My Key take-away is that WildFit is a Personal Mastery program that aims to increase our level of Mindfulness or Awareness thru Food and Nutrition. ?
The main reason why I joined WildFit 90-day Challenge is because of my Quest in how to generate consistent ever-increasing Energy in order for me to live more of my dreams and execute swiftly my Mission and Vision in Life. I also want Clarity. So it’s Energy and Clarity. And I was able to access all these thru the WildFit program.
Aside from that, Eric has mentioned about keeping a Benefits Catalogue to remind us of our Gains because there’s nothing more delicious than good health! So here's my list of Benefits realized thru WildFit program:
- I enjoy leverage/gain in time due to deeper, more quality and shorter sleep. Even with 4 to 5-hour sleep, my body is already on the go once it wakes up. Whereas before, there was a feeling of grogginess upon waking up even if I had more than 7 hours of sleep so I hit the snooze alarm multiple times. This is not the case now. I would sleep at around 11pm to 12mn and wake up at 4-5am with vitality and energy. And with better, high quality sleep, I gained more mind clarity, therefore strengthening focus leading to faster memory absorption and retention and deeper comprehension thereby increasing my efficiency at both work and personal matters. My intuition has also been sharpened. And since I now have shorter sleep, I now enjoy longer waking hours up to 20 hours per day still having the awesome energy. Whereas before, I wouldn’t be able to read books at night because my mind and body were already going to rest mood, now my mind and body are still alert and focused. It’s amazing!
- I have healthier skin, hair, nails, teeth and gums.
- I can now munch on hot and cold food and drinks. Whereas before, I was not able to and if I would I would feel a high voltage lightning strike hitting my gums and teeth and that pain/ discomfort would stay for hours. But now, I can even munch the frozen AlkaGizer minus the lightning bolts. This is really big!
- Sinusitis has dramatically reduced or disappeared.
- I am already comfortable under the heat of mid-day Sun. Whereas before, I would develop heatstroke - headache and severe feeling of dehydration once I expose myself to noontime heat. But now, I don’t feel these discomforts anymore.
- With the tool of Attention to our Dialogues, I developed heightened observation skill leading to increased awareness not just on food but also all aspects of our Life. I now tend to just observe whatever thoughts and emotions that arise in my Consciousness and never get identified with it. In doing so, I achieved freedom from compulsive-obsessive feelings around food and different aspects of my Life. Here I have discovered my dysfunctional relationship with pizza, ice cream, coffee, cake and spaghetti just to mention a few.
- My body communicates to me clearly with faster feedback loop. Real case example: I was eating a home-cooked chicken when I felt a sudden sense of compulsion or addiction. And 30 minutes later, I experienced itchiness all over my body. At that moment, I suspected that a form of sugar has sneaked into my food. True enough, when I went home, I discovered that the condiment that I just newly bought contained “Rice flour” which is under the sugar category. If not of the immediate discomfort that served as the feedback loop of the body to communicate to me, I wouldn’t be able to identify and take immediate steps to cut that condiment out from my culinary ingredients.
- I learned how to cook! --- BIG TIME! This happened in Week 5 due to a related experience that happened in Week4. On Week 4, refined sugar, dairy, processed food among other things were removed. I starved during this week due to absence of WildFit-approved foods from the restaurants that I regularly walked into on a daily basis. Since I just greatly depended on other people’s ability to cook, I went super hungry and it was an awful feeling. The feeling was so strong that I made a solemn promise to myself to never let it go hungry again. And so I started buying kitchen utensils, kettles, food jars etc and the table-top oven toaster! And I started researching, reading, studying and trying out recipes from Youtube, Paleo and Keto websites and sharings from the WF Tribe. It feels so good to know what goes into my own food and it is such a satisfying feeling to be able to cook for my own Cell nourishment. For the love of Cells! Before, I only knew cooking oil, salt and butter. Now, WildFit has opened up a new world of Oils and Condiments - I have already familiarized myself with the more jargony culinary words of Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Liquid Aminos, Himalayan Rock Salt, ground black pepper, turmeric, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, ginger powder, dried basil leaves, rosemary, oregano, coriander, chives, thyme leaves, ground cumin seeds and ground cinnamon. I love the new world of spices and herbs!
- Because of the Food Timeline tool, I can now assess properly the emotions that I need to anchor to the food. Thru this, I have also learned about addressing the real rootcause of an emotional hunger by evaluating the Trigger and the Target Emotion and to find options to solve the real issue. Real case example of anchoring feeling to food: 1 day after the WF Graduation, I attended a social event and I tried a very simple experiment of eating 2 chocolate muffins (with refined sugar and dairy) and see how it would affect my body. The first bite was very satisfying given that I haven’t had any sweet “treat” for the past 10 weeks. 2nd bite was okay. But the more I ate it, the more it became sweeter and sweeter until I felt like having a sensory overload of sweets/dairy. But during this time, I still considered the response to be natural and so I still allowed the muffins to be under my “Rare” Food Category. However, immediately the next morning until 1pm, I was suffering from a bad sinusitis. I didn’t experience sinusitis since we cut down dairy, refined sugar and the rest. And it has returned after consumption of 2 chocolate muffins. I felt the suffering deeply and anchored the feeling to the food (chocolate muffin) so next time I see these confectionary elements, I will be reminded of the awful feeling of having a very bad sinusitis. And yes, this food has immediately been downgraded to “Never Eat” category.
