Let's Talk About...... Stress.

First things first- today is Day 11 of the reset.  I ONLY HAVE TEN DAYS LEFT, PEOPLE.  I cannot even express to you how excited I am to get this over with.  I really hope that it does make an impact on my old eating routine and it has definitely given me the tools to come up with some new recipes and ideas.

However, going 21 days without coffee, peanut butter, or chocolate has left me feeling like I have a screw loose.  During the past 11 days I have gone through the thoughts of "I cannot believe I was so dependent on different things" and I'm currently going through the thought process of "I cannot wait to start having coffee in moderation, because this reset is not real life and I could never function like this."

We live in a world where everything is fast, convenient, and deliciously terrible for you.  This reset has made me slow down, prepare my own food 3-4 times a day, and cut out all of those "real world" substances from my life.  Sure it's wonderful right now and doing miraculous things for my body, however, it's not my real world scenario and I can't imagine sticking to it every single day.  People who do-- well I applaud you because you obviously have a magic clock with more time or are some superstar chef who can whip up things in 10 minutes.  And let's not even talk about the cravings I deal with from chocolate.  High fives to the individuals who can go long periods of time without indulging in something a little sugary.  I am not one of those people.

So... I am not only stressed out about this reset (I think it's supposed to do the opposite), but I'm also stressed out about my job situation.  I'm still currently employed at Sun Tan City in Ann Arbor but the expenses I'm paying just to get to work and then work 8 hours a day isn't worth it.  I'm now scheduled to go on leave from here from June-August and hopefully I can find a job at home that will be worth my time.  I have applied to Starbucks and fingers-crossed I get that job, because I know I will absolutely love it.  What beats working in a coffee shop!?  (Possibly tanning... I do love tanning.)

Hopefully this post wasn't filled with too much negativity, as I am trying to get a better grip of my attitudes throughout this 21 day detox as well.  I was never aware how much your emotions affect your physical state of being until this all happened.  I could feel my body literally releasing emotions and stress the first week and it hasn't stopped yet.  My knees and upper back ache from stress release and I have had crazy mood swings and cried for no reason.  I know that this too will pass and once this reset is done I will be feeling like a million bucks.

I cannot wait until day 22. :)

Day 8

First day of detox is in the books! :)

Let me tell you... maybe it's the detox and maybe it isn't but I felt SO much better today.  It could have also been the 12 hours of wonderful sleep I got.  Today I was filled with positivity and got a lot accomplished.

I started off my day by eating a big plate of fruit in hopes that it would help curb my sugar cravings by replacing bad sugar cravings with lots of natural sugars.  It definitely helped as I didn't even look twice at the chocolate on the counter today.  Lunch consisted of a micro green salad, 1/4 avocado, and 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds.  For snack I decided to switch it up and had 1/2 scoop of my tropical strawberry vegan Shakeology to help once again with the cravings I had been having.  First shakeology in about 3 weeks and it was so delicious!!! :)  Finally after some light grocery shopping I had garlic stir-fry veggies, quinoa, and miso soup.  I'm feeling light, lean, and really great overall today.

I have to work 8:30-2:15 tomorrow and already have all of my supplements and meals packed up and ready to go.

Can't wait for this reset to be over, but hoping all of my days are as great as today. :)

Clearing my mind

Written on May 10:

Today has been hard for me.

Not because of Mother's Day necessarily, but the way I have felt all day has been driving me crazy. I have been proud of myself all week for staying committed to my reset meal plan and following the program perfectly. Today I woke up craving the biggest piece of chocolate and a jar of peanut butter and I was grouchy all day long. I annoyed myself with my attitude. 

For a majority of the day I really wanted to quit altogether and try again some other time. My mom wouldn't let me and I knew after reflecting on the money I spent that I couldn't quit. Then, I watched Isabelle and carls video on their week 2 and she really hit home with an answer to a question about cheating. She stated that this wasnt a diet but a reset to cleanse your body. You can't cheat, because there is no punishment and your main objective should be to better your health. Boom... I felt so much better. My desire for other foods wasn't cheating, it's my body adjusting to the detoxing and desire for the additional sugars. I think I will be okay from here on out. If I did 7 days without chocolate, coffee, and sweets I can complete the next 14 days. 

Here's to next week. :) 

Day 5

Finally!

I'm feeling back to normal and like a human again. I'm post-zombie phase. :)

My routines and habits prior to the reset were okay, but not that great. I scarfed down food in 10 minutes out of habit of being rushed to go to class or having minimal breaks at work. I went to Starbucks 4 times a week and had coffee at least once a day, if not more. Some mornings if I could get coffee, I would take headache pills with caffeine to feel awake. How bad is that? 

