I'm In: Reboot Day 1

Ever since I watched Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, I've been wanting to do a Reboot of my own. Now, I don't have a hundred pounds to lose, or diabetes, or blood pressure problems and I'm not taking medications to control my cholesterol. But I also hope to never be faced with any of those challenges. I see people in the hospital suffering from preventable and sometimes reversible health problems that dramatically alter the quality of their lives. And I think, "Not for me." No thank you.

Over the years I've done many, many fasts and cleanses. The longest I've done was ten days, but it was a lemonade drink cleanse, and too restrictive. As part of my religion as a Mormon, we fast for 24 hours on the first Sunday of every month. It is a way to empower the spirit, but it is also a vital tool for cleansing, resting, and healing the body. But I wanted something a bit more intensive, and I like Joe Cross' Reboot. Now, in the documentary, Joe drinks nothing but fruit and vegetable juices for 60 days. He's trying to find resolution for a health problem that's been plaguing him for years. He does just that, and loses 86 pounds in those 60 days, or something like that. But he was also closely supervised by a doctor throughout his cleanse.

I'm not doing anything that crazy. But I am trying to "reboot" my health, my palate, my attitude towards myself as both a physical entity as well as a spiritual being. Something deeply internal like this requires some down time, some quiet time, and I wasn't sure when I would get that. Originally, I had planned for Spring break, but then I filled that up with some certification courses. Then, late last night, as I was putting things in order for my long day at the hospital for clinical, I got a text message from my professor who was very ill and had to cancel clinical for the day.

I knew it was time. I've been struggling with illness over the last week as well, plus allergies, and now I realized I had an unexpected day given to me. So, I decided today would be Day 1. On a Reboot, all you have to do is eat and drink nothing but fruit and vegetables, with veggies being 80% and fruit making up the other 20%. You start the day with a cup of hot herbal tea, and then juice your food, or eat salads, or follow any of the other recipes that they suggest on the website. I'm not going nuts about following recipes. I bought lots of produce, and that's what I will consume over the next 5-7 days, we'll see. Today, I'm juicing.

I'm also making time for meditation. I expect the first few days to be rough with tiredness, headaches, body aches, but I can rest. I started my day in the scriptures, and I'm making time for journaling. I hope to share some of my experience here, as well. This is one way that I am reclaiming me.

It feels good to have made the decision.