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