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Fasting: Notes on January 2023 Five-Day Fast

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

Today is DAY FIVE of my first FAST of 2023.

Goal for 2023: Fast 5 days once per month, which ends up being 2 months no eating by the end of year. TWO MONTHS of not eating! Wow!

Why? Save money, free time, great energy, and SUPER GOOD FOR YOU: Autophagy! Recycle old cells! (Pic from yesterday: No makeup, no filter, I turn 51 next month.)

This is my 4th or 5th 5 day fast. I generally eat low carb, whole foods & avoid sugar & seed oils. Worked my way up over past 18 months, so if this is something YOU want for GREATER HEALTH, start with regular IF (intermittent fasting), then 24hrs, 3 day, 5 day. I did a week once but 5-day works best for me.

I do water and black tea and coffee. In past, have added homemade broth Day 4/5 but didn’t need it this time. Electrolytes x2 for foot cramping. Breaking tonight at Indigenous Dinner w/this menu.

Pro-tip: I planned to go to this dinner w/friends bc sometimes the urge to keep going–Louis Calitz & I can get competitive–causes stress towards the end, “should we/shouldn’t we?”. Now there’s a “hard stop” built-in.

I’ll be writing more about my fasting journey this year. Follow along, and feel free to ask questions! Greater health is there for the taking… you just have to want it enough!

Building good habits and replacing bad ones takes time. How are you spending yours? <—Number One thing to assess if you’re SEEKING changes in your life <—Why you need to be journaling! 😉

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Happy New Year! 2023 is the Next Chapter in Your Life… Whatcha Going to Do?

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

May 2023 deliver all your dreams and desires. Remember, this is more likely to happen if:

1. You write down your goals

2. You break theses goals into smaller parts

3. You measure your progress

Life is simply how you are spending your time. Spend your time wisely (or foolishly! ;-)) but spend it MINDFULLY!

Much LOVE and HEALTH to everyone as YOU start writing the next chapter in your book of life. ❤

Here are some blog posts I have written over the years relating to significant changes I have made in my own life (losing weight; quitting alcohol (PART 1, PART 2, 7 REASONS TO QUIT, ANXIETY); dealing with childhood crap). I hope this inspires YOU! If you ever have questions or want support, holler!

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Reflections on Turning 50: My Advice? Love All Things Big and Small

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

I turn 50 today! This seems like… a lot, but honestly, I feel like I’m just getting started! I told Louis the other day that I believe I will live until 150, and that I am DEFINITELY going to space. Maybe nothing beyond the equivalent of getting high enough (hah!) to float in Zero Gravity like a once-in-a-lifetime rollercoaster ride, but I’m going to make it happen. Now y’all know why I want Elon Musk to be my bestie. ?

A couple of years ago, I set the goal of learning to surf by 50. Then Covid happened, the world turned stupid, and we all suffered. I did go to an indoor surf class once, and I stuck the ride, much to the surprise of the college kid who was helping me. Then I stuck it again. And again. Then I fell… hard–ah, so THAT’S what the helmet and knee pads are for! I did recently get a RevBalance board, and do use that in my home gym, so I’m chalking this one up to “tried, failed to meet the deadline, but I’m still working towards the goal.” Maybe when I’m 60? Until then, Hang Ten, yo!

I had delusions of grandeur about throwing a Fancy Pants Soiree at The Currier Museum. Then Covid happened, people got stupid, and I refuse to support any place enforcing a vax pass, so… yeah. Then, for a hot sec, I considered renting a house in Mexico or Malta, and inviting all my friends from across the world meet me, but then Covid was still a thing, governments were still being stupid, and… yeah.

Fortunately, I live an intentional life in a large community of awesome people, so when I threw a Big Party to celebrate a past community success two weeks ago, my friends surprised me with a heartfelt rendition of Happy Birthday, my own cupcake, and a giant Porcupine cake. Thank you!

I had only one other goal for today, and that was to fit in this Little Black Dress… I’m healthier at 50 than I have been since my 20s. I am definitely healthier than I was when I turned 40, and that is an accomplishment that I am super proud of! After making a commitment to prioritize myself, I decided to deal with my shit, and become more of the person *I*–not society, other people, or anyone else living rent-free in my head–want to be.

While I’m still figuring out who that is, while I am still learning, evolving, growing, failing and getting back up–something I will always do because I believe this is the recipe for happiness in life–I know she looks smashing in that dress!

To Future Me, to the next 50, to 2072 when I will be 100, I say, keep at it, find all the big and little things to love, and then LOVE the world with all you got, grrrl!

Read about the steps I took to change my life.

Read about how I learned to love myself.

PS: The best gift I was given this year was Obi, our new puppy who will keep me on my toes for the next decade and more!

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Proof Positive Keto Works? Me!