- I became aware of the emotional manipulations of the food industry so I never get hooked into the hypnotic anchoring process.
- I became aware of the adverse effects of refined sugars, grains, processed food, dairy products, caffeine, alcohol, nicotine and stress. Caffeine doesn’t prevent us from sleeping but it disturbs our sleep by blocking the mind and body into entering REM and deep sleep which are very important functions of sleep to integrate learnings of the day and to repair bodily hardware and software bugs. Real case example: After cutting out caffeine, I never experience anxiety attacks and spiralling negative self-talk.
- Demonstrated ability to enter and exit fat-burning mode (Ketosis). And during the Spring season plus the 3-day fasting, I was able to release a total of 9.6 kg or 21 lbs from 55kg to 45.4 kg. This is also equivalent to 4 notches down my belt or 5 inches release from the waistline and 17.5 inches taken out all over my body. I feel so much lighter now because of the weight release process and I’m now able to wear my favourite body-fit T-shirt (“Giji loves Cebu” white t-shirt) after 8 long years especially that the stubborn belly rolls diminished, which for me was like a miracle! Amazing!
- Acquired knowledge on the hierarchy of what the body needs by measure of importance: Air (Oxygen), Water, Nutrition, Cardiovascular and Flexibility; and Bulking up & strength training. And I also gained knowledge on how we communicate to the body thru the food that we eat. I was lost on this before. I was just doing it my own way, which I considered to be “healthy” relative to what other people are doing; which by the way I now considered as dysfunctional. I would wake up coming from several hits (usually 3x-4x) on snooze alarm, still feeling groggy, I would force myself up and go to the gym at 7am in the effort of pumping some oxygen to my system to feel that elusive Energy. After a run in the treadmill, I would feel a surge of Energy. I would then take my usual hot noodle soup breakfast (kueyteow soup with egg). But then when I reached office, I would feel a lowering down of Energy level and I would perk it up with a cup of coffee. So my colleagues would often see me carrying my mug of coffee anywhere I go. Approaching noonbreak, I would feel the decline in Energy again and I would go back home to have a 20-min power nap which would help to pick my Energy up again in the afternoon. However, the energy was just not sustainable. I would feel a dip in Energy level again and I would reach out for another cup of coffee and I would feel a burst of Energy again. At 5:30pm, I would go to the office cafeteria and eat rice, fish, eggs and fruits because I was thinking that by 8pm, the meal would have been fully digested and I could go back to exercising again in the gym. So I would hit the gym again at 8pm and feel that surge of Energy. Right after the gym, I would buy, without fail, a cup of fresh slow juiced pineapple in the effort of neutralizing the cups of coffee that I drank the whole day (the approach looks very illogical now, haha, so funny). And I would pair it with a plate of vegetable/fruit salad. And that consisted my “healthy” lifestyle. I tried to release weight especially the belly rolls but no matter how much tried to exercise 2x per day and eat fruits and vegetables at any given time of the day; and no matter how hard I tried to raise my Energy up thru exercising and drinking coffee, I was nowhere near my target of wanting to have that sustainable Energy, vitality, focus. My God, WildFit truly was an eye-opener for me on how illogical and dysfunctional my way was. The message I was sending to my body was very convoluted. I wanted to release weight yet I was eating sugary stuffs, carbs and fruits. I wanted to have sustainable energy yet I was drinking a lot of coffee than I was drinking water. I never knew the effect of coffee back then to sleep and energy levels. Now I know! THANK YOU WILDFIT!
- I gained knowledge on where exercise will come into the equation in Health and Fitness. Before, I thought regardless of what I was eating, just counting calories and sweat it out in the gym, I thought it would be fine. And I regarded exercise as having the higher vote compared to Food and nutrition. Now, I stand corrected. I was so wrong. 95% of the body shape and weight is truly due to Food and Nutrition and 5% is only related to exercise. I tested that statement from Eric. At the start of WF journey, I intentionally stopped going to the gym (before, 2x per day, 7am and 8pm) to just isolate the effects of Food to my body weight and shape. And yes, it was proven to be true! From Week 1 to Week 6, I released 5 kg! And that’s even without exercising. It was purely due to Food intake and playing full out with the entire WF process. I only went back to gym at Week 7 with Eric’s recommendation to incorporate intentional movement to help make the switch from sugar-burning to fat-burning metabolic state. Amazing! I am now a true believer of Proper Food and Nutrition as the one having the significantly higher vote compared to exercise.
