of coffee is empty. I guess it’s time for me to stop writing. Now, do I get another cup or do I save myself by dumping the remainder of the pot down the sink?

my first cup back

Training Log – 21 Day Detox: The End is in Sight

Monday: Workout at St. Catharines Amateur Boxing Club

Tuesday: Workout at St. Catharines Amateur Boxing Club

Wednesday: “MUSHIN” with Wayne, 5 km run, Abs and Push-Ups

Thursday: Workout at St. Catharines Amateur Boxing Club

Friday: DAY OFF

Saturday: DAY OFF

Sunday: DAY OFF

Joshi's Holistic Detox: 21 Days to a fatter, poorer you - for life

It is day 15 of my 21 Day Detox and I’m still somewhat sane. Somewhat.

Here are some of the interesting side effects that presented themselves in week two:

-This week my energy levels rebounded with revenge.  From Tuesday to Saturday, I spent the majority of my nights wide awake. 2:00 am might as well as have been 2:00 pm. I was wired for sound and ended up lying there cursing Joshi and his damn detox!

-My taste buds are acting like they’ve just received a shock from the paddles of an amped up defibrillator. They’re alive and kicking like never before and, for the first time, I’m really noticing the subtleties of certain flavours.

-At the beginning of the week, the activity on the scale indicated a slow and steady weight loss. Given that this was one of the by-products I was hoping for, I was pretty happy. Then the weekend happened and I lost my shit. Don’t worry, I stayed true to the restrictions of the regime, but I also dramatically increased the volume of the food I could eat while on the detox. So, here I am, probably the only person who has managed to GAIN weight on the plan. Yes, GAIN weight. On Sunday morning, as I stood on the scale and saw the number starring back at me, I had to breathe and talk myself off the ledge. If I had jumped, it would have looked like this:

ACT 3 – The End of the Detox

Scene 1 – Tracey losses her shit.

Tracey:  (taking the scale and trashing the downstairs bathroom) Are you fucking shitting me?!

End of scene.

-This week, when faced with the fact that I couldn’t consume the foods I wanted to, I decided to take consumption to another level a – materialistic one. I took out my visa and chipped myself silly. I’m now the proud owner of a new pair of earrings, a bracelet, two t-shirts, a long sleeved t, a hoodie and a tailored jacket. If this continues, by day 21 IMMA BE fat and poor.

So, why go on?

Unfortunately, hubris has reared its ugly head and is the only thing keeping me on the detox. I don’t care how much weight I gain or how much money I spend, I will complete the 21 days!

Training Log – 21 Day Detox, Clean Liver, No Fun, No Energy

Monday: Workout at St. Catharines Amateur Boxing Club

Tuesday: Workout at St. Catharines Amateur Boxing Club

Wednesday: 10 km run, Abs and Push-Ups

Thursday: DAY OFF

Friday: “MUSHIN” with Wayne

Saturday: Workout at St. Catharines Amateur Boxing Club

Sunday: DAY OFF

I’m a coffee whore and I’m not embarrassed to admit it. I love coffee. I take it black; there’s no need to add anything to something that is already so perfect. If I find a coffee shop that makes a wicked Americano, I feel like I’ve discovered a hidden treasure and I get giddy with the thought of the booty that is now available to me.

Each night, as I fall asleep, I think of my morning coffee and I smile. Some days, if it weren’t for the promise of a hot cup of Joe, I would have stayed in bed.

This past Monday, I wasn’t able to enjoy in my normal cup of coffee. Instead, I embarked on my first day of a 21 day detox. The detox is pretty simple; no coffee, no alcohol, no fruit, no wheat, no red meat, no processed foods, no sugar and basically no FUN.

Today is day 7 of the detox and, overall, I’m finding the absence of coffee in my day-to-day one of the hardest parts. I want coffee. I wanted it on Monday, a little more on Tuesday and today, I would sell my soul for an Americano. Each day I’ve had headaches and, much to my dismay, they’re lasting longer and becoming more intense with each passing day. Another challenge has been a lack of energy. This week I had hoped to double-down and do two workouts a day. Ya, that didn’t happen, I’ve struggled through my daily workout and wouldn’t have been able to add another.  

You may be wondering, “Why are you doing this?!” On day 7, I asking myself the same thing…I clean liver is great in all, but so is being headache-free and having energy! Other than cleansing, I was hoping to drop weight in my continued struggle to make it to the Welter weight division. Ya, 7 days in and I weigh the same as I did on day 1.

Right now, I’m thinking that my 21 day detox is going to be reduced to a 7 days and tomorrow morning I’ll be reunited with my friend Joe.

The Gruesome Twosome

The root of the word courage is cor—the Latin word for heart. In one of its earliest forms, the word courage literally had a very different definition than it does today. Courage originally meant “To speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart.”

Ordinary Courage, Brene Brown

At Passage Tattoo in Toronto, I take a quick pic while Chris gets things ready for our session.

the tools

Chris and I looking at his work of art.

Training Log –The Green Devil Rears His Head

Monday: 5 km run, Abs and Push-Ups

Tuesday: 5 km run, Abs and Push-Ups, Workout at St. Catharines Amateur Boxing Club

Wednesday: DAY OFF

Thursday: Workout at St. Catharines Amateur Boxing Club

Friday: DAY OFF

Saturday: “MUSHIN” with Wayne, Workout at St. Catharines Amateur Boxing Club

Sunday: DAY OFF

On Saturday, the Green Devil finally reared his head. He appeared on my left shoulder (a la Bugs Bunny in Looney Tunes) and encouraged me to take down the total fuckwit standing in front of me. The reason being was that said fuckwit marched up to me as I walked into the Boxing Club to inform me that there wasn’t a boxercise class scheduled. Normally, a comment like this would rub me the wrong way, but I would be able to forgive the messenger and his ignorance. However, yesterday, it wielded enough power to bring out what Wayne has wanted to see in me – pure aggression. This man’s air of condescension and his ignorant assumption that I wasn’t there, like the rest of the boxers, to get a weekend workout under my belt, ignited the Green Devil.

There must have been a flash of something that moved across my eyes, let’s call it the “look”, as he stepped away from me before I could even react, verbally that is, to his pronouncement. Thankfully, the voice of calm and reason (in the shape of an Angel of course) came from my right shoulder and encouraged me to not go ape shit all over this man’s pompous Bjorn-Borg-headband head.

I simply and respectfully replied, “I don’t do the boxercise classes” and went about my business. And let me tell you, my business was a killer workout. Unfortunately, it was one that was fuelled by indignation.

Over the course of the hour and a half that I trained, not only did this man not redeem himself, he managed to climb to the very top of my “shit” list. In addition to counting out his bench press reps at volume that dwarfed the sound of the music that boomed throughout the club, he felt it necessary to blow his nose via the “farmer blow” method. For those of you who don’t know what that is, it’s when you press your finger against one nostril and blow as hard as you can in order to empty the contents of the other. Even if I weren’t tired and a bit queasy from the intense nature of my training, this act would have me gagging. For fun, I asked Hannah to video tape re-enacting my reaction.

A day later, thanks to the thinking I had to do to capture this on the blog, I’m finally over it. The Green Devil is tucked away. Don’t worry, he’ll make his appearance at the appropriate time and place – in the ring. This experience is now properly reframed as a learning moment and what I’ve learned is this:

I’ve come to think of myself as a boxer and I’ve been treated as one by everyone else at the Club.  The comment of one person has no power over me, nor should it.