Reboot Day 6

I've decided that today will be my last full day of cleansing. Yesterday was a little hard. I had classes, and so it was the first day that my cleanse had to be portable (besides a trip to IKEA and the mall). I washed all my produce the night before and had it ready to go for juicing in the morning. I made extra, and carried a huge thermos with me to school, along with bagged veggies and fruits. I felt great all morning. After class, I had to drive with a few classmates to a printer's shop in downtown L.A. to order the invitations and programs for our graduation ceremony. By the time I got home, I was tired. Sleepy tired. And then I realized: I'd taken an allergy pill that morning.

Though I'd tried to forego allergy medications during my cleanse, Day 4 had me sneezing and blowing all day long. I didn't want to be a scene at school, so that morning I took a Zyrtec. Allergies were fine, but it really did make me sleepy, which I never really noticed before. I just figured I was always tired! But really, I'd rather be sleepy than going out of my mind with allergies, so it's a trade off that I'll take.

The other thing I noticed by evening was that I was getting impatient and irritable, and I was thinking of food. I was missing it. I decided that I must be hungry to have such strong thoughts, so I made some juice and ate a pear and a clementine. That settled things down in my mind. It reminded me to listen to my body and to feed it when it wants to be fed. The choice at that pivotal moment is what makes all the difference. What do I feed it? Because, boy, I sure wanted something other than produce. But the veggies and fruits did the trick.

It also occurred to me that this is a hormonal week for me. Next week I start my period, and I always struggle the most the week before with cravings, especially cravings for sugar. When I realized that, I felt really empowered to be cleansing right now and giving my body what it needs and not what it thinks it wants.

Last night, as I reviewed my feelings about Day 5, I decided that today would be the last day. It will be purposeful and intentional, and tomorrow I will gradually "Unboot". I'll have juice in the morning, and a few times in the day, but I will eat some whole grains and protein along with a large salad. The reason I felt good about this is because Friday I will be in the hospital all day, and I wanted my focus to be there. A juicing cleanse does take a fair amount of work. It's work to make sure you have enough produce in enough varieties (because good grief, does it go fast!). It's work to wash the produce and juice it, and clean the ding-dang juicer several times a day. It's work to take care of your family's meals and all that they entail, around your cleansing. It's work to make sure you are taking enough in that you'll be able to sustain your cleanse. Cleansing is not about starving yourself. In fact, I'm taking in roughly the same amount of calories as I usually do, just in a cleaner form. It takes a lot of mental energy to keep up with it. I feel really successful with what I was able to do for 6 whole days. And I loved this "Rebooting" kind of cleanse. It has been so much easier than other cleanses I've done, and much more nourishing and sensible.

So, Day 7 I'll be Unbooting! And working hard to continue to nourish my body and make better choices about my health, not just the health of my children. This past week was a gift.