Detox Adventures: Part Deux

I did it!  I completed my 10 day detox about 2 weeks ago.  And the results....

Excellent!  I'm stronger.  I have more energy.  I look better and I feel better about myself.  (See before and after photos below.)  And I've been able to incorporate a lot of what I learned into my everyday life.  Here are a few things I'm turning into habits.

#1.  The 80/20 rule.  Every meal should contain 80% vegetables and 20% meat OR grain OR starch. I make sure to load my plate up with veggies first and add on the meat, grain or starch (depending on what I'm in the mood for) after the veg takes up 80% of my plate.   This gives me a visual reference for what I should be eating, which has been a HUGE help to me!

#2.  Water, water, water!!  I thought I was drinking enough.  Turns out I was not.  How much is enough you ask?  Take your weight, divide it by 2.  Thats how many ounces you should be drinking. The results... the more hydrated I am, the less bloated I feel and less hungry.  Start your day drinking water and just continue it throughout the day. ALL DAY.

#3.  Breakfast AND Lunch... the most important meals of the day.  I used to stress out a lot about dinner.  Because of my chosen profession, I'm usually teaching through normal dinner hours.  So, I would eat a small breakfast ... a little bigger lunch... and gorge myself when I finally got home at night (around 8:30 PM).  What do I do differently now?  I have a decent sized breakfast, a BIG lunch and a very light dinner. I think this practice alone has helped me keep the weight off.

#4.  Natural sugars.  I stopped drinking juice and sodas.  I drink whole fruit smoothies instead (with greens thrown in for added nutrients).  My green tea in the morning is sweetened with local honey or coconut sugar.  If I want chocolate, I go for 85% cocoa instead of milk chocolate.  And guess what?  It's satisfying.  After you get all the excess sugar out of your diet, everything other than natural sugars tastes too sweet.  YOU DON'T WANT IT ANYMORE.

#5.  Limit alcohol intact.  This one has been really hard for me.  I love a glass of wine with dinner or when I get home from a long day of teaching.  So I tried to limit myself to 1 glass a week.  This did not work last weekend.  I ended up having one glass a night Friday - Sunday.  With the holidays here, it is hard to stay true to this rule.  But I've decided that I can just limit myself to wine on the weekends ONLY.  That's doable.  And so important.  Alcohol turns to sugar in your system and dehydrates you.  BAD combo.

And here you go.... my before and afters:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

 

I highly recommend Joy Smith's detox programs.  Especially if you are looking for a program that allows for a lot of flexibility and supportive community.

I hope sharing my story (and my before and after photos ...eep!) has inspired you.

Remember....

Keep moving,

-Amy Redmond Waran
Owner/Artistic Director
Flying Colors Dance & Fitness

www.flyingcolorsdance.com

Detox Adventures!

Wow, it's been a really long time since posted!  I want to make blogging a more regular affair, but sometimes it's hard when you're trying to keep a new business running.  BUT, I've decided I'm all about change and new beginnings this fall.  As the leaves start to change color and the weather (finally) cools off, I'm feeling the need to renew, rejuvenate, restart.

There are a few areas of life that I want to organize and fresh'in up.  One of them is my diet.  Several months back I confessed on this blog to eating poorly for months while I was establishing my dance studio.  I wanted to change that habit.  And I wanted to lose the last of my baby weight.  So, I started drinking green smoothies to help jumpstart healthy eating habits.  It worked.  I lost all my baby weight and I started eating better.  However, I was still feeling low on energy.  Now this was also due to the fact that I started teaching dance and fitness classes more than I ever have in the past, and running the business side of the business between teaching.  BUT, I still felt that I could do better.  I could feel better AND I could look better. By look better, I don't mean supermodel thin.  I mean healthy.  I mean fit.  I want to be able to see the muscles that I work so hard to strengthen.  I want to feel less bloated.  I want to feel energized!

Veggies and low sugar fruits! (photo credit: Joy Smith)

Enter Joy Smith and her 10 Day Candida Cleanse.  I know, I know... some of you are saying, "Ugh, that sounds awful."  And, "What the heck is Candida?"  Well, I'm not going to go into detail about Candida, etc. because that's not why I joined this program.  I did it to make a lasting change in my
diet for myself and for my family.  Also, this isn't your typical eat lemons and paprika for 10 days diet.  This is a diet where you eat, a lot, the entire 10 days.  You eat whole grains.  You eat lots and lots of veggies.  And you snack, but you snack healthy.  Extremely healthy. And you give up caffeine, alcohol and sugar for 10 days.  Oh and you drink water... LOTS of water!

I didn't think I was going to share this particular experience on this blog.  But today I decided that one of the best ways to stick to something and make a real lasting change in your life, is to share it.  Share it with family, friends and strangers. And it feels good to write about it.

My lunch today.  That's not your Mama's corn chowder. 

I started the cleanse on Monday.  So far the only discomforts I have experienced are: a mild headache due to the caffeine and sugar withdrawal; feeling hungry (but that is easily remedied by eating a healthy snack); having to urinate a lot because of the amount of water I am drinking and the bodies desire to flush out toxins; and feeling a little mentally tired but not physically tired.... which is a little weird.  Other than that, I feel better.  I feel stronger in my body and more focused when working on the computer.  And I have lost 3 lbs. of weight that previously I had not been able to lose no matter how much I exercised.  

At the end of this 10 day journey I will write another post and MAYBE share my before and after photos if I'm feeling really brave.  I'm excited to let you all know how it went and what parts of the program I will be maintaining in my everyday life.  Because, for me, this is a lifestyle change, not a quick fix.

Keep moving,

-Amy Redmond Waran
Owner/Artistic Director
Flying Colors Dance & Fitness

www.flyingcolorsdance.com