Challenge Day 7- Talking About My Eating Disorder

It has been seven days since I last updated you all on my 21 day challenge! I have several bits of news, both good and bad.  I will start with the bad first, just to get it out of the way!

I have had to stop the cardio aspect of my challenge.  I have severe shin splints, so adding running to my already high level of daily activity was incredibly painful for me!  I have been using the stationary bike instead.

Now that that is out of the way, let me just say WOW.  Sometimes when there is something wrong with your body for so long, you start to not notice it as much anymore.  For me, it's my chronic hip and back pain from dancing, as well as a constant feeling of nausea.  While this new eating hasn't cured my pain (darn!) it has tremendously improved my nausea!  What I noticed was that within the first couple of days eating like this, there was a bit of discomfort.  Probably just my body getting used to eating this way, especially since it was a fairly drastic change!  I had no ease-in process where I was vegetarian or vegan.

My the third day of eating low fat raw vegan, I noticed that I no longer felt ill when I ate!  The relief that my body feels is almost overwhelming!

The one downside to my eating this way is that I have to be eating constantly, which is very hard for someone as busy as me.  I have been very good about planning meals the night before to bring with me in my new backpack!

On the flip-side, as someone who has struggled with an eating disorder for about a decade, this lifestyle is incredibly fulfilling.  I would restrict, then binge, then take laxatives and purge; I was diagnosed with a subtype of anorexia nervosa when I was 12 years old.  Needless to say, even while in "recovery," eating large quantities of food and keeping it in me has been a struggle.  However, eating low fat raw vegan has allowed me to eat very large portions that would normally be terrifying for me!  I'm not saying that I feel 100% fearless when I see a big bowl of bananas and mangos, but the more I eat this way, the less scared I become, and the more confidence I have at the table.

Hopefully I will be able to continue with this newfound mindset when I have completed the challenge.

I hope everyone is doing well! I love you!

-Fly high, little birds!

xxx

Challenge Day 1

Whelp, here I am finishing up the first day of my 21 Day Challenge! If you're reading this first, here's a link to my original post explaining what it is I am doing!

Not going to lie, today was hard. I woke up with a massive headache that does not seem to want to go away.  To top that off, I just started my period (TMI? Nah!), so all I want to eat is chocolate and pasta.  Alas, I am eating lots and lots of fruits and veggies instead!

To be honest, the most challenging part of today for me was the running!  I dance close to 7 hours a day most days of the week, but the challenge of running in the gym for just 30 minutes was insane for me!  I think part of it is that I get seriously bored; I feel like a gerbil, running in place for so long!  It doesn't help that there are mirrors right in front of the treadmills, so I start making faces at myself rather than focusing on running... It's finally starting to warm up here in New York, so maybe I'll start running outside to alleviate my boredom!

I'll see you all tomorrow with another update on how I'm feeling!  Disclaimer: I just had a week off from dance, so I have a feeling that there is going to be a lot of pain and soreness related to that, as well as the running.  We shall see!

-Fly high, little birds!

xxx

21 Day Challenge

The rules and reasons for this challenge are simple; essentially, it takes 21 days to form a habit.  If one completes the challenge, one is more likely to remain doing the activities involved than if one were to fail to complete the challenge.

What am I challenging myself with?  My goal is twofold.  On one hand, I am going to be eating low fat raw vegan for 21 days.  Before I have people spamming my comments section below about the health risks involved, I would like to say that I will not only be under the watchful eye of an orthopedic doctor, I will also be regularly checking in with my nutritionist and my physical therapist!

The reason I have decided to go so extreme in changing my eating lifestyle is partially because going to extremes, when it comes to food, had always been where I have excelled.  As the challenge progresses (I will be updating often!), I will talk more about my food issues, hopefully in a way that could possibly support you!

The second part of my goal involves my cardio fitness.  My goal is to run for at least 30 minutes everyday!  Again this may seem a bit extreme, but I will be under incredible supervision!  I am also a high level athlete as it is, but my talents lie much more on the anaerobic side of things!  This challenge will hopefully help me with my endurance, as well as many other things!

