Hello beautiful people! I wanted to pop in and give you all an update on how the last half of my detox went as well as give you some insight into the specifics of what I did. A little bit of truth for ya: If I were to do it all over again I think 5-7 days would’ve been perfect and just as effective; if not, MORE effective. But before I get into the details, here’s what I did:
85% green smoothies and juices (I will include a few recipes at the end of the post)
No dairy
No cooked foods
All organic, nothing processed
Snacks in-between smoothies consisted of crunchy veggies, low sugar fruits, nuts and seeds
Lunches/dinners to ease into and off of the cleanse consisted of raw, organic soups and leafy green salads
Organic tea in the morning and throughout the day
**I eased myself on and off very slowly. The first few days I gradually took away meals and replaced them with smoothies and juices. The last few days I did the same but instead started incorporating solid means in place of my daily smoothies.**
I want to again reiterate that I am NOT a health professional and am not trained to give nutritional advice. All I can do is tell you my experience. Please keep in mind that not one single body is the same. We all have different needs and should be listening and honoring our bodies at all times.
Let me first start by saying that overall my cleanse was a success. However, I believe that I definitely over committed. 10 days was way too long for me. I’ll elaborate later. Right out of the gate I got to execute control with what went into my body as well as my mind. The first few days were the worst, mainly because of the pounding caffeine withdrawal headaches I suffered through. I had no clue how strong a caffeine addiction could be. So. Intense. I did substitute my morning coffee with black tea and honey but that wasn’t enough to curb my caffeine craze during the first few days. My irritability was pretty on point too. My poor boyfriend. Props to you Mr. Kugler. Mad props.
I remember the end of the third day being the turning point to when I started to feel really good. My energy level sky rocketed and I was starting to get less hungry (hANGRY as my close friends were calling it) throughout the day. My energy, even without coffee was amazing and would sustain throughout the entire day. As the week went on I noticed myself getting less and less attached to food. I looked at my meals as more of a “need to do” rather than a “get to do.” This allowed me to get so much more done and to focus deeply on what I had going on in my personal space—my inner Self. So far, so good. Mid-cleanse was going well. I could tell I was reaping some really amazing benefits. I was happy, energized and present.
Fast forward to day 7 and 8. My energy was still going strong but I could feel things (mood, focus, practice, etc.) gradually starting to decline. My irritability was back with a vengeance and I noticed that I would get frustrated quite easily. At this point I was starting to incorporate more solid foods back in and I was looking forward to those meals ALL DAY. My yoga practice was suffering as well. I was weak. Day 9 was when I knew I officially checked out. Day 9 was a Tuesday. Tuesdays I teach one of my favorite evening classes – a Detox Flow, randomly enough. Now, let me preface this by telling you that I can be smack dab in the middle of a shit storm day but when it’s time for me to teach and get into alignment with my students, my world is at total peace. I am so grateful to have the “job” of my dreams. On those not so good days I leave my classes and feel amazing. On this day, however, I didn’t even want to leave the house or make the drive to the studio. My body and my mind were checked out. As I lead the class I felt disconnected from my students. Disconnected and flat. Teaching is my passion, my dharma. For something to get in the way of that, was a definite warning sign. I knew that on the last day I would need to do some major energy shifting to bring things to a close. Day 10 was alright. I was incorporating solid, cooked foods back and I knew I was so close to being done so I kept my eye on the prize a.k.a solid foods.
Finally. Day 11. 10 day cleanse: Conquered. One of the main things I missed during all of this was coffee. I craved the smell, the warmth, the taste, everything about it. On the morning after the last day I woke up and made a huge cup of coffee in my “Yoga is My Super Power” mug. That first sip…so good. But, what was not so good was the anxiety and shakes that soon followed. I thought for sure that my body just needed to readjust. Well, these anxious jitters followed the next day and the day after until I decided that my body didn’t need or want the added caffeine. Caffeine addiction: Tackled.
Getting back into the swing of things this past week has been great. My irritability has subsided, my practice is getting back on track, my teaching is back to being the powerful entity that it is AND I now drink decaf coffee! Score! It will most likely be a looong while before I do another cleanse. As helpful as it was, I/we can’t live this way. Our bodies need food, nourishment, strength. For me, it was nice to reboot my system and my mind. And although I will still give myself permission to splurge on whatever the hell I want at times, this cleanse was a wonderful reminder that: WE ARE WHAT WE EAT. What we put in is what we get back and is also what we give to others. Such an important lesson.
I would be more than happy to help or assist anyone that is interested in starting a detox program. As always, shoot me any questions or feedback. I LOVE hearing from all of you! Until next time, stay healthy, stay strong and stay committed!
Love & Light, always.
Keri
Favorite Green Smoothie Recipes:
Kimberly Snyder’s Glowing Green Smoothie: Click HERE for recipe
Morning Smoothie:
2 big handfuls of spinach
1 mango
Juice of 1 orange
1 handful of blueberries
¼ c filtered water
Big splash of Vanilla Coconut milk
Half palm full of hemp & chia seeds
(Sometimes I will add flavored, Greek yogurt or dairy free yogurt)
A "little bit of everything" smoothie:
Handful of your 2 favorite greens
1 apple
1 pear
Handful of blueberries
Juice of 1 orange
¼ cup filtered water
Handful of raspberries
Few sprigs of parsley
2 stalks of celery
Hemp, flax & chia seeds