Saturday, October 20, 2012

Day 30 - cleansing and detox

Finally I get to report on my final day of this 30-day whole body nutritional cleansing and detox that I've been on. I hadn't posted daily to this blog since I first started the blog. Now I'll get to go back and post my random thoughts about football, Heart, and what-not. 

My weight first thing this morning around 5 A.M. was 165 pounds - 14 pounds less than my starting weight of 179 pounds. The measurement around my belly was 38 inches from a starting measurement of 41 inches, and my waist and buttocks were each 2 inches less around than on my starting day.

It was nice to see that I hadn't gained much from 8 days ago, when I had finished the 2nd of my two consecutive 'cleanse' days. It seems now that if I actually want to begin losing more weight, I may have to have more 'cleanse' days. But I'm happy to see that my body holds steady on the 'shake' day routine. I was afraid that I'd gain some of what I had lost back. And of course the body works in mysterious ways so it probably isn't that simple. I could lose a little more, I could gain a little more while staying on the shake routine. I'll probably need to start exercising, perhaps some resistance training, and make other little changes too. Like I mentioned before, I would love to add some muscle, so losing weight would not be the goal then! I want to remake my body. 

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, it certainly doesn't stop here; I'd like to think that it starts here. I'm very happy with this system, it's not difficult to do, and I'll see where I am at the 2-month mark, the 3-month mark, the 6-month mark and so on. 

If you don't know what I'm doing yet, here's a link to a video that explains it: 

VIDEO

So until the next musing strikes, Aloha!

Friday, October 19, 2012

Day 29 - cleansing and detox

Okay, tomorrow will be the last of my 30-days on this program - so I'll be weighing myself and taking the usual measurements. The only measurement that really matters to me is the one around my belly, although the one for my waist will be interesting to see too. And which one has made the visible difference that someone actually complimented me about? My neck! 

What I'm a bit puzzled about are the results that others on this program are getting. Just within the first 30-days, a few of them were: 

Down 20 lbs. and 25 total inches. 
Down 30 lbs. and 50.3 total inches (in 3 1/2 weeks) 
Down 11.8 lbs. and 13 total inches (in only 11 days) 

Holy smokes! 

What that says to me is I didn't have as much extra weight to lose, we're all different and have different responses to cleansing and detox, I'm not subtracting all the inches I've lost in my total, my eating habits to begin with weren't so off-base and... who knows? The bottom line is we're all different; I've been told by my cleanse coach that I'm actually doing pretty good and better than some others. 

Although this is the initial 30-days, I've also learned that by sticking to the system, it's the first 90-days that are the key because that's when the cells will be truly regenerated (or something like that). 

But I am very pleased with how I'm doing. I've lost plenty of weight and besides, it's not so much about weight loss but clearing out toxins and eating healthy. I don't need to take afternoon naps anymore (although I reserve that right!), and it's nice not having to worry about shopping for just the right foods or preparing as many meals.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Day 28 - cleansing and detox

As an adjunct to my cleansing and detox, I am slowly learning other things as I go along. Things that probably should have been obvious to me before, or at least to which I should have paid attention. 

One I just learned today is: not all calories are created equally. You can read a label to see how many calories are in a certain product, but which calories are due to fats? Carbohydrates? Or proteins? So it's one thing to count calories, but another to see where those calories are coming from. Yes, I'm sure many of you already knew this, but from now on I'll be more aware whenever I read product labels. 

Another thing is if your goal is weight loss, for example, once the body over several months gets used to a routine of food consumption, then it's a good idea to change it up every now and then to keep the body guessing. There's much more to it than that, but it's just the idea that struck me.

SHORT VIDEO

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Day 27 - cleansing and detox

Almost done with my first 30 days! Having already had my FOURTH and final cleanse day for the month, which I wrote about on 'Day 22' of this blog, I knew that my weight loss total probably peaked for this initial period (the 30-day cleansing and detox). From then on for the rest of the month I'd be having shake days (2 shakes and a meal). 

So my final 30-day weight is yet to be determined. I'm expecting to gain a little bit back, but obviously the closer to 13-14 pounds lost, the better. Then I believe as long as stay with this program, I ought to stay at the same weight, that is, unless I start exercising to put on more muscle. 

