For me one of these things was to do a DETOX. I strongly dislike the word detox and frankly I didn't think I had the discipline or focus to do it. So to cover up my lack of discipline, I just said I did not believe in them.
Well it is the first of the year, the time when lots of people start to feel like they need/want a detox to start their year off right. Now rather than completely dismiss the idea, I decided to become a role model and do the DETOX with several of my clients.
We discussed a lot of things about a detox and the main thing that bothered me was actually the word. Detox sounds temporary to me and that is where most people go astray. They detox for a week or two and then go right back to their old eating habits. So my classes and I thought about some new names and decided on KICKSTART plan. So from now on I am going to call it the kickstart plan.
Here is the link to the kickstart plan if you want to read about it before I tell you about my experience. http://experiencelife.com/article/the-ultrasimple-slimdown/
This kickstart involves staying off wheat, dairy, alcohol, caffeine, coffee, sugar, anything processed. So basically...you eat nothing ;) It's not that bad at all. And what I realized initially was this is not far from how I try to eat when I'm really focused. But this is only because about six months ago after doing a food sensitivity test I stayed away from most dairy, all wheat, and minimal sugar. But if you had asked me to do the kickstart plan six months ago I would have told you that it was impossible because it involved cutting out all the foods I normally ate.
The kickstart plan involves a shake. Now I normally make shakes so I though this wouldn't be so bad. But I always put in whey protein and since whey is a dairy product I had to go search out hemp or rice protein. I took myself to Whole Foods. I have a huge aversion to Whole Foods. I feel intimidated, I feel out of place, I feel like I don't know what I'm doing, and I feel like everyone is healthier than me. But I managed to put those feelings aside and march right in. I found the protein powder aisle and looked around. After much debate I ended up with hemp protein powder.
Monday morning rolls around and I make my protein shake. Ingredients:
- Almond milk
- Frozen strawberries
- Spinach
- Hemp protein (4 tbsps)
- Flax seed meal (2 tbsps)
- Dynamic greens (a vegetable detox powder)
- Blend
I take this awful dirty looking smoothie to work. I sip on it for 2 hours because it tastes just like it looks. I even had my dietician friend Alicia come smell it and taste it. She confirmed: worst thing she's ever tasted. I suffer through this smoothie for two days before I realize a missing ingredient. WATER
Once I added water, I was golden! Smoothie was manageable and somewhat tasty. Still a little gritty.
The rest of the kickstart plan is not so bad. Vegetables, brown rice, lean proteins. Lots of water and lots of time in the bathroom.
But what I have really learned so far is that I miss coffee and everything about it. This includes the smell, drinking a warm drink on a cold morning on the way to work, drinking it while chatting with friends in the cafe at work at 8am, and just knowing it's there. So many of our food habits, both good and bad, are just that - they are habits. They are routine and they are laced with emotion. If you want to improve your health and wellness, take a look at your routines and habits. I will go back to drinking coffee - that is for sure. But this kickstart made me aware of my habits and what affect they had on my life. Here is a great article to help you with this concept.
Have a great week everyone and by next week when I write my blog, I will do it with a huge cup of hot coffee!
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