Winter Wonderland Cleanse Days 2 & 3

Yesterday Day 2 The Master Cleanser:
8:00 AM Salt Water Flush (1 Quart warmed water with 2 teaspoons sea salt)
8:30 AM - Elimination
No exercise to allow my body to flush
9:30 AM 1st Quart Master Cleanser (1 quart warmed water with 6 tablespoons lemon juice and pulp, 4 tablespoons Grade B maple syrup and 1/10 - 1/8 teaspoon cayenne (I always go heavy on the cayenne)
2:15 PM - 1/2 of 2nd Quart Master Cleanser
7:00 PM - 3rd Quart Master Cleanser
8:00 PM 4th Quart Master Cleanser
Lots of extra sleep
Today day 3:
Lots of extra sleep
10:00 AM Rebounder - a bit dehydrated and weak
10:20 AM- 11:45 AM 1st Quart Master Cleanser
1:30 PM - 2nd Quart Master Cleanser 
6:00 PM - 3rd Quart Master Cleanser
7:20 PM- 4th Quart Master Cleanser

 February 2nd yesterday:
I Just got back from NYC. I was wondering how I would navigate my energy through the day of activities and family. Normally, I clear my schedule of any major plans during a cleanse, especially ones that involve lots of other people and outside venues, till I'm in it and decide what my body actually wants. I did my salt water flush this morning, drinking the quart of liquid at 8 and reading a good book while laying on my right side. At 8:30 I eliminated and waited awhile so see if I was complete. Then I took a warm, soothing bath with lavender sea salts, giving myself more time before drinking my first quart of Master Cleanser, which I drank around 9:30. I only got to drink half of my next quart in the car at 2:15 (given the day's plans) and finished it up back home at 7:00. So, I was not spacing my Master Cleanser as I optimally would. I actually did really well on both energy and blood sugar the whole time. No hunger, though when I got home and saw the Organic Black Truffles made with coconut oil that I bought to send my niece/nephews for Valentine's Day, I did have a pang of food lust! I'm drinking my two evening quarts now. Typically, I like to finish up a little earlier, but I had to go with the flow of the day. I'll probably get extra sleep tonight as well. I would love to hear about other people's cleanses, or if you've let go of a food or added one in...please write it.

February 3rd today:
Today was a day of honoring my body, spirit and goals. Last night, I got lots of extra sleep and still needed more this morning. It's interesting for someone who typically wakes up without an alarm at 6:30  (in the Summer it's often 5:00 or 5:30) to be sleeping so much this Winter! My body does eat, sleep and exercise with the seasons, and Wintertime I often honor whatever it needs with sleep. This Winter my body and spirit are wanting a lot more sleep, and adding on the cleanse is certainly continuing this trend! Early Winter was sleep time for processing and integration and now it's more sleep from the cleanse. Remember my post about "Meeting Ourselves Where We're At??" This a really good exercise for me in that teaching. It involves letting go of the noisy thoughts that tell me it's not OK to stay in bed; that it means something is wrong and it's not making good use of the day, and it's a telltale sign of my emotions. So what if it is??? For me, telling that voice loving words and giving that little girl a big hug are the answer. These days, I need to do it most every morning.
After waking up and making my first 2 Quarts of Master Cleanser, I did my 20 minutes jumping on the rebounder/mini trampoline (also known as the lymphosizer, as it's the only exercise that detoxes the lymph and organ system) and noticed both dehydration and weakness. I am typically never noticeably dehydrated, so I know it is connected to cleansing. I love all these new sensations we only get to experience during this time. I bounced at a speed that honored my body's muscle weakness and fatigue, giving it some strong spurts during moments of energy. When we start to detoxify, the first place that energy is pulled from is from our "wei chi," the outermost part of our bodies, so we often will feel incredibly fatigued in our muscles and tissues. Don't worry...this means the body is taking its energy and directing it toward the organs for core healing. When I did the 31-day Juice Feast, there were many days early on that I didn't exercise, and 3 weeks into the cleanse, I ran miles! 
I did a chakra balance tape to let go of any emotional blocks inside my body and align my spirit. I have used this one for thirteen years and absolutely adore it:
 Chakra Balance CD 
 Aleta St. James is a true healer in her ability to help us open up blocked power sources.
I focused on a project that was my goal today, from notebook to computer. I was watching the snow fall the entire day, and when I finally went outside in late afternoon to clean off my car, I was wonder-struck by what appeared to be a foot of snow (but was around 7 inches). The forecast was for only 1-3inches, so this gift was a pure miracle. What came up next for me was the desire to have a playmate with whom to have a snowball fight and build a snowman. This truly was my little girl, my adolescent and my teenager all wrapped into one. I wanted a playmate so badly! Though I missed not having one, I loved that part of me that was ready to play, and I loved that she came out so strong during the cleanse. I remember sledding with my best friend hundreds of times as children, and the rush of going downhill, not knowing exactly how it would turn out, a little scared but excited to go. I remember having warm soup and hot chocolate after coming in from the cold. For a moment, I really missed that, questioning my decision to Winter cleanse - no playmate and no food?
Happily, I let the emotions just Be, and had a juicy conversation with a girlfriend, who promised she would play with me over the next few days, as we are expecting more snow. I just drank my last 2 Quarts of Master Cleanser at 6:00 and at 7:20 and feel completely content.
The most fabulous and sometimes difficult part of a cleanse are the ups and downs as we detox and feel it all. There are moments of exhiliration and moments of sadness, and it's an opportunity to naviagate the largeness of life through the lense of a cleanse.

Let the Sun Shine In!

