The makeover continues and I am seeing the results from the first month up to what I am working on most recently. I recently went to Candle 79, NYC's amazing vegan organic restaurant, to learn to cook (or as Ashley calls it "assemble") some vegan dishes that I can try at home (although with my current schedule it might be more like me ordering it in for lunch for right now).
More on the cooking experience and food next month, but I wanted to report that in talking about the benefits of giving up dairy, Benay from Candle Cafe confirmed what I had surmised: Skipping dairy is linked to reduced allergies this allergy season. I'm sold! Now that doesn't mean I am being "perfect" -- and as Heide and Ashley both discuss with me, being that hard on myself or aiming for perfection in the diet/nutrition realm isn't a win in the overall energy plan. So the few times that work lunches or dinners have included some animal products I've just moved on and focused on how good I feel overall.
In other areas, I've changed up my workout routine; it's now cardio for 30 minutes in the morning, yoga for 20 at night and a class on the weekends. I find this routine helps to keep me energized in the morning and relaxed for bed in the evening. Sometimes I wish I had time for more but I feel good getting this in now, and while the job is still new, I need to allocate the extra minutes there for the time being.
And then there's Heide, whom i absolutely adore and am so happy she came into my life. Heide Banks is an amazing relationship coach that I think of more as a life coach, since we discuss much more than relationships. She's helping me to let things go -- my own critique of myself as well as some friend relationships with men (they may have had the idea we might date, so there was a little pressure to clarify my feelings), all to make space for the right partner and for feeling my best personal energy.
While it might not seem like the "right" time to focus on dating with the new job and even the energy makeover, you can't help it when you meet someone where there's a spark. So, with Heide's help and support, I pursued trying to "hang out" with someone new. I didn't pick the easiest scenario for my first of these efforts -- it's a little complicated, as they say -- and he didn't respond as I'd hoped. The good news? I am not evaluating it (beyond writing it up for this blog) but rather am just doing and moving on.
I think my colleague Drew said it best in this quote, which sums up what I've taken from my work with Heide: "It's better to go for what you want than regret not having tried later."