Set point....

I just finished the 28-day Arise and Shine herbal cleanse and I have to say that this year's cleanse was not nearly as life changing, eye opening, or astounding as last year's. Last year, I lost 10 pounds and kept to the overall eating philosophy; fresh fruits and vegetables, minimal meat and dairy, no bread, and no processed foods for the past year. Yes, I fell back to some occasional bad eating habits but I keep those in moderation.

This year, I lost 2 pounds and tightened up. I drank tons of the vegetable mineral broth for electrolyte replacement and found that the veggie mineral broth is as good as caffeine and I am hooked. I love it and plan to continue to drink 20-40 ounces each day this summer. But the cool thing is I learned that I am at the body weight I am supposed to be.

At six feet tall, 164 pounds is my body's set point. I function well, I feel good and I don't eat a whacky diet. For the most part, I'm disciplined and self controlled but truth be told, I indulge. Unfortunately, due to the stress of the semester, I found myself indulging in carbonated caffeinated sugar drinks too much so I knew that it was time to Arise and Shine after the semester, before my internship, and I did good...

This year, I did 'ok' controlling the sweets temptations because I didn't want sweets but found myself TOTALLY craving protein. I wanted steak, eggs, milk, fish, nuts....anything with protein. Because I'm a firm believer in listening to your body for nutritional needs since I usually find myself craving what I need, I supplemented my weights workout days with Amino Hydrate. I love it and it helps repair muscles.

This craving for protein did not shock me because I kept to my CONSISTENT Turbulence training style resistance workouts THREE days a week throughout the cleanse. I love TT because it builds muscle while burning fat. CB's program is outstanding but I did take it easy on the interval style cardio, even skipping some days entirely but overall, I felt strong and focused throughout the four week process.

I love the Arise and Shine cleanse and strongly recommend it for anyone who has been eating a crappy diet for years, is sick and tired of being sick and tired and has the discipline to give this lifestyle change an honest effort. Give it an honest effort and find your set weight point.

Best thing I did for myself in 2009....

ARISE AND SHINE!
Last year I did a 28-day cleanse called "Arise and Shine" and other than be consistent to my Turbulence training style workouts, it was the best thing I did for myself in 2009. I have read that it takes three weeks to form a habit and this 28-day cleanse proved that theory right! For four weeks, I ate nothing but organic fruits and vegetables, quinoa, and sprouted almonds. I drank the shakes and took the supplements and that regime showed me that I don't need nearly as much food to exist as I thought.
Unfortunately, we are taught that more is better but that's the power of marketing. In fact, we do not need anything "supersized". We don't need all-you-can-eat-buffets. We don't need processed foods. Heck, we don't need as much food as we eat. Yes, I lost 10 pounds with the cleanse and I have been able to lose another pound or two because I have not returned to my old eating habits.
Yesterday at the doctor, I had to write down what I ate during the past week. I laughed when I realized that I eat (basically) the same stuff, day in/day out. For breakfast, I have fruit. I might add an egg white or some yogurt. NO more cereals that I used to love.
I have salads, with NO DRESSING, for lunch and dinner. I pack my salads with broccolli, spinach, peppers, avacados, tomatoes or whatever else is in season. Or I may just snack on apples, bananas, and almonds. My meals center around vegetables and fruits.
I eat quinoa as my staple and I love to mix in avacado and blueberries or other goodies. I also love butternut squash. I know, it sounds boring with a capital B but I have to say that I do not enjoy heavy sauces, fried foods, or pasta. Keep it simple. It's not so bad because if I crave a steak, I eat steak. If I crave fish, I eat fish. I can eat whatever I want but I choose to eat healthy, 90% of the time.
The other 10%? Is fine in moderation!
Kelly Says Do This: ARISE AND SHINE.

Beach-bound, Turbulence Training body beautiful!

 This week I visited my father’s family in Bradenton, Florida; located on the beautiful southwest coast of Florida, surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico and Tampa bay.  Florida is hot in June, very hot.  Originally from the east coast, I had forgot how unbearable the humidity can be but the gulf breezes made the white sandy beaches a perfect place for a Turbulence training bodyweight workout. 

