Wildflowers make me happy! And why I occasionally do a juice cleanse – it’s not why you think.

The wildflowers are out in force in Crested Butte. Let’s hope we get some rain soon so they don’t all die early. But for now, we just try to enjoy them as much as we can. How can you not smile when standing in the middle of a swath of brightly colored wildflowers? Impossible!

So let’s all do a rain dance.

Alexis and I had a great run yesterday morning on some new-to-me trails. It was a spectacular day. We were on the trails early so Puck (and, to be honest, us) didn’t get heat stroke. Frank (Alexis’s dog who Puck adores) didn’t get to come because he was one sick doggie, vomiting all night. So it was just Puck and we girls. Puck attached himself to Alexis’ heals and stayed there for pretty much 3 hours straight.

It was a great way to start the weekend!

 

 

So, juice cleanses and why I occasionally do them.

Let me just state upfront that:

1. I don’t believe that a juice cleanse is going to rid my body of years of waste buildup (where is it hanging out in there, I wonder)?
2. I don’t believe that a juice cleanse will magically detox my system. I don’t feel particularly toxic anyhow.
3. I don’t believe a juice cleanse is going to actually make me healthier. I eat a very healthy diet already and clearly I exercise enough.
4. I can’t tell you that I believe all juices are even all that healthy. If you choose juices with mostly fruit then you are actually ingesting a lot of sugar. I do try to choose more vegetable based juices, but still, it’s juice.

So, basically I’m skeptical of all the reasons one is supposed to juice cleanse. Yet I still do it? Huh??

Let me explain:

I can be a bit compulsive about food. Usually I am pretty good. Sure, there are always those bad days, but as long as I am mostly on track, I’m fine. But there are times when I see myself start to spiral out of control. I still eat healthy food; I just eat too much healthy food. I think my body & mind get tired and in my quest for energy and comfort I reach for more food. But at some point it actually has the opposite effect and just makes me feel icky and sluggish.

Ever since Coeur d’Alene 70.3 I’ve been cycling through good day/bad day. I know this pattern; I’ve been here before. Sometimes I can get myself back on track easily but sometimes I need a reset.

That’s where the juice cleanse comes in. The first time I tried a juice cleanse I realized three things: 1) I didn’t need to eat all the food I was eating; 2) I wasn’t actually in need of food every time I ate; and 3) I could be hungry but not bonky, and survive just fine.

So really what the juice cleanse does for me is reset my relationship with food. It reminds me that I don’t always have to feel really full. It reminds me that food is about energy. It reminds me that I need less food than I have been ingesting lately. It also reminds me that it’s ok to feel a little hungry sometimes – I’m not talking bonky or starving, but sometimes I think I am hungrier than I am.

It’s a brain reset for me. Nothing else.

So it may be time to suck it up and juice for 3 – 5 days. I can’t say I love the process – truly I hate it – but it does what I need it to do!

The end justifies the means.