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

From a Facebook post in 2019: A friend asked for more details about my weight loss journey, and since I wrote a long-ish response to her, thought I’d share it here too.

1. Alcohol: I quit drinking in Dec 2017, and for me, that was a big part of the success story, but mostly bc I was drinking a lot of wine daily, and those calories added up… Also, wasn’t making the best food/life decisions when sauced up. ?

2. Eating out: I don’t eat out much anymore, and when I do, I usually just get a salad with some kind of protein. Not eating out is mostly bc my home cooked meals are better than 99% of local restaurants, and I’ve gotten REALLY fussy about where my food is sourced. So that’s mostly a personal choice, but I know people who can balance the eating out and keto quite successfully, but you have to be willing to be particular when you place your order (and that’s OK).

3. What’s in the house/microwaving: We did a serious PURGE of our pantry when we switched. Threw out/donated anything that is not supposed to cross our lips. This is an important step. Trust me… My parents came to visit, and my dad put some Pringles in the pantry, and for me, it was like having crack in the house and I ended up eating IT ALL, LOL, and then reminding myself that I can’t have stuff like that around… So my pantry has a million types of NUTS instead. ?

The crux of my journey–everyone’s is different–but mine was about getting unhealthy ADDICTIONS out of my life. Ones I wasn’t even willing to admit to myself were addictions: Sugar, carbs, alcohol, negative/nihilistic people–I’m working on digital minimalism now (less screen time)…

So to answer your question about “a normal life,” you have to ask yourself what is “normal”? Is society’s definition of “normal” what YOU want, or is what society accepts as “OK” really unhealthy/less than optimal/possibly not what you want or need to be your best YOU?

I no longer take my cues from what’s “normal” but rather from: What do **I** want? I want to be healthy long-term and have an excellent quality of living, which means **I** have to WORK AT IT BECAUSE NO ONE ELSE CAN DO IT FOR ME. I want to look my best for my age. I want to EMBODY a life free of as much statism as I can muster, which means eliminating the toxic stuff that is regarded as “normal” in our lives, but that isn’t normal, acceptable, or good for us… Like the Standard American Diet (SAD!) and the entire middle part of a grocery store…

The other major change I made is getting enough sleep–we read in bed and are asleep by 10pm, and up around 5am.

Three books I found inspiring: This Naked Mind; Girl, Wash Your Face; and Bright Line Eating.

I’ll tell you the secret of my success: STICKING TO THE PROGRAM. When I stopped making exceptions, and stopped “negotiating” with myself (which created a lot of cyclical/negative mind-talk) and just DID THE RIGHT THINGS, it became EASY.

THAT’S how you form new and better habits. (I even stopped biting my nails–after 45 years!)

Now, getting to a place where you can do that, isn’t so easy, but those three books will lead you in the right direction. The other thing is once you get your hormones/sugar levels in balance and are eating right, you genuinely don’t get hungry/cravings anymore, and it all gets pretty awesome, easy and ends up simply being how you live and are.

In other words: *YOU* CONTROL HOW YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE AND IT IS A DAILY CHOICE, SO CHOOSE WISELY. ?Keep me posted and GOOD LUCK! I’m proof positive it works!

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Stop Obeying Big Bro’s Harbingers of Darkness

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

They admit they don’t know what they are doing. WHY is anyone still listening to these harbingers of darkness?

Here is the reality: Nothing any government official mandates changes anything anywhere. The virus curve is the same shape and size across the globe despite different places trying different things, with some variation for the overall age/health of the population–countries with older, fatter, sicker people are hit harder… Maybe a question Americans should be asking ourselves is why do we have so many old, fat, sick people? Hint: it’s SAD… it’s the Standard American Diet!

Here’s another hard truth: The powers that be could have spent the past year trying to help make people healthier. They could have advised you start taking care of yourself. That you start taking Vitamin D and Zinc. That you get outside in the sunlight for some daily exercise in fresh air. That you stop fueling your body with junk and start cooking whole foods from scratch. That you get enough sleep, since sleep deprivation is a recognized form of torture. But see… They like you like this… they like you fat and slow and obedient. They like being able to literally terrify you out of your mind.

For the past year, the people who purport to have your best interests at heart, instead of choosing life and health and vitality and hope, chose darkness, tyranny, control, isolation, snitching, and force. They chose to terrify you into submission without solid justification for their actions.

They have spent the last year changing your brain’s neural pathways, priming you to live permanently in fear and unable to think for yourself, which, in case I have to spell it out for you, is a lot worse for your health and wellbeing than a case of Covid.

Stop listening to these people. They 100% do. not. have. your. best. interests. at. heart. Trust your instincts! Peace and love to y’all!