If you would like to do this challenge with me, let me know! Like I said before, I will be posting small updates here on my blog!  If you would like to follow me on Instagram (I'm sure I will be posting some seriously disgruntled gym pictures ;)), my handle is @kathleendahlhoff

Have you ever done a 21 day challenge? Let me know in the comments! Also, encouragements are always welcome ;)

-Fly high, little birds!

February Favorites

Hello all!

February is weird because it always feels so much shorter than the other months, but in reality, it is only (usually) two days shorter.  Funny how that works.

The weather has been absolutely miserable here in NYC.  This California girl is seriously struggling!  I get up early in the mornings and have to go outside when it is usually the coldest, and I literally have to pause for a moment every time I'm about to go outside, just so that I can mentally prepare myself!  Even my friends from Canada are complaining about how bad this winter is, and they really know what they're talking about!  Spring can't come soon enough.

As I am writing this it is currently blizzarding right outside my window.  Its all fun and games when I don't plan on going outside, and I can just watch the snow swirling around, but then I think about all the errands that need running, and I cringe!

Alright, enough of my whining!  Here are some of the things I have been loving this past month!

First up is this massive bottle of hand-sanitizer.  With this cold weather comes cold and flu season.  Now, I started the year by having a cold, the flu, and strep throat all at once.  I am not about to get sick again!  This has been incredibly hand-y (bada-bing! Excuse me, I think I'm punny).  It smells like the cucumber melon scent from Bath and Body Works.  I just bought it at CVS for $2!

 My next favorite was a total impulse buy.  I have heard so many wonderful things about Emma Hardie, and Feel Unique was having a sale on the "starter kit," which came with a cleansing cloth, a moisturizer, and my favorite, the Amazing Face Moringa Cleansing Balm.  Oh. My. Gosh.  This product is life changing.  My face has never felt more clean!  I use it before my evening shower to remove my makeup.  My skin loves me!

Another part of my Feel Unique purchase came in the form of this Zoella makeup bag.  My well-loved Burberry The Beat makeup bag was completely destroyed, and I seriously needed a new one!  The colors on this one are beautiful, and I love the inspirational message that Zoe put on the bag.  It is a message that I have recently really tried to embrace!  One never knows where an opportunity will present itself!

I didn't realize that all of my purchases from Feel Unique ended up in this month's favorites!  This was a limited edition travel Tangle Teezer that I seriously love!  I have always loved my regular one, but the travel sized one is perfect for a handbag, because it's smaller and it has a cap on the bristles to keep it from getting dirty. Also, I honestly can't resist a good union jack print. #britishwanabee

My next favorite is born out of my serious need for spring!  It is the Honeysuckle Wallflower from Bath and Body Works.  We aren't allowed to have candles in our dorm rooms, so this is the closest I can get to feeding my candle addiction!  It smells absolutely gorgeous!

I have a plethora of perfume samples from my many years as a Beauty Insider with Sephora.  Basically for every online order, you get three free samples.  I made it my goal this moth to use as many of my samples up as possible!  My favorite was definitely Dior's Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet, by a long shot!  I might get the full size as my spring/summer fragrance!

I've had this next favorite for a while, but I started using it regularly this month.  It is the Amazonian Clay full coverage airbrush foundation from Tarte, and it's great! I wear the color 'fair honey,' if you're curious.  I was originally using it as a setting powder, and I didn't really care for it all that much.  However, as soon as I started using it by itself I fell in love!  It has build-able coverage, and it looks incredibly skin-like when applied.

Back to an old favorite; Mac's Well Dressed satin blush.  It is perfect when I am very fair.  I think I have used it every day!

My final February favorite is very random.  Coming from California, I am very used to having marvelous local produce all year round. However, out on the east coast, there are actually seasons, so local isn't always an option, nor is heirloom.  However, I have found this lovely brand called Gotham Greens that produces excellent lettuces in Brooklyn!  I am absolutely head-over-heels in love with their Red Oak Leaf Lettuce!

Whelp, here ends my favorites from the past month! Hope you enjoyed it, and please be sure to let me know what you have been loving in the comments!

-Fly high, little birds!