30 Day Challenge- Body & Mind

I finally got my patio set up this weekend and it feels like I have added another room to my house. I love this outdoor space that is available with the warm weather! The change of seasons has also made me reflect on how things are going in my life. I need a cleanse. Not the juice-drinking meditate all day kind. I need one that fits into my active life. So I came up with my own "program"- a 30 day challenge to help me refocus on nutrition and mental clarity

Part 1: Stop Eating Crap

My eating habits have been slipping into dangerous territory for the past couple of months. It is like I was celebrating anti-Lent: 40 days of indulgences. It started with some Easter candy, then some cake, a burger, a burrito, a little pinkberry and before you know it every day is a treat day. 

So here is the plan for the next 30 days- get back to eating real whole foods like meats, eggs, veggies, fruits, nuts, and healthy fats (grass-fed butter, olive oil, and coconut oil).  I am also going to have to allow coffee and some dark chocolate.  I have been eating this way for over a year now and it works, but I see myself veering too much and it is time to straighten my nutrition out.  I mean, why am I working out 6 days a week and then eating crap foods?!?!

I am enlisting the support of my friends and co-workers. Basically, making sure everyone knows Rani should not be eating crap. I hope that posting it online will help me stick to it.  This is a pretty simple plan, but for some reason I expect it to be a struggle.

Part 2: The Journal Project

Lately, life has so busy, the days melt into each other.  I pledge to set aside some time each day to journal- at least two pages. I got the idea from "101 Creative Writing Exercises" by Melissa Donovan. She says journaling makes you more observant and self-aware.  I need to take some time out each day to self-reflect and make sure all this effort is leading me somewhere good. 

I like that she describes six different ways to journal and I will incorporate all the styles at least once in my 30 day program. Here are the different types of journaling: 

1.  Dear Diary: recounting the day events.  

2.  Self-improvement:  setting a goal and then writing about your progress (Woot! I've got this one covered with my 30 day challenge).

3.  Reflective Journaling: recounts events like a diary except you add a twist by putting events into context and give them a deeper meaning (kinda like what I try to do with this blog).

4.  Art Journaling: experience an art piece (i.e. painting, movie or music) and write about it.  I like that she mentions using fine art or something from pop culture. I think this one will be really fun!

5.  Dream Journal: recording your dreams and trying to figure out what they mean. Honestly, I dread this one because 1) I don't usually remember my dreams and 2) My undergraduate major was psychology and my least favorite professor taught the dreams course, which I managed to get out of because he went on sabbatical. Well I guess I've avoid dream journaling for as long as I could.

6.  Gratitude Journal: this had been a popular one in recent years where you write down all the things you are thankful for. In yoga class the instructor will often ask us to focus something we are thankful for. Generally bacon comes to mind, because I go to yoga before I eat breakfast :)

So that is the two part program. My 30 Day Challenge is from April 30 to May 29.  I will do a check-in mid-way and at the end. Wish me luck!  Let the cleansing begin...

And now you know....

Here are 10 "getting to know you questions"  and their answers, so now you can say you know:

1.  What’s the story behind the name “Rice Kracker”?

The name is from an almost-business collaboration with my sister. She would make the goods and I would sell them.  My name starts with “R” and hers with “K,” so we picked a business name that represented both of our names.

Another layer of meaning refers to being hapa (the Hawaiian word for being mixed race).  We are half Japanese (the rice) and half white (the kracker). Growing up in Hawaii made being hapa easy, ideal almost. I think being part of multiple cultures has strongly impacted my perspective and mindset in a positive way.   So the name Rice Kracker reflects on key components of my personal identity- growing up in Hawaii, being hapa and my interest in business.

2.  Do you prefer sunrise or sunset?

Sunset. Having grown up on the west-side of an island I have seen the sun set into the ocean more than a few times. The way the sun says good-night is nothing short of phenomenal.

3.  Where do you consider home?

I spent the first two decades of my life in Hawaii with good weather, good people and good food. So why would I move? Two reasons: youth and fearless optimism.   I graduated from college and Hawaii’s economy was not doing well, so I just decided to move. I had met a lot of Californians in college and it seemed like a cool place. People ask me if I was afraid?  Honestly, I was so “green” I didn’t know what to be afraid of and failure seemed impossible.

