Isagenix 30 Day Cleanse (cleanse day!)

Being down 4lbs is enough motivation for me to keep trucking! I'm doing more than releasing pounds though. I'm gaining respect for fruits+veges. They bring such aliveness & wellness with them. I'd forgotten how important they are. It's easy to forget that in our fast food filled world. I'm also mindfully eating...as in being present during meals. Normally, I scarf! I'm Tasmanian Devil style on my food. One minute it's there and then poof, it's gone! I don't think I was really tasting my food and I definitely wasn't chewing it as much as I should (my poor digestive system!).  Today is my first deep cleanse day. I was nervous going into it, but knew I would be able to do it because I'd made my mind up before I started this journey. I took the natural accelerator with the cleanse for life berry drink and soon after my stomach felt funny and then my face, chest and arms got incredibly hot. I ran to the nearest mirror and I was red. I looked freshly sunburnt! I immediately put an ice pack on the parts that were burning and looked online. Many people wrote about a reaction when they took the natural accelerator on an empty stomach (so on their cleanse days because normally you take it with a snack). I was completely fine within 30 minutes. I'm so thankful I chose to do my cleanse days on non work days! I don't think I'll take the natural accelerator on cleanse days going forward. It just doesn't seem worth it. I did end up eating a whole apple to get my blood sugar level back up. They call for 1/4 apple, but it just didn't do the job. I wasn't surprised by this as I'm someone who needs to eat often to be able to function. Other than the apple I've followed it exact. I don't feel hungry, I don't feel unstable and I performed my entire yoga sequence that I created for my upcoming class! Though I'm taking this one day at a time, I'm also holding the intention of how I want to feel and look when I reach my goal weight. It's important, to me, that when I begin teaching my yoga classes that I'm embodying a certain lifestyle. I want to feel fully alive, present and immersed in my life  Nothing changes if nothing changes!

Isagenix 30 Day Cleanse (day 3)

It's totally against the flesh to deny yourself...that's what is so amazing about Lent season, fasting, giving up things you want for a higher purpose. It all goes against your humanness, but it is all for your spirit self. I feel better already. I'm being creative about my meals and I'm actually tasting food in a deeper way. My senses are heightened and I'm only just beginning day 3. The shakes and snacks are filling, I never feel hungry...no stomach growling here! The trick is to get to a place where you're mentally ready and being mentally prepared has so much more to do with emotions than weight loss. I recognize that I was having that 2nd cup of coffee everyday for comfort reasons (and I never actually enjoyed that 2nd cup!). How do you mentally prepare? You start with thinking about how you want to feel. For me, I want to feel well, clear minded, confident and light. I also want to feel proud of myself...knowing that I can set a goal and then  accomplish it (which will help with all my future goals!). Then once you've determined how you want to feel, you must begin visualizing yourself looking the way that supports those feelings. Each night, plan everything you're going to eat the next day (and have it as ready as possible)...make the decision right then that you're not going to stray from that plan. It doesn't take long to get organized and will save you from frustrating moments the next day. Finally, focus on one day at a time so that you don't become overwhelmed. We can do it!

Isagenix 30 Day Cleanse (my why)

Today, my friend Arlen and I are starting the Isagenix 30 day cleanse. We're both ready to create change in our lives. This is not a diet, but a cleanse...as in out with the toxins while feeding our bodies with good nutrition. Of course anytime you cut back on what you're eating, you'll lose weight, but that doesn't mean you're being healthy about it. Also, our bodies were designed to push out toxins, but we ingest so many in our current world that our bodies can't perform optimally...the way God (yes, God!) created us. He gave us free will...the ability to make our own choices. I'm ready to make better choices. I'm ready to feel well and clearer minded. I begin teaching a Hatha Yoga class on April 12th and I want to release any fears I have about that. I have book ideas in my mind (and some that have been started) and I'm ready to feel more confident and energized to make those books a reality! You must be thinking that I'm putting a lot of pressure on this 30 day cleanse. The fact is that it's all connected. What we're putting in our bodies is changing us! After I eat fast food I often feel depressed...not because of guilt, but because of chemicals! I gave up soda for the new year...haven't had one since New Year's Eve! I loved my diet coke, but every time I drank one, I craved junk! Soda is: sugary, full of chemicals, has tons of calories and is harmful to our bodies! So long soda! I'm not perfect in my habits, but I do know that every small change I make matters. Making one change (and seeing those positive results) gives you the confidence to create future changes. I like that we're doing the cleanse during Lent, it feels fitting. And, I know when certain days get tough I can call on all these 'why's I have for seeing it through.
Day 1, here we come! Rob took all my measurements last night and I planned out everything I'm eating this week. The key is in the planning. Taking the time to pave your road ahead of time will make the traveling much smoother!

A Caterpillar in the Laundry Room

I've been thinking constantly on the subject of transformation...my personal favorite! I love the idea of taking old thoughts, behaviors, old stories and transforming them into something meaningful and beautiful. I'm so drawn to the idea of transformation to the point that transformation is seeking me out. Life has been unbalanced...it's summer and with summer comes lots of parties etc. I'm the type of person that cannot be with people constantly and when I am I get a little wonky! Needless to say i haven't had much inward time. I just went into my laundry room to transfer laundry and there on the floor inching its way around was a caterpillar! The ultimate visual for transformation. That jolted me right back into my inner journey (so much surface living, lately!). I grabbed a card and carefully slid the caterpillar on for a quick ride back to the outside where its transformation can continue. Sometimes we just need a little help along the way!

Transformation

I love transformation! I recently came out of a book study, that myself and a friend led, and we all transformed old things into new. I'm learning that I dig the process. I think above all else, I'd like to teach transformation. The teacher must learn before she can teach! I am certainly learning. The easiest way to shed the old is to create new positive habits. Picture a bowl filled with oil (the old), then imagine a pitcher of water (the new) being poured into that same bowl. The oil has no choice but to be overcome by the water and it will move out as the water takes over. The daily choices, not the sometime choices, are what matters. Since March of 2010 I have created new lifestyle habits and I continue to see the fruit of my daily choices. I love words...quotes...bible verses, anything that stirs emotion inside. My quote that I live by for all of my transformational work is, "Slow and steady wins the race." Our culture wants everything now! Instant, convenient. Skipping the process, the journey towards "getting there," is such a loss! So much to learn along the way. So many new insights to be gained. All that character building that must take place in order to evolve into your highest self! I live for this stuff...so much that I was inspired to start yet another blog :)