Day Four- Fantastic.

It probably doesn't hurt that the weather is effing Amazing right now. Yesterday afternoon I got home and immediately headed back out for a run on Mt. Tabor. Two laps around the lower reservoir.

On running: It is something that I have always wanted to enjoy. It usually ended up feeling tedious, not to mention quite painful. However, since my knee injury I've been looking for ways to keep in shape that isn't roller skating...
I also have this problem that is me being in competition with myself- so even if I start out at a nice leisurely pace, I will end up going harder and faster than I really should be.
But last night- It was great. I took it easy (I wasn't sure if my diet as of recently would affect my energy levels- it did a bit). It was great.

I came home and took an Epsom salt bath, which made my whole body heavy. I could have gone to sleep then, but I had to eat dinner.

I did end up getting an excellent nights' sleep, and this day is even more bright and sunny than yesterday.

I also don't feel as hungry as I have been. However, this evening poses a new challenge- going to a bar and Not Drinking. I feel confident, though. I've got a teammate to back me up, to be held accountable to. It also turns out that I have a pretty amazing will power. I think that I am usually just lazy and choose not to use it. I haven't really felt tempted by forbidden foods, yet.

Day 3: Musings

The boredom has (already set in). It probably doesn't help that this might just be the most boring week of work ever.

I've been spending time pondering the spacial concept of a porta-potty. For those of you who are unaware, I work out of a trailer on a construction site. There is no indoor plumbing. My own (women only) porta-potty is right next to the garage entrance of the building. It has a lock on it, and where it sits now will be turned into additional parking for the apartments across the street. This brings up an interesting thought: the strange 4'x4' plastic-walled room designates that space as a place to urinate and defecate. I can't help but think (when I'm sitting in there) of how taboo it would be if miraculously the plastic room disappeared. Completely inappropriate. Just a little bit of plastic an blue liquid can make absolutely any location into a socially acceptable place to defecate.

That thought really doesn't cease to baffle me- just a little bit.

Also: I am gaining a new appreciation for Jimmy Buffet.

Back to Detox:

I suffered through a horrendous headache-filled afternoon yesterday. It carried into this morning. I was able to shut it up with a large cup of Jasmine tea- which is, apparently an acceptable amount of caffeine. That, and the amount of caffeine in the tea is counter-weighed by the health benefits of green tea. Yeah!

This evening- Soup.

Day 2: Coffee

I maintain that I don't have an addictive personality. Nope. Those vices that hook some people, while I can't claim that I am immune to their addictive properties, I manage to get away without too much of an effort.

Then there is coffee.

I wasn't too scared about getting rid of coffee from my day to day life for a while. It is one of those routine morning comforts that help you get through the first half of your day. This had been somewhat of a necessity due to my tendency to go to bed late, and get up early. I'd gone without coffee on occasion, and it didnt' cause my any pain or strife.

During day 1, I got a slight, weird headache at exactaly 2pm. It lasted 1/2 hour and dissapated. Weird. I thought nothing of it. Day 2, the headache retuned at 2pm but this time lasted through the evening. It's a strange thing, knowing exactaly how to cure your headache, and being acutely aware of what has caused it- but restraining from taking measures to remedy it. I suppose I have to admit it to myself then, I am addicted to caffiene.

Like they do in AA, I'm taking this detox one day at a time. I really think that's the way to accomplish things. If I think about no booze, baked goods or salty things for 3 whole weeks I start to get a little panicky feeling in my tummy. However, if I tell myself that, today I will go without, somehow that seems much more managable. This (new) dicipline could perhaps be translated or channeled into different aspects of my life. Maybe.

Day 1

I mentioned that my dear roommate, Audrey, began detoxing yesterday. I suppose you could say that I eased into it. Following a breakfast of huevos rancheros and an endless cup of coffee which subsequently upset my stomach, I ate gingerly for the rest of the day; juice, Girl Scout cookies, brussel spouts sauteed up in garlic and olive oil with a splash of brags liquid aminos, a dash of Cayenne pepper over barley that was toasted and then cooked.


Dessert was the last of my Greek yogurt with my dad's home canned peaches.

*Sigh* Those I will miss.


Anyway. After doing some fairly thorough research yesterday (i.e. Reading the book) and a grocery shop which included several items that were all but foreign to me- Epsom salts, essential oil (lavender- though I should have gotten rosemary or grapefruit upon further research), and a bag of ground flax seed.


I felt better about myself already- just for purchasing said items.


After a good night's sleep, I awoke and pounded the 'first drink of the day' - a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in a cup of warm water, to, um, stimulate my system? Nope. It's to help maintain the correct acid-alkaline balance in my body- this stuff goes back to Hippocrates- someone who I'm certainly not inclined to argue with.


Following the 'first drink of my day' was a breakfast of wheat-free 8-grain hot cereal with honey and cinnamon topped with almond milk was quite delicious- though it certainly would have been better accompanied with a cup of coffee.


Anyway. This really isn't supposed to be a blow-by-blow about what I ate. It should be more of a meditation on my detox. I will try to refrain from going into unnecessary detail- about bowel movements and such. This isn't that kind of blog.


So far I feel pretty damn good. I did get a weird headache at about 2pm today, and it certainly wasn't due to dehydration. Maybe caffeine? I think sleep is going to be important. My social life will most likely suffer a little bit, but nothing that a good book and perhaps a full season of some situational comedy couldn't fix. Oh right, and all this time I'll most likely spend blogging.


I think I might have to resolve to eat because I need to, not because I want to. This could be a very interesting shift in how I live my life. I eat because I love food. I know that I am one of the lucky few (respectively) who is able to afford to eat (just about) whatever she wants to. I know that things will probably eventually start to taste good without salt- but that time is not now. Salt and bread seem to be taking the lead of things I want to eat right now.

Diary of a Detox

So.

I've been wanting to do a detox for a while. A few friends did it a few years back, and I was not only amazed at their discipline, but their energy levels and just how god-damned healthy they were being.

While I admired these people and their seemingly will power of steel, I rationalized my inability to commit to 3 weeks of a focused diet and told myself that I didn't want to restrict my diet (also the reasoning behind my lack of subscription to vegetarianism). I was healthy, and I ate (reasonably) well.

But I was, nevertheless, curious about the benefits of a 3-week detox. I even bought a book; Teach Yourself: Detox. The book sat on my shelf for a year and a half, my roommate borrowed it to teach herself (to) detox, and guide her through the tricky dietary aspects of a life without wheat, dairy, meat, refined sugar, (added) salt, caffeine, alcohol and nicotine (if applicable). See what I mean, it's intimidating!

Long story short, my lovely roommate, Audrey, mentioned that her and our neighbor, Katie were going to start the detox- soon. I was informed, I believe, on Friday. Audrey was to start Sunday and Katie, when she got a little bit more money (detoxing gets expensive). It was relatively late notice to prepare my mind for such an endeavor, but I jumped on the veritable bandwagon enthusiastically- I was ready.



... Am I ready? I mean, I don't think I've EVER gone a full 3 weeks without the aforementioned items of food- all at one time. But then again I do like a good challenge, and I especially like teammates who I can go to for support.

AND it's an excellent excuse to blog- which I've been meaning to do for some time. So, stay tuned for the life of a woman on a detox.