March.. going vegetarian for 31 days

No Meat for 31 Days

For the month of March my boyfriend Thomas and I are going vegetarian. That’s right, no meat for 31 long days.

Why you may ask? Well Thomas is probably doing it to support me and to make it easier. They do say that it is easier to do something if someone else is doing it with you, since they give you motivation and support when you need it most. I don’t really have a concrete reason for going vegetarian. Maybe it’s to challenge myself and see what vegetarians go through on a daily basis. It could also be my way of extending my palate into new territory of food. There are a lot of recipes out there that I have only started to discover and they don’t even have meat in them.

It won’t be easy since I do like to eat meat from time to time and I’ll definitely need to find new sources of protein to keep my body strong. I think doing this will not only challenge me to find alternatives, but really open my eyes to the other side and maybe I’ll start to understand why some go so far as vegan. (No meat, no dairy).

Let’s see where this goes and where we end up at the end of the month. I think what is really intriguing me is what I will do after the 31 days are up. Keep it going or go back to eating meat once in while? Hmm.

Note: Day one is going good so far 🙂

Capoeira-A New Challenge

It’s been over a month now since I’ve been doing Capoeira, a Brazilian martial art and dance. I was referred to it by my brother because he knew that I was missing taking martial arts and I love to dance. He recommended it to me and I decided to give it a shot. What was there to lose?

It’s been over 5 years since I have taken a martial art class and I was definitely nervous going in, even knowing that everyone was doing it for the first time as well. The first few classes were eye openers for me. Here was something that I can enjoy week after week, learn something new and get in shape.  With a mixture of dance moves, acrobatics and martial art movements, coordination and practice are necessary. It is a challenge, but I am up to it.

With each new class I was able to learn something new, practice it and slowly perfect it. The thing that we were told from day one is, it can take a year or more just to get out of the beginner stage, compared with other types of martial art and dance where in the first year you can already be at a green or purple belt. Capoeira is something that you need to want to practice, learn and develop until it is just right. You need to be dedicated, committed and determined.

I’ve signed up for a year because I am a go getter. I’m the type of person that will try something new, whether it’s me or not, and stick with it for a while. In some cases I find that I love it and continue, while in others it is not me, so I stop. There is something about capoeira that makes me want to continue and see where it takes me.

I’m hoping that with time I won’t be as sore after each class. Image working out and the next day you can barely walk. Haha. It’s like you are an old person or something where you have to take each step slowly and carefully because your muscles are protesting. There is a lot of soreness, pain, blisters, but those are small compared to the bigger picture. 🙂 Just grin and bear it, as the saying goes.

Here is a video that shows some of the things that I am practicing as well as what I will be aiming to accomplish with time.