There are products made by this company that will aid in that, such as more specific protein powders which I can mix in with my daily shakes. And if I continue having occasional 'cleanse' days every now and then, I may release even more unwanted fat. I do like the idea of showing off some abdominal muscles whenever I feel like it - wouldn't that be a nice testament to how good the products and this system work? And if I should impress some ladies on the way... 

Of course, as I've been writing, it's not all about releasing extra fat but rather feeling better and having more energy. One of these days I'll have my blood pressure taken by a nurse and also have my blood tested in a lab. Although no medical claims should ever be made about nutritional products, that will let me know for certain that this has been the way to go. And that's just for my needs; other people who have undergone toxic cleansing have done all kinds of good things for their health. 

I'm noticing that even while riding my stationary bike, I am feeling stronger. I own an autoshifting LandRider bicycle (what can I say, I really like their infomercial!) and what felt like the most difficult gear before seems like only the 2nd or even 3rd most difficult gear now! 

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Day 26 - cleansing and detox

Here's a summary of how I've done so far on this 30-day cleansing and detox: 

As I mentioned in my last post, I've released 13 pounds. All without adding to my usual daily exercise regimen of 30-minutes on the stationary bicycle. 

Although I still occasionally feel hungry during the day in between meals and pre-scheduled healthful snacks, it's easy enough to forget about by keeping busy. If I simply drink a glass of water, that's enough.

This feeling of hunger has gotten better as the weeks have gone by.

It's not a diet so much as it's simply changing my eating habits. With the products already designed for me, I don't have to think about what everything adds up to that I eat. I just cut down to one meal of regular food (still gotta keep it smart and low-calorie though... don't go crazy!) per day and two nutritious shakes for the other two. 

I don't feel so tired when I wake up in the morning, and don't fight off having to take a nap in the afternoons (although a light nap of about 15-20 minutes might still occur). At least hour to hour-and-a-half naps don't rule my life anymore! 

Feelings of sluggishness and lethargy are pretty much gone.

I can stand on my feet for longer periods of time. I used to always sit whenever I had the chance. 

Brighter outlook in general.

That's all I can think of right now. I'm curious to see how things go as I continue with this program. How will I look in 60-days? 90-days? One year? 

Thanks for reading! 

Monday, October 15, 2012

Day 25 - cleansing and detox

While riding my stationary bike today, I remembered my cousin didn't say, "Oh, I know Robert!" She said, "Oh, I know Bob!" About both of them. Now, that's knowing them casually. 

My cousin doesn't like to drop names, but I do. So I'll drop a name for her: Ben-Fong Torres. He's famous (or is that Almost Famous?) for being a rock journalist and author, being senior editor of Rolling Stone magazine near its inception. Lately, he's been a co-host for the annual Chinese New Year's parade in San Francisco among other things. They were friends back in high school. 

I was going to mention on my blog about this special mural being created in San Francisco, but as it turns out, Ben (I've written him myself - I'd like to take credit for them re-connecting online - so I'll be casual and call him Ben) wrote about it on his website.

Right now, the part about the mural is the current entry but it's dated September 3, 2012 and is below the part about Clint Eastwood, should you find what I've written here, oh say, years from now... 

Yes, my cousin is Rita Guzman. Funny though, for all the famous people she's known/knows, and all the famous people that Ben has known or still knows, they came to meet them separately. I would love to be a fly on the wall when they exchange tales from the last few decades, but she said they would talk about other things. Am I really that star-struck about famous celebrities? Oh well, that being said... 

I have this other cousin (did I mention that I have 30 first cousins, on my father's side?) who was a young girl when the beautiful actress Tippi Hedren visited my cousins' parents' fish and flower store, and brought along her own little girl, Melanie Griffith! So while the adults were doing whatever they were doing, little Melanie Griffith was playing with my cousin! How cool is that? Of course, that was years ago, and I still haven't been able to see the photographs that were taken. Apparently, and I was too young to remember, my aunt and uncle had a rickshaw that they kept in the store and the two girls took some pictures in it. 

I wonder if either Tippi or Melanie remembers that? If anyone knows them, pass this story along! 

Well, I'm off on a tangent again since I'm supposed to be writing about my cleansing and detox. It's going fine! I'm over two-thirds through my first month and there's really not too much to write about. I still weigh 13 pounds less than the day I started, so that's pretty good. No more 'cleanse' days until after the 30-days are over - I'll have my next one in about two weeks. 

