Juice It, All of It

I’m a big proponent of cleansing. Vegan, raw food, juice cleanses, coconut water…maybe I’m just a fan of food fads but regardless if you stick to the healthy ones it will have a positive impact. These cleanses are a physical and mental reset, plus a challenge is good for you. Put down the burrito! Lay off the wine! You’ll feel freakin’ amazing and you’ll tred lightly before jumping on binge train next time it comes around. My current favorite cleanse is the juice cleanse, though important to call out the correct kind of juice cleanse. There are no supplements or weird teas masking as nutrition *ahem Master Cleanse cough*. A proper juice cleanse will provide sufficient nutrition and calories for each day. I use Blue Print Cleanse, based in New York, which provides six bottled juices a day for however many days you choose. I usually just do three, that’s plenty.

Tips and Tricks From Successful and Failed Attempts

I’ve picked up a few tips during my cleansing career, here are the top ones:

• If you’re a meat-eating, heavy carbo loading, coffee-drinking fool, you better prep for a full week. Prep means cut calories, meat, alcohol and caffeine
• Drink plenty of water with your juices. You will have to pee every 30 minutes so plan for it
• Hot Tea in between juices is a life saver. Have a box of *caffeinated* green tea set aside for the cleanse days
• Hunger pains are false alarms, you’re getting the nutrition you need. Talk a walk, drink some tea, write a blog post
• Find something for yourself to do if you’re not in the office: tea with friends, clean your room, go for a long walk
• You will need to go to bed around 10pm for multiple reasons, plan for that too

What’s the Point

I look at cleansing as hitting the reset button - reboot your relationship with food. It allows you to detox for a few days, forces you to rest, stay sober and gives you perspective on the nutrients your body needs, not just wants. You will eat better after a cleanse, you will drink less coffee and less booze. Well, at least until the next party shows up on your calendar. If you’re looking for instant skinny, this is not it. You’ll gain back the water weight in a day and feel failed. Cleansing is not a diet, it’s a lifestyle choice that positively influences your choices about what you put in your body.

There’s never a good time to plan a cleanse, life continues to go on while you have to take a break but it’s worth it.

I’ve been a fan of Blue Print Cleanse for years, but there are other companies that offer different types of cleanses. Check out local SF Can Can Cleanse and Juicey Lucy’s. Do you research and do what’s best for you. 

Fighting The Beast and Losing: A Runner’s Lament

It was between mile six and seven on the most challenging course I’ve had to date. To put it bluntly, the Nike Women’s Half Marathon was kicking my ass. It hit me harder than anything I’ve ever felt before - that mental beast that tells you it’s over. He tells you that you can’t go any farther, just give up. He says “Why do you do this to yourself? why do you even LIKE doing these things?” Yea, that’s the beast. I’ve had little thoughts before, simple thoughts along the lines of “my legs are tired” but I can usually snap myself right out of them. This is different, it’s crippling and you have to confront it head on.

I did confront it with a lot of internal cheer leading and chanting - really, chanting is very helpful. I persevered and had an incredible runners high as I rounded a bend overlooking the cliffs of Ocean Beach, finishing the race strong. This time I had beat him.

Well, the next time I didn’t win that battle.

The whole race started off wrong. This beast was of a different nature, he crept in slowly and proceeded to dig deep into my running soul. There were some outside factors that fed into the beast, like a full on standstill from crowds running across the Golden Gate Bridge, putting me in a bad state of mind. This followed by an intense uphill climb that was my the hardest incline to date. It wasn’t really the hill that crushed me, it was the downhill. Bad pacing and hard impact hurt my strength. To cut this story short, I finished with a lot of walking, limping and some tears.

I lost. This was the first time I’ve experienced a completely debilitating defeat in my life.

This is the part where I talk about how I did overcome, except I haven’t yet. I haven’t signed up for my next half marathon and I only went for a brief three mile run this evening - which ended with a cramp in my side.

The big question is why do I do this? What is it about the mental and physical punishment where I find worth? Overall, it’s the feeling of accomplishment. If anyone has completed a race they understand that emotion when you cross the finish line. It’s also the level of commitment leading up to a race - I’m a sucker for routine and the evidence of positive change is invigorating. Seeing your average pace get faster each week is thenerdiest coolest thing ever!

I haven’t quite figured out my game plan but I do know that I hate losing. What I do know is that I will keep running.