Day 5/21
Early Sunday mornings used to be my jam! I would spring out of bed in the wee hours, head downstairs and put on a pot of coffee and then spend some time reading, praying, reflecting.
Well I sprang out of bed this morning but there is no awesome aroma of coffee wafting through the house and I am not on my second cup as I write. This morning because I am sticking diligently to this amazing journey that John and I have embarked on I am instead spending time with Jesus with a bottle of mineralized water. And it's not so bad.
I do miss my coffee, especially on a morning like this, but not having caffeine and all that acidity in my body seems to be making a difference and who knows if I will want to reintroduce it to my body once this cleanse is over. But I don't have to make that decision today. I simply need to be grateful for where I am at and remain present in the moment.
One of the things that I tell my customers and my accountability groups is to not get obsessed with the scale. To pick a date and general time once a week to weight in and pay more attention to how your body feels than the number on the scale. So I have a confession, since I started this program this past Wednesday I have been obsessed with the scale. Well the obsession actually started on Day 3 when I started to feel lighter and less bulkier and was noticing that I had less bloat, my skin was feeling healthier and I could feel a definate definition and shrinking around my belly and midsection.
So I got on the scale Friday morning and at that time had already lost 3.6 pounds. I was elated and then on Saturday I did the same thing, I know, I know. but I lost another 1.1 pounds. We Sunday mornings was always my weigh in and so I am sure you will never guess what I did first thing this morning? Yup I did it, got back on that scale and have lost another pound for a total so far of 5.7 pounds on the morning of day 5.
To say that I am beyond excited is an understatement.
Since the holidays I have seriously been back to my routine. Some indulgences here and there for celebrations, special occasions and such, and in the more recent week more take out than usual. But I had been back to our routine with the one exception of working out because I was allowing myself to use my knee issues as an excuse. Certainly there were things I could not do, but I know there were times when I could have done something else.
With all access on demand I stream my workouts and with hundreds of workouts to choose from there were a number of them I could have done that were low impact and not have bothered my knees. But I kept telling myself that 80% is in the kitchen and 20% is working out so I got this. Well, I didn't.
It was a combination of things. I was doing the right things in the kitchen and we were sticking to a healthy food choices. But at the same time we were making more unhealthy choices more often and I was indulging in sweets and desserts more than I knew I should. Problem is all that healthy eating is not going to undo the unhealthy choices and when you are not working out as diligently then you start to see the scale climb. And to be honest, I was avoiding it because I could feel it in my clothes and that was the reminder for me to get out of the cycle I was in.
I had purchased the 21 day cleanse at the end of last year and had planned to start it shortly after the first. At the time John was not going to be doing it with me. A friend had it and was wanting to do it too and suggested I wait so we could do it together, but this is a plan you need to do and schedule around a time that works for you and she had some commitments so I pushed off the start date.
That for me then became a bit of a crutch because I knew that I was doing the cleanse "soon" so if I indulged no worries. It became a worry as I shared, when my clothes started to have a little less wiggle room than I was used to. And having lost well over 50 pounds and kept it off maintaining that weight loss I was starting to see a shift and knew that I needed to take back control and get rid of all those toxins and crap in my body that were stopping my body from functioning more efficiently so I could see the results of all the healthy steps I was taking.
Have you ever felt stuck, reached a plateau, the scale won't move. That is where I was. So I looked at the calendar, picked a date and was determined to start on that day. To my great surprise my beloved who was also at his own plateau decided to join me and so a couple of weeks before the start date we ordered his package and I was elated because its not easy when everyone in the house is on a different meal plan and you are on a cleanse.