With my added energy, I'm doing things that I wasn't up to doing before. I've been feeling sentimental lately and have been trying to add to my Facebook friends list by clicking the 'Add Friend' button on people I haven't seen for decades, including junior high. It's been quite pleasing that many of them have accepted, so they remember me! If you've been following me here, here's my Facebook page

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Day 24 - cleansing and detox

I got a call yesterday from a cousin (yet a different one), and we started to catch up with what each other was doing. She's led such an interesting life and has known a great number of celebrities: Sting, the late Jaco Pastorius, Robert Downey, Jr., and many more. She finds it amusing whenever I get all excited when she casually mentions the name of somebody famous. She doesn't "name drop" though; they just happen to be people she's known. 

I remember describing the movie 'The Player' to her awhile ago and mentioned that it was directed by Robert Altman. And she responded, "Oh, I know Robert!" In fact, that's exactly what she said when I mentioned Robert Downey, Jr. in a later conversation. She also knew his father, and mostly knew Robert Jr. when he was a child.

My great excitement was telling her about how I've been losing weight and that our cousin could tell just by looking at my neck. I mentioned the cleansing I am doing and she knew all about cleansing and eating right. She went on to mention the very things that are a big part of the video I linked to in a recent post. How it is much more difficult to find food now that hasn't been subject to chemicals. I must admit that I found that video to be a bit of a shock piece when I first saw it, but really, the problem cannot be overstated and talking with my cousin helped reinforce that point. 

She talked of buying organic and being aware of the things being fed our cattle, such as corn, things that have been genetically modified. I think that it's just so much easier to buy products that are manufactured safely so I don't have to shop for groceries that carefully. 

(Looking online, I just found out that Robert Altman passed away in 2006.) 

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Day 23 - cleansing and detox

I'm still riding high from yesterday's compliment about looking slimmer! It's one thing to see for myself that I'm losing weight by reading the weight scale, but to have someone notice who didn't even know I was doing anything different and without being asked, now that's something I'll never forget. 

I woke up feeling happy, and yesterday I didn't even have a semblance of wanting to nap. Of course, now that I mention it I'll probably feel sleepy this afternoon. But even if I do, it's a marked improvement over what my life was like before. I'm trying to contain my excitement. :-)

After yesterday's post, I added the link to another video, this one being the creation of the particular group I have joined that is within the company that makes the products. After bad experiences with this kind of business before, it was especially important for me to not only find a company that felt right, but a group within it that I felt comfortable with. 

What's also so great and different this time around is I now have visible results from using the product line instead of me having to somehow convince people that they should buy different supplements or supplements at all. Now I can show them actual results and with more energy too! 

Yesterday being the day after my second of a two-day consecutive cleanse was an adjustment in that I was putting food into my stomach. I sort of cheated by eating a snack bar (a company nutritional one) right after having my morning meal replacement shake. It was very satisfying and delicious but consuming food like that did give me indigestion. For the foreseeable future, I won't be doing any 2-day cleanses; in fact, for this coming month, I only ordered enough 'cleanse' day product to do a cleanse once per two week period. 

Although I should still be diligent in trying to eat smart during my one meal of regular food a day, but I guess I've done pretty well for allowing myself to eat to a full stomach. This program is not about depriving oneself entirely, just eating with a plan in mind. After the initial 30 days on this cleansing system is over, I'm going to be a little more flexible in what I eat, even going out to a restaurant every now and then. I will certainly let loose when Thanksgiving comes around! This system is really pretty simple of adhering to two shakes and a meal most every day. 

Friday, October 12, 2012

Day 22 - FOURTH CLEANSE DAY!

Oh boy, this morning someone noticed and complimented me on looking better! And it was simply because she noticed that I looked thinner in the neck! 

I had an appointment with the dentist, and the receptionist asked if I was losing weight and gestured around to indicate around the neck area. I was wearing a jacket and standing behind a counter so she couldn't tell I was losing around the gut. I was pretty flabbergasted! That's something I'd never experienced before.