Since the reset has started I haven't had 1 milligram of caffeine. I had a constant headache for 4 days even though I was drinking 70-80 ounces of water (well over half my body weight) and eating clean. I could literally feel my body getting rid of toxins as my head constantly ached and my legs and hips hurt so bad, even though I definitely had not worked out. 

This morning I woke up just fine at 6:25 AM and have been functioning all day at work A-ok without my daily jolt. If anything- I miss the routine of going to Starbucks and having something to do. I'm replacing that time with cooking...seriously all I do is cook. Which is nice since I can actually witness my food being prepared & I'm more grateful, but it takes SO LONG. 

I'm excited to finish up week 1 and begin week 2 to release all of the toxins and hopefully release some weight as well! :) 

Happy Friday! 

Holy Guacamole

How has almost a month flown by since I have blogged last?! Not that much has happened since then, except that I'm officially on summer break. 

HALLELUJAH :)

I started my Ultimate Reset yesterday and like it so far! The only part I could go without is all of the time it is going to take me to meal prep. But- the food is good so far and I feel just fine. I keep having slight headaches from going without caffeine, and I can't take any ibuprofen or excedrin. So that will be a challenge. 

Hopefully the reset will have me blogging more about my experience! I'm excited to see how my body changes!

Here are Day 1 meals 1 & 2! :) for meal 3 I had baked salmon, steamed asparagus, and boiled potatoes. Yum. 

It's Friday Y'all!

FRIDAY!!!!!! :)

I cannot even explain how happy I am that this stressful week is over!! I turned in my rough draft of my 10 page research paper, turned in my lab report, had a chemistry exam, and a biology lab practical. Oh- and I survived. ;)

I'm super sad that my yoga 180 class is almost over, so I'm starting to experiment yoga studios in my area so I can find somewhere to go when my class is over. The only thing is that it is so expensive!!! 

Today I'm trying out hot yoga for the first time ever and i am terrified. I have been doing power flow yoga for the past 3 months 2 times a week and I'm in love. I've never tried Hatha yoga before so this will be an adventure. 

I'm writing at this work so...gotta go. I will definitely share my first ever hot yoga experience later! :)

Papers, Projects, Practicals- OH MY!

The semester is winding down...which means multiple papers, lab reports, projects, and practicals are being piled on to see if we end up collapsing and hiding in our dorms for the rest of the semester.  It's like professors play Tower Blocks with assignments until we fall off.  Good thing I have plenty of motivation and support (along with coffee) to keep me going until April 28.

This weekend was a nice break from the craziness, although I have a 10-page paper due tomorrow and a lab report & lab practical Tuesday.  I should have devoted more time to those assignments, but my brain hurts.  I spent Saturday work-free at the University of Michigan.  My day started out by having breakfast at 10am with the U of M football team.  I'm thankful and proud of my step-brother, Garrett, for being a part of the team so I can go to "exclusive" events :)  It's such a great bonus.  After breakfast was the annual spring game, but I was so tired and the sun was in my eyes, I could barely pay any attention.  I only really paid attention to when Garrett was on the field and then I would close my eyes and pretend I was laying on the beach (I'm desperate for vacation.)  I wish I could post some pictures, but I didn't take any with my actual camera, just my phone.  Anyway... I worked today from open til four and was more than happy to get back to my dorm to get myself settled and organized for the next week.  I have a process where I have to clean off my desk, sanitize it, and then plan my entire week out including meals before I can begin serious homework time.  I'm not sure where this stemmed from, but it definitely increases my productivity.  As well as turning my phone on airplane mode and putting on Twilight Film Score; Bella's Lullaby pandora radio station (however the subway commercial for Kung Pao pulled pork is getting on my very last nerve.  Maybe I should invest in Pandora One.)

Getting back to what this blog is sort of revolved around--  I'm starting the T25 Beta workouts this week.  And I'm super nervous.  I've never tried Beta yet, but I know it definitely ramps up the intensity and I'm not even in that good of shape.  Hopefully the endorphins afterwards will be worth it so I can get some work done!  I love doing homework after working out, because the endorphin rush after a workout clears my mind better than anything else.  This is also my last week using my Blogilates Fit Journal *tear* so I've been looking up other great tracking journals and I think I'm going to purchase the TurboTracker next.  Created by Chalene Johnson it has tons of awesome reviews, plus it's a Beachbody product! :)  My goals for this week are to complete THREE of the Beta workouts and only have one day of "dirty eating."  Phew... that may kill me since I'm still living on campus.

Also- my verse of the week!  "If God is for us, who can ever be against us?" -Romans 8:31 

Okay... back to homework.  I was actually taking a break from writing my research paper by typing this blog.  Mindless writing increases my ability to properly cite sources and come up with logical points for my paper I suppose!?  

Happy Sunday-- hope you enjoyed God's day!