Off to a Good Start! Self High-Five

The second day of a challenge really demands your attention. I was so happy that I fasted all day yesterday because it really gave me a willpower boost today and also reconnected me to my body. It's so easy to tune out body signals when your mind has taken over and has you worrying about everything you have to do in a day. That being said, I find the hardest part for me is easing back into something when I've taken a break from it. I find extremes much easier than finding a balance in between. My first instinct was to just eat as much as I could and rationalize it by telling myself that I didn't eat at all yesterday and therefore deserved to stuff my face. Luckily, the rules I set in place for this challenge really saved me from giving into this skewed rationale.

Today, I travelled to Montreal with my parents to visit my sister and her fiancé. I'll be here for a few days and thought that starting this challenge right before going on this trip could either be really bad or really good. It could be really bad if I used the trip as an excuse to neglect my rules, but it could also be really good if I decided to use the rules to fully enjoy and experience not just the food, but the rest of the trip as well. I've noticed that working on my mindset with food tends to spill over into other aspects of my life and I end up being able to stay more present and aware with other activities and interactions with others. So far, I'm feeling like this was a great start to this challenge and intend to keep it progressing in that direction. Had a delicious picnic lunch on the drive, sitting in nature and enjoying the company of my parents. I was able to recognize when I was full and stopped eating even though there was still lots of food left. Dinner was some awesome Peri Peri chicken from Ma Poule Mouillée, which we picked up and ate in Parc la Fontaine. I ended up eating only half of the restaurant portion and have chicken leftover for breakfast tomorrow. :)

Looking forward to posting about some more good Montreal eats and squeezing every bit of enjoyment I can out of this trip. Here's to living in the present moment!

Did you join in on this challenge today? What was your experience with your first day? What was challenging, and what helped to get you past those obstacles?

Stay tuned and stay strong! ;)

Jackie O