audrey michelle’s 5-day colourful DIY cleanse

greetings, you awesome readers, you.

{i’ll be using this a lot next week}

so – i’ve decided to do a juice and raw veggie cleanse for the first time in my life.  i eat very well – 80% vegetables in my diet.  but i binge on my occasional “healthy junk food” as i call it.  and really, it’s not about anything other than i think i need to do it.  my body is telling me to.  this also goes along with an “intuitive eating lifestyle” i always talk about.  i know it’s time to do this.  for me, it’s not just a cleanse.  it’s a chance to hit the “reset” button.  to start over, kind of.  i’ve been living in colorado for a year now, and it was a really rough adjustment after leaving new york city… and i’d kind of like to say, “forget all that hardship, let’s start over”  so, i’m hoping a cleanse of the body will also cleanse the mind and my emotions, and allow me to let go and move on 🙂

i have always admired people who can do fasts like the master cleanse or even just juice or liquids alone. however, i have come to learn that i am not one of those people. i need to chew occasionally!

so, i made up my own cleanse.  mostly a fruit and veggie cleanse void of any meat, dairy, wheat, gluten, soy, oil, sugars {other than naturally occuring}, or processed ingredients.  just raw fruit and veggies in several forms.  and a TON of liquid flushing!  i’ve also decided against any grains or nuts, nutmilks, or anything solid, really – other than veggies and what’s in the protein powder i am using… so, it WILL be colourful!

i’m also adding in a minimal exercise routine – as to not overexert myself.  but also, to keep the body moving and the blood flowing. — isn’t that what it’s all about anyway?! 😉

and – the saddest part : no coffee, no alcohol — womp womp.

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AUDREY MICHELLE’S 5-DAY COLOURFUL DIY CLEANSE

– 2 glasses of room-temperature lemon water upon rising followed by a 15-minute yoga practice

– breakfast smoothie with RAW PROTEIN powder {awesome product!} – orange juice, bananas, blueberries, strawberries, chia seeds, and a hint of spinach

– any fruit or veggie — raw carrots, cucumbers, celery, peppers, oranges, grapes, berries, avocados, melons, tomatoes, greens, etc. — for snack throughout the day

– kombucha tea as needed {should’ve made my own — and one day, i will!}

– smoothie for lunch with same ingredients listed above and a steamed veggie and/or naked green salad followed by a 30-minute fluidity workout {i’ll blog more about this later – it totally transformed my body!}

– lemon water, seltzer, juice, or kombucha throughout the day

– steamed veggie plate for dinner – at least 3-4 veggies of different colour – one must be a nutrient-dense, hearty green like kale or collards

– big bowl of fruit for dessert followed by a brisk walk at dusk

– hot tea at bedtime followed by a 15-minute yoga practice

– no food or drink after 9 p.m.

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throughout the day i also will be drinking at least 1-2 gallons of water as well as the occasional emergenC packet to keep my electrolytes going strong. the kombucha will help keep my vital nutrient levels up and the water and other liquids will flush out the junk. it’s not much, but basically i’m allowing myself to eat as much raw fruits and veggies as i want and drink a ton of liquids.  i’m also going to take 2-3 tablespoons of honey a day and 2-3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar when i can squeeze it in — i may even just use that as salad dressing… but ACV is so unbelievably good for you and is uber cleansing!

**quick tip – did you know that if you take a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, swallow it and if you develop a slight tummyache or sensitivity in the stomach, that means you are too acidic?  if it has little to no effect on your digestive tract, it is said that you are more on the alkaline side. — go ahead and fact check me, i don’t mind.  i’ve actually personally experimented with this theory. i once had a sour quick pain in my stomach that i typically didn’t get when i took shots of ACV.  so i started drinking a lot more kombucha 🙂

i plan to make several trips to the park to write or meditate or read or do yoga.  i will have so much free time on my hands, i’ll have to keep busy so i won’t want to eat. i’m doing this in part as well because i just want to prove to myself i can do it…

i LOVE food.  we’ve established that.  i don’t take for granted the fact that i can and do just go and buy whatever i want when it comes to food.  i don’t eat out, i don’t really go out, and therefore, i treat myself with food.  so, i think there may be a little mental struggle in the beginning with this — which is why i plan to blog every day about the journey.  i’ll probably blog at night, and talk about each day and how it went.

thank you in advance for following along and wish me luck!

Tags: cleanse, cleansing, liquids, no food, rants, raw, thoughts, vegetables, veggies