I was joking with John the other day about how thankful I am that he is doing this, I know that he regrets it because even whole grain toast is a challenge for him and to his credit he is a trooper and is eating everything that is on the plan. And as we sat down to dinner to a very healthy but less than delicious Japanese Cucumber Salad, one of my least favorite recipes so far, and I am a cucumber fanatic, but did not like the dressing, I reminded him how the first time I did the 3 day refresh I sat at the breakfast counter alone eating my dinner. Rather drinking my vanilla refresh, eating my 7 asparagus spears and suffering through it, I am being dramatic, while he sat in the living room watching tv and eating ice cream. True story. I made it through that refresh in January of last year and I lost 5.1 pounds. And how wonderful that we had the blessing of joking about it over our reset dinner the other night. Sometimes things truly do come full circle.
The beauty of this program is that the supplements work together gradually to help gently shift our bodies internal settings. We eat three filling, healthy meals every day and a snack that is optional and we are not running to the bathroom every hour. I created a short video that gives an overview of the program https://youtu.be/Fo3YQ-C0QHU.
I also have a longer version that goes into much more detail about the 6 individual supplements that are part of this program and how they are helpful to our bodies https://youtu.be/6RNrbIFVHA0.
John and I have both had some back pain and my sciatica has been acting up. This morning I feel like its getting better. I am doing exercises to strengthen my core and maybe that is helping. I also know that I am sleeping better and I am so grateful for that.
I know what it feels like to feel miserable in your own skin, to have no energy, no motivation, the desire to make a change but the long list of excuses that kept me from actually making that change. I have been there and done it countless times. Good news is that every time I learn something new about myself. I challenge myself a little bit more. I accomplish much more than I think I can or give myself credit for and that no matter the itty bitty baby step or the giant leap I am always moving forward and better off for the experience and that much closer to achieving my goals.
The grace is that today, that confidence radiates within me, I know I can do anything and I know that I can help others.
The hardest part is knowing you can help but also knowing that you can only do so much. I can help, guide, lead, inspire, support, motivate and hold you accountable. But in the end, we all have to be accountable to ourselves, we have to put skin in the game and we have to take that individual responsibility to get it done.
The best news is that we don't have to do it alone.
I started my joy in the journey now almost two years ago when we first started drinking our daily shake. I got serious about it 6 months later when I was faced with continues health issues and needed to get off medications or start having to take more and more for the issues that were coming up. I am and have been off all medications and many of those medical issues no longer exist and I plan to keep it that way.
My journey to a healthier lifestyle and to a business that is helping me create a life of freedom of time to spend with those I love is a gift. And getting healthier and being fully present to serve as I am called is the best gift I could not only give myself but my beloved and my family.
I sat on the fence for far too long where my health was concerned. I am choosing every day to live with intention and purpose and maybe because I am getting older and a bit more bolder I am more confident about sharing from the rooftops something that I know works and that I know can help so many people, some I know and so many more that I have yet to meet and who I pray my story can inspire.
I was praying and ruminating on His grace and goodness and two of my very favorite scriptures come to mind this morning.
These words, this love has carried me through time and again, in all things, in joy and in sadness and again this morning as I spend time in quiet reflection they ruminate still.
My how precious live is. It truly is a gift and in retrospect at this stage in my life, it is short and fleeting. I miss my parents terribly and so many special people in my life who have gone to glory. Through the eyes of faith there is understanding and even joy and there is peace and comfort in the memories. But the fact remains, life in all is beauty and grace is fleeting and it is also full of challenges and joys. At any given moment there are people dying, there is suffering, sadness, pain, injustice and heartache, newborns taking their first breath, new life, joy, peace, discovery, goodness, love so much more and through it ALL grace. His grace.
It reminds me of the blessings that have come through joy and through pain and I am grateful for every one for it has brought me here to this moment. I am grateful and acutely aware of how precious every breath is, the reality of it rocks me to my core and reminds me that I do not want to waste this precious gift of life I have been given. I want to make a difference, make every moment count, leave a sweet fragrance with every encounter and use the passion, gifts and talents that I have received to serve others as I am called.
Oh I fall so short in my human weakness every moment of every day, but that where His grace comes in for I know that nothing from within me is mine, it is from Him and that is where my strength comes from. My challenge, to keep that in the forefront of my heart and mind always, especially when I start thinking that I am in control. His grace, I count on it.
