1. TREAT/CHEAT DAY: have a treat day and coincide it with your outting: the whole idea of having a treat day is to ensure you don’t have a feeling of deprivation and resent the new way of eating. Treats for me since having gone raw have changed quite significantly and even if they are still considered junk food, as long as I aim to stick to vegan foods, even if cooked, then I am not too stressed out
2. LOAD UP: fill up on a green smoothie, cooked or raw soup or salad monster before heading to a party. This will curb your appetite and ensure you are able to stop at just one or two nibblies when you get to the party. Don’t arrive hungry
3. PACK YOUR OWN SMOOTHIE/JUICE: pack your own smoothie! I’ve done this loads, and before you say ‘how embarrassing’ basically it’s not really a big deal at a party. Mostly everyone else is concerned with what they are drinking to worry about what you are drinking (usually why I never recommend people to announce ‘they are not drinking alcohol tonight’ as it was probably likely no one would have noticed anyway. I often take a pineapple and coconut smoothie or an equally delicious smoothie – usually my husband will choose to have some of mine rather than alcohol instead. I pack my smoothie in a cold flask so it doesn’t need to be refrigerated and at a party where it is ‘help yourself’ to drinks I just discretely pour my drink into a cup like everyone else’s. In a situation where you are at a dinner party, perhaps make enough for everyone to try. Also green smoothies are a great conversation starter! Get some recipe ideas in my free recipe section here www.girlonraw.com/recipes under beverages.
4. TAKE YOUR OWN/SHARE When I am asked to a friends house for dinner, I never assume they know what kind of food I like to eat, so rather than be ‘that person’ who can’t eat this or can’t eat that, I actually make my own dinner (enough for a full meal size) plus extra for everyone else to sample. I take it along, and if I am lucky then the host has prepared something for me, and I have contributed something healthy and delicious as well. Usually I pick a show stopper – something that will really impress people so it encourages them to try it and I’ve always taken home empty dishes!
5. CALL AHEAD: Going out to dinner? If you know where you are going ahead of time, call up the restaurant for a copy of their menu or check them out online. Most restaurants have vegetarian dishes than can be easily modified – think salad minus the cheese, or even ask to speak to the chef and let them know your requirements to see if they can come up with something to suit you prior to arriving. I’ve been known to take a ripe avocado in my bag to bulk out my meal if the options have been poorly. If you cannot prepare ahead of time by calling ahead, or it’s a spontaneous dinner plan, think of ordering 2 or 3 appetiser size meals if there are no or minimal options in the main meal section. Don’t be afraid to speak to your server about your requirements (you can use the ‘I’m allergic to these foods…will help). I have a friend who carries a business card size card with their food requirements for the server to give to the chef, good idea!
6. RELAX: sometimes it’s just not going to be easy to get the exact meal you require due to the fact you are in a social environment that is a little challenging. Don’t stress out, make the most of your situation, hopefully you’ll have a lara bar or some trail mix in your bag to get you by, until you can have your next meal as you want! Try and enjoy the moment for what it is, it’s about being with friends and loved ones, and if you happen to slip up, you can get right back on track when you get home!
Extracted from: http://girlonraw.com/2012/12/6-tips-for-staying-on-track-during-the-holidays/
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Friday, December 21, 2012
Welcome to the New Beginning Dec 21st 2012
Today is the day Mother Earths energy is full of life.
The Mayan calendar moves in cycles with the last cycle ending in December 2012. This is often interpreted as "the world will end on 21 December 2012, at 11:11 UTC".
The last day of the Mayan calendar corresponds with the Winter Solstice (or December Solstice), which has played a significant role in many cultures all over the world.
The Maya didn't invent the calendar, it was used by most cultures in pre-Columbian Central America – including the Maya – from around 2000 BC to the 16th century. The Mayan civilization developed the calendar further and it's still in use in some Maya communities today.
The three calendars are used simultaneously. The Tzolkin and the Haab identify and name the days, but not the years. The Long Count date comes first, then the Tzolkin date and last the Haab date. A typical Mayan date would read: 13.0.0.0.0 4 Ahau 8 Kumku, where 13.0.0.0.0 is the Long Count date, 4 Ahau is the Tzolkin date and 8 Kumku is the Haab date.
The “creation date” for the current cycle we are in today, is 4 Ahaw, 8 Kumku. According to the most common conversion, this date is equivalent to August 11, 3114 BC in the Gregorian calendar or September 6 in the Julian calendar.
The smallest wheel consists of 260 teeth with each one having the name of the days of the Tzolkin. The larger wheel consists of 365 teeth and has the name of each of the positions of the Haab year. As both wheels rotate, the name of the Tzolkin day corresponds to each Haab position.
The date is identified by counting the number of days from the “creation date”.