Exercise: 2.2 mile morning run with ecstatic sunshine
Breakfast:
1/2 cantelope chunked with unsweetened shredded coconut sprinkled on it
Lunch:
Manna Fruit and Nut Bread sliced with raw almond butter "schmeared."
32 ounces of water
Do you want to know one secret to staying warmer in the wintertime? Go running outside!
This might sounds completely implausable, but is sort of similar to the homeopathic concept: Give your body an essence of the thing it typically responds to with aversion and it will thrive.
The last couple of years, having gone back to running outside all winter long, my body heat has really stepped up to warming and protecting me from the elements.
Dressed in light layers topped with fleece, I run every day, usually in the early morning. Lately, I've done some 5:30 AM runs under the stars, which is an extraordinary experience. I get to view the constellations pre-dawn as they light up the night sky with twinkles and streaks. Today my run was at the civilized hour of 9:00 AM; yesterday at noon. It all depends on my schedule, but I do what I need to in order to run, because my entire day shifts mentally and physically from this ritual.
I am always filled with energy and vibrance after my run and throughout the day. I can feel the cells in my body waking up, stretching and shining. My mood lifts upward, and most importantly, I am not cold later in the day, even if the temperature drops.
I've built a "relationship" with the cold air; I honor it by breathing it in and it honors my body by becoming my friend.
You don't have to be fast (I'm not) and you don't have to be an expert. You only need to have a desire to be happier in winter and a willingness to try a new approach. If you've ever listened to runners talk about running and wondered what it would be like to try, I say, it's your time to run! If you are just starting out, run slowly (sometimes called jogging!) for 15 minutes with intermittent walking. Increase your time or distance by ten percent each week. Eventually, you will build up to 45 minutes outside.
The vitamin D we get from those 45 minutes outside (and even the 15 minutes) is enough to feed your body and soul with sunshine. The reason we need to take so many vitamin D supplements is because we've developed a fearful relationship with the sun. It's ok to have protection in the strong sun of Summer, but start to build up your body's natural immune system by integrating sunshine. The winter sun is a great place to begin, as the sun's relation to the earth has shifted, and it's perfect for letting the sun caress your face without sunscreen. When I run and it's dark out, I still believe that I get "starshine" on my face. I'm illuminating my body with the sky's healing powers.
In the cold, I have a face mask, which covers my whole head and neck, leaving an opening for my face. In very cold days, I can pull the mask up over my nose and face; in warmer weather, I expose my whole face while keeping the extremities warm. When we cover our hands, head and feet well, we insulate our bodies from the cold.
Some other wonderful outdoor exercise for winter is snow shoeing. You step your hiking boots right into your snow shoes, which have "crampon spikes" on the bottom, and you can walk into feet of snow and ice. It is quite beautiful, as you become part of the winter wonderland; a truly magical world.
Even if you think this sounds really impossible, try it for one week; just one week. I used to be cold from the end of August until April, never getting my body to be able to quite warm up. Compounded with underactive thyroid, I was freezing! Not only that, I was a candidate for SAD (Seasonal Affect Disorder) spectrum lighting, because my whole mood would lower during the winter. Now I no longer have hypothyroidism because of the food and lifestyle changes I made throughout the years. I consider winter an extraordinary time of contemplation, hibernation and introspection. At the end of last year's snowy winter, when I heard people saying, "No, not one more snowstorm," I found myself thinking, "this isn't so bad. I could go for another month of Winter!"
Write in and let me know how this experiment goes...I welcome your comments and personal stories.
Warmly :)
Hope and The Holistic Empire

It's OK to Increase Your Fats!

Yesterday:

Exercise:

Great 2.2 mile run in the Autumn weather

Breakfast:

Steel Cut Oats and chopped walnuts, soaked in water overnight, with a sliced banana and Forbes Wild Foods Pure Maple Syrup #3 Dark (Canadian)

32 moz. mason jar of water

Dinner:

salad of mixed mescalin greens, Sproutman Alfalfa sprouts, carrot, purple cabbage, grape tomatoes with olive oil and Himalayan sea salt

Morbier French raw cheese and goat gouda

Treat: Cocoa covered almonds

32 oz. mason jar of water

Today:

Exercise:

5:00 AM 2.2 mile run under the stars

Breakfast:

2 pieces Mestemacher German Sunflower Seed Bread with raw almond butter and sliced banana

32. oz. mason jar of water

It's that time of year again, where I talk about Eating with the Seasons. All Summer long I was happy to have big chunks of watermelon in the morning; now my body craves almond butter. In the warm weather, a fruit and greens' smoothie was filling; now I soak steel cut oats to ground and warm me as the temperature cools. Add to that a little maple syrup, some nuts and a banana and I'm filled.

My body is getting ready for hibernation; it's loading up on more fats and carbs to protect it from the cold elements.

Let yourself increase your fats. We are really quite similar to the animals. Every winter my body weight and body fat increase a little and every spring they naturally decrease; no diet necessary. Keep your exercise moving and you'll be fine.

Some great fats to add are: hemp or olive oil, 1/2 avocado, some raw goat cheese, soaked nuts or seeds, nut butters, tahini

Some complex carbs for fuel: Millet, quinoa, barley, steel cut oats, chia seeds (which are a protein and must be soaked in water to expand), brown rice pasta or soba noodles.

Before I went raw, this used to be my favorite breakfast:

1/2 cup cooked millet, drizzled with organic olive oil and Herbamare seasoning

Steamed Swiss chard, beets and carrots drizzled with Bragg's Amino Acids and tahini.

This breakfast offers both grounding (calming) and sprouting (revitalizing) energy; Yin and Yang. It also supports balanced blood sugar levels.

Embrace the change in seasons and let your food reflect it.

Write in and share what new food choices you've made this week....

In Health,

Hope