Hawaii gave me a solid foundation and California gave me a new freedom.  For the first time in my life, I was really on my own. I got to experience a faster-paced life, seasons and made new connections. There was definitely homesickness (and there still is from time to time).  Hawaii is a wonderful place to grow up, but a very hard place to make a living because of the cost of living.

The best way I can explain it is- Hawaii is my childhood home and California is the place I choose to make my home as an adult.  They are both home for me.

4. What are the most important things in your life?

The three F’s: Family, Friends and Food.  Also my iPhone- it really helps me get a lot of things done and it is fun!  P.S: My pets fall under the "family" category.

5.  How do you spend your day?

My day job is a Financial Nanny.  I manage research funding given to UCD professors.  I liken my  job to trying to manage really rich children who are allow to pretty much do what they want. Even though it is a “financial” position there are a lot of interpersonal skills required.

In my free time, I enjoy Crossfit, yoga, cooking, reading, conversing with friends, and playing with my pets. I also enjoy the outdoors by hiking, biking and snowshoeing.

 6.  At what age did you become an adult?

Twenty-seven. It took me almost a decade to acknowledge my being an adult!  I was floating through life without a purpose, just having random adventures and realized I was almost 30 and it was time to get serious about life.

My first adult decision was to go back to school and get my MBA.  I spent 3.5 year working full-time and going to school at night.  It was hard, scary and stressful, but with a lot of support and coffee- I made it through! This was the first thing I did purely for myself. I did not need this degree for my job and my parents would have preferred I got a ring, a mortgage and gave them some grandkids. The experience gave me a lot of confidence and helped me overcome some of my introverted ways. I graduated a grown-up.

7.  If you could afford it, what would you pay someone else to do?

Cleaning. I love living in a clean house, but I don’t enjoy cleaning it.

8.  Who do you admire?

My dad- if you look up the word character in the dictionary, my dad’s picture is there.

Martha Stewart- I was not a fan of her home-making perfection, but I became a fan of her's when she went to prison rather than betray her friend. That kind of loyalty is impressive. Also, at 70 years old, she looks fabulous and is still doing her thing!

Michelle Obama- she embodies an effortless grace and just captures my ideal of a modern woman. 

9.  What food could you eat everyday of your life?

Mmm… Ice Cream. Besides the fact it so yummy, one of my favorite childhood memories is of going to Baskin & Robbins every Friday night with my parents.  Bacon is a close runner up. It is absolutely delicious, but lacks the nostalgia factor. My sister has commented on how blissful I look eating ice cream- happy thoughts, happy taste buds.

My general way of eating is sticking to real whole foods: meats, eggs, veggies, fruits, nuts, and healthy fats (grass-fed butter, olive oil, and coconut oil).  I hesitate to say I am paleo.  At best, I would say I am “paleoish” because I am not strict with my eating.  I grew up in a culture where food is more about love and connection than nourishment and sometimes that trumps nutritional logic. I will say that I look, feel and perform my best when I stick to real whole foods.  Fortunately, both of my favorites ice cream and bacon fit into being “paleoish.”

10.  If you could look into the future, would you?

No.  It is tempting to skip ahead to the end, but I would rather live life as it comes.  Also, I don’t believe the script is pre-determined. So if I did peak into the future, I would then spend all my time proving I could change it!

Welcome to Rice Kracker Girl!

Hi! I’m Rani. I grew up in Hawaii and have lived in California for over a decade.  I am a state employee, a crossfitter, a MBA graduate, a wanna-be kitchen wizard, a hiker and snowshoer, a pet parent, a sister, a daughter and a friend.  I am also a thirty-something cliché for starting a blog and am totally okay with that.

This is actually my third blog.  My first blog centered on career and my second about food, but over time I found writing about just one segment of life becomes a chore.  My sister suggested I call this blog “Rani’s Rants” but I hope to make this more of a place for thoughtful perspectives, recipes, book reviews, etc.  My goal with Rice Kracker Girl is to have an open narrative about whatever is going on in my life.  Maybe someone out there might find something I write about useful, helpful, or inspiring even.   But if not at least I can say I tried- right?

I am just following the advice of one of my favorite quotes from Lao Tsu:

“Open yourself to heaven and earth then trust your natural responses.

Everything will fall into place."