Have you ever tried a detox? This is fairly new to me, I will admit. A couple of years ago I tried a 28 day detox (basically no meat (except free range chicken), no dairy, no gluten, no alcohol (almost made it through the month), no caffiene (seriously, did not think I could do it, but I did), and no anything really tasty (jk). Part of why I did it was out of curiosity because My thought was that if we pretty much eat "clean" why would we need to detox? That being said, I was surprised by the results; a few pounds lighter 28 days later, and maybe a slight increase in energy. The theory basically being that cleaning out the system will improve our digestive tract and make it more efficient at processing food and absorbing nutrients. That first detox only focused on the digestive system, which I presume many do. However, this month, for the spring detox, its slightly more comprehensive, and I am really liking it.
What's different? Intermittent fasting, green smoothies, simple food prep, cleansing inside my body as well as cleaning outside (ie. my surroundings), shedding anything that doesn't serve me, food, material stuff, perceptions, people...letting shit go. Developing habits; going to bed earlier (excluding the odd night...the average is improving, and thats the main thing), getting up earlier, starting the day with a few rituals including 20 minutes of yoga/moving the body, and a few minutes minimum of meditation, food prep in the morning, and doing all my feeding between 8am-4pm. that's slightly challenging...just the dinner part, 4 pm is early to finish; but I keep working at it. Some if this is already habitual, the new stuff takes a bit of effort, but I am liking the results. Just being more mindful of what I am doing (and am not) throughout the day, slowing things down (except for the marathon training, which is just bad timing), and taking notes on where I want to continue taking the new habits to, is really an eye opener on where I can continue to develop some healthier habits. I'm down to one cup of 1/2 decaf coffee each morning, and surprisingly not any worse for the wear. I've had the odd alcoholic beverage... social settings; that's where I am finding it challenging to completely say no. I justify that one glass of wine, and socially its just easier to roll with the flow. Maybe for the fall detox I will set my mind to cutting it out completely for the 3 weeks. I will be doing a fall detox, and sharing the experience with anyone who wishes to join in on the fun.
Today marks 2 weeks in. What have I gotten from this so far? Well, after the first week I had a bit of an emotional purge. I can's say whether it was from detoxing and shedding "stuff" or I was just overtired/hungry the day after a long training run (18 miles). In any case, after that little purge (tearful purge, lol) I'm feeling that I am seeing a much clearer view of my life. What drags me down, what must be dealt with, what thoughts are making me suffer, relationships that are not working...and solutions. That's the huge AHA for me. Slowing down, making time to just sit, process, and digest all my thoughts...and come out of it with some solid (or appearing to be solid) solutions for moving forward. Interesting how inaction leads to action... right action. Very cool. Results are good so far! The really surprising part, which can be hard to admit, yet we all do this; realizing that I am at times my own worst enemy...our thoughts can take us on wild ficticious adventures that often lead us to unnessecary suffering. Slowing down and seeing only the reality (facts) eliminates suffering and leads us to joy instead.
Oh, and the material stuff...purging as well! Have you ever heard of the saying "The less you have, the more freedom you have"? Truth. I've been giving items away, selling on kijiji, tossing stuff out. I'm feeling lighter by the day in my surroundings. I've always been known to clean out closets randmoly while the kids were growing, re-arrange my furniture (and getting rid of what's not working, or what I'm not loving anymore), basically, keep purging. Otherwise, we start to feel like hoarders. My favourite new resource to take things up a notch is Marie Kondo's "Life-changing magic of tidying up". I keep going back to this book, reading, getting motivated, and doing more. Check it out. Highly recommend it!
I'd like to keep this ball rolling. I'm sure with summer coming, I may waver in and out of balance, but with my eye on the level, I will always have that sight to bring me back to center. And...a fall detox to look forward to. :)
I'd love to hear your experiences with detoxing; dare to share in the comments below.