Yesterday was my second consecutive day on a 'cleanse' day, which consisted of mostly fluids and about a half dozen morsels of something to chew on: a healthful couple of chocolates that are infused with anti-oxidants and four healthy fortified chewable tablets, at different times of the day. It helped quell my hunger and also gave my body what it needed. Still, it's not advised to do a cleanse day for three days consecutively. I was just curious to see the difference it made to do it for two days in a row. Now I'm back to 'shake' days (one meal and two shakes per day, six out of seven days per week on average) until my 30-day cleanse is done. 


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If you would like to learn more about the cleanse I'm doing and what it can do for you, here is a link to a SHORT VIDEO that explains how it works.

And if you would like to write to me, this is my Facebook email address.
archan8(at)facebook.com

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Day 21 - THIRD CLEANSE DAY!

Weighed myself first thing this morning - I've lost 4 more pounds over the past week! 

When I started this cleanse and detox three weeks ago, I weighed 179 lbs. and this morning I weighed 166 lbs., so that's um... carry the two... 13 pounds total! 

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I said that today I would do a second consecutive 'cleanse' day. I feel about the same as yesterday, so I'm not suffering twice as much, not that it's ever suffering. Of course, I long for some real food, but I'm finding it all worth it.  :-) 

I took the usual measurements (which I'll do tomorrow morning as well), and the most important measurement to me, around the abdomen or tummy area, is 3 inches less than when I started. And I've lost another inch from my waist, for a total of 2 inches less there than when I began. I'm curious to see how things look tomorrow since I'm doing a cleanse 2 days in a row.

My neck is even another quarter of an inch thinner around. 

Throughout this cleanse and detox, what I haven't been doing is any strength training. It's not all about losing weight, just unhealthy weight. I would love to gain some solid lean muscle too, so I should start incorporating some workouts as well. The shakes that I am using to replace meals with are made from high-grade whey protein, and are full of balanced nutrients. 

This nutritional cleansing and detox isn't meant necessarily to help one lose weight, nor even the additional bonuses of gaining energy and not needing to nap in the afternoon. Of course, it's certainly nice to have something as visual as slimming down to show people! But like I've mentioned before, there are other benefits to doing a safe and gentle cleansing such as this one, as you can probably imagine.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Day 20 - cleansing and detox

Two-thirds done! 

If you've been following these last 20 days of posts, you know that each day I've commented on how the previous day went. And yesterday went fine - not much to say. 

Today, I'm going to comment on today and a little bit on tomorrow. I just got off the phone with my cleanse coach (again, not a formal designation - he's kind of a cheerleader and answers my questions). You see, today is my 3rd cleanse day on this 30-day nutritional cleansing and detox, doing one cleanse day at the end of each week. And really, it's quite gentle... there's been no actual starving or suffering, and getting what I think are pretty darn good results so far. But one of the suggestions I read in the instructions is to do two cleanse days on back-to-back days. 

I ran the idea by my cleanse coach and he said that the best results come with having back-to-back cleanse days. That way the deeply rooted (or whatever terms he used) toxins get removed, and other cellular processes (my words) happen with the fat stores and what-not (you'd have to ask him)... well, in any case, things happen on the 2nd day of consecutive cleanse days that wouldn't happen on a regular schedule of cleanse days, which happen just once a week. 

So I am determined to give it a try: following today's cleanse day with another one tomorrow. 

We also discussed what I should be doing in the months after this one, and that depends on what my goals are. I have no idea how many pounds I would like to lose, only that I would like to slender down and lose my pot belly. Washboard abdominals would be a bonus if I'm dedicated enough to do that. But it seems I can look forward to weekly cleanses for awhile now. And having been through several already, I think I can handle that. They're not all that difficult.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Day 19 - cleansing and detox

Although it's been carefully emphasized by this product line's company not to make any medical claims, which makes sense because once the boundaries of truth start getting stretched, who knows how far the claims will go? - that's been one of my goals: to get better results on my blood tests. 

I figure as long as I am simply feeling better, then that must say a lot about my health. I don't know exactly why or how I am feeling more energy and don't need to take naps so much anymore. Even when I do doze off during the ball game or sports coverage, I've noticed that it is only for 15-20 minutes or so nowadays, a nice little cat nap. I used to go for an hour to an hour and a half in the afternoons, snoozing quite deeply away. Brief little naps aren't nearly as disruptive to my daily life.