And it has been so present during these past 4 days. I want to say it has been easy, but that is not quite true, but it has not been difficult.
So far I am not craving sweets, other than a few times I have not really been hungry or wanted anything else. Some of the meals I could take or leave, but we have been making them and eating them because we are ALL IN 100% and not waivering. Some of the meals are keepers and we like. The supplements, yes even the power greens are not so bad.
And living with the alarm as our guide to be sure we hydrate, take supplements and eat our healthy meals, that actually has been a blessing.
We are also getting to bed earlier, spending more time relaxing and centering in our zero gravity bed before we get up for the day and I am getting more rest than I usually do and so that for me is a win win.
It is also helping me be more consistent in so many areas of my life and my business. I am also learning about nutrition and nutrients that our bodies need to operate efficiently and getting a lesson in self awareness in my relationship to food. That is food for a whole other post.
And I am becoming more aware that I share freely and often about my health journey but not as often or as boldly about coaching. And that too is for a whole other post.
As I think about so many things this morning I can't help but be reminded how grateful I am that I made a leap of faith, stepped out of my comfort zone and did something that intimidated the heck out of me like this 21 day cleanse.
It has awakened a determination to achieve my goals and lose the next 50 pounds and invigorated my determination help those on my team who are ready to build their business.
If you are like I once was and are sitting on the fence, curious, not sure, want to take the leap but not quite ready, waiting for tomorrow…... Ask yourself, what are you waiting for?
Personal accountability is a great first step, Are you making excuses? What is holding you back from making good, healthy and positive changes to your life, body, mind, soul and spirit? What is holding you back from an adventure that challenges you to dream beyond your wildest dream and an change your life and that of your family?
The sun is now starting to stream into the office and I am realizing that there is whole wonderful day ahead with so much to do. And I am excited to do it.
Early Sunday mornings used to be my jam! I would spring out of bed in the wee hours, head downstairs and put on a pot of coffee and then spend some time reading, praying, reflecting.
Well I sprang out of bed this morning but there is no awesome aroma of coffee wafting through the house and I am not on my second cup as I write. This morning because I am sticking diligently to this amazing journey that John and I have embarked on I am instead spending time with Jesus with a bottle of mineralized water. And it's not so bad.
I do miss my coffee, especially on a morning like this, but not having caffeine and all that acidity in my body seems to be making a difference and who knows if I will want to reintroduce it to my body once this cleanse is over. But I don't have to make that decision today. I simply need to be grateful for where I am at and remain present in the moment.
One of the things that I tell my customers and my accountability groups is to not get obsessed with the scale. To pick a date and general time once a week to weight in and pay more attention to how your body feels than the number on the scale. So I have a confession, since I started this program this past Wednesday I have been obsessed with the scale. Well the obsession actually started on Day 3 when I started to feel lighter and less bulkier and was noticing that I had less bloat, my skin was feeling healthier and I could feel a definate definition and shrinking around my belly and midsection.
So I got on the scale Friday morning and at that time had already lost 3.6 pounds. I was elated and then on Saturday I did the same thing, I know, I know. but I lost another 1.1 pounds. We Sunday mornings was always my weigh in and so I am sure you will never guess what I did first thing this morning? Yup I did it, got back on that scale and have lost another pound for a total so far of 5.7 pounds on the morning of day 5.
To say that I am beyond excited is an understatement.
Since the holidays I have seriously been back to my routine. Some indulgences here and there for celebrations, special occasions and such, and in the more recent week more take out than usual. But I had been back to our routine with the one exception of working out because I was allowing myself to use my knee issues as an excuse. Certainly there were things I could not do, but I know there were times when I could have done something else.
With all access on demand I stream my workouts and with hundreds of workouts to choose from there were a number of them I could have done that were low impact and not have bothered my knees. But I kept telling myself that 80% is in the kitchen and 20% is working out so I got this. Well, I didn't.
