When I was asked to write this post, I was on day two of the 21-Day Clean Program, and all was well in life. The Clean Diet didn’t seem or feel like too much of a change, and I thought to myself, what am I going to write about? I feel great, I love the two smoothies a day (I’m somewhat of a smoothie freak), and I’m not craving coffee (my one true vice in life). Well, it’s been quite a journey since day two, my friends.
COFFEE, COFFEE, COFFEE
The first major change hit me coming into day four, and it hit me hard! I didn’t get my usual 8 hours of beauty sleep and woke up feeling exhausted, irritable, slightly achy, with a blemish on my face (!!!), and an intense craving for coffee. All I could think about was a warm cup with a splash of creamy almond milk. However, I pushed through my normal schedule of a sweaty gym session, and a very busy, demanding work schedule, all the while ignoring my low energy levels and not so good mood.
This is where my handy dandy meditation practice came into play. I took a few moments to just close my eyes and BREATHE. In doing so, I came to the realization that my body was detoxing (a sign from the annoying blemish), my craving for coffee would diminish and I was reminded to pay more attention to my body and mind. No one is perfect, and even yoga teachers need reminding. I decided to go to bed at 8:30pm that night … yes 8:30pm. The sun just set.
I allowed myself to sleep in the next morning, and woke up feeling like a butterfly that just flew out of its cocoon, and much more optimistic about the cleanse. The rest of the week, my craving for coffee never fully diminished, but I was starting to get more and more content with my homemade matcha lattes and herbal “coffee” blends. I made sure to always get 8 hours of sleep, and instead of intense workouts opted for a daily yoga practice, long walks, and some light weight lifting. Most importantly, I checked in with myself every day to evaluate my body and mind. I was feeling pretty good towards the end of week one, and celebrated by getting a massage.
THE CHANGES COME IN WEEK TWO
I noticed miraculous changes during week two. My energy levels increased and sustained throughout the day (something I was never able to do without coffee). My hair was growing at a rapid rate, and my skin was radiant and clear! Coffee was starting to become a thing of the past, and I felt really proud to have kicked that habit. I was feeling so high on life, and in general felt so strong and confident. I did start to get tired of two smoothies a day, but it just made me experiment and get more creative with the recipes. All in all, week two was a breeze and I felt like a superwoman!
EMOTIONAL JOURNEY AND REVELATIONS
Moving on to week three. I felt amazing, noticed a huge improvement in my digestion, I experienced fewer cravings, and had no headaches at all. Life was good, or so I thought. Having a smoothie for breakfast and dinner, allowed so much more free time – both physically and mentally! I did a lot of thinking and started to evaluate my life. Then, a very strange thing happened. I got depressed. Not just a little sad or mopey, I felt like I had fallen down a deep, dark hole, and nothing could get me out. I have experienced depression before, but nothing quite like this. I tried everything – meditation, yoga, and walks through gardens – things that usually make me happy. Nothing seemed to help. Why was I feeling this way?
For days this went on … was this part of the cleanse, or was something deeper going on? Then I stumbled upon a quote from Danielle LaPorte: “Sadness brings you eye-to-eye with your desires.” Ding, ding, ding! Recently I have created new goals in life. I’ve been taking small baby steps towards these goals, but I usually have to put them on the back burner. This self-realization happened on day 8 of the cleanse, and I was immediately back to my normal, happy self – but more inspired, driven, and creative. Now that I have completed my 21-Day cleanse, I learned so much about my body, my mind, and myself. It was truly a path of self-discovery.
BLUE GREEN CLEAN SMOOTHIE BOWL
This was my go-to morning smoothie. The flavors balance so well with each other, and the zucchinis and cashews make it extra thick and creamy – just how I like it. The spirulina and blue majik not only make the smoothie a beautiful color, but also provide extra protein, antioxidants, B-vitamins, and detoxifying properties.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup frozen zucchini
- 1/2 cup frozen cucumber
- 1 large handful of kale
- 1/4 cup cashews (soaked 4-6 hours)
-
1-2 frozen figs (or substitute a couple of dates) optional
- 1/4 tsp. spirulina
- 1 scoop e3live blue majik
- 1 Clean vanilla cleanse packet
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 small squeeze of lemon juice
Directions
Make sure to soak your cashews ahead of time. Drain and rinse the nuts, and add everything to a blender. Blend on high until everything is well mixed and creamy. Add to a bowl, and top with blueberries, coconut shavings, edible flowers, clean granola, and millet puffs. Enjoy!
Written by Jasmine De La Paz
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