I don't have children, and I hope it's not necessarily too late to start, but I'd always been worried that if I did ever have kids that I wouldn't have the energy to even be awake when they needed me, such as during the crawling-toddler ages when they can get into all kinds of trouble and need a watchful eye from whomever is there to make sure nothing bad happens. I had this fear that if I were the one watching over a young child I simply wouldn't be able to keep my eyes open. Now I feel I could stay awake if necessary! 

Looking back, there was the dozing off during lectures in college (then again, I was majoring in Architectural Engineering which made for very long days and nights of studying and working on projects as it was), the ultimate fighting against the desire to sleep at the jobs I've had... as you can see by my preoccupation with sleeping and napping in these posts, it's been a big, BIG issue throughout my life. Not narcolepsy thank goodness, but always needing to catch up on sleep. It still is a pleasant escape for me though; I truly relish sleep. And if you've kept up with me on this blog, eating too! 

Which reminds me of the personal ad I thought of years ago that would accurately describe who I am: My name is Arthur. I like to sleep and to eat, and I enjoy clothing and shelter. 

I so hope that there's more to me than that, but that's me in a nutshell. Oh! - I like NFL football plus the NFL Draft - that's not boring, is it?

Monday, October 8, 2012

Day 18 - cleansing and detox

The last time I formally weighed myself was this past Thursday, early the morning after my 'Cleanse' day on Wednesday. I may have mentioned in an earlier post that I find that I weigh different at different times of the day. Apparently I am at my lightest in the early morning vs. later in the day. 

When I weighed myself on Wednesday night just before going to sleep, I was the same as the previous week after my first cleanse. I don't know where the weight goes while I'm sleeping, but when I weighed myself Thursday morning so I could record it, I was 4 pounds lighter! I kept rubbing my eyes trying to focus them to make sure I was seeing correctly. Finally I decided that I was seeing accurately. 

So that's what I posted: 8-9 pounds less than when I started this cleansing and detox! And I added that I measured 2-3 inches less around my stomach/abdomen. Looking back at my chart and totaling the inches lost by Thursday morning of last week, it would be about 6.5 inches.

I wonder if these numbers make sense because I've read that every 3 inches lost equates to a pound of weight or so. I must be measuring wrong or something. Or there is another explanation. I suppose in any case it's all very encouraging! 

How much does it actually show? Not much, I don't think, although I did have 'Before' photos taken, so maybe it would be more apparent if I compared myself to 2 1/2 weeks ago. I do feel a nice subtle difference in how my pants fit, but I have a long ways to go yet. 

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Day 17 - cleansing and detox

It's nice how with this 30-day cleansing and detox program I'm on, when I do eat my one meal per day (I choose to have my meal for lunch and having the shakes for breakfast and dinner), the food tastes better. I don't have to add lots of flavor or anything, just very simple. 

Yesterday, I had a lightly seasoned pre-made turkey patty, cooked and cut up over some brown rice with a simple salad of uncooked spinach, sliced tomatoes and a low-fat ranch dressing. Then some cantaloupe to finish up my meal. Like I mentioned before, I have no idea how much the calories add up to and I always eat enough to fill myself up, but at least I feel I'm eating smarter. 

I suppose an advantage I have doing this over many other people is I don't have a fast-food addiction that I have to break, nor have I ever gotten dependent on drinking coffee or alcohol. I do believe that this detox and cleansing would be an excellent way for someone to break such dependencies, although it would be a lot more of a challenge to get over such addictions, especially during the first few days! Well worth the effort though.

As for smoking, that's hardly even worth mentioning... you've already broken that habit, haven't you? If you do smoke... hmmm... I wonder if this program would help you get over that urge too. 

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Day 16 - cleansing and detox

So what happens yesterday after writing that I wasn't afraid of needing a nap later? Right after I finished typing up yesterday's post, I was feeling so much energy that I rode an extra session on my stationary bicycle for 20 minutes! Then a little after that I had lunch... and a little after that I promptly dozed off in front of the television for a little while. 

What I'm noticing is I'm able to do my usual bicycling sessions early each morning, but if I do an extra session later, I might end up falling asleep in front of the TV. I know, the simple answer would be: then don't watch television! 

