At the end of the first week I was feeling great. But by the end of the second week I was feeling terrible.
Let me clarify.
Eating what I was eating on Clean was great. The food was tasty, I was still able to enjoy really healthy delicious meals.
But where I was struggling was with the liquid meal aspect of the program.
At this point in my life I am just not ready to eat liquid meals twice a day for three weeks. Two weeks was long enough.
So although I did not complete the entire program, I did complete two thirds of it and went basically a month without dairy, soy, gluten, alcohol, or the like as previously mentioned.
After the program I am still eating clean. Yesterday for dinner I still had my brown rice tortillas with avocado, butternut squash, and kale.
This morning for breakfast I had, for the first time in months, pancakes! However, they were gluten, dairy, and soy free. =)
But still delicious!
Here is the recipe:
1 cup almond flour (I used brown rice flour for my pancakes)
1 cup almond milk (you can also use coconut milk)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon flax meal
2 teaspoons cinnamon (the original recipe called for 1 teaspoon but you can adjust this to your liking)
I substituted regular syrup for coconut nectar.
Yum!
Not having solid meals for so long affected my energy levels at the end of the cleanse and I have not been consistent with exercise for a full week.
This heat wave we're experiencing isn't helping either.
On Sunday I ran a hard 8 minute mile and did a tabata stair routine at the stadium down the road for 16 minutes. I walked home telling myself I didn't want to overexert myself or risk heat exhaustion, however, I definitely suffered from heat exhaustion for the rest of the day.
My brain was just not working right. And I couldn't sleep the entire night on Sunday.
Once I begin working a regular job, I think I will substitute breakfast for a liquid meal. It will be faster to prepare and a healthy way to begin the day. For now I'll relish mornings when I have time to make pancakes during the week. =)
That's also a piece of news since I've ended Clean. I have a job interview tomorrow!
It's with a mental health organization up on the North Shore doing both outpatient and in-home therapy. It is a fee-for-service position which I told myself I wouldn't do. However, it would be my first job (if I took it) out of graduate school and we all need to start somewhere.
The experience sounds highly appealing. Great benefits. Training opportunities galore. And I would be able to work with one of the girls I interned with two years ago who also graduated from Simmons. =D Crazy awesome!
So I will let you all know how it goes. Keep your fingers crossed for me. I'm so ready to begin working. At the moment I do have a job, but it's not a social work position.
I can't wait to begin long distance running again! I wish this heat would die down a little because I want to exercise outside! But at the moment it's dangerous to do so. Perhaps I'll be able to get out for a run this evening when it's cooler. We'll see!
I went a little crazy at my trip to Whole Foods the other day and got some Vega Sport samples.
I've heard good things about the gels. I'm hoping to replace the GU gel I formerly used during long runs. I know that stuff isn't good for my body.
On Sunday I used the pre-workout drink and the sustain powder and they both tasted delicious and gave me a ton of energy. Helped my work out for sure. Especially since Sunday was my first day off the program.
So now that I am off the program it's time to seriously consider what I am going to do about dairy and gluten in my diet.
At this point I am going to try to be dairy and gluten free at least 5 days a week. I had some ice cream the other night and woke up sneezing like crazy. So I'll also have to find some dairy and soy free ice cream if I'm going to indulge again! I know they make coconut milk ice cream so I'll have to look for that at the supermarket... Or just go for sorbet. =)
We are going camping for the 4th of July and I am so excited! We'll be going kayaking during the trip...one of my all time FAVORITE activities! So I need to up my workout regimen a little more before we head out next week.
This means I'll be able to do BOXING again! Ugh I have missed that class. I miss the total body ass-kicking and the all over soreness the next day.
And I miss my mind numbing 10+ mile runs. I can't wait to go for a run longer than 3 miles again. This entire month I've only run 18 miles. The break has definitely been nice for my body. It has helped me explore alternative exercise methods. But I do miss my first love.
That's about all I have today my friends. I'm going to finish prepping for my interview!
I hope this was helpful!
Continue to take great care of yourselves. xoxo
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