This week was also the fourth and final phase of my Arise and Shine cleanse.  In this “Master phase” a person is supposed to go without any food and only drink the cleansing shake and take the herbal supplements.  I choose not to do the Master phase since I was on vacation, I had access to fresh, locally grown Florida fruits and vegetables and frankly, I have to eat something if I want to workout!  Also, I was not prepared to fuel my body with the electrolytes I found to be so helpful for energy.  As a result, I extended the Power phase (one meal of organic fruits and vegetables per day) another week. 

I had 2 of the best workouts I have had in a long time.  I felt strong and enjoyed the movement of my body on the sand and in the water.  Thanks to the convenience of the Turbulence training philosophy, all I used was my bodyweight and a resistance band.  I did 3 sets of 15 reps for each superset and here are my workouts:

Day 1:  

Dyna-Squats/Push-ups/Planks

Bulgarian split squats/Dyna-rows/Mountain climbers

8 50-yard sprints in soft sand

Bicep curl and tricep extension using dynaband

Day 2 (on Longboat Key pier)

Prisoner squats with Dynaband/Decline pushups/seated tucks

Step ups/Dyna-rows/Mountain climbers

Burpees

Side lateral raise/Rear Delt row with dynaband

Bicep curl/dips

Horsestance/Birddog

Eating out was tough; Chili’s does not do special orders well.  Cracker Barrel offers a vegetable dish but not the kind of vegetables I was able to eat.  A baked potato was luscious and is one of the best sources of potassium available.  Loved that.  We hit a produce stand and I loaded up on nectarines, peaches, tomatoes, carrots, spinach and sugar peas.  I enjoy eating like this and plan to continue eating mostly fruits and vegetables. However, I definitely plan on eating protein again!  

It’s all about self-discipline. I learned that most restaurants will special order when asked and now is the time to indulge in the local roadside produce stand gourmet goods!  I did drink alcohol twice and took a bite of fresh white fish but hey, that’s not bad if that’s the only way I cheated while on vacation.   I feel good and am ready to get back into the gym tomorrow!

 

Arise and Shine cleanse update

Arise and Shine!

Almost at the halfway mark and I'm feeling pretty darn good.  I am enjoying this cleansing process and cannot believe the mental clarity that I feel.  I don't know if it's something in the herbal nutrition or the cleansing shake but I feel so alive, so free as I bust through bad habits that had crept into my day as well as the food cravings that were so common.

The first week was the "mild phase" and that is when I felt ontop of the world!  Since I already follow an organic, raw foods diet, the food transition wasn't difficult at all.  The hard part was mentally blocking caffeine, sugar and alcohol indulgences.  Three of my worst habits, not on the program but were a normal part of my daily routine in one way or the other.  Ok, so no now I'm 12 days into it and I've adapted to life without the terrible 3.  

The hardest part of this cleanse is not eating protein from my favorite protein sources:  organic eggs, yogurt, fish, meats and even protein shakes.  Coming from a muscle building perspective, I am not liking this, especially since I am a "protein type".  Or am I?  I do not have the energy I normally have but I don't know if that is due to lack of caffeine or lack of protein.  I am still doing 3 Turbulence training resistance training sessions each week but I have reduced the intensity and my cardiovascular endurance is lacking  a little bit, too.  The cleanse guidelines specifically say no strenuous exercise (due to lactic acid production) so I am doing lighter weights and higher reps.

Have I lost a ton of weight?  No, but I am not doing this for weight loss purposes, I am doing this to cleanse my intestinal tract of the mucoid plaque that has built up over a lifetime.  I have lost 3-4 pounds but my skin looks amazing and I feel my body changing and adapting.  We have over 100 feet of intestine so in order to do a thorough cleanse, a person has to follow a program like this for awhile....28 days!  

Breaking the bad habits and loving the fresh organic fruits and vegetables that are abundant in California.  2 weeks down, 2 weeks to go....2 difficult weeks!