Wednesday, March 13th

I wasn't feeling great today.  Cramps and a headache, so I hope to feel better tomorrow.  Already a little better as I type this.  I did wake up for Tai Chi this morning, even though I wasn't feelin' it.

After breakfast I went to a class about Connecting to our Heart and we got to do crafts, so that made me feel better.  We were supposed to write ourselves a thank you card of some sort.  One to thank us now for taking this time out of our lives to be here or a card to thank our bodies for being strong and getting us from day to day...whatever we were feeling.  I decided I do a magazine mosaic as I reminder to take time out for myself.  I have been so busy with work and moving every 6-8 months that I have slowed my mosaic-ing down to a crawl.  So I did this to remind myself how much I love it and how it calms my mind.  So I thanked myself for taking the time to do it now and will use it at a reminder to do so in the future.  Here is a pic of my card.

I then skipped the Nia Body/Dance class because I just wasn't feeling like my body would be happy about moving it freely about the room.  So I took a nap.  Lunch was awesome today because it was veggie mac and cheese.  So good.

The afternoon class was about Creating Cognitive Shift.  We are to reflect on what part of us (mind, body, feelings, spirit/creative) is the easiest to change.  For many of us, it is likely our mind.  So we discussed things like our 'funk'.  That time when you just can't do anything.  For me, it is when I sit on the couch and watch movies all day.  She (Darla) wants us to see if we can recognize when we are about to enter the funk so we can act before it happens.  If we can do that, then we can use our 911 Green Mountain Emergency Kit.  It is to be placed near where our funk typically happens, so for me, near the couch, and we are to take it out before the funk completely hits.  In it is to be reminders of our Green Mountain Self.  Things that will get us back to the high we all feel while being here on retreat.  We can put photos, affirmations, notes, etc.  I'm looking forward to creating mine when I get home.

Darla also talked about noticing the times when we are doing 'bad' behaviors (sneak eating, habit eating, etc) and to then try to get out of our minds and into our bodies.  She said, "Any way you can connect to your body through movement, helps you to move out of your feelings and into your body."  I have noticed this already while being here.  I seem to be 'hungry' right after breakfast and lunch while I am sitting in the classrooms.  But once I get up and go to my exercise class that follows, my 'hunger' goes away and I am not ravenous as I would expect after the workout.  So what is happening is that I think I am hungry, when in reality I am not because I had a filling, balanced meal.  By sitting still in the classes, my mind makes me think I am hungry because I haven't had a huge meal like I would have had at home.  In the fitness classes, I am so focused on the moves that my mind transfers over to my body and the hunger is no longer there.

After the class, Julia and I went 'Vermonting' (as they call hiking in these parts) with a few other ladies.  I was going to go to the strength training class, but again, I wasn't feeling great and I didn't think those moves would feel great.  Instead the fresh air and short hike out to Buttermilk Falls was so much better for me.  It was an easy walk up a road and then we had to hop over a snow bank and trek through loose snow to get to the falls.  My fear of falling on my weak ankles made me nervous about the last section, but I sucked it up and went and was glad I did.  See photos below.

The road.

A frozen fall we saw along the way.

Julia

Buttermilk Falls....I didn't see any buttermilk or buttermilk biscuits as I was hoping...

Lena photobombing Julia

Michelle, Karin, Juila, Me, Robyn, Sandy

Lena (fitness intern at GM) hopping over the snow bank 

After the walk was snack followed by Conversation Cafe.  This was a time for us to sit around and just talk.  It was great.  Those who were going home discussed their strategies or fears about going home and the rest of us discussed our goals for this week and next.  It was a really great time of reflection and discussion.

Dinner tonight was steak, veggie brown rice and broccoli.  Dessert was roasted pears that I found disgusting, so I didn't eat them.  Four of us then went and played Taboo and I had my evening snack and that is my day.  I hope tomorrow my headache and cramps have gone as I have another busy day tomorrow!