Today I am starting yet another juice/water cleanse/fast/feast. I am following Dr. Christopher's 3 day cleanse program for the most part, without the prune juice in the morning and also adding in some of my own homemade mixed juices like you would use in a juice feast. This will be the third time of following his program and the fourth time doing a fast/feast. I have lost a total of 10 lbs. since starting the cleanses in December. So about 10 lbs in about a month. I still consider myself a newbie to the fasting world, but have learned a few tidbits I would like to share with you if you are going to embark on a cleansing/fasting/feasting journey of your own.
1. If you back way off or eliminate totally sugars and other things you are addicted to, it will make your cravings so much more bearable when you start to cleanse! I thought I would squeeze in one last sugar binge before one of my fasts- bad idea!
2. The day before add in as much raw food as you can or go totally raw. This basically is a spring board in to the cleanse. It will give you a head start.
3. Up your water intake the day before as well. This will also give you a head start, and will prepare your body to release junk. If you start out your cleanse dehydrated, some of the fluids you take in during the cleanse will go toward rehydrating your body. You want your liquids going towards cleansing and flushing out the yucky stuff and fatty stuff. Your cleanse will be more powerful if you do this.
4. Plan ahead!!! I have found this to be so vitally important! If you have to cook for your family, plan meals you don't like or plan things that are quick fix, so you aren't standing in the kitchen for an hour smelling food. It is wise to make something that is not too strong smelling. Also plan your cleanse around your schedule. It is better to do a cleanse on days that are not very busy and on days you can stay home. Certainly it's not impossible, but I like to stay home. I think part of that is that there are more food temptations outside the home, and I don't really want to explain myself to other people.
5. My last tip for starting a juice cleanse is to go in to it with a positive attitude. Don't look at it as not eating or not being abble feed your hunger or addictions (to sugar, chocolate, soda or whatever). See your cleanse as an opportunity to grow and become a stronger person. This is a chance for you to heal your body of disease and obesity! How great is that?! See it as an adventure! Don' be down on yourself if you slip up. Stick with it and know that you have still benefited- even if it was only avoiding a white flour bagel for breakfast! You still are one step closer to a healthier body!
There are so many great resources out there on cleansing, but these are the things I have learned in the short time I've been cleansing. Hope it helps you some in you journey to a healthier life!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
Saturday, January 2, 2010
New Year's Resolutions
Happy New Year everyone! Hope it will be full of love and joy and lots of other really great things for you!
I haven't really thought a lot about resolutions, because I don't really make them. Why make a resolve to do something just because it is the new year? Or because everyone else is doing it? I prefer to make my goals whenever I am working towards something specific throughout the year. You don't have to have a new year to have a new start! You can have a new start every day when you wake up! Every day is a new beginning of your life! There is no need to await the next new year to start something, and it is stupid to stop trying to do something when you happen to fail a month after starting your resolutions/goals. Be a strong individual. You are the master of yourself! You have the power to achieve anything you
1. desire
2. plan
3. work hard enough for
4. are persistent at
If you follow these steps, you most likely will achieve what it is you are working towards.
Many people are great at number one! Anyone can desire something. Come on, admit it- you daydream too! We all desire SOMETHING. To loose weight, to make more money, to be a better parent, so be healthier- whatever! So pick out a desire you have, and then move on to step number two!
Planning is key to many goals. If you don't have a game plan, you will almost certainly fall flat on your face. If you want to organize your house, for instance, you would want to break it down room by room. Then you might even break down each area in each room. and plan to knock off one area a week, or one room a month. You might plan a time of day or a day of the week that will be cleaning/organizing day. Or you might plan to use a timer, and set the timer for 30 minutes a day and go crazy at organizing whatever you can for those 30 minutes.
Next comes work. Many of us in America are lazy, or work too hard at our jobs/with the kids/house, that we feel too tired to do anything at the end of the day. This is when we have to push ourselves past that wall and make ourselves do the work in our plans. If you can push yourself to do it, it will become easier for you to do each time. And when you begin to see those results you were after, it will be even easier!
