Getting My Cleanse On

Since I had surgery and Dr.'s orders have prevented me from any form of real exercise, I've thrown caution to the wind in the diet department. I've cheated with sugary treats and salty delights. I have enjoyed pizza, pasta, cookies, wine, cheetos (yes, cheetos and lots), and a few meals out. Great healthy start to my new year, right? It was fun, but really, I feel straight up dis-gu-sting.

Truthfully, I think most of it is not being able to get my booty to the gym. The gym is my escape, my "me" time; which, let's face it, every mom needs. When I work out I feel strong, energized, and confident (ohhhhhhhh somtiiiiiiiiiimmmmmmmeeeesssssss I get a good Feelin'!!). This good feeling automatically influences me to eat good green, nutritious foods that my body craves. When I can't mix it up at the gym, I feel lazy, smooshy, down, and tired. Add to that a crappy diet and I feel like what I see coming out of Baby M's diaper. Great visual right!

I knew I had to do something after this weekend. I had one of my best friends in town, she spoiled us and we had a blast. When I say blast I mean, we ate lots of amazing cheeses', drank one too many martinis, and had wine for dessert. I woke up with a not so healthy feeling. Come Sunday, I decided to have a clean week.

I needed my energy back and to rid myself of all the unhealthy foods (and uh um....alcohol) I ingested. I highly recommend a cleanse if you are feeling bloated, tired, or gross.  I don't think I need to state this, but I will do so because I married an attorney and I don't want anyone getting hurt: I am no expert --- please check with a Dr. if you have any health problems, eating disorders or illnesses before trying any cleanse.

Lucky for me, I have many books on different cleanses and how to detox. But really, many of them can be drastic and just down right unhealthy.

Dr. Brian Clement, director at Hippocrates Health Center in Miami, says in his book Living Foods for Optimum Health: "Fast one day every week, consuming only freshly squeezed green drinks, vegetable juices, purified water, herbal teas. These fasting days will allow any potential long-term toxins to be released before they can cause serious damage. It's like changing the oil in your car before your engine fails."

Sounds amazing right? But do these people have young kids? I sometimes feel that people who can pull off juice fasting must not have kids who ask them for food 24/7 or they just have an insane amount of willpower. With three young boys and one man in the house, I am around food A LOT. I think I might die trying to withhold all solids for 24 hours while constantly feeding it to others. Either that or I would turn into a wicked mean mommy. I love my family too much to subject them to that.  Now, if I was on a fab yoga retreat in Arizona I could most definitely do a juice/liquid cleanse. But I am not, so I won't.

SO...I decided to take bits and pieces of my different books and create my own realistic plan for the week. I want to give my body a break from spending too much energy breaking down all of the junk I have been eating and redirect it towards healing and detoxifying.  Who knows if it actually rids my body of all the toxins, but I base the success of a cleanse on how I feel.

Here are the major players of my cleanse:

Room temperature water with a squeeze of lemon and a dash of cayenne pepper first thing in the morning (no this is not the highly unhealthy Master Cleanse). According to Kris Carr, "This cleanses your liver and stimulates circulation."

Good Belly Probiotic Juice Drink- this stuff is so good. My bestie who was in town told me about this. I personally don't drink milk and I rarely eat yogurt. I do eat cheese on occasions. My body is not getting enough of the "good" bacteria. I have looked into probiotic pills but they can be super expensive. Enter Good Belly. It is vegan and promotes healthy digestion. I bought it at Whole Foods and I love it. I take a little every morning and it keeps things flowin'. This alone can be a good cleanse :)

Fresh Green Juice- Swiss chard or kale (asked for kale, The Husband brought home swiss chard), 5 stalks of celery, 1 head of romaine lettuce, dandelion greens, 1 large cucumber, 8 spears of asparagus, parsley, 1 pear, 1 apple, and lemon. Green juice gives you vitamins, minerals, enzymes, protein, and oxygen. Juices are powerhouses of antioxidants that fight oxidants and free radicals in our bodies which contribute to cancer, heart disease, and aging. Also, it is like drinking liquid energy. Amazing!  Read my previous post to learn more about the benefits of green juice by clicking here.  Since that post, I was gifted the Breville 800JEXL by my wonderful and incredibly thoughtful family.  I love this juicer and it can tackle just about anything.

Green Tea- a super healthy drink that your body with thank (more on this coming soon)

Water- you know, that beautifully, clear, refreshing liquid that hydrates your body and nourishes your cells?

Soup- In this case, natural pureed split pea soup

Clean, healthy foods, LOTS of greens.

So here is what my diet looked like up till Wednesday.

Monday 

•  wake up with room temperature water with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of cayenne pepper.
•  8am- 4 oz of Good Belly probiotic juice drink.
•  9:30am- 16 oz of fresh green juice
•  glass of water
•  noon: pureed split pea soup
•  2pm- green tea with lemon
•  3pm- big glass of water
•  4pm- 30 oz of fresh green juice
•  6pm- green tea with lemon
•  7pm- big green spinach salad with walnuts, avocado, and craisins
•  8pm- more water :) 

Tuesday 

• wake up with room temperature water with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of cayenne pepper.
•  8am- 4 oz of Good Belly probiotic juice drink.
•  9am- Amazing Meal smoothie with kale, frozen banana, and almond milk
•  glass of water
•  noon- huge spinach salad
•  2pm- green tea
•  4pm- 30oz of fresh green juice
•  6:30- whole wheat, light on cheese, enchiladas (I'm not perfect :) )
•  rest of night water

 Wednesday

• wake up with room temperature water with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of cayenne pepper.
•  8am- 4 oz of Good Belly probiotic juice drink.
•  8:45am- 4oz of greek yogurt with banana and a tablespoon of granola
•  water
•  noon- Ezekiel bread with avocado, spinach, and cucumber.
•  water
•  3pm- green tea
•  4pm- 30oz of fresh green juice
•  7pm- quinoa and asparagus

For the rest of the week, my diet is going to consist of mostly easy digestible liquids and fresh clean foods. No processed foods, meats, dairy, etc.

If I cheat, I don't beat myself up too much, I let it go and continue with my cleanse.

And that my friends, is getting my cleanse on!

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