THE GREATER GOOD CHALLENG! Week 1 Progress

Hello All!

Well I have been able to keep a food journal for a week which is a feat! The most glaring observation is my sugar intake....holy cow! I thought I was conscientious of how much sugar I consumed, but this journal keeping has really made it evident how much I choose NOT to pay attention to the details of my diet. The worst culprit - my coffees!! Not only do I use the flavoured coffee cream in every cup (which is sweet enough as it is), but I put a table spoon of sugar in my coffee as well. Further, is it really necessary to drink coffee from 8am -2pm every day??? I won't even mention my pop-drinking-habits. Seriously, I don't know how I still have all my teeth! I am realizing that although I may not "think' I consume that much sugar in a day, when I go back, look at my weekly intake and add it all up...its a lot! While its always nicer to keep unwanted habits "out of sight and out of mind", I appreciate the fact that I am more aware of my intake and recognize my poor habits. I really do have to hold myself more accountable once I write things down. Lesson #1 - reduce sugar intake.

Erin

THE GREATER GOOD CHALLENGE - GETTING STARTED!

MY PERSONAL CHALLENGES!
STEP 1 – Starting with the basics: JANUARY 11TH, 2010 – JANUARY 31ST, 2010

Category 1: Living like a Minimalist

• I have set myself a budget that works for me. I have created a spread sheet on Microsoft excel and have been using it like a diary to see where my spending has gone. The 1st column is income, 2nd column are bills that I have to pay every month and the date they are due (including groceries), the 3rd column is money that I spend for fun. My goal is to pay my tuition this year without taking out student loans. BIG Task!

Category 2: Healthy Living

• I have always been active and have a new challenge that I will be trying to accomplish come spring/summer, but need to start now. I’ll let you know what I am working towards a little later. Thus I must get moving 5 days a week to get in shape for my challenge (for me this is realistic)!
  I have done this in the past, but also need to get back to being diligent and keep a food diary.
  

Category 3: Pay it Forward

• Once a week perform a specific act of kindness or pay a favour forward without expecting anything in return. I don’t care if it’s big, small, words of kindness or a thoughtful gesture - we all could have kinder intentions.
  

‘Greater Good’ Tid Bits

Recipe: ROASTED CAULIFLOWER

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and cut cauliflower into florets and place on baking sheet. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Add a dash of salt and pepper. Place in oven for 40-45mins turning or shaking once or twice while baking.
• NOTE: I credit this recipe to Jillian Michaels and I didn’t believe this would be any good...but it really is great! Serve it as a vegetable side dish for dinner. It’s really simple and who knew cauliflower could have so much flavour!
  

THE GREATER GOOD CHALLENGE - CATEGORIES

Category 1: Living like a minimalist

• Obviously, we are all in different financial situations so do what works for you. The basic idea is to cut back financially/materialistically and instead become creative in our everyday lives to explore meaning in things that don’t have a price tag. I have a lot of ideas for this category so we’ll start slow!
  
• There are exceptions to maintain “necessities” in life. These include:
  - Food & Groceries (but set a budget for groceries and stick to it).
  - Transportation is a gimme– Car repairs, maintenance & gas (however minimize where possible: walking, biking, transit and if you need repairs, see what parts or services can be bartered)
  - If one of the goals you are trying to achieve includes minimizing the amount of money you spend on clothes, for the sake of hygiene please purchase NEW underwear, socks & bras!
  

Category 2: Healthy Living

• This one has never ending possibilities! The basics include:
  - GET MOVING! 3 days a week do a minimum of 25 minutes of exercise, even if you start off walking.
  - Healthy Eating 5 days a week. How you choose to go about this is up to you, but treat your body with goodness 5 days a week and reward yourself on the weekends! Everyone is different so I won’t set boundaries, but rather give you tips and ideas. If you do one thing, I suggest you keep a food diary. Sounds like a big pain, but once you get in the routine of doing it, it’s as habitual as brushing your teeth!
  

Category 3: Pay it Forward

• This is not a category to gloat, get attention or any extra recognition. If we need more of anything we need more kindness and generosity. We all know this, but I don’t think we do it, including myself. This is to inspire a little love in the world and that is the only reason I choose to share my experiences in this category!
  
