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"I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing...kissing a lot. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls."
Audrey Hepburn


Thursday, September 19, 2013

The Dr Oz 3 Day Detox Cleanse-My Experience

In an effort to get healthy, I've decided to try this detox cleanse that is circulating the internet and which was recommended by one of the members of my group on Facebook, The Viva Fit Club.

I feel it is necessary to start this by saying I am not on a mission to lose weight, although something like this will inevitably result in some weight loss as part of the detoxifying and cleansing process. I am also not a Dr Oz disciple, so to speak. I have seen him on all of maybe two talk shows in my life and thought he was mildly obnoxious. I feel that healthful lifestyles can, like anything else, go overboard and I personally have no intention of giving up Oreos or burgers entirely. That said, this cleanse seemed reachable and effective, per my research, and I decided to challenge myself by trying it.

Here is the picture page you can print out should you want to try it yourself:

The cleanse is touted as costing 16.00 a day...NOT TRUE. Assuming you don't already have the required supplements, green tea, berries, etc on hand, you can expect to pay almost 100.00 for the whole mess. So keep that in mind when making out your shopping list.

DAY ONE:

A.M.
I woke up this morning at my standard time of 6:30. I don't typically work out on Monday mornings since I go grocery shopping and so I have to look presentable and make out a list. I made the morning DETOX tea and drank it relatively quickly since I was on my way out the door.

The DETOX TEA was not an easy drink for me. I do not like Stevia, I've decided, and will probably skip it tomorrow. I also have an extreme aversion to lemon in liquid. I don't like it in my water, my tea, or especially anything hot. So I'm not gonna lie, by the time I got to the grocery store, I was ready to throw up. I got over the nausea though and got home by 10AM, which is when I mixed up my MORNING DRINK.

Having been drinking kale smoothies almost every day for a month or so (and loving them!-(another blog entry for another time), I thought this fruit and spinach concoction would be a breeze. Wrong. I could barely get it down, unfortunately. The culprit is the fact that it was not very cold and not very sweet. My raspberries were very tart, and one banana is just not sweet enough to overcome all the other ingredients. The almond butter and lemon also makes for a less drinkable smoothie than I've had before. But I did feel a bit of a 'buzz' after drinking it and I figure: 'Hey, you can do anything for just three days, right'?

At 11:30, I duly swallowed my 1/2 multivitamin and Probiotic with a 16 oz bottle of water. I am using my kids' multivitamin since it's easier to cut in half. My own One-A-Day is actually not as potent as theirs, which is a higher quality multivitamin from Whole Foods.

P.M.
My LUNCH DRINK was a little late because of the late breakfast. Thankfully it's a lot more along the lines of what I'm used to with my kale smoothies...a little chunky, but somehow refreshing. I hate celery and I had my misgivings but thankfully, the pineapple saved it. An automatic energy boost was the after effects of this drink and it was infinitely more drinkable than the breakfast concoction.

At 4pm, I went for a quick bike ride to buy some lavender extract for my nightly 'detox bath'. The ride was easy and I felt fully energized and normal. I noticed that this afternoon I was a little grumpy at my kids but this is a normal thing since I tend to feel very stressed as the day winds down and I have a lot of work left to do. Otherwise, all feelt the same. I have noticed that my urine is as clear as water. Interesting.

I was supposed to have a snack about this time, but since my lunch was late and I didn't feel hungry, I decided to skip that shake today. Maybe not recommended but I couldn't see force feeding myself one of these fiber filled smoothies at the time.

By 6:30, perhaps due to the missed 'snack' shake, I reached a low point of the day. Heavy eyelids (admittedly, partly due to the high pollen count in the air), fatigue, and an almost impenetrable haze that meant I needed to get up and move or succumb to exhaustion.

Making dinner for my family was hard; I'm not gonna lie. I didn't realize how much I 'nibble' when I'm preparing dinner, until I am sworn off of doing it. But once I made my shake and left the kitchen, it was not too bad. The DINNER DRINK is surprisingly tasty, although I worried about the avocado and cayenne idea. But it was fruity, refreshing, and the pepper gave it a great kick that was so invigorating at the end of this day of bland.

Interestingly, the 'buzz' that kale gives me during the day is replaced by a sort of 'clarity' at night. A restful clarity that made me feel sort of blissful and calm as I forced myself to relax with my family instead of run around doing the 20 million things I typically do in the evening.

The DETOX BATH was very relaxing as well,although the smell of lavender has never been a favorite of mine and it was a bit overpowering.

DAY TWO:
A.M.
I woke up at around 6:30 full of energy and fully prepared to do my 100's Workout before getting the kids off to school.

I drank a few swallows of my green tea with lemon (unsweetened this time),walked the kids to school, and guzzled the rest of it lukewarm when I got home.It was much easier since I hate hot lemony beverages; I think I'm going to try it cold tomorrow.

To improve my BREAKFAST DRINK, and make it more drinkable, I cheated a little and used 100% juice instead of water.I also froze the raspberries and ended up with a cold smoothie that was at least 80 percent better than yesterday's.Sometimes you just gotta break the rules a little.

P.M.

After taking my Probiotic and Multivitamin,I made my LUNCH DRINK and was saddened to find that it was much more celery tasting and chunky today. Pretty terrible actually...I could not finish it and so by mid afternoon, I was feeling depleted. The snack shake is probably very important but to someone who does not snack much, it was hard to make time for it.


The DINNER DRINK couldn't come soon enough. I made it while I made tacos for my family and it picked me right up. Definitely my favorite shake of the three.

The Epsom Salt DETOX BATH is the highlight of this whole thing. I turned the lights down low and watched ASMR videos while I soaked. Felt very calm and relaxed when I climbed into bed.

