Prepping for the CLEANSE!

It's almost time, friends! Sarah, Jana and I are planning on beginning the cleanse next week and so are meeting up tomorrow night to figure out details and try a smoothie recipe. I have some work to do this weekend: plan out my meals for the week based on the cleanse requirements, go shopping, dig out the blender. I figure I'll go shopping once a week so I can track how much it will cost to consume more fruits and veggies than I'm used to: that kind of cost is one I'm willing to budget for, but I want to have 3 weeks of data at the end. I'm excited and apprehensive about how to follow the cleanse and still go out with friends, participate in family events, etc.  I've already requested that my plans with friends in the next few weeks be at salad friendly restaurants. :) The nice thing about this cleanse is that it's really about learning to eat better - if you don't follow it exactly every day, your body will still be happier than it was in the beginning.

I'm continuing to take the wheat grass, and am still happy with how it's making me feel. The taste continues to improve and my energy levels remain higher (I have not missed caffeine at all, and just drink herbal tea in the morning now). I reassessed my 3 servings a day and decided that I wanted to mix it up: now I take one serving of Amazing Grass Superfood first thing in the morning and then a serving of wheat grass before dinner. The superfood provides a more complete nutritional profile than the wheatgrass (digestive enzymes, probiotics, antioxidant blend, fiber blend, etc), but both are good for you in different ways and I wanted the combined effect. So far so good! Also, based on my blood test results from my recent physical, I'm deficient in Vitamin D. Hello, D3 supplement.

One of my goals for the next few months is to go back to my doctor (or visit a naturopath) to figure out exactly what supplements I need to be at optimum health. I take a multivitamin and now Vitamin D, the aforementioned green powders, and have been eating a tablespoon of flaxseed per day. I know there are many other supplements though which are important for women and I want to make sure I'm getting enough: zinc, iron, calcium, etc. If anyone has visited a homeopathic doctor, I'd love to hear about your experience.

Other thoughts.  I discovered www.iherb.com, which is fabulous. I was able to make a few additional product switches easily with free shipping and pretty fast delivery: I switched my mouth wash to Desert Essence Tea Tree Oil mouthwash (also using Desert Essence floss), am looking into Green Beaver as an alternative toothpaste brand w/o flouride, am experimenting with Dr. Bronner's 18-in-1 Hemp Tea Tree castille soap as a facial cleanser, and Thayer's witch hazel toner as a moisturizer. To be honest, the hardest transition thus far has been my face - every product I've tried has resulted in really unhappy skin (is it the detox? is it just clogged pores? hard to say). My skin is very sensitive and a lot of the oils and creams have been too heavy, regardless of the fact that the ingredients are simple. I'm feeling optimistic about the witch hazel though - it doesn't appear to be drying my skin out or sitting too heavily. I'll update later once I've been using it longer. The nice thing: with both Dr. Bronner's liquid soap and the witch hazel, a little goes a long way! these will definitely last. Also, still using coconut oil as my moisturizer and I love love love it. Feels amazing. 

Shelli and I had our last physical therapy session tonight before she leaves town for a few months. I now have 3 different routines to alternate between, all of which will continue to kick my butt daily while she's gone: side planks, forearm planks, cardio boxing, lunges. The list goes on. My MMA gloves came in the mail today and I'm just waiting for the mitts before I can start the boxing routines. Strength is an intoxicating feeling - I can practically feel my muscles humming and can't wait for yoga class tomorrow. :) 2012 is the year I plan to be stronger than I've ever been before. Who wants to join me?!