It seems though, that my body is still adjusting to being energized (after all, it's been becoming what it is/was prior to the toxic cleansing for decades) and at least I sometimes feel up to exercising twice a day. It is great in that I haven't been dead-tired like I used to be in the afternoons, and I think I could fight off needing an afternoon nap if I had to. Besides, dozing off while relaxing isn't the worst thing in the world. I was just frustrated that my afternoon naps were darn-near impossible to fight off and a daily need before starting this.

I also discovered that my weight is different at night compared to the morning. When I first started, I weighed and measured myself in the early morning. My weight somehow goes down during the night while I'm sleeping. I weighed around 175 pounds last night and 171 this morning. It's similar to how I'm half an inch taller first thing in the morning and by the afternoon to early evening I've 'settled' into my height. Hmmm... I'm a little taller and skinnier in the mornings then! 

Overall, though, I'm happy to see that I still weigh about 8-9 pounds less than when I started!

Friday, October 5, 2012

Day 15 - cleansing and detox

Last night was kind of unusual for me - I was sitting down watching television around 10 p.m. when I was sick of sitting down so I got up and went outside to take in some fresh air. Although I didn't walk around for more than just a little bit, I was actually content just to stand and enjoy the breeze and watch the clouds in the moonlit sky. I stood outside for maybe a half-hour. 

Like I mentioned in an earlier post, I am doing much better in preferring to stand instead of sitting down. I've been reading how much healthier it is to stand instead of sit, or better yet to stand instead of lay down, which has been a problem for many of my decades. 

Then when I was ready to go to bed around midnight, I felt an energy, a buzz still going strong that would have to settle down before I could fall asleep, all without having taken any nap whatsoever during the afternoon. And this morning I woke up feeling more rested then before. I'm not afraid at all that I'll need a nap later today either.

I'd read that there would many benefits to this cleansing and detox besides the usual losing of inches and gaining energy, but it's exciting to see what is unfolding! Will I change to the point where I start doing things that have never appealed to me before? I highly doubt I'll start riding motorcycles... I'd still rather go birdwatching.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Day 14 - SECOND CLEANSE DAY!

It went well yesterday - I knew what to expect this time around since it was my second time doing it. The little snacks I'm allowed to eat helped to sate my desire to chew on something. Plus if I felt hungry, I simply told myself that I'd eat some real food the next day (today!). 

As I did my first time on a cleanse day, I skipped my usual exercising on the stationary bike to conserve energy. 

Anyway, what is all this leading up to? Well, it's the 2-week anniversary of me starting this program, so I weighed and measured myself. Granted, it was the morning after essentially fasting, but I was really pleased with the numbers.

First of all, I weigh 8-9 pounds less than when I started! I expect this to fluctuate bits here and there, but I should overall keep the extra weight off. It feels great not having as big a roll of flesh hanging over my waist band. Although now, I realize that I could stand to lose quite a bit more before I am fit and trim. I honestly had no idea how much my goal was in terms of how many pounds I wanted to shed. I'm a long way from having washboard abdominals.

My stomach measurement is 2-3 inches less, which is nice but again a long way to go. A nice start though! What surprised me is my neck measurement which has gone down half an inch. 

What's also nice is I don't feel weak from starving myself trying lose weight. The shakes are highly nutritious and I'm convinced highly engineered. I wouldn't mind stuffing myself at a buffet, but that will never change. It is requiring some discipline to not eat anything and everything that tastes good, but I've always known to avoid certain kinds of foods. 

And still, the best part of this detox is having more energy! 

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Day 13 - cleansing and detox

So yesterday, I was feeling like another round on my stationary bicycle in the late afternoon. A 1/2 workout - just 15 minutes compared to the 30 minutes I do each morning. Afterwards I went to sit down on the arm of my couch to watch some television... and dozed off! Slightly though. I remember fading in and out and the next thing I knew, it was 20 minutes later! 

Oh well, these things will happen too. At least I got some extra exercise in and didn't feel the need to actually lie down and nap for an hour or so. All in all, this is still an improvement over what I used to do most every day.

Another improvement I've had since starting this cleansing and detox program is I don't mind standing. What do I mean by that? Well, it used to be such an undesired option for me to stand if I could sit. And now, standing isn't so bad anymore. Hopefully this will continue to get better as I'm still a bit of a sitter. But lately if I'm just parked in a chair sitting down watching the game or something for a long period of time, I've felt the need to get up and pace around or stand. It's a restless energy I haven't felt in a long time. 