Last, we must be persistent. Sometimes we don't see the results we desire and quit thinking that we are not making and progress(weight loss especially applies here). The thing is, we probably are making progress, but it is only finger nail progress- progress so slow, that we don't even know it is happening until one day we look down at our finger nail and see that we have dragon claws! What we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Be persistent! Stick with your goals.
You can do it!
I haven't really thought a lot about resolutions, because I don't really make them. Why make a resolve to do something just because it is the new year? Or because everyone else is doing it? I prefer to make my goals whenever I am working towards something specific throughout the year. You don't have to have a new year to have a new start! You can have a new start every day when you wake up! Every day is a new beginning of your life! There is no need to await the next new year to start something, and it is stupid to stop trying to do something when you happen to fail a month after starting your resolutions/goals. Be a strong individual. You are the master of yourself! You have the power to achieve anything you
1. desire
2. plan
3. work hard enough for
4. are persistent at
If you follow these steps, you most likely will achieve what it is you are working towards.
Many people are great at number one! Anyone can desire something. Come on, admit it- you daydream too! We all desire SOMETHING. To loose weight, to make more money, to be a better parent, so be healthier- whatever! So pick out a desire you have, and then move on to step number two!
Planning is key to many goals. If you don't have a game plan, you will almost certainly fall flat on your face. If you want to organize your house, for instance, you would want to break it down room by room. Then you might even break down each area in each room. and plan to knock off one area a week, or one room a month. You might plan a time of day or a day of the week that will be cleaning/organizing day. Or you might plan to use a timer, and set the timer for 30 minutes a day and go crazy at organizing whatever you can for those 30 minutes.
Next comes work. Many of us in America are lazy, or work too hard at our jobs/with the kids/house, that we feel too tired to do anything at the end of the day. This is when we have to push ourselves past that wall and make ourselves do the work in our plans. If you can push yourself to do it, it will become easier for you to do each time. And when you begin to see those results you were after, it will be even easier!
Last, we must be persistent. Sometimes we don't see the results we desire and quit thinking that we are not making and progress(weight loss especially applies here). The thing is, we probably are making progress, but it is only finger nail progress- progress so slow, that we don't even know it is happening until one day we look down at our finger nail and see that we have dragon claws! What we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Be persistent! Stick with your goals.
You can do it!
Yummy Sweet Potato and Chicken Soup
I kind of made this up as I went along, so the measurements aren't exact, but it was super yummy, so I just had to share it!
Sweet Potato and Chicken Soup
1 onion, chopped
a couple Tbsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic. cut up very small
Now put all this in your big soup pot and cook until tender. Then add:
several sliced carrots
a large sweet potato, cut up
a couple stalks of celery, chopped- some leaves are good chopped up in there too
Cook this for a bit then add:
about 8-9 cups chicken stock
a bunch of salt to taste
a bunch of pepper to taste
shake in a bunch of ground coriander(this is what made the soup!)to taste
I can't remember if I added a bay leaf or not, but you could
Then bring to a boil and let simmer for about 20-30 minutes or so until the carrots and potatoes are fuly cooked. Then add:
about a cup to 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken( I cooked mine in the crock pot with a bay leaf, salt and pepper, a little fresh basil, and some dried oregano with a squeeze of lemon over the top)
Then you just cook this until the chicken is warmed up and devour!
Sweet Potato and Chicken Soup
1 onion, chopped
a couple Tbsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic. cut up very small
Now put all this in your big soup pot and cook until tender. Then add:
several sliced carrots
a large sweet potato, cut up
a couple stalks of celery, chopped- some leaves are good chopped up in there too
Cook this for a bit then add:
about 8-9 cups chicken stock
a bunch of salt to taste
a bunch of pepper to taste
shake in a bunch of ground coriander(this is what made the soup!)to taste
I can't remember if I added a bay leaf or not, but you could
Then bring to a boil and let simmer for about 20-30 minutes or so until the carrots and potatoes are fuly cooked. Then add:
about a cup to 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken( I cooked mine in the crock pot with a bay leaf, salt and pepper, a little fresh basil, and some dried oregano with a squeeze of lemon over the top)
Then you just cook this until the chicken is warmed up and devour!
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