A typical long count date has the following format: Baktun.Katun.Tun.Uinal.Kin.
The Mayan calendar completes its current “Great Cycle” of the Long Count on the 13th baktun, on 13.0.0.0.0. Using the most common conversion to our modern calendar (the Gregorian calendar) the end of the “Great Cycle” corresponds to 11:11 Universal Time (UTC), December 21, 2012, hence the myriad of doomsday prophecies surrounding this date.
The Mayan calendar moves in cycles with the last cycle ending in December 2012. This is often interpreted as "the world will end on 21 December 2012, at 11:11 UTC".
The last day of the Mayan calendar corresponds with the Winter Solstice (or December Solstice), which has played a significant role in many cultures all over the world.
The Maya didn't invent the calendar, it was used by most cultures in pre-Columbian Central America – including the Maya – from around 2000 BC to the 16th century. The Mayan civilization developed the calendar further and it's still in use in some Maya communities today.
Wheels working together
The Mayan Calendar consists of three separate corresponding calendars, the Long Count, the Tzolkin (divine calendar) and the Haab (civil calendar). Time is cyclical in the calendars and a set number of days must occur before a new cycle can begin.The three calendars are used simultaneously. The Tzolkin and the Haab identify and name the days, but not the years. The Long Count date comes first, then the Tzolkin date and last the Haab date. A typical Mayan date would read: 13.0.0.0.0 4 Ahau 8 Kumku, where 13.0.0.0.0 is the Long Count date, 4 Ahau is the Tzolkin date and 8 Kumku is the Haab date.
Calendar types
- Gregorian calendar
- Julian calendar
- Mayan Calendar
- Roman calendar
- Chinese calendar
The Haab
The Haab is a 365 day solar calendar which is divided into 18 months of 20 days each and one month which is only 5 days long (Uayeb). The calendar has an outer ring of Mayan glyphs (pictures) which represent each of the 19 months. Each day is represented by a number in the month followed by the name of the month. Each glyph represents a personality associated with the month.The Haab is somewhat inaccurate as it is exactly 365 days long. An actual tropical or solar year is 365.2422 days long. In today’s Gregorian calendar we adjust for this discrepancy by making almost every fourth year a leap year by adding an extra day – a leap day – on the 29th of February.The Tzolkin
The divine calendar is also known as the Sacred Round or the Tzolkin which means “the distribution of the days”. It is a 260-day calendar, with 20 periods of 13 days used to determine the time of religious and ceremonial events. Each day is numbered from one to thirteen, and then repeated. The day is also given a name (glyph) from a sequence of 20 day names. The calendar repeats itself after each cycle.The Long Count
The Long Count is an astronomical calendar which was used to track longer periods of time, what the Maya called the “universal cycle”. Each such cycle is calculated to be 2,880,000 days (about 7885 solar years). The Mayans believed that the universe is destroyed and then recreated at the start of each universal cycle. This belief still inspires a myriad of prophesies about the end of the world.The “creation date” for the current cycle we are in today, is 4 Ahaw, 8 Kumku. According to the most common conversion, this date is equivalent to August 11, 3114 BC in the Gregorian calendar or September 6 in the Julian calendar.
How to set the date
A date in the Maya calendar is specified by its position in both the Tzolkin and the Haab calendars which aligns the Sacred Round with the Vague Year creating the joint cycle called the Calendar Round, represented by two wheels rotating in different directions. The Calendar round cycle takes approximately 52 years to complete.The smallest wheel consists of 260 teeth with each one having the name of the days of the Tzolkin. The larger wheel consists of 365 teeth and has the name of each of the positions of the Haab year. As both wheels rotate, the name of the Tzolkin day corresponds to each Haab position.
The date is identified by counting the number of days from the “creation date”.
A typical long count date has the following format: Baktun.Katun.Tun.Uinal.Kin.
- Kin = 1 Day.
- Uinal = 20 kin = 20 days.
- Tun = 18 uinal = 360 days.
- Katun = 20 tun = 360 uinal = 7,200 days.
- Baktun = 20 katun = 400 tun = 7,200 uinal = 144,000 days.
End of the World?
Will the world will end on 21 December 2012, at 11:11 UTC?The Mayan calendar completes its current “Great Cycle” of the Long Count on the 13th baktun, on 13.0.0.0.0. Using the most common conversion to our modern calendar (the Gregorian calendar) the end of the “Great Cycle” corresponds to 11:11 Universal Time (UTC), December 21, 2012, hence the myriad of doomsday prophecies surrounding this date.
The Maya
The Maya kept historical records such as civil events and their calendric and astronomical knowledge. They maintain a distinctive set of traditions and beliefs due to the combination of pre-Columbian and post-Conquest ideas and cultures. The Maya and their descendants still form sizable populations that include regions encompassing present day Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador and parts of Mexico.
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