Internal Spring Cleaning

Long time, no post.

Things have been pretty good these past couple of weeks; I’ve been doing some internal house cleaning which has been long overdue.

I started a 30 day herbal detox/cleanse about 10 days ago, and with committing to that, I have had to make some big adjustments. I thought it would be super hard, but it’s actually going really well.

For this cleanse to work properly, your diet has to consist of mostly organic produce, whole grains, water, and omega 3&6 supplements. Red meat is pretty much forbidden, and consumption of white meat (fish, turkey, chicken) should only make up 20% of your daily intake of protein. The rest should come from raw nuts and seeds.

So as you can imagine, there is pretty much 0 eating out at lunch or going to a restaurant for dinner for the time being. Everything should be prepared fresh at home with little to no processed flavors or sauces.

Bland? A bit. But you can do amazing things for additional flavor with citrus fruits and emulsified fresh herbs.

I’ve also been drowning myself in chlorophyll spiked water and dandelion and marshmallow root teas. These all help support regeneration of liver cells, oxygenate your blood, and clean out your lymphatic system.

The other requirements include increased exercise and at least 7 hours of sleep a night. So far, I’ve been able to keep up with this too.

10 days in, and I feel like a whole new person, for serious. I feel clearer, rested, quick on my feet, better able to concentrate and articulate new thoughts, and have increased energy. It’s totally awesome!
I feel so good that I am seriously considering altering my diet for the long term to include mainly organic produce and whole grains.
It’s amazing what eating too much protein and processed food can do to your overall feeling of well being. Seems you don’t even notice it until you get away from it for a while.

The other major changes with this cleanse include no alcohol and no cigarettes.
Now I thought that would be my major struggle in keeping with the program, but so far, I feel great not having touched booze in the past 10 days or cigs in almost 9.
Having a drink at night has not crossed my mind more than once, and I am certainly not missing/craving it in the least.
The cigs? That has been a bit tougher, but I have not had one since the second morning of the cleanse. I’ve been a smoker for almost 15 years, so it’s been hard to finally quit, but I know this time is the final try.

Here are my stats as of this morning:

8 days, 17 hours, 29 minutes and 17 seconds smoke free.
131 cigarettes not smoked.
$62.10 and 1 day of your life saved.

(If any of you are looking for quitting information or would like your own quit meter, please visit Quitnet)

Pretty sweet hey? I’m excited this time because I know it’s for good.

Besides a few cravings, it’s been smooth sailing. I feel so much better too - I can take a deep breath and exercise without getting winded, I sleep better, and my skin tone has even brightened up.
WOOT!

Well, that’s pretty much what’s been going on with me these past couple of weeks.
Other than that, just looking forward to a week away in BC with Sandy beginning next weekend. I can’t wait for some time away from the daily routine and fresh spring surroundings. It’s gonna be sweeeet.

Hope everyone is well out there in blog land. It’s been quiet lately, yes?