Or I'll go outside and walk around barefoot on the concrete for brief periods. Have I mentioned the concept of 'Earthing' before? It's the exchanging of electrons between one's body and the Earth or something like that. Ever since I read it, I've been 'Earthing' including using a mat that I put at the end of my bed for my feet to be in contact with as I sleep. Besides walking around barefoot during the day too. The book makes a good argument that insulating one's feet from the Earth with shoes is unhealthy. 

And while I'm at it, while people avoid sunlight altogether because they want to protect their skin, there are the health benefits of being outside and soaking in the rays that they are missing. From Vitamin D, primarily. Here's an interesting article about Vitamin D I just found: Vitamin D myths, facts and statistics.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Day 12 - cleansing and detox

I remember when I left my first job after college. It was at a small 5-person engineering firm in Modesto, California. I never really cared for engineering even when I was studying it, and I hadn't yet realized that some people liked their work. I didn't even think it was possible: work was work. One lives for one's time off. 

On my last day, the principal for whom the firm was named shook my hand and wished me luck. And I can still picture the way he looked when he told me that he hoped that I would stick with engineering because it was "so fun!" If I hadn't seen how genuine he was when he said it, I wouldn't have believed it. He really meant it - engineering is fun. 

Which got me thinking about how much of a disadvantage I must have been in when I was in college. What if all the other students in my classes actually enjoyed what they were studying? Was that possible? How much easier it was, then, for them to learn the material, do the assignments, and in most cases, excel at what they were doing! 

Why do I bring this up? I've gone four or so days without needing, and I mean needing, a nap in the afternoon. It wasn't necessarily out of boredom, or lack of drive, or being lazy or depressed (although many of those things start working their way into the mix too); I was plain sleepy for what I am now convinced was some sort of chemical imbalance: this nutritional cleansing is clearing the toxins out of my body.

So it has me thinking about how much of a disadvantage I've been in all these years, actually decades, to all the people that haven't had this need to sleep and nap during daylight hours. Oh yes, of course, I've had my advantages and others have had their own sets of challenges that maybe I haven't had to face, but I'm starting to feel as if I have another six hours in the day to do something with; if I wasn't actually napping before, I didn't have much energy to do much of anything anyway. I'll have to start learning what it is I can accomplish now. 

Like I mentioned before, my personality isn't going to suddenly transform from introvert to extrovert though. I'm no Type A, but I don't have to be a Type Zzzzzz anymore either.

Monday, October 1, 2012

Day 11 - cleansing and detox

I went another day without needing a nap yesterday! I can't tell you how monumental this is. I still have those moments in the afternoon where I can picture myself laying down, but now it's easier to resist. I'm feeling that all I have to do is keep busy or find something interesting to pay attention to and I'll get past the urge. Whereas before, I couldn't fight off the need for sleep.

I've read enough self-help books, or at least started to read or read most of these books, where I know what I should be doing to set and re-set my mind to think thoughts of accomplishment and what-not, but somehow the information never sunk in deeply enough to do much good. I'm feeling good enough now mentally and physically to re-read them now. I've started reading 'Psycho-Cybernetics' by Maxwell Maltz, M.D., F.I.C.S., again. It's about self-image psychology - kind of old-fashioned, but this time around I think the information will sink in more. 

Yet it's the books about The Law of Attraction that have been making the biggest difference in my mindset, even before I started this new cleansing and detox program. I'd like to think that it was applying the Law of Attraction that led me to the concept of cleansing in the first place! 

Besides more energy, I'm looking forward to going through my days feeling just plain happier. I've always been the drab, serious sort of person, and I actually woke up this morning feeling in a good mood. I don't want to paint a picture of me being depressed every single day until now - I have woken up feeling pretty good lots of times before, but if it's something a little different now, like I've fixed my body's chemistry somehow... how cool! 

I'm anticipating ups and downs though. It's not like I'm feeling a continuous 'high' like I'm on drugs or anything - I still go through my oh-so-human emotions. But if feeling happy is less work and less about constant reminders and being aware of what I'm thinking and is simply there - it will lift such a dark cloud from my life.