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Psst, Don’t Tell My Husband, But I Fit Back in His Jeans: 3 Things that Worked When I Started My Keto Life

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

A friend asked for more details about my transformation and weight loss journey that started in December 2017, and to date, March 7, 2020, I have lost and kept off 65 pounds following an Ancestral/Keto lifestyle, meaning: I eat low carb, medium protein, and high good fats; I move daily (walking the dog for 45 minutes counts!); and I sleep enough to recharge my brain for optimal living.

3 Tips for Success When Starting on Keto

1. Eliminating alcohol: I quit drinking in December 2017, and for me, this was a huge part of my success story, but mostly because I was drinking a lot of wine daily, and those calories added up… Also, I wasn’t making the best food/life choices when I was sauced up.

2. Eating out: I don’t eat out much anymore, and when I do, I usually just get a salad with some kind of protein. Not eating out is mostly because my home cooked meals are better than 99% of local restaurants, and I’ve gotten REALLY fussy about where my food, especially meat, is sourced. So, that’s mostly a personal choice, but I know people who can balance restaurant meals and Keto quite successfully, but you have to be willing to be particular when you place your order (and that’s OK). 

3. What’s in your house? My husband and I did a serious pantry purge when we switched to Ancestral living. We threw out or donated any foods that were not supposed to cross our lips. This was an important step that I recommend you not skip. Trust me… My parents came to visit for Thanksgiving 2018, and my dad bought some Pringles and left them in the pantry when they went home, and for me, those chips were like having crack in the house–and even after 4-pages of journaling about why I shouldn’t, I ended up eating the whole damn thang! I chalked up my relapse to a learning experience, and used it to remind myself that I can’t have stuff like that around… So, instead, my pantry contains a million types of delicious, nutritious nuts that arrive on scheduled orders so I never run out.  

The crux of my journey–everyone’s is different–but mine was about getting unhealthy ADDICTIONS out of my life. Ones I wasn’t even willing to admit to myself were addictions: Sugar, carbs, alcohol, negative/nihilistic people–I’m working on digital minimalism and less screen time now.

So to answer your question about “a normal life,” you have to ask yourself what is “normal”? Is society’s definition of “normal” what YOU want, or is what society accepts as “OK” really unhealthy/less than optimal/possibly not what you want or need to be your best YOU? 

I no longer take my cues from what’s “normal” but rather from: What do **I** want? I want to be healthy long-term and have an excellent quality of living, which means **I** have to WORK AT IT BECAUSE NO ONE ELSE CAN DO IT FOR ME. I want to look my best for my age. I want to EMBODY a life free of as much statism as I can muster, which means eliminating the toxic stuff that is regarded as “normal” in our lives, but that isn’t normal, acceptable, or good for us… Like the Standard American Diet (SAD!) and the entire middle part of a grocery store… 

The other major change I made is getting enough sleep–we read in bed and are asleep by 10pm, and up around 5am. 

Three books I found inspiring when I started this journey: 
This Naked Mind by Annie Grace; 
Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis; and 
Bright Line Eating by Susan Peirce Thompson. 

I’ll tell you the secret of my success: STICKING TO THE PROGRAM. When I stopped making exceptions, and stopped “negotiating” with myself (which created a lot of cyclical/negative mind-talk) and just DID THE RIGHT THINGS, it became EASY. THAT’S how you form new and better habits. (I even stopped biting my nails–after 45 years!)

Now, getting to a place where you can do that, isn’t so easy, but those three books will lead you in the right direction. The other thing is once you get your hormones/sugar levels in balance and are eating right, you genuinely don’t get hungry/cravings anymore, and it all gets pretty awesome, easy, and ends up simply being how you live and are. 

In other words: *YOU* CONTROL HOW YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE AND IT IS A DAILY CHOICE, SO CHOOSE WISELY. ?

Keep me posted and GOOD LUCK! I’m proof positive it works!

[EDIT: This post first appeared on Facebook on February 6, 2019.]
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10 Steps to Radically, Permanently Improve Your Life… Get Living!

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

You know how they say, “Fake it till you make it”? Well, two years ago, riddled with chronic fatigue, inflammation, at least fifty pounds overweight, drinking waaaaay too much vino, and generally not function at a peak-anything, I realized, you can only “fake” things up to a point before reality bites. Here’s the truth: You can’t fake health, and you can’t fake skills. And you need both to survive a Zombie Apocalypse…

Here are 10 steps I personally took to change my life for the better. Read about my transformation, and then CHOOSE to make these changes, too! A better quality of life is within YOUR control. Write down what you want to achieve, and then… do it!

#1: Turn off your TV. The mainstream media wants your attention… it’s how they make money. They don’t care about your feelings. They don’t care about making you anxious. They don’t care about scaring you. In fact, the more anxious and scared you are, the more money they make. If you want to improve your life, the #1 thing you can do is TURN OFF THE NEWS. You can still watch all the shows you love, just make how you consume content a conscious choice, on YOUR terms. I turned off the news years ago, and it radically improved my life!