• Once a week perform a specific act of kindness or pay a favour forward without expecting anything in return. I don’t care if it’s big, small, words of kindness or a thoughtful gesture - we all could have kinder intentions.

It Takes 21 Days To Break A Bad Habit

• In order to ensure behaviour change, experts agree that it takes a minimum of 21 days to change a behaviour. Look at the date you are planning on changing your habit, count ahead 21 days and on that date write down your goal in positive terms. There is magic in the written word when it applies to you. Now, make a commitment that you will follow your plan for 21 days.
  
• I, along with my team at Fruition will be following The ‘Greater Good’ Challenge within our own lives and blogging about it. Every 21 days we will introduce a new challenge or goal within each category for a year (except Category 3 which will remain constant within our everyday lives). We will attempt to follow our challenges for the whole 21 days and evaluate our progress and make changes if needed!

Disclaimer:
I understand that this challenge isn't going to mesh perfectly with everyone’s lifestyle. I’m a student who has decided to go back to university to complete a 4 year degree. I don’t have children or a full time job (anymore!) so my challenges are going to be different than a family of 5 per say.

Fatigue, boredom, depression, and stress can all make it difficult to stick with your program. But having a relapse isn't as important as how you deal with the relapse. If you are so devastated by failure that you call your good intentions into question, changing habits can become very difficult for you. But, if you allow for an occasional relapse and treat it as nothing more than a slight misstep that teaches you something, then you're on the right track.

I believe in the power of intention and I believe in change. And by that I mean that I believe change is healthy and it’s possible. So, if my challenges and goals can spark a little motivation for others and your challenges and goals can spark a little inspiration in me and my team at Fruition, then together we can find that morale and support that can sometimes seem so distant! I believe that in order to be determined you have to have discipline, and vice versa. In order to be disciplined you have to have determination. And trust me it is so worth it!
So who’s on board?!
Erin Krushelnicki,


“The Price of Discipline is Always Less than the Pain of Regret.”
-Nido Qubein

Fruition Therapeutics will be at the 2010 Calgary Oscars

Celebrating Calgary's Best....We have been nominated for the 2010 Calgary Oscars in the category of Best in Spa and Beauty!
The Calgary Oscars was established to bring together local businesses, media and the public to celebrate the best in Calgary businesses all in support of the Green Learning Foundation, a registered charitable organization devoted to children’s education. The foundations mission is to facilitate children learning how to become true innovative, critical thinkers. GLF supports breaking away from the traditional method of education, giving students the opportunity to explore the world around them according to their individual learning preferences.

To cast your vote go to http://www.calgaryoscars.ca/  Jan. 11 - Feb. 19, 2010.

Thank you for your continuing support,

Your Team at Fruition Therapeutics

THE GREATER GOOD CHALLENGE!

I’m no Yogi, psychologist, or doctor. I like to laugh, I curse a little too much, and I consider myself a “professional procrastinator”! Add the fact that a whole decade has already come and gone since the turn of the “new millennium” and time just seems to be flying by. I don’t think anyone would disagree that the last couple of years have been filled with uncertainty. But let’s be honest, uncertainty can come at any given time for some individuals or families, regardless of where the economy is at on its constant roller coaster ride.

So where does morale fit in and how do we go about maintaining it? Perhaps the second decade of this new millennium is an opportunity to be economically creative, achieve a goal or just live a little healthier in order to create stability and avoid as many future “ups & downs” as possible! Now without sounding like Oprah (oh god, I do sound like Oprah. Oh well she’s retiring soon anyways – wink, wink nudge, nudge!), what if someone did give you a challenge? And what if you were held accountable to achieve the goals you’ve set for yourself? Perhaps this is the purpose behind the challenge I am about to propose. Because I too will not accomplish a goal unless I share it with the world around me and by doing so, I now run the risk of being held accountable to those who know what I’m trying to achieve and whether or not I achieve it (insert panic...)!

Now what exactly is “The Challenge”??? It’s simple. Three Categories. And you do what you want within these categories so long as it follows the basic ideas. You can do all of it along with us, parts of it, or you can do none of it. The world is your oyster!

Erin Krushelnicki,


“The Price of Discipline is Always Less than the Pain of Regret.”
-Nido Qubein