30 Transformational Days

Last week I completed 30 transformational days: The Arbonne 30 Days to Healthy Living Detox. The basic premise is simple. Eliminate certain foods that are known allergens and create acidity in the body, keep your exposure to toxins limited by eating organic, assist your body with the provided products and allow your body heal itself. It’s amazing how so much can change in so little time! At the start of January, I was cranky, self-loathing, stressed and bloated. Now I feel great! Here’s ten reasons why I’m so glad I did it.

1. It was time to press the reset button. The holidays really did me in. I had been on what I can basically acknowledge was a bender of sorts, though alcohol wasn’t my problem. I had been on a renegade tear, a mission of self-destruction. Emotionally, physically, spiritually, I just wasn’t in my best place…the sugar, especially, was killing me!
2. The external results: I lost weight!  And inches! My pants fit again. I don’t hate myself every time I get dressed. I don’t hide from my husband while getting into the shower. Dare I say I even feel sexy again? And my skin! Let’s talk skin! My skin. My skin. Clear. Glowing. From the inside out. I was dull and drab a month ago, zitty from all the sugar and at the same time dry and flakey. I look younger now!
3. The internal healing: Even more important than the external results, is the healing that’s taken place on the inside, the things I can’t even see. This is priceless to me. I think back as to how I’d been treating my body. Our bodies are miraculous entities but they can only take so much assault.  I hadn’t realized how much mine had been taking. The kidneys. The adrenals. The liver. These organs filter toxins, regulate our systems and keep us functioning properly; it’s so important to give them a break! I know and trust that now, the “behind the scenes” Rachel is being taken care of… and in turn, she’s taking care of me!
4. Consciousness. Seriously. This was the booby prize. The thing I didn’t even expect to come out of it, and probably what’s been most valuable to me. I woke up – and I didn’t even know I had been sleeping!! I had a realization about half way through that I had slipped – I hadn’t realized exactly how far – away from healthy habits. I’ve always considered myself above average in the “healthiness” department. I totally care about what I eat. I read labels. But I had gotten sloppy with my choices! For instance, I didn’t think I ate after dinner very frequently…but guess what, as soon as I was consciously not doing it, I realized, oh, I actually was letting myself do that, probably at least three or four times per week. And how about wheat? Prior to the detox, I was a kinda maybe sorta I avoid wheat person – same with soy. But by doing this I realized in actuality I hadn’t been avoiding these things very much at all! And Sugar? No, I don’t do sugar… well, except for this once…I began to realize that that once, was actually kind of a lot of the time. And how about over-eating? Mindless eating, stress eating, celebration eating, upset eating – all of it was taken out of the equation as I followed the system. I stopped using food. As a soother, as a weapon, to either hurt myself or distance myself from others. And that allows me to be more focused and present to my life. I’m not on auto-pilot anymore, and I’m much more aware of the choices I make.
5. Balance. Along with consciousness, there’s this balance I’ve gotten out of the deal. For instance, I understand how much food I do and don’t need. I remembered that I don’t always have to stuff my face as soon as I get hungry, and that I can stop before I actually feel full – because chances are, I will feel full in 20 minutes. On the flip side, I learned that I can enjoy what I eat, when I eat it. This detox was the most sane and safe I’ve ever tried. Master cleanse – hello? I did that once for 9 days and it left me feeling weak and depleted. And when I came out of it, I gorged.  This detox has allowed me to create healthy, sustainable habits in the real world, with real food. I am actually going to be continuing on with most aspects of it, and the transition is pretty seamless.
6. Those pipes are working awesomely! Ok, perhaps TMI, but my digestion has never been better. It’s always been on and off, good and then bad, and then very very bad, fine again and then, um, really not so fine. This really evened me out and guess what – when being regular is easy and effortless? Life feels a whole easier, too. Nuff said!
7. I reigned in that wine thing. Now I’m a gal who loves a nice glass wine every now and again. But, for some time it been a bit more than now and again. It had become, well, when I started thinking about it? Almost. Every. Night. Who even knew? I know it sounds crazy but I wasn’t really aware of it. By taking alcohol completely off the table (literally!), I realized how much I had been consuming it, if for no other reason than it had become a habit. I can see why I’ve steadily put on a bit of weight over the past few years. Those empty calories are not great for the waistband , or my quality of sleep, btw, which has been much better too!
8. I saved! Money. Yup. I did. I spent a little over $200 on the detox. I would have spent at least double that eating food all month. The kit comes with everything you need for two meals per day. No lunches out. No quick stops at Starbucks. But money wasn’t the only thing I saved on – I also saved time and energy – not having to think about what I was going to eat for two out of three meals per day. I was shocked at how well this worked for me, as I hadn’t given it much thought, but as a busy freelancer, it’s a challenge to always make smart, healthy choices. The past month was pretty blissful for me. I didn’t have to think about it!
9. The mysterious cure: I’ve actually heard of this happening to people before: people’s mysterious ailments being cured through a detox; I always took it with a grain of salt. Well, Glory Hallelujah, guess what! I seemed to have been cured! For YEARS I’ve had a breathing issue at night. It’s not asthma. One doctor diagnosed it as “Reactive Airways”, but that doesn’t really mean much. He put me on antihistamines to squash the symptoms, but it didn’t address the actual problem.. Consequently, I’ve been taking two different antihistamines ALMOST EVERY NIGHT for the past 3 YEARS – horrible! I have been so uncomfortable with that, but if I didn’t take them, I’d go into a choking coughing fit as soon as I laid down in bed. About 3/4 of the way through the detox, I decided to experiment with not taking them. I had tried that before and could go one night, maybe two, but then it would always come back. I am happy to report I’ve been off them for about two weeks now, and I’m fine. Incidentally, the other night I had corn – my first foray into the off-limit foods…and guess what? It came back! So now I know that’s something my body reacts to. Another valuable benefit of doing this detox – as you re-introduce foods gradually, you become very aware of what does and doesn’t agree with you! 
10. The Self-esteem boost, and the overall happy place. There is something about committing oneself to something and following through. Finishing. A sense of accomplishment that feels good. And when I feel good (physically and mentally) I radiate that out to the world and in turn it’s reflected back to me. I’m smiling a bit easier these days. Being nice to the checkout lady at the grocery store. No more road rage. I am committed to being my best self in 2016, and that means feeling good and sharing that goodness with others! So glad this detox jump-started my year. 

Suffice it to say, the detox has been a wonderful experience for me.  It would honestly be my honor to share this with you! Leave me a comment (or message me) if you’re interested. I’d love to tell you more!