- I recognized the power of Community! I love this Tribe very much for the encouragement, intellectual and emotional support; and for serving as a safe platform for sharing the ups and downs of the Tribe members. I’m very thankful to have this very strong fabric of support with the WildFit family. A heartfelt, loving virtual hugs to all of you Tribesmate and to the Coaches! Much love to you.
- I learned even with the serious topic of……gases, poop, stool color, size and shape. Haha! I was laughing hard with all the “colourful” and “aromatic” comments from the Tribe. And how “Green” became the new “Brown” hahaha! And big realization: I thought that the healthier the food I eat, the more waste I should shed off in terms of size and frequency. But I learned that the reverse is true! The healthier the food I eat, the more the body can fully utilize it and so the lesser the waste product it will produce out from it! I was greatly relieved with that information shared by Eric because when we went deep into Spring, I observed that the poop size and frequency was significantly reduced. I thought there was something wrong with my excretory system. I was really thankful with the no-holds-bar discussion on this aromatic topic.
- I now have a clear correlation and linkage between non-functional foods and/or absence of functional foods to presence of disease. And that proper Healthcare is Self-care (targeting rootcause) and not Disease-care (targeting symptoms).
- I now have an amazing experience of how magical “empty stomach” feels like with the introduction of mini-fasting challenge. And my experience was awesome because at that week of fasting, I had 3 big events at work. I started my fasting on Tuesday when I was having my monthly update to top management; on the 3rd day of fasting (Thu), I was facilitating a workshop with top management; and my fasting was extended on Friday--- to 3.5 days--- because when I was about to cook my eggs for breakfast, I discovered that I ran out of cooking gas so I went into forced fasting for the next 12 hours, haha! And on that day, I was hosting a company-wide event. Aside from that, even while on fasting mode, I was still hitting the gym at 7am with my treadmill run routines. The Energy was just superb! I really, really love that kind of Energy. It’s peerless. That’s the Energy that I was seeking for this long, long, long time in my Life. And so I am tearing up right now because I have found what I was looking for a long, long, long time. Thank you very much Eric for designing WildFit. Thank you very much form the bottom of my heart. What you’ve shared to me is not just a mere program of Health and Nutrition but you brought back to me big hope equivalent to the size of my Big Dreams. I need that kind of Energy to live my dreams and I’ve found the way to generate it thru WildFit program. Thank you very much!
Aside from that, I experienced for the first time how detox/cleansing process felt like without the need for meds. After the 3.5-day fasting, I experienced flu which was natural response of the body to shed away decades of toxins and acids. Because of that knowledge, I stayed in Spring on Week1 of Living WildFit to facilitate the complete flushing out of toxins; and I went for another round of 3-day Winter season (Fasting). If that happened pre-WF time, I would already reach out for flu medicine but with the knowledge from the Coaches and Tribe, I was able to choose the correct course of action --- to just allow it to be without the need for meds. WildFit is just heaven-sent.
Aside from that, I experienced for the first time how detox/cleansing process felt like without the need for meds. After the 3.5-day fasting, I experienced flu which was natural response of the body to shed away decades of toxins and acids. Because of that knowledge, I stayed in Spring on Week1 of Living WildFit to facilitate the complete flushing out of toxins; and I went for another round of 3-day Winter season (Fasting). If that happened pre-WF time, I would already reach out for flu medicine but with the knowledge from the Coaches and Tribe, I was able to choose the correct course of action --- to just allow it to be without the need for meds. WildFit is just heaven-sent.
- From the sharing of the Tribe, I also learned how to properly clean fruits and vegetables with the use of Distilled White Vinegar-to-water ratio of 1:3 parts.
- I also gained knowledge on proper food intake sequence: fruits first to avoid heartburn and feelings of bloatedness. Before, I would just eat fruits anytime of the day and would wonder why I was not feeling good after eating a watermelon after a heavy lunch meal. Haha! Now I know why.
- Thru WildFit Fall season, I was able to familiarize myself with the wide variety of fruits and vegetables. I didn’t know kiwi fruit existed before, nor was plum, not even a taste of blueberries nor kale, Brussel sprouts, nor mushrooms! I only knew a limited range before. But WildFit opened up that big window! So now, I enjoy a lot of colourful and tasty fruits and vegetables. Now I know that there’s oyster mushroom, Portobello and brown button, yehey! I all use these for my homemade pizza with cauliflower or sweet potato base.
- And last but not the least, WildFit has opened up an opportunity for me to contribute to the Community by being an example of the change that I want to see ---- a healthy, thriving Community with mentally, emotionally and physically healthy individuals. That said, I want to become a Certified WildFit Coach, help connect and grow healthy Communities and …..win that WildFit T-shirt that Eric is giving away!
THANK YOU Eric, WF Coaches, Tribe. My words of appreciation reverberates to all of you for making this journey, by far, the best thing that ever happened in my Life. Cheers to Increased level of Awareness, Personal Mastery and Freedom!