No Vices Left

• I had a good night's sleep.  
• My skin looks better than it has in a while.
• My bowel movements are good.
• I'm losing weight.

I'm feeling the positive effects of this forced cleanse where I'm not drinking alcohol or having sex.  I'm also getting a lot of writing done.

I am using this opportunity to eat better.  I'm starting out my day with oatmeal and almond milk.    I have been eating a lot of quinoa and brown rice with veggies and protein.  Trying to keep away from the processed foods.

I'm running every day.  And I try to get as much rest as I can.

I'm seeing this as an opportunity to decide how I want my physical life to be.  Because I had to cut out two vices, I'm living a healthier lifestyle all around.  I'm looking at the choices I make.

I had been thinking about giving up drinking for a while.  It doesn't seem to serve me in the same way when I was in my 20s.  But when I was in my 20s I was also about bad decisions.  Going home with a strange guy and waking up with a hickey on my shoulder.  Now I just have a sore ass from where the penicillin shot was.  Once when I did a major cleanse (not prompted by getting an STD), I gave up caffeine permanently.  I don't know if I'll give up booze, but I'm definitely not thinking I need to drink as much as I do.  I have a very good friend who has been going through a period of drinking a lot and finally gave it up because it was making him mean-spirited.

The funny thing is that I'm going to visit my friends Veronica and James this weekend who aren't drinking.  My friends Victor and Steve have also given up drinking for a while.  So this decision seems very much supported by my close friends.

I had started running again because I love to run.  It gives me life.  I need to do more cardio and it's an activity I love.  I also use the time to meditate on a phrase, a mantra if you will.

I'm going to sleep earlier because Keith has gone on tour.  So I don't keep a musician's hours and I'm in bed by 11 or 12 and up by 8 or 9.  I'm giving my body time to rest and recuperate from the exercise and from the writing I'm doing.

When you introduce good choices (or eliminate the bad ones), you make more good choices and even better ones.

Although I did have three cigarettes yesterday.  So at least I still have something to work on.

I'm going to a big pool party out of town this weekend.  I will be surrounded by very fit, hunky guys.  So that's an extra motivation.  I want my body to look as good as possible.  These guys do a major two hour boot camp every Saturday in addition to regular workouts.  So I'm not going to compete on that level.  But I don't want to show up all bloated and gross.  I might be doing a spiritual cleansing, but I'm still a pretty vain person.