Still Recovering..

Well it's almost midnight, and I'm wide awake. The whole morning/afternoon I had an intense headache and could barely keep my eyes open. I got home from work and fell asleep until 6:30! My body must have needed rest because I felt a hundred times better once I woke up. I'm hoping things get back to normal tomorrow and I feel 100% better.

Since I was feeling "off" this morning, I just grabbed a pear and a pumpkin spice granola bar for lunch. Work was very busy so I didn't get a chance to eat until 1:30. 

I felt like a zombie the last few hours of work so I skipped my planned workout and headed home. I don't think I could have ran anyways with my throbbing head. I made a quick sandwich on a hemp bagel with hummus and veggies, ate it and fell asleep. 

I'm pretty sure I could have slept through the entire night had my mom not woken me up. I'm glad she did though! For dinner, my mom was making burgers for everyone so I grilled a veggie burger for myself. 

We had two leftover veggie kabobs from Trader Joe's that we had forgotten about in the fridge. They were about to turn bad so I made a quick veggie stir fry. I cut up the veggies and marinated them with fresh ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. After a few minutes, I threw everything on the stove and within minutes had a delicious, gingery side dish. 

I topped my veggie burger with chipotle salsa, mustard, and mixed greens. The stir fried veggies were my favorite part of the meal. 

After dinner, my dad wanted cookies so I followed Becca's lead and made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies using Dreena Burton's recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies. They turned out great and I had two for dessert. (No pic, it didn't turn out well.)

One of the reasons I was feeling so crummy today was that I haven't had any caffeine the last two days. Like Becca, I bought Quantum Wellness by Kathy Freston and am doing the recommended cleanse. I started to wean off of things yesterday (Monday) but I plan to officially start tomorrow. I'm in desperate need of groceries, which is why I haven't been able to start sooner. My reason for doing the cleanse is simple: I want to be more consciously aware of what I put into my body to feel my best. Reading the book, opened my eyes and I really agreed with what Kathy was saying.

This Jump-Start Cleanse will eliminate sources of toxins and allergens, giving the digestive system a break from working overtime to process the substances that inhibit optimum performance the most. Again, increased energy, better digestion, and relief from various aches and pains (including headaches, muscle aches, and joint pain) are just a few of the known benefits. As with each of the practices in this book, this cleanse, which you might think of as something you do for your physical body, has its emotional and spiritual components as well. As you eliminate sugar, for instance, you might experience the feelings you were unconsciously trying to escape by indulging in desserts. Since you no longer have the distraction of the whole cycle of craving a sweet—trying to resist eating it, indulging anyway, and then feeling guilty about it—you are left simply with that feeling you had been trying to avoid. Which might be uncomfortable, yes, but as discussed earlier, awareness is good. Being in touch with our feelings, even if they aren't "pleasant," is key to our ultimate well-being.

And on a spiritual level, when I first did a cleanse, I couldn't believe how difficult it was for me to give up the foods I had become attached to, even knowing that the cleanse would only last a couple of weeks. It became clear how enslaved I was by my habits inasmuch as my mood was ruled by my ability to eat the goodies that I loved and I was used to. I realized that if I was to be on a serious spiritual path, I had to look at all my attachments, including food habituations. If I was to continue growing and evolving, I had to be able to see where I was not free. The cleanse helped me to identify some glitches where I was not able to choose out of freedom rather than habit, and so I was able to focus more effort on becoming more conscious. - Quantum Wellness

I had actually thought about these things before reading the book and hearing about Oprah's cleanse. Right now just seems like a perfect opportunity to do it. I'm not sure how long I will keep this up. The initial cleanse is 21 days, but depending on how I feel, I might choose to completely eliminate certain things from my diet. Well see when the time comes.

For the following 21 days I will refrain from:

• Sugar ( added sugars)
  
• Animal Products 
  
• Alcohol
  
• Caffeine 
  
• Gluten 

I'm sure this will be a challenge, but I feel confident that I can do it. Wish me luck!!