This post originated in August of this year. It was titled “My favorite reset cleanse.” Intermittent fasting or “cleansing” has become the latest technique in battling the bulge. In my opinion, nice and easy does it. So this is my version of a “cleanse.”
Cleansing can be a vital component in revitalizing your life, your lifestyle, and yourself.
In my last post “Detox 360–body work,” I discussed intermittent fasting. It is a segway into my favorite “reset.”
SLOW AND STEADY
I’m sure you realize by now, I am not a proponent of a cleanse that doesn’t encompass lifestyle change. It is why my series is entitled Detox 360, starting with “Clean up your act….”
Yet I do believe there are benefits to hitting the “reset” button. Your body (for the most part) is quite proficient at digesting, synthesizing, and eliminating food and fluids. This doesn’t mean it couldn’t use a break. Hard hitting cleanses coupled with fasting, which induce runny stools and flatulence, isn’t my idea of giving it a break. It can upset the ph balance in your body, and wreak havoc with blood sugar levels. Therefore taking your body from meals, to heavy fluids, to finally H20, I believe is a better alternative.
CHOOSE YOUR WAY
This cleanse can last a day or a week. There are those who make it last longer, by decreasing what’s on their plate, a little at a time. Know you can shorten or lengthen at your discretion. If you are diabetic, take medication requiring food, or trying this for the 1st time, consult your medical professional.
Begin with eating a meal you normally consume. Your subsequent meal should be lighter in nature. Your next should consist of an opaque juice, such as V8 or a blend. Lastly, you end with only H20.
If you are doing this over the course of a week, remember your meals should progressively become lighter. You then transition to opaque fluids to ever clearer ones, until you reach your H20 phase. It is essential to keep yourself well-hydrated, once you begin with fluids only. What does that mean? Your urine reflects your hydration status; therefore it should be clear, slightly to moderately yellow. Anything dark is telltale for inadequate hydration.
How long do your fluid only days last? For me, it is not longer than 1-2 days. My H20 day is just that–one day. Again, this is not meant for everyone; especially if you are diabetic or taking medication requiring food.
BRING IT BACK
Your H20 phase doesn’t spell the end of your cleanse. It is only the “reset.” It is a reset for your body; but also for commitment and perspective.
Just as the cleansing process was a subtle yet steady progression, so is the reversal.
Starting with clear lighter fluids, you gradually progress to opaque or heavier ones, then to soup (can be thicker or creamed), then to salad/veggies, then a meal. Again, this can be stretched out for as long or as short as you like. My last “add back” however are heavier carbs like potatoes, breads, and pastas–then my animal proteins. You may choose to go with meat first, then your carbs. This is your body, your cleanse.
I realize for “detox purists,” this is not their idea of a cleanse. Far from being one of those, is why the post is entitled “my favorite cleanse.”
THE BENEFITS
This is a the pause button for my mind, as well as my body. It forces me to make a commitment, stick to it, and remember that I made this choice. After concluding this regimen, I not only feel a sense of accomplishment, but find I am consciously engaging in meals. I chew my food more slowly (without really trying), savor each bite, and unconscious snacking all but disappears.
For me, this cleanse gives my digestive system the break it needs. It doesn’t send me sprinting for the bathroom, play “hill & valley” with my blood sugar, or leave me incapacitated to complete a workday. Yes, there is an adjustment period. In comparison to some detoxes however, the side effects are marginal.
Have a favorite detox or cleanse you would like to share? Contact me at serrenity.c@gmail.com
All for now. Keep up and keep at it.
LIFE TRAINING WITH CRYSTAL 