Fall detox gone....bad?

I have been looking for ways to clear the inflammation and pain in my right hip (I lost range of motion after a c-section in May), and I got my inspiration to try an Ayurvedic fall detox from wellness coach and stage 4 breast cancer survivor Kris Carr last week while reading the October edition of Yoga Journal.

“Inflammation is stress that comes from what you’re eating, drinking, and thinking, and it’s a root cause of chronic disease.” She promotes plant-based diets in her interview to balance your body’s pH, while decreasing acidic foods like animal products, processed sugars, and starches. “But it’s not just what we’re eating that affects our health; it’s also what’s eating us – how well we sleep, sweat, and love, and whether or not we’re committing to our Down Dogs.”

I grappled. I couldn’t see myself adopting a plant-based, vegan diet as a lifestyle. I like steak, yogurt, cakes, and cookies. Oh yeah, she also says to ditch the dairy (animal product). I have no problem with doing yoga, meditating, or loving. I never had a problem with sleep until I got pregnant, but I’m sure I can get that back again once the kids sleep through the night without a peep – hopefully that’ll be some time soon. But no animal products or starches? Yikes.

I thought I’d do a detox instead since it might bring me the peace and balance that I am looking for, and hopefully reduce the inflammation in my hip. But it’s not a permanent life change, although could inspire some changes.

The Ayurvedic fall detox, also found in the October edition, has a few steps: 1. Slowing down – purposefully; 2. The Detox diet; 3. Cleansing daily yoga; 4. Self-study/reflection.

I didn’t have any appointments scheduled last week, and so I thought it was the perfect time to give it a go. The diet consists of ginger tea, carrot-ginger soup, beans, and a dish called Kitchari, made of rice and mung beans made throughout Asia to purify the body. I asked my husband, a great cook, to make enough for four days, and I bought organic brands of the rest. Yoga Journal provides daily yoga videos on-line, and I scheduled a babysitter so that I could sit for an hour on Wednesday and meditate in nature and journal on finding peace and balance.

Determined to find “the answer” to everything that is challenging me these days, I set out on the detox religiously. I ate the kitchari twice a day as advised and drank unsweetened ginger tea and did the yoga videos. At first I didn’t notice any difference, but by the end of the first day, I noticed that my day flowed so easily. I was, dare I say, happy. I felt less encumbered by silly mind ramblings and rants. The kids were happier too. They were eating well, sleeping hard, and playing happily. I was writing better and finding time to do everything I had in mind for the day without stressing about it. I began to organize things around the house and even cleaned a bit. By the second day, I set out to conquer a fear of mine. This may sound silly, but I took my six month old twins out all on my own to run some errands despite some really, really bad experiences doing so in the past.

By the third day, I was more focused on how hungry I was than on peace and a flexible hip. And the kitchari, well to be polite, is not my taste. Okay, let’s just be blunt: It’s really nasty and bland. I added salt. Not very mindfully detox of me. But I added salt, and it still tasted nasty and bland. I reflected by the river that morning, and got the answers I was looking for. I felt like I had done what I needed to do. And so by the end of day three, I made myself eggs and toast for dinner. By day four, I had re-introduced yogurt and had salmon for dinner. By day five, I was eating meat again and didn’t even do yoga that morning. By day six, my hip was bothering me again. I even had a bad episode over the weekend and started complaining again about stress.

How did my fall detox go...bad? Well, you could just say that the kitchari was nasty and I was hungry. But I’m pretty sure there’s more to it than that. Perhaps a bit of self-sabotage? What would I do with my life...what would I think about....if I was actually happy, at peace, and balanced? Bottom line: I bolted. And there's always a reason, a lesson, when we self-sabotage. When we reach for a cookie when we're on a diet, or when we don't finish a project we know will be good for us and others.

So what’s a girl to do? Accept that life is not all roses. Challenges are a part of life. And to be mindful that sometimes we stray. And learn the lesson.

My top five reasons why I love exercise and you should too

Dear Conscious Diabetic readers,

I have joined fellow d-bloggers and am participating in Diabetes Blog Week. I will be posting new topics every day this week on living with diabetes. Click here to read my Conscious Diabetic Monday post entitled: Diabetes and loving kindness practice.

Have a great day,
Ophir

Diabetes Blog Week topic #5 is exercise: Love it or hate it?

A wise person told me a few years ago that the only way to get diabetes under control – the only way to really make a difference and achieve healthy blood sugars and A1Cs – is to exercise consistently five days a week.

I was always an exerciser as a kid – riding my bicycle for hours, going for walks, roller skating, and playing tennis mainly - but I was kind of on-again, off-again about the whole thing. Then as an adult, the off-again phases became more frequent until I received that priceless piece of advice. And I decided to commit to consistent exercise.

I have listed for you my top five reasons why I have learned to love exercising five days a week, and have stayed committed to it for at least three years now, and why I think that everyone should get up off the couch and start loving exercise too!

5. Attention all Type 1, Type 2, pre-diabetics, and non-diabetics, exercise helps control blood sugars and can prevent diabetes altogether in some cases! Studies conducted at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found that “Physical activity 30 minutes a day on most days – or certainly five days a week – is a good place to start because that tends to maintain the blood sugar in a more normal range….And losing a few pounds, with proper eating and physical activity, can reduce chances of getting diabetes.”

Overall health improves as well through consistent exercise. I personally reversed some kidney problems I had developed when I was younger once I began exercising regularly and getting my blood sugars under control. I have also been taken off two medications, my cholesterol is superb, and I simply feel healthier, lighter, and more energetic.

Of course, this is mixed in with a healthy lifestyle as well: eating the right kinds of foods, sleeping properly, drinking lots of water, not smoking or drinking excessive alcohol, taking insulin and checking blood sugars, making my well-being a priority, and so on. Exercise is part of the overall health package.

4. Exercise is a great way to release stress, blow off steam, sweat it off, and burn off anger and frustration. Kick-boxing, martial arts, yoga, running, walking...all of the above and more…are great ways to let go of whatever is holding you back!

3. I’ve learned more about who I am. As you release the things that hold you back, you make room for who you really are to enter into your life.

I love yoga, walking, and aerobics that mixes in toning exercises. I love a good Jillian Michaels DVD because she pushes me to realize my potential, and I also love taking a nice walk outside and smelling the roses, being meditative, while also moving. Yoga is my all-time favorite exercise because of its mind-body-spirit approach – looking at the body as a whole.

I’ve come to learn that who I am as an exerciser reflects who I am in other parts of my life as well: Ambitious and driven while also staying attuned to mind-body-spirit.

2. You look better on the outside when you take care of what’s going on inside. I look better: Skin, eyes, hair, muscles, and all. I fit in my clothes, and they’re even loose at the moment! What a great feeling it is to walk into a store, pick out a pair of jeans or slacks off the rack, and fit in them! And look good!

1. I am happy, balanced, more confident, and at peace more oftentimes than not. We all deserve goodness in our lives, and you start to receive that goodness when you take care of what’s within you. Happiness comes from loving yourself, and what better way to do that than through exercise.

So, let’s get moving!