This is totally inspired by @Kate Galli. This is something she does every week. I’m just doing it spontaneously, to try it out . I’ll finish up my Skool stuff in the next ten minutes and then not log in again until tomorrow morning, at the same time that I logged off. That’s the intention anyway. If you want to join me, you just pick a time that works for you, today or tomorrow. When you log off for the day, you don’t log on again until same time the next day. Vote in the poll and share in the comments what you think about social media fasting! I won’t be able to stay off screens completely since I’m finishing up my book proposal and submitting it today or tomorrow. In general, it would be my intention to make it a completely screen free 24 hours. I love the idea of doing this every week! There’s a time for feasting on Skool and a time for fasting from Skool :)

Have you ever had something happen to you that felt really challenging at the moment, but ended up being a blessing in some way at a later point? What if we assumed every single thing that happens to us is a blessing, even if we don't understand how? What if we said thank you for every single event or non-event that happens throughout the day, for a whole day? Try it for one day this week and report on your results in the comments below :) That's your challenge for this week, should you choose to accept it! Whatever happens to you through the course of the day...good, bad, indifferent, or completely different, just mentally say "thank you, this is for my good, even if I don't understand how right now." It's ok if you don't believe it at first. It's ok if you don't believe it at all. Just give it a try, as a social experiment. For extra inspiration about refraining judgment about things that happen, check out the Farmer and the Horse Story... "Once upon a time, there was an old farmer who had worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit. “Such bad luck,” they said sympathetically, “you must be so sad.” “We’ll see,” the farmer replied. The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it two other wild horses. “How wonderful,” the neighbors exclaimed! “Not only did your horse return, but you received two more. What great fortune you have!” “We’ll see,” answered the farmer. The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbors again came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune. “Now your son cannot help you with your farming,” they said. “What terrible luck you have!” “We’ll see,” replied the old farmer. The following week, military officials came to the village to conscript young men into the army. Seeing that the son’s leg was broken, they passed him by. The neighbors congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out. “Such great news. You must be so happy!”

What do you turn to when you need a quick bite and don’t want to derail your health and wellness goals? My top 3 are… 1) Veggies and Hummus, any kind of veggies, but especially crunchy ones like cucumber, cauliflower, peppers, carrots, etc. Fiber and protein, for a quick win 2) Green Apple and nuts or seeds…walnuts, pumpkin seeds, etc. Fiber, fat, protein does a body good! 3) Rawkers…I get these raw crackers at Natural Grocers. They’re slightly bitter, but I don’t mind, and they’re filled with healthy goodness. My mother-in-law read the ingredients and gave it right back, saying, “They’re too healthy for me!” That’s ok, they’re not for everyone! What about you, Thrivers, what do you turn to if you need a quick, healthy bite to eat?

Or The Story of How Tooth Surgery Boosted my Weight Loss If you have 20 or less pounds to lose, take this as a word of caution that it’s possible to go too far. If you have 40 or more pounds to lose, consider this as one possible strategy to consider. Here’s what happened… I was already practicing intermittent fasting for a few months when I had my tooth surgery last December. Thus, my body was already used to tapping into my fat reserves for energy. I developed a root canal infection around Thanksgiving and found a wonderful holistic dentist in Boulder (Dr. Carmen Burke) to take out the tooth and put in a ceramic implant. This was how I met @Megan Rippey. Megan and the rest of the staff took such good care of me! Dr. Burke informed me that I would have a retainer after the surgery to protect the implant, and I couldn’t wash the retainer for three days. I didn’t like the idea of eating and not being able to wash my retainer. No problem, I thought, I can fast. She also informed me that I would have to eat very soft foods for at least the first month. No problem, I thought, I can eat soup. The time came for the surgery. I fasted the day of the surgery and two days afterwards. I did drink broths to get nutrients that my body needed for healing. I felt really good, fasting probably helped me heal faster. Then, I went home and followed nutritionist Christa Orecchio’s Soup Reset. She has recipes for delicious soups like Celery Arugula Lemony Garlic, Beet Cardamom, Creamy Cauliflower, etc. Her soups don’t have very many carbohydrates. No grains. No fruits. I wasn’t trying to avoid carbohydrates, just focusing on soft foods and eating soups I love. The combination of a 3-day fast and a month of following the Soup Reset made me feel like fat was just flying off my body. I lost fat in places I didn’t even know I had fat. Armpits? Back of the knees? Fat was just disappearing. It was kind of cool, actually. I got to know muscles and tendons I hadn’t seen for years, since they were covered by layers of fat.

It can seem too simple to be effective, but it’s a really powerful way to develop more mindfulness around your food intake. If you’re going through the 5 week Release the Weight Masterclass, it also happens to be part of your Homework/Funwork. For me, it was a critical piece of starting to be able to release weight with joy and ease. When you bring more mindfulness to something, you often automatically start to shift it in a positive direction. Sometimes without even meaning to! No judgment allowed though, it’s just tracking data…writing down what you eat and how you feel in the moment and as a bonus- how you feel afterwards. The short video below explains the practice in depth. Have you tried a food and mood journal yet?