Cleanse

*image via*

During Christmas break I indulged in lots of sweet treats and only hit the gym a few times, so when came home two weeks ago I decided to attempt to go on a cleanse. Surprisingly, tomorrow marks the last day and I have successfully made it through 12 days without any slip ups. I don't have a scale at my house, so this cleanse was not based on weight loss at all. I think that it's important to know your body and without a number be able to determine what feels "healthy". Without any drastic eating restrictions or rigorous exercise routines I was able to create my own cleanse based on what I thought I personally needed to improve on. So, without further adieu here is what the 12 day cleanse entailed. 

+ No desserts/sweets

+ No coffee

+ Only drink water  

+ Limited snacking

+ No red meat

+ Limited bread (only had 1 sandwich in 12 days)

+ Lots of fruits and vegetables 

+ Avoid most processed foods

+ Smoothie, yogurt, or eggs for breakfast 

+ Go to bed by 10:30 Monday-Friday

+ Workout at least 6 days (I went to the gym, ran, and took spinning classes) 

The first couple days of this cleanse were a little bit difficult. Ask any of my friends and they will tell you that I have such a bad sweet tooth, so I was craving a dessert a lot at first. By the 3rd or 4th day the sugar cravings started to dwindle away and it was fine from there on out. I found that drinking a ton of water (with lemons) made me feel so much better and decreased my snacking. I was able to try out a ton of new smoothie combinations that I love (comment if you would like to see a smoothie post) and play around with different salads. Fruit has always been one of my favorite foods and I had my fair share of grapefruits, clementines, and apples (with peanut butter). This cleanse has definitely given me a new mindset on eating and I think I will continue to abide by some of these rules even when it ends. 

From a more mental look at this cleanse, I feel so much less stressed and can focus much better. I knew that returning from break would be difficult school wise and wanted to make the transition easier. By working out at least every other day I could clear my mind after school and getting to bed by 10:30 put me in a much better position in class the next morning. Because this is not some insane juice cleanse, I think that anyone could do it and I highly recommend it. With exams just around the corner I am going to try and maintain a similar mindset to make the time a bit more pleasant! Have you ever done a cleanse? I would love to hear about what you did and your experience!

P.S. Read this article for a good laugh!

xoxo,

Catherine

Preppy by the Sea