The Abstract Life

My Week of Juice Cleansing with Pressed Juicery - Day 5

January 15, 2016

My Week of Juice Cleansing with Pressed Juicery - Day 4

January 14, 2016

Day 4

Lessons Learned

DO NOT watch Food Network

Whatever you do, for goodness sake, don't watch Food Network. Or anything really related to food. I was halfway through a Kids Baking Championship episode before I started considering quitting the cleanse. Half the stuff they were making didn't even look that appetizing (poor little lambs) BUT I STILL WANTED TO CHEW IT! Save yourself the pain and just avoid food centered television or conversations. I add that last part because my wonderful sweetheart came over after an amazing dinner he had and described every bit of it to me and how he wanted to take me to this restaurant in the future. Meanwhile I was restraining myself from hugging him purely to get the after-restaurant-smell lingering on him. O.K. That may be an exaggeration but it was still torture. These discoveries lead me to the next realization...

Food/drinks/coffee can be craved or consumed because of certain triggers & pitfalls-not need

I am so guilty of eating because I'm bored. I realize that. Not always great at catching myself in the act but after I wake up from my trance and look at the crumbs clinging to me like evidence while fleeing the scene of the crime-I know it. What I didn't realize is how much I consume based on other people or my surroundings. "Want to hang out? Sure. Okay. How about coffee?" I didn't need coffee at that time but I'll do it because we tell ourselves we need to do something while hanging out. Boyfriend comes over and wants a snack or five (because his metabolism is a black hole-I swear!) so I indulge with him. We go out to eat and everyone wants appetizer, entrees, and dessert. You don't want to look cheap but you also want your money's worth plus it's there and OMG THIS IS DELICIOUS LET'S GET 5 MOREEEEE!!!!!! Social eating. Eating because you start to crave whatever you're seeing or smelling. We live in a world of constant Instagram posts about something yummy, commercials screaming at you that you just HAVE TO HAVE THIS deliciousness, happy hour is cheaper-better get those french fries for half off rather than wait to pay for a healthier entree. It's a matter of convenience, social behavior, or bad habits. Some of you may be going, "Well yeah, duh. Didn't you listen to your Professor Blah Blah Blah?" Well maybe but it's a lot different learning about it in theory versus painfully experiencing it as you stare all these habits down in the course of one week. I'm now encouraged and excited to put my new "aha moment" into practice and be intentional with my eating habits.

When bored and wanting to eat, invest that time somewhere else

Note: I'm NOT saying when you are hungry and in need of sustenance go distract yourself into starvation. I mean when you are BORED or just craving something. Go for a walk, do yoga, read, journal, blog (this may have been a good outlet for me this week). DO something that takes your mind off of it. Learn to fill that boredom with something productive other than food. Suddenly you'll be halfway through writing your latest blog post and go, "Hey, I don't even want that sesame chicken anymore."

Another tip: When you want to bored eat or eat because of cravings-drink a cup of tea or water, brush your teeth with mint, or light a non-food smelling candle (I use Yankee Candle-Pine). It gets that flavor craving out of your mouth/mind. (My mom taught me the first two).

Get an accountability partner

Find someone you can talk to and tell them what you're feeling. When you're going through something frustrating let them be there for you. I highly recommend this for all parts of your life-but since we're talking health and cleanses this week I'll stick to that. My sister is my accountability partner and confidante. I tell her what's I'm discovering-good and bad-and she's right there to laugh with me or encourage me when I need it. Note: It's easier if you can find someone to do a cleanse with you or who has done one before, but not necessary if whomever you speak to is supportive.

What are triggers for your cravings or mindless eating? It doesn't even have to be food-sometimes we mindlessly shop because we're bored or tired of what we have, even if we don't need anything. What are your consumer habits?

My Week of Juice Cleansing with Pressed Juicery - Day 3

January 13, 2016

My Week of Juice Cleansing with Pressed Juicery - Day 2

January 13, 2016

My Week of Juice Cleansing with Pressed Juicery - Day 1

January 11, 2016

Pressed Juicery - "Greens 3"

In pursuit of a healthier and happier body I am doing a week long juice cleanse with