Grounding Challenge Day :1

I have created a fabulous ten day grounding challenge that I will be putting on my website for everyone access, but before it is available, I am doing the challenge first and sharing my insights with you here…….

Today was day one of my grounding challenge. It didn't go as perfectly as I had planned but that’s life as a mom of two. Sometimes you gotta roll with the punches.

In preparation for the challenge I wrote down my schedule to include all of the six pillars of health. For the last few weeks I have been playing around with these components in my schedule, but this challenge is the first time that I am being disciplined and consistent with all of them. One of the hardest things for me, is to create a consistent wake up time. Part of this challenge is to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day, including on the weekends!!! Yikes. …

Overall, I didn't do too bad today. This morning I woke up at 5am to my alarm. I wanted so badly to stay in my warm cozy bed and snuggle my baby, but instead I shot out of bed before I could let my mind fill with all the reasons and justifications on why I could sleep in.

After waking up, my intention was to sit in my car and do a meditation while I let my car warm up but that didn't happen because baby woke up and I had to rush in and nurse her before zooming off to make it to work out.

Working out at 5:30 am is actually easier than 5pm, which was the pilates class I was attending. One benefit to working out so early in the morning, is that your digestive track is empty, so you feel lighter and more energetic during your workout than you do later in the day. According to Dr. Suhas Kshirsagar, Ayurvedic doctor and author, working out on an empty stomach first thing in the morning increases your metabolism, burns more fat, and improves your sleep by balancing your body’s circadian rhythm.

When I got home at 6:30am after my workout my husband had an egg sandwich ready for me for breakfast. It was very sweet but a part of me wanted to throw the plate at his face and yell “I said over easy”... ( This is one of my favorite movie quotes. If you know what it is from , mention it in the comments below, otherwise keep reading). I was planning on eating a high vibe breakfast of oatmeal at 7 but instead I enjoyed my egg sandwich and made note of how I would prepare my rice cooker tomorrow morning with oatmeal.

After dropping my daughter off at preschool I got back to the house at 8:30 and found myself hungry. Part of the challenge is not to eat anything between meals, no snacking. Contrary to popular belief, snacking does not allow your digestive system to have a rest and actually weakens your metabolism and decreases your digestive enzymes. There are a few exceptions with people who have certain health needs but the majority of people would benefit by not snacking between meals.

When I felt this hungry, I asked myself “am I really hungry?”. Instead I made a cup of warm ginger tea with honey and it instantly took my fake hunger away. For me, fake hunger usually shows up in times of stress and earlier that morning my daughter threw a huge tantrum that left me feeling frazzled long after I dropped her off at school. I felt fortunate that I was able to tune in to my needs and realize that I was feeling stressed and not hungry.

Around 10:30 baby was grumpy and I figured she needed a nap, which is when I decided to take a walk on our street. In my mind, I wanted this walk to be peaceful, in tune with nature, and my heart open to gratitude. Instead there were moments of peace interrupted by Pterodactyl screaming from baby. I was able to say around twenty things I was grateful for, but it wasn't the latty- da experience I was hoping for, but again that’s motherhood.

Having breakfast at 6:30 with no snacking in between left me hungry and ready for lunch by 11:30. According to Ayurveda, the feeling of being hungry and having your stomach growl is a sign that your digestive juices and enzymes are at there optimal level to breakdown food. The ideal time to eat lunch is 11-1, when your body’s natural circadian rhythm matches that of the earth and the sun is highest in the sky, mirroring your digestive fire. For lunch, I had a salmon burger and a massive pile of zucchini and chard picked from the garden. It was fresh and fabulous.

Grounding was the next pillar on my agenda. Again, I wanted to sit down in the grass, plant my bare feet on the Earth and tune in to nature. Instead, I chased baby Kaya around in the grass as she played with a toy car. The important part was that I was barefoot on the Earth for ten minutes and reaping the important health benefits that grounding brings, such as reduced inflammation, improved seep and increase in energy levels.

Later in the day, dinner was moved down from 5pm to 4:30 as both me and Satori were starving. We enjoyed the same thing that I had from lunch but this time with delicious butternut squash from the garden..

The rest of my schedule has remained incomplete because I am writing this blog, but in thirty minutes my butt is shutting down electronics and I’m going to journal and meditate before hitting the hay.

The biggest obstacle so far in day 1 of the challenge was not mindlessly snacking between meals and letting go of the idea of how the day is suppose to look. I tried my best given my circumstances and I navigated my grounding schedule in the midst of children screaming and tantrums galore, but nonetheless I’m proud to have completed my first day and I feel good. I’m not gonna lie, a part of me wanted to say “I’ll start over on day one tomorrow, so I can perfect the day better”, but the truth is shit is gonna come up each day and its not perfect, but the fact that you started, committed, and gave it your best, now thats perfect!

The schedule that I am committing to for ten days....

5am wake up

5:15 meditation

5:30- 6:15 Hot Pilates

7 Breakfast

11am Walk and Gratitude

12 Lunch

1:30 Grounding

5:00 Dinner

8pm Electronics off

8:15 Journaling

9pm Bed