I don't know about you, but when I hear the words Detox, Fasting,
and eating clean, lots of words, images and physical symptoms come to mind. ie.
deprivation, moodiness, crankiness, starvation, anger, food rage, headaches,
dizziness, tasteless and boring foods, yucky green vegetables and being
miserable for several days! So why would I even consider doing a 21 day detox?
Well, if you know me personally, you know that I am a slightly competitive and that
I love to take on new challenges. It was also one month after I completed my first
Ironman and I was looking for something to challenge my mind and body. So when
my yoga studio (Studio Breathe) presented a 21 day detox program, I
enthusiastically signed up!
The 21 day detox was inspired by Kris Carr's "Crazy Sexy Diet" book which included a 21 day adventure cleanse. Therefore, I will refer to my detox program as my adventure cleanse.
This adventure cleanse entailed the following:
1. Move your body every day for at least
30 minutes (this included taking classes at the studio. I could even double up on taking classes to receive more stars or I could do an activity on my own as well)
2. My meals had to follow a plant based
diet filled with freshly prepared gluten free whole grains, beans, vegetables,
nuts and fruit.
3. Foods to abstain from were
caffeine (especially coffee)
dairy
alcohol
gluten (wheat products)
sugar (all kinds)
processed foods (junk food)
animal products (dairy and all
meat, including fish)
4. Each morning start with fresh lemon and
hot water followed by a smoothie or fresh juice
5. I was encouraged to have liquids even
at lunch time. However, if I was still hungry, I was encouraged to have snacks such as nuts,
seeds, a bowl of berries, a piece of gluten free bread with almond butter, or a gluten free hot cereal
topped with almond milk and agave.
6. Chew mindfully at every meal
7. Option to do a half day fast on
the 7th and 14th day (this did not mean starve myself and not eat at all!)
8. Meditate for a minimum of 10 minutes a day
I was also encouraged to be creative and
try different meals and snacks. Which is exactly what I did. As a result,
I discovered Mary's Organic Crackers (try the Jaleppeo ones if you like spicy)
Wow! What flavour and you'd never know it was also gluten free! I also tried a
variety of different hummus, (roasted red peppers and garlic anyone?) consumed dates and drank dandelion tea with a tablespoon of cocoa powder to satisfy
my sugar cravings. I even began to make my own soups and veggie burgers! I
know. Me? Cook? Who would have thought!
The first few days of the cleanse were tough. I didn't have the infamous headaches I was told I would have, but I did feel cranky. Mostly because I was not eating my usual foods and I really missed my morning routine of having that one cup of cappuccino in the morning after my yoga class. Talk about craving! But what I discovered was that it wasn't the actual coffee itself that I missed, it was my routine. I loved going to my yoga class and then walking into my favourite local coffee shop (Lili and Oli). It was always filled with interesting people who were hunched over on their computers, lap tops, or cell phones. Some people even had real books! I also loved the smell of the fresh pressed coffee, the scrumptious sweet home made pastries and how the local dogs would lie sleeping underneath the tables. THAT is what I missed the most about not having my cappuccino each morning.
But as I continued on through the cleanse, my cravings and crankiness subsided and I began to feel a sense of renewed energy and creativity. My stomach became flatter and I actually began to "feel clean" on the inside. My whole digestive system seemed to be working like a machine and I stopped feeling bloated and gassy. In addition, my skin never looked better! No more pimples or blotchiness. (is that even a word? Donnaism!)
As a result of all these amazing symptoms, my inner creativity was ignited. If I could feel this good from abstaining from certain foods, what would happen if I ate more natural and plant based foods? After 7 days, my cleanse already showed my how much I could benefit, so why not take it a step further? So I completely took out gluten from my diet and started having more smoothies. I also started to make more juices, more GREEN juices.
According to Health Canada's Food Guide, the required amount of fruits and vegetables is 4-10 servings. Do you know how many fruits and vegetables it takes to make an 8 ounce glass of juice! I could never eat that many fruits and vegetables on their own! Even when I was training for the Full Ironman! So, what did I do? I started to cut and peel A LOT of fruits and vegetables the day before I used them. At first, this was very tedious. Why can't I just throw the whole orange or apple in the juicer? Wasn't there good nutrients in the skin? But once I got into a routine, I realized that it wasn't that bad and it didn't really take me that long. After awhile, I even started cutting and peeling my fruits and vegetables right before I used them. Crazy I know. I get up early enough as it is and to add in a routine of cutting and peeling before I start my day (and without any caffeine) one would think I had lost my mind.
As I started juicing more, I learned that I could use the left over pulp to make other meals, such as veggie burgers and soup. That was a huge relief because I hated wasting all the
left overs even after I put it through the juicer twice!
By week 3, I made a major discovery. I was actually listening to my body. I mean REALLY listening. In fact, I connected with my body so much that I could actually feel my body responding to the food I ate (or drank). For example, after I drank a green juice (ie. spinach, celery, cucumber, ginger and apple), I had more energy and I was better able to focus. Just what I needed my husband thought, more energy! But it's true! I also felt that I had more clarity. When I trained a client, I was more attentive and in tune to their moods. I was also able to complete my "to do" list almost flawlessly. Well, maybe not flawlessly, but it was definitely more manageable.
I also learned to CHEW my food. (when I ate a solid meal that is) During my meals, I would often count to 20
as I chewed. After awhile, I didn't have to count any more. I naturally chewed
my food as if I was counting to 20. As a result, I not only ate slower and ate less, I actually tasted my food.
By day 19, I learned the most important lesson of all from my adventure cleanse, "forgiveness". Let me explain what I mean by forgiveness.
One of my personal goals during the cleanse was to take yoga every day. This included Kundalini Yoga,
Power Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Yin and Restorative yoga. These various practices helped
open my eyes to see just how hard I was on myself physically and
mentally. How I viewed my body and how I
envisioned I SHOULD be. ie. faster, stronger, more flexible, more focused. After this discovery, I was left with the challenge of what to do about it. The
solution? Be more kind and more gentle to myself. I had to learn to forgive
myself for having off days. Now everyone has an off day and everyone has a
different meaning of what constitutes an off day. For me an off day meant if I ate a full bag of chocolate chip cookies, or if I forgot to call my mom back, or if I ran slower than my
estimated time, or if I lost my balance in a yoga pose, or if I couldn’t push
through an intense plyometric work out, or if I had a full bottle of wine (over a course of an evening) instead of a glass. (I told you everyone has a different perspective of an off day!)
I also had to learn to love my body as it was. We all go through stages when our bodies might gain and/or lose weight or gain and/or lose strength and flexibility. Hopefully these change are not drastic. It's only natural that it will happen. It's how you react to it that makes all the difference. Training for the Ironman, I was constantly evaluating my body and how it was responding to my training. I didn't put much emphasis on eating natural, plant based foods because I was already taking protein powders, supplements and eating gels and bars like they were going extinct! But this cleanse helped me realize the value and the benefits of eating more plant based foods not just for training but for overall health.
By day 21, I felt beautiful, more loving, more forgiving, more energetic, more focused, clean from the inside out, and very creative. So, the big question is, what now? Well one thing is for sure, I'm going to keep experimenting and making smoothies and juices every day. I'm also going to continue to do yoga and meditate every day, if only for 10 minutes. And if I can't? I will forgive myself!
Stay active and anything is possible!