#2: Get healthy! If the possibility of getting sick in the future is now a “legitimate” reason to suppress millions of citizens’ rights, shutter and destroy businesses, and crash the economy, let’s use this time to get healthy. This means new routines! Get your blood work done to provide a benchmark against which to measure progress.

#3: Change your diet. I lost 65 lbs following an Ancestral/Keto lifestyle. I stopped eating carbs. I stopped eating sugar (except some dark chocolate from time to time, more in Times of Covid, obvi). If immediately eliminating carbs and sugar sounds too hard, try approaching this lifestyle change this way: Cook from scratch until this is over and eat every meal together at the table until then. This simple step will noticeably improve your life! 

#4: Turn in early and get 8 hours of sleep. Our brains detox while we sleep, keeping us healthy and sane. Sleep deprivation is a recognized form of torture, so if you aren’t sleeping well, you are… literally *torturing* your body and mind, which might explain some of the serious health problems in this country. Honestly, if The Control Freaks really wanted to make an impact on the health of Americans, let’s get some SWAT police flash-banging down doors to ensure you are getting enough sleep! (Please don’t do this.)

#5: Try something new every day. Use this opportunity to foster curiosity–curiosity is the antidote to stupid. Take a virtual museum tour in a foreign country. Watch all the TED Talks about a subject you are passionate about (I want to learn more about the brain). Learn to cook or bake something new, a fun project you can do with the whole family!

#6: Learn to meditate. No time like the present! There are a slew of YouTube videos of guided meditations, or apps like Waking Up or Calm that can be downloaded straight to your phone. Meditation is something you can even start practicing as a family. Ten minutes a day can make a vast difference and set your kids up for success in life. Start today! 

#7: Encrypt your communications. Make sure you install encryption messaging like Signal or Telegram in order to securely communicate with the loved ones in your life. 

#8: Volunteer. You can sign up for official NH volunteer programs to help during the coming weeks here, or, like my husband and I have been doing, you can go out and do neighborhood litter pickups, reach out to infirm neighbors to make sure they have what they need, and generally be a decent human being–from six feet away (or, wear a mask and/or gloves if that’s your preference). 

#9: Grow an edible garden. If this sounds intimidating (it does to me!) start small with some counter herbs, then some herbs in the garden, and then work your way up until in a year or two, you will be able to feed your household healthy, nutritious, locally grown and organic food–yours! If this still sounds crazy to you… support a local farmer at farm stalls and markets in your area.  

#10 Live! Free people move freely. If you need to go about your business, be considerate and make an effort to comply with safety instructions, but also, while keeping things in perspective, remember YOU are the captain of YOUR LIFE, and YOU, and only YOU control your life, the government does not own you (and if you disagree, we should talk!). Use this time to take charge of your life, grow, and change for the better!

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Reflections From a Year Ago

by Carla Gericke
written by Carla Gericke

This post and photo appeared on November 8, 2018 after I lost my NH Senate race–I received 42% against an eleven term, 82 year old Establishment Elite incumbent with almost half-a-million dollars in his war chest. (I had $25K and a lot of grassroots support.)

Positive reflection: I am very proud of myself for not cheating on my #Keto lifestyle at all during this entire election cycle–well, except for those damn little choccies at AFP once in a while!

I could ignore pizza laden tables at events without ever having that “OMG, I’m going to die, I’m so hungry” feeling. When contemplating how I would like to “reward” myself after the race, I ran down a litany of “naughty food,” (poison) and realized, burger? nope, pizza? nope, cupcake? nope, mac & cheese, well, yes, but I can make a yummy, almost-as-good substitute. I now know fueling your body with the nutrients it deserves can change your life by giving you stamina, focus, and balance.

My sister, Lizette Cloete, who kindly cooked us a volunteer “thank you” meal on Monday night even got “a-talking-to” when she wanted to make a traditional meat and bean chili. “No,” I said, “I am living my principles and that means serving food that I can eat.” She made two separate pots and people could mix and match according to their desires. Thank you!

Other than once over a lunch date with myself at a fancy hotel while waiting on a print run for mailers, I didn’t have any urges to drink alcohol, either. (I ordered a ginormous sparkling water instead because I like that tea and water glow I have now!)

I’m down 65 pounds, and think my weight is probably close to where it wants to be. This morning, Louis and I both had the exact same thought…
Louis: “When we’re in South Africa in December, let’s set a goal to do yoga every day.”
Me: “OMG, I was literally just thinking the same thing!!!”

For me, this journey is about being the best me I can be, and I’m getting there, and then some… Get ready to be amazed! <3 y’all!

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