DAY THREE: THE HOME STRETCH

Today dawned with another pleasantly energized feeling. I walked my kids to school and drank the DETOX TEA cold, when I got home. So much easier that way. Yucky...lemon. Ugh.

Physically, I don't feel tired or headachey, which bodes well for me since I guess I wasn't as 'addicted' to my coffee and Coke Zero as I thought. I will continue my habit of one a day, for now, and am REALLY looking forward to a cup of coffee tomorrow morning! Emotionally, I feel more 'stable', more calm, more relaxed than usual. I don't feel hungry but I do want to chew something...it's hard to drink your meals every day. Today, I intend to stick to this entirely and NOT miss the snack shake. I mixed it up last night to eliminate having to make one at snack time...so there is have no excuse today.

My BREAKFAST DRINK down, I settled down to work and tough out the rest of the day. Perhaps because the finish line is so close, food is looking especially good today. My husband's coffee spoke to me, I swear. I thought I'd grab Ruby's string cheese right out of her hand. It's not that I'm hungry...I'm really not. I'm just craving different tastes and textures, I think.

The LUNCH DRINK was infinitely better today. I blended it an extra long time and used a little less celery. Finished it pretty quickly this time.

The afternoon dragged along and I tried to distract myself with reruns of Friends and plenty of water. Water isn't on the print out but is integral to flushing out the toxins. So I tried to drink a lot, although it was hard since my food had to be swallowed in the form of a 'drink' as well. This time I didn't skip the SNACK drink, and duly downed the leftover concoction from last night along with my last cleansing dose of OMEGA 3.

I discovered when I drank it as a snack, that the DINNER DRINK actually went down easier the next day since the ingredients seemed to break down and blend together better. This was further confirmed when I mixed up my DINNER DRINK again for the last time (sans the avocado, which I seemed to be out of) and found it comparatively chunky. Still my favorite of the three drinks though.

The DETOX BATH was especially rewarding that night since it was a way of bidding adieu to this whole process.

All in all, I'd say it was a great experience and I feel like the benefits far outweigh the inconveniences involved. Here on this fourth morning, as I'm about to enjoy my coffee (and I mean ENJOY my coffee), I feel energized, alert, and motivated to continue incorporating healthier foods in my diet. My skin is brighter, clearer and I've lost 5 lbs (that wasnt the prime goal but was inevitable and hey, my clothes fit better). I would absolutely do it again and actually intend to, maybe prior to Viva in the spring. Seems a great way to prepare the body for the onslaught of sleepless nights, off-schedule meals, and Frankie's Tiki drinks.

So til then, 3-Day Detox, cheerio! I've got some chewing to do...


xoxo
Ashley






Monday, September 9, 2013

Fall Into Flats!

Since I now live in a spritely neighborhood that is growing by leaps and bounds, (Midtown Memphis, The Cooper Young District), I feel the need to leap and bound along with it. Unfortunately, my shoe choices are slim when it comes to comfort AND fashion. This area is known for its vast choices of community events; almost every weekend boasts something new and exciting to see within walking distance of my centrally located house.
While my Remix Wedges are still my FAVORITE shoes for walking or dancing, they were expensive and I am not in a hurry to wear them out.
And sadly, my espadrille sandals won't be seasonally appropriate much longer. So I made it my mission to find something that works for my active new lifestyle but also my vintage inspired wardrobe. Let's go browsing, shall we?

First on our shopping trip:

As much as I love vintage style, I also love when shoes have a little bit of a modern whisper to them. These, by Blowfish, are right up my alley. I love an ankle strap and these are casual but chic. I would wear them with an A-line skirt and vintage top or with a casual shirtdress and cardigan.


Priced at 39.00 at zappos.

For a stylish walking shoe,anything under 100.00 is a steal! These metallic ballet-style flats by Earthies stood out to me. Metallics are my choice for neutral shoes because they look classic and interesting simultaneously, especially for those of us who are not interested in a lot of jewelry. These would go with a variety of things, from jeans to dresses.

Priced around 80.00 at The Walking Company.

Pin Up Girl Clothing has a bunch of comfortable and affordable options, currently. These patent ankle strap flats are perfect for cigarette pants and pencil skirts:

Priced at 44.00

For print dresses and skirts, a solid colorful shoe is one of my favorite things! Don't worry about exact match with the outfit you're wearing; the point is to find a statement hue that complements your ensemble. This green is a good color for summer and fall!


Move over Crocs! Mel by Melissa is a stylish 'synthetic' shoe that satisfies my 80's 'Jelly-Shoe' passion but also complements my vintage tastes. They have a reputation for being affordable (most pairs under 50.00) and comfortable too. Since some of them have a vented texture, they may not be ideal for very cold climates, unless you wear them with a pair of tights.

both pairs, 45.00 on Zappos

For sportier gals, I have always been a fan of VANS. I had a ballet style sneaker from them that lasted for eons and looked cute with all my activewear. These are my current favorites. I want to wear them with a pleated skirt and tee shirt!
Vans Era sneakers-55.00 on Zappos

Finally, I can't post a 'flats' blog entry without mentioning Easy Spirit, often equated with older ladies and overlooked by the younger crowd. I own a cute pair of leopard print suede ballet flats and have walked MILES in them, with no ill effects. I really like this bejeweled pewter pair, great for a flirty black dress and a less predictable option than a basic black shoe. You can walk to the opera in these:

Giota flats available for 79.00 at Easy Spirit's website. But I'll bet you can find them cheaper.


Feel free to share your favorite footwear sites in the comments! Remember that dance shoes are also usually a good option for walking, as long as the sole isn't too slick. So don't overlook dance supply shops either, when considering flat footwear purchases. Til next time, happy hoofing!

XoXo
Ashley