Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Time to Reboot: Life's changes, the Master Cleanse

It's been just 11 days since I moved my son up to Flagstaff, AZ to attend Northern Arizona University. I can't believe that this time is already here. It seems like only yesterday that Brad was just a little kid playing, laughing, and learning, and being with his family all the time. Now he's all grown, and off on his own. I miss him lots, but I'm so proud of him too, and so happy for him. He's worked very hard to be where he's at. I wish him all the best on his new adventure, and his continued journey called "life".

So now that I'm dealing with the "empty nest", I started off by converting the room into an office/studio. I'm looking forward to finding the time to blog more, post more recipes, and to start painting again. I realized after getting the room all set up that I also needed a physical reboot. After having such a challenging few years, handling my mother-in-law's cancer, letting go of our house, helping my husband through the loss of his mother, moving, moving my son, and just the typical day to day balancing of life's events, I realized that although I eat quite well, I hadn't been getting enough rest, exercise, and stress relief that I looked like hell.

I decided to start the Master Cleanse and get a fresh start. I'm only on day 2.5, but I already feel like I'm on my way to getting back into raw fit shape. People probably wonder how I could let myself fall back after working so hard. How I could let 5 years go by way side, just to start again. Well I'm here to tell yo that I didn't necessarily let all go to way side. I still eat a high raw food diet. However, all things must be in balance. Rest, exercise, stress relief, relaxation, good food, the right balance of food, and harmony with your environment all need to be in constant check and balance in order to truly thrive. Sometimes when you put others and others things before you, it leads to imbalance. It happens. If you are a mother or father, or the caretaker of a loved one, you will know what I mean. Fortunately the body can be resilient, so there is always hope...I know that first hand.

So with this reboot I have a few goals to reach again. Sadly, I have gained my weight back, and although I'm eating very healthfully, I can't seem to lose any of it. My skin looks great, my nails and hair are thick and strong, but the weight is still on. I'm hoping this cleanse will activate the "weight loss" cycle for me. The other challenge I've been struggling with again is my IBS, and chronic back pain. Fortunately the IBS is slowly getting back under control. Although I feel I may have a hernia, or blockage, the cleanse will tell. If not, I'll be off to the doctor getting it checked for sure. The back pain is a sign to me of not only age, but that I have a lot of inflammation in my body. So I'm going to have to work extra hard to tackle this. Overall I feel good, but these chronic issues can make some days very unpleasant. I did start exercising again about two months ago, but still having some issues with flexibility due to the inflammation. And of course, the big topic is sleep. I'm still dealing with trying to get enough rest. One thing is for sure, I've been relaxing a lot more the past few days. Anxiety is slowly minimizing itself.

Well, I need to close for now and get to work. I plan to keep a journal of my cleanse and reboot. More to come later.

Blessings to you all. Here's to your health!

=) Debbie

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