In Feng Shui, different areas of your home correspond with different facets of your life. Relationships, family, children, career, knowledge, helpful people, wealth, health and fame/reputation. Since I am soooo incredibly poor, I decided to start with the wealth and career areas.
Wealth sits in my kitchen, and career is in my livingroom/entrance area. I am going to give the kitchen a good scrub down today, as well as go through my cabinets and get rid of anything I am not using. Should prove to be interesting.
I also spent some time last night making a workout schedule for the next 28 days. I found the idea from Fitness magazine. The program is billed as "lose 10 lbs/one dress size in 28 days". I am going to give it a whirl. If you want to check it out, it is in the September 2007 edition, or you can check it out on their website here. The thing that I thought was great about this plan is the diet. They list 21 breakfasts, lunches and dinners (as well as many snacks) that are REALISTIC! I have a hard time with diets that require you to purchase an insane amount of exotic foods, only to use them once or twice. I don't have the kind of money for that crapola.
So, off to do some cleaning, and then it is Maximum Cardio Burn by The Firm today. Haven't done that workout in forever, but it is by far one of my favorites and gives excellent results. Wish me luck and motivation!
Cleaning House
Growth
Over the past few days, I have been thinking more about the improvements that I need to make in my emotional and physical arena. I think I have come to a crossroads, and feel rather hopeful that this is my "ah-ha" moment.
I am not a religious person, nor am I a fanatic or consider myself "new age". I kind of float along in the world, comfortable with my opinions and feelings... and just decide how I feel as I go. I am not one to adhere to fads or jump on bandwagons. I do, however, find many different views, practices and theories interesting. I started reading about Feng Shui a few months ago, and for some reason it really interests me.
Feng Shui, in my own words, is a way of placing the things around you in order to affect the path of your life. I don't know the validity of claims stating that if your bed is in a certain position, you will be wealthy. I do believe that there are energies that surround us, and as anyone knows, if your space is a ginormous mess, you are going to feel lowsy. Feng Shui teaches me how to prioritize when it comes to my moderate cluttering problem, and make my home more inviting and relaxing.
Feng Shui can be applied to your body as well. Think about it - if you put negative things into your body, you will ultimately have a negative outcome. Bad food + bad vices + no physical movement = bad health, bad overall feelings. It's really a no-brainer. I've decided that, in order to clean up my insides, I also have to clean up my outside.
Yesterday, I simmered up a massive pot of vegetable soup. I'm trying an experiment, which I will elaborate on if I succeed at it and see results. I also started reading the book "Feng Shui For Dummies" By David Danial Kennedy. I have read other Feng Shui books in the past, but specifically purchased this one yesterday. I highly recommend the book - it is easy to follow, explains complicated information in simple terms and holds a ton of helpful hints. Another book that was extremely helpful to me was "Clear Your Clutter With Feng Shui" by Karen Kingston. The first attempt I made at decluttering was thanks to this book.
I went through with decluttering about 4 or 5 months ago. I threw away a massive load of crap, and I will tell you this much - it was hugely rewarding. Sure, I didn't hit the lottery or find fame or the love of my life. I felt a weight lifted off my shoulders, though. I went through a really ugly breakup in June 2006, and had been carrying that weight for a long time with no relief. Man, did it ever feel good to toss out the remainder of my ex's possessions!!!! Perhaps if I had kept up the decluttering, finished the apartment, added "cures" and maintained the cleanliness... I would have reaped the benefits of Feng Shui. Unfortunately, I am not the neatest person on all the Earth. Add in two 5-year-olds and it's a disaster waiting to reoccur.
I have found my way back to the practice again, and I feel really excited and confident about starting the process again. I am going to simultaneously clean my home and my body... and then see what happens. Sure, Day One is always a positive one. I just need to keep my eye on the goal here, and continue to plug along even if it gets tough. I know this blog was created specifically for weight loss progress and discussion, but I do not want my life to begin and end with weight loss. I want to document my growth as an entire person, as well as record the shrinking of my habitus. I want to have myself and my home in order by the time classes start up again in September. There is nothing worse than starting new on something, and still being plagued by the old.