It was a combination of things. I was doing the right things in the kitchen and we were sticking to a healthy food choices. But at the same time we were making more unhealthy choices more often and I was indulging in sweets and desserts more than I knew I should. Problem is all that healthy eating is not going to undo the unhealthy choices and when you are not working out as diligently then you start to see the scale climb. And to be honest, I was avoiding it because I could feel it in my clothes and that was the reminder for me to get out of the cycle I was in.
I had purchased the 21 day cleanse at the end of last year and had planned to start it shortly after the first. At the time John was not going to be doing it with me. A friend had it and was wanting to do it too and suggested I wait so we could do it together, but this is a plan you need to do and schedule around a time that works for you and she had some commitments so I pushed off the start date.
That for me then became a bit of a crutch because I knew that I was doing the cleanse "soon" so if I indulged no worries. It became a worry as I shared, when my clothes started to have a little less wiggle room than I was used to. And having lost well over 50 pounds and kept it off maintaining that weight loss I was starting to see a shift and knew that I needed to take back control and get rid of all those toxins and crap in my body that were stopping my body from functioning more efficiently so I could see the results of all the healthy steps I was taking.
Have you ever felt stuck, reached a plateau, the scale won't move. That is where I was. So I looked at the calendar, picked a date and was determined to start on that day. To my great surprise my beloved who was also at his own plateau decided to join me and so a couple of weeks before the start date we ordered his package and I was elated because its not easy when everyone in the house is on a different meal plan and you are on a cleanse.
I was joking with John the other day about how thankful I am that he is doing this, I know that he regrets it because even whole grain toast is a challenge for him and to his credit he is a trooper and is eating everything that is on the plan. And as we sat down to dinner to a very healthy but less than delicious Japanese Cucumber Salad, one of my least favorite recipes so far, and I am a cucumber fanatic, but did not like the dressing, I reminded him how the first time I did the 3 day refresh I sat at the breakfast counter alone eating my dinner. Rather drinking my vanilla refresh, eating my 7 asparagus spears and suffering through it, I am being dramatic, while he sat in the living room watching tv and eating ice cream. True story. I made it through that refresh in January of last year and I lost 5.1 pounds. And how wonderful that we had the blessing of joking about it over our reset dinner the other night. Sometimes things truly do come full circle.
The beauty of this program is that the supplements work together gradually to help gently shift our bodies internal settings. We eat three filling, healthy meals every day and a snack that is optional and we are not running to the bathroom every hour. I created a short video that gives an overview of the program https://youtu.be/Fo3YQ-C0QHU.
I also have a longer version that goes into much more detail about the 6 individual supplements that are part of this program and how they are helpful to our bodies https://youtu.be/6RNrbIFVHA0.
John and I have both had some back pain and my sciatica has been acting up. This morning I feel like its getting better. I am doing exercises to strengthen my core and maybe that is helping. I also know that I am sleeping better and I am so grateful for that.
I know what it feels like to feel miserable in your own skin, to have no energy, no motivation, the desire to make a change but the long list of excuses that kept me from actually making that change. I have been there and done it countless times. Good news is that every time I learn something new about myself. I challenge myself a little bit more. I accomplish much more than I think I can or give myself credit for and that no matter the itty bitty baby step or the giant leap I am always moving forward and better off for the experience and that much closer to achieving my goals.
The grace is that today, that confidence radiates within me, I know I can do anything and I know that I can help others.
The hardest part is knowing you can help but also knowing that you can only do so much. I can help, guide, lead, inspire, support, motivate and hold you accountable. But in the end, we all have to be accountable to ourselves, we have to put skin in the game and we have to take that individual responsibility to get it done.
The best news is that we don't have to do it alone.
I started my joy in the journey now almost two years ago when we first started drinking our daily shake. I got serious about it 6 months later when I was faced with continues health issues and needed to get off medications or start having to take more and more for the issues that were coming up. I am and have been off all medications and many of those medical issues no longer exist and I plan to keep it that way.
My journey to a healthier lifestyle and to a business that is helping me create a life of freedom of time to spend with those I love is a gift. And getting healthier and being fully present to serve as I am called is the best gift I could not only give myself but my beloved and my family.
I sat on the fence for far too long where my health was concerned. I am choosing every day to live with intention and purpose and maybe because I am getting older and a bit more bolder I am more confident about sharing from the rooftops something that I know works and that I know can help so many people, some I know and so many more that I have yet to meet and who I pray my story can inspire.
I was praying and ruminating on His grace and goodness and two of my very favorite scriptures come to mind this morning.
"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
"and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” Job 1:21
These words, this love has carried me through time and again, in all things, in joy and in sadness and again this morning as I spend time in quiet reflection they ruminate still.
My how precious live is. It truly is a gift and in retrospect at this stage in my life, it is short and fleeting. I miss my parents terribly and so many special people in my life who have gone to glory. Through the eyes of faith there is understanding and even joy and there is peace and comfort in the memories. But the fact remains, life in all is beauty and grace is fleeting and it is also full of challenges and joys. At any given moment there are people dying, there is suffering, sadness, pain, injustice and heartache, newborns taking their first breath, new life, joy, peace, discovery, goodness, love so much more and through it ALL grace. His grace.
It reminds me of the blessings that have come through joy and through pain and I am grateful for every one for it has brought me here to this moment. I am grateful and acutely aware of how precious every breath is, the reality of it rocks me to my core and reminds me that I do not want to waste this precious gift of life I have been given. I want to make a difference, make every moment count, leave a sweet fragrance with every encounter and use the passion, gifts and talents that I have received to serve others as I am called.
Oh I fall so short in my human weakness every moment of every day, but that where His grace comes in for I know that nothing from within me is mine, it is from Him and that is where my strength comes from. My challenge, to keep that in the forefront of my heart and mind always, especially when I start thinking that I am in control. His grace, I count on it.
And it has been so present during these past 4 days. I want to say it has been easy, but that is not quite true, but it has not been difficult.
So far I am not craving sweets, other than a few times I have not really been hungry or wanted anything else. Some of the meals I could take or leave, but we have been making them and eating them because we are ALL IN 100% and not waivering. Some of the meals are keepers and we like. The supplements, yes even the power greens are not so bad.
And living with the alarm as our guide to be sure we hydrate, take supplements and eat our healthy meals, that actually has been a blessing.
We are also getting to bed earlier, spending more time relaxing and centering in our zero gravity bed before we get up for the day and I am getting more rest than I usually do and so that for me is a win win.
It is also helping me be more consistent in so many areas of my life and my business. I am also learning about nutrition and nutrients that our bodies need to operate efficiently and getting a lesson in self awareness in my relationship to food. That is food for a whole other post.
And I am becoming more aware that I share freely and often about my health journey but not as often or as boldly about coaching. And that too is for a whole other post.
As I think about so many things this morning I can't help but be reminded how grateful I am that I made a leap of faith, stepped out of my comfort zone and did something that intimidated the heck out of me like this 21 day cleanse.
It has awakened a determination to achieve my goals and lose the next 50 pounds and invigorated my determination help those on my team who are ready to build their business.
If you are like I once was and are sitting on the fence, curious, not sure, want to take the leap but not quite ready, waiting for tomorrow…... Ask yourself, what are you waiting for?
Personal accountability is a great first step, Are you making excuses? What is holding you back from making good, healthy and positive changes to your life, body, mind, soul and spirit? What is holding you back from an adventure that challenges you to dream beyond your wildest dream and an change your life and that of your family?
The sun is now starting to stream into the office and I am realizing that there is whole wonderful day ahead with so much to do. And I am excited to do it.
I have been up since the wee hours of the morning and my beloved is still sleeping.
So I am heading back to bed to do some reading and when he wakes we can then set our intentions for the day and have some zero gravity peaceful prayer time before greeting the day ahead.
Day 5 of our cleanse and a whole new day of grace
awaits!!
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