Upon finishing a 7 day juice detox, I've decided to completely change my life around. My outlook has been changed by this short 7 day cleanse, and my body has never thanked me as much as it has over the past week. I am a girl that has always struggled with my weight. I've never been 'skinny', because I've always had curves. My waist has always been very small, and my thighs, butt and hips have always been much bigger. So, of course as an adolescent girl, society was always screaming at me to be thinner and to despise myself and my body. In May, 2011, I graduated from college at about 165 pounds (I know this doesn't sound like a lot, but it's a lot of weight on my small frame). In college, I met many people that made me feel comfortable in my body.. so I started to let my weight slide during my sophomore year (when I had started college at 130 pounds). Even though I found great friends, I still never felt 100% about myself. And this isn't even because of being overweight, this had a lot to do with an overwhelming feeling of energy loss, laziness, and anxiety.
A year and a few months later, I was at 184 pounds. I completely lost myself. I had gotten to the point where I was eating out every day, regulating NOTHING, never exercising, and just completely neglecting my body. I knew something needed to be done. Therefore, I went on a juice cleanse. I did a lot of research and began with a short pre-cleanse, to make the cleanse easier. Honestly, the most difficult part of this cleanse was the extreme mood swings I would go through. I felt moments of hatred for my life, moments of extreme joy and contentment, a lot of confusion about the direction my life is headed in, and just overall confusion about everything. My body hated me and loved me all at the same time. The cravings were extreme. But also, I started losing weight at a rapid pace. And I had so much energy I didn't even know what to do with it. At the end of the 7 days, I am now 168 and am feeling so refreshed. I feel like I can do anything. I'm in the middle of a lot of new life changes and this cleanse just gave me the strength and ambition to go about changing my life in a way that will make me forever happy. And give me all the energy I need. It's ridiculous the way food affects our happiness, energy levels, and overall well-being.
With that being said, my new lifestyle is going to include many more fruits and vegetables, eating as organic as I can (given my low income), treating my body properly externally (Epsom salt baths, skin brushing, using only essential oils, etc), cooking all of my food and making almost everything from scratch (to avoid processed food), and adding exercising into my regular routine. I am going to sign up for a Bikram yoga class in the next few weeks, to see if it is something I'd like to pursue. I am going to wake up every morning, practice my breathing, and do sun salutations. I am going to do a few short exercises (pushups, crunches, lunges, etc) every morning. I am going to lose weight. I am going to get my body healthier. I am going to succeed.
So, here's my journey with food..
