We're Just a Cleansing......

I've had lots of people ask me about the cleanse that Shawn and I are doing so I thought I'd just write about it here instead of continuing to answer emails or individual questions.

I first want to say that I'm very selective about vitamins/supplements/products that we take.  I don't just assume that just because some big network marketing company promotes wellness products that they are healthy for you.  I have always done my homework and made sure that what we were taking is right for our family.

One of my best friends from college is married to a chiropractor.  They live a very healthy lifestyle and over the years, she and I have shared recipes and made some pretty big lifestyle changes together. It's been really nice having someone that is on the same page because quite honestly....I've felt in the minority  in the past over certain situations.  In fact, they are way healthier/strict than I am.  But that's okay because I've always said that it's okay to take baby steps.  Unfortunately, they live about 3 hours away from me so most of our "sharing" has been done over the phone or text.

Last summer, I was feeling very sluggish.  I knew that there were a ton of variables that contributed to this (grieving, not cooking as much or as healthy as I once did, lack of sleep, etc....) and I wanted to do some sort of detox to revamp my body.  A few years ago, I did this program and had good success but it was very hard and very restrictive.  I wanted to see what else was out there.

My friend told me about this cleanse because it was the one they had both personally done and one they recommended at their practice.  I ordered one for Shawn and myself and we successfully completed it last June.  I detoxed, lost 10 pounds, and felt great afterwards.  We talked about possibly doing this twice a year to clean our systems out.

You can certainly read about it yourself.......but basically you eat fruits and vegetables (no corn or potatoes). On day 10 you can add a little lean chicken or fish.  Sounds pretty easy.......but you quickly see that eating out is NOT an option.  However, Shawn and I did eat the salad bar at Jason's Deli a couple of times last summer with our own dressing in hand.  This cleanse is very doable.  But it's inconvenient.  You have to prepare/make/cook everything yourself.  It does come with a little booklet that includes some recipes and there are a couple soups that I make.  I also make my favorite roasted tomato basil soup (instead of chicken broth I use organic veggie broth)  But there isn't a ton of variety.  Each morning, we make a shake with lots of spinach, carrots and fresh fruits we have on hand.  There are a ton of pills...like 10 pills three times a day. Ugh, this is the hardest part for me!

I'm currently on day 3.  About an hour ago I started sweating profusely.  I can tell that I'm sweating toxins out.  I feel yucky and light headed and irritable.  I looked at sweet boy a bit ago and said "whose bright idea was this?"  But, we remember from last time that the first 4-5 days were the worst.  Caffeine and sugar withdrawals.....no carbs....feeling run down and crazy headed.  But we also remember how good and "light" we started to feel and by the end of the 3 weeks we were really glad we did it.

I would encourage you to do this with a friend or your spouse or a coworker.  It's great to have an accountability partner and someone you can talk with while doing it.  I'm so lucky that I have someone that strives for healthy living and is open to doing things like this with me.

This particular cleanse is a tad pricey.  But I feel you completely get what you paid for.  You can only get this from a chiropractor or some doctor offices.  I would encourage you to read the labels, google ingredients and do your homework with any cleanse you are considering.  There are a ton of  cleanses on the market.  They are not all created equal.  If you are allowed to eat whole wheat pasta or toast......that is NOT a cleanse.  You also want to make sure that you are taking good/whole food supplements to support your liver and other organs while you are making dietary changes.

Hope that helps!  Looking forward to great health in 2013!