Spring Cleansing

Still here, I am! Just a little quiet on the blogging front.

Spring is – or was – springin’ so it’s time to clean out the house. Not just your home, but your your body too. That’s right, it’s time to detox for spring. Don’t be afraid, it’s awesome. Read on.

A cleanse is the perfect way to transition from the heavier foods and longer cooking times of winter to the lighter foods and cooking styles of the warmer months. I’m just finishing up a short-n-sweet, 7-day cleanse. I must say, I feel fantastic. I did mostly raw and green with some thin seaweed-based lentil and miso soups on either end of it. I have fasted in the past, but this week I didn’t have the time to set aside for the calm and reflection that fasting facilitates (and is intended for). That said, no matter what cleanse I do I always notice some similar experiences and some new ones.

The first thing I notice is a lack of hunger after the first day or two. And what little hunger I do feel, I don’t attach any sense of urgency to. It’s OK to be hungry. Imagine that! Incredibly, I made an entire dinner out of one carrot, one radish, grated ginger and some curry powder. Twice! (I have my Vitamix to thank for that…and the Hartmans for the Vitamix. Seriously, it can change your life.) Afterwards, I was full for the rest of the evening. A couple of times I felt full eating two walnuts! Say what?? People who know me know…this ain’t my usual style.

I was so proud of myself I took a picture of it. (What can I say, the Vitamix and I are still on our honeymoon.)

Starting about Day 3 I get a pretty steep increase in energy. This time on Day 3 I woke up around 4:30am, worked a Whole Foods Grand Opening all day long, came home and worked on the computer for several hours, then went to bed at my usual time, totally not exhausted. Digestion takes a lot of energy – turning our food into us. So when you give it a break, you have all that extra energy to burn in interesting new ways. The increase in energy lasts for as long as the cleanse.

Also, since you’re not cooking you have loads of extra time. Extra time + Extra energy = Takin’ Care of Business! TCB.

This cleanse, I didn’t alter my workout routine at all. That was new. I do yoga first thing in the morning, then some cardio. I don’t usually eat first thing in the morning; I just have a glass of water with wheatgrass and ground flax seed. Instead of the usual, I had a small green smoothie with just a tiny bit of protein powder. It made a huge difference, and by Day 5 I wasn’t even hungry when I got home from the gym. I’d have some lemon water and wait an hour or so to eat my greens or green smoothie.

Of course, my skin is clear, as are my eyes. I love that! According to Eastern medicine, the inner whites of the eyes are a reflection of the internal organs. All clean, yay!

So tomorrow I start to come out of it, eat my first cooked food in about three days, and prepare for the tacos of Austin TX. Hey, nobody’s perfect. (I will be able to make smoothies and do some light cooking in our studio suite after we ride our bikes to the three-story Taj Ma-Whole Foods.)

If this cleansing thing is intriguing to you, check out my Events Page. I’ll be giving three – count ‘em! – workshops on cleansing in the next few weeks:

This Thursday, 3/31, at 6:30 – SOCO Athletic Club in Austin TX

Saturday, 4/16, 3:00 – Inside Out Body Therapies in Durham NC

Monday 5/9, 7:00 – The Beehive, Carrboro NC

This cleanse workshop is my most ambitious yet! You’ll leave with inspiration and a whole workbook devoted to your own personal cleanse. Of course we’ll be sampling food too. I wouldn’t be me if I wasn’t cookin’ up something.

Hope to see you there!

xx