Day 14 – Aftermath
November 16, 2008
For some strange reason, I am feeling rather emotional at the end of this cleanse (is that a common side-effect too, Donna?). Maybe it is the blog; is has forced me to think much more deeply about what I have been experiencing over the past 2 weeks (and beyond). Maybe it is fatigue; the kids haven’t been sleeping well. Maybe it is the wounded-but-not-dead mouse I found in my kitchen this morning. Ick! Maybe it is the re-introduction of my morning coffee. Anyway, for whatever reason, I have been very contemplative today.
Donna is often talking about gratitude in her classes. I have a lot to be grateful for, but today I feel especially lucky to have so many strong women around me. Some are physically distant, but I feel their presence as if they were here in my home on a daily basis. I’d like to thank the following Powerful Women for their support:
- My mom and my grandmothers – They are the most Powerful Women that I know and I miss them terribly because they live in Winnipeg (Hi Mom!).
- My baby sister – I didn’t really consider her a friend until we were adults and no longer living in the same city (Hi Sis!).
- My neighbours – Someone once told me that she didn’t want to “raise someone else’s children”. Thank you for being the kind of women who do help me raise my children and allow me to be a better mother as a result.
- My daughter – She is almost 4 years-old and already a force to be reckoned with!
I’d also like to thank Donna for encouraging me to blog about my experiences and “take my yoga off the mat”.
Day 12 – Complete!
November 14, 2008
I have blogged a bit about my first cleanse experience in January of 2008. What I haven’t mentioned until now is that I tried again in June and ended up having to quit half-way through. That time, I found I had no energy and was feeling extremely weak and light-headed by Day 5. During a cleanse, it is important to allow your body some additional time to relax. Unfortunately, I had too much going on at that time that i wasn’t able to allow myself that time.
This cleanse has been very good for me: I was well prepared, I have lost a bit of weight, I have a lot of energy, my belly feels relaxed, and I managed to stay on track the whole time.
Day 11 – Almost There
November 13, 2008
Only one more day to go! In some ways, this phase of the cleanse is the hardest; I’m getting impatient and losing focus. This is where I would be tempted to “cheat” if I wasn’t blogging to the world about my cleanse. 
I am still being rather cautious, however, about overdoing it. I am at a point where my digestive system is working really well and I am feeling great. I don’t want to introduce new foods too quickly and have it all come crashing down again. Fortunately, I have found that my appetite is a bit smaller than it was before.
For lunch, I had some Butternut Squash & Sweet Potato Bisque that F made. It was slightly sweet and very tasty!
Day 10 – Motivation
November 12, 2008
I was diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome more than 15 years ago and that was the first time that I remember thinking about doing a cleanse. At that time, my goal was to clean up my digestive tract. A few years ago, when I found that my belly was constantly bloated and uncomfortable, I started thinking again about cleansing as a means of identifying potential food sensitivities.
There is a lot of information around about cleansing (just do a Google search for “body cleanse” or “detox”), so much so that it can be overwhelming. I didn’t even know where to start! The Power Foods Cleanse really appealed to me because I was coached through the process by our very experienced teacher, I was able to share ideas and concerns with other participants, and it didn’t involve starving myself.
I identified sensitivities to corn, tomatoes, and dairy through the cleanse. I already knew about the dairy sensitivity (which popped up out of the blue in the form of lactose-intolerance after my daughter was born almost 4 years ago). In hindsight, there were also clues to my sensitivity to corn and tomatoes, but I had simply ignored them.
By the way, my Irritable Bowel Syndrome has been in virtually non-existant since I moved to Ottawa and drastically reduced the amount of meat in my diet.
Day 9 – Decadence
November 11, 2008
It is amazing how you become more aware of how your body reacts to certain foods after taking them away for a while. A friend of mine has recently discovered that she has Celiac disease, which means (among other things) that she is gluten-intolerant. She said that after avoiding gluten for a few days, she had a piece of a baguette. Surprisingly, the reaction was much more severe than it had been before she made any changes to her diet.
After two days of eating only fruit and veggies, I find that eating nuts and seeds seems like such a treat! I have been very cautious, however, about adding them back into my diet over the past two days. The first time I did the Power Foods Cleanse, I overdid it and my digestive system came to a screaming halt.
My family belongs to an Organics Club in the Byward Market. Every week, we get a basket of fruit and veggies that varies depending on what is in season, fluctuations in pricing, and freshness of the products. We have been participating in the club for over 7 years now (which I think makes us the veterans of the group) and it is a real treat to pick up the basket and see what we’re going to eat this week.
Day 8 – Coming Around the Bend
November 10, 2008
I woke up for Boot Camp this morning feeling much better. I am well rested. I am feeling stronger. I have more energy. My colon feels…..well…..cleaner. Perhaps I just needed a good night’s sleep and a work out.
Today I start the transition back to my regular diet; the first step is to reintroduce seeds and nuts. Unfortunately, since I went to bed so early last night, I forgot to soak some for today. Darn!
Day 7 – Tired & Cold
November 9, 2008
I found this to be a particularly difficult day. I had the chills all day long, I felt very hungry, and I was tired. Oh, and since it was the weekend, I had the family home all day too.
It is 7:30PM and I am heading up to bed.
Day 6 – Lightening Up
November 8, 2008
The first time that I did the Powerful Woman Yoga Boot Camp, I lost about 20 lbs (yes, in 6 weeks!). Over the summer, I gained about 5 lbs back (if you knew how my mother and mother-in-law cook, you would understand why). My weight has been relatively stable since then, but through the cleanse it has started going down again. Apparently not all people lose weight during a cleanse (or Donna would be even tinier than she is!), but it has worked for me.
I’m about halfway through the cleanse now and am feeling fantastic. This weekend, I’m only eating fruits (25%) and veggies (75%). I’ll be drinking my homemade veggie broth, eating lots of salads, and snacking on cut-up carrots and apples.
M from Boot Camp was raving about the Sunset Pudding recipe. It is so simple! M said that if you use frozen fruit, it tastes like ice cream. Sooooo….I’ve made an extra large batch and am sharing it with the family for snack this afternoon.
Day 5 – Soak Your Nuts!
November 7, 2008
My hubby was laughing when I told him the name of today’s post.
For the past two days, I have had a bout of mild belly cramping/bloating for an hour or two in the afternoon and was originally stumped about what was causing it. Then I realized that both times occurred after snacking on a handful of hazelnuts. While nuts and seeds are a great source of protein and energy, they can be hard to digest. Donna recommends soaking them in water overnight then rinsing and drying them well before eating them. I forgot!
Today I have also eliminated all legumes and grains, so I’m down to fruits, veggies, seeds, and nuts. I’m feeling great: no nausea, bloating, chills, etc. My only complaint is that when I went to Boot Camp this morning I didn’t have the same amount of strength as usual. Usually I find plank pose to be difficult but today it was brutal!
Day 4 – Still Warm
November 6, 2008
Cleansing is certainly a learned activity, from the perspective of food preparation, being comfortable with reduced energy levels, and being aware of how one’s body is going to react to the process. The first time I did a cleanse, I was terribly chilled by about the third or fourth day. Donna mentioned this is a normal reaction as a result of changes in metabolism. Thank goodness it has been so warm this week. I haven’t been feeling that this time around.
Food preparation and day-to-day eating has been a balancing act in my household. My hubby has been mostly-vegetarian for 7 years now so we don’t eat a lot of meat in our house (the kids and I eat chicken or sausages from Sasloves about once a week). A lot of the foods that are recommended in the Power Foods Cleanse are already familiar to us: quinoa, beans, ground flax seeds, kale and other leafy greens.
I have resisted a fully vegetarian household for two reasons: I am worried about the kids getting enough protein and I am worried about not getting enough iron. My hubby eats the same basic lunch for weeks and weeks at a time (basic lunch recipe: mix grains, beans, and veggies with some kind of sauce). I get bored easily with my food, so I need to mix it up on a regular basis. While I love left-overs, I can’t stomach eating the same thing (however tasty it was the first time) for more than a couple of days. In this way, the Power Foods Cleanse works well for me. Donna has put together a fairly comprehensive guide of what to eat and when. She has also included a number of recipes that are cleanse-worthy. I also like the fact that what I can eat changes from day to day.
