Peaceful, Easy Feelings – Week 2

It’s the last day of week 2 of our winter cleanse and things are good, very good.  Skin looks bright, pants feel loose, energy is stable and peaceful, elimination is regular and happy, we’re finding a groove with this thing after a some what rocky start.  The weather continues to roller coaster from sunny 70’s to gray, windy 30’s which would typically have me pulling my hair out, but instead I’m contentedly choosing between salad or soup.  That’s the hidden gift in this food experiment – it’s really only partly about the food, the rest is the neon sign that eating certain things have very definite effects.  Eating these fresh, whole foods as well as eating a bit more moderately, has created a breeding ground for “peaceful, easy feelings”.  It’s created a quiet defense for our normally sensitive digestion and weightless armor for eczema and other skin issues.   My thought process feels less forced, listening seems a little easier – okay I’m going to stop because I don’t want this to sound like if you can find the right foods to eat that all your issues will magically disappear.  But I will say it feels a bit like a key to unlocking a different kind of existence, in our case, it’s a better existence.

Other than eating from the prescribed list of “Clean”, here are a few other things we did to aid in our detox/cleanse during week 2.

Yoga – if you know me, you know yoga is not my favorite thing, it’s not even on my top 50 list, but I received an invitation to a class with friends and the social draw (with no food distractions) was enough to get me there.  Yoga, particularly twisting poses are recommended while detoxing, kind of like a nice squeeze for your insides to release any bad guys they might be holding on to.

The verdict:  I’m making it a regular weekly thing for awhile, I found the social aspect very pleasant and the yoga moderately so 🙂

Infrared Sauna – now, I know I posted not long ago about not needing to shell out money for extras during your detox but with a bathroom under renovation – read no HOT baths, and freezing temps outside, my body wasn’t getting much of a chance to sweat.  Sweating is another huge way our bodies eliminate toxins so a good sweat is recommended.  I found an amazing place in town for a good price and off we went.

The verdict:  I’m going back Friday 🙂  I loved it!!  I did feel really tired in the evening though, so I wouldn’t recommend doing this if you have plans at night, unless you regularly do Bikram yoga or something.

Natural Calm Magnesium Supplement – Magnesium is kind of an unsung hero in the supplement world, people may know it can help if you are backed up, but it can also help calm you if frazzled or help you sleep or improve circulation to cold fingers and toes.

The verdict:  It definitely fulfilled the unclogging portion but I was after sleep and circulation help.  My sleep is good, but I’m waking about 2 hours earlier than I’m used to.  I’m going to try again and break up the dose to morning and night to see if I can get away without it effecting my elimination.  Whole Foods offered small packs to try so I’m glad I didn’t buy the regular size, but I plan to keep experimenting with the packs.

Stay tuned for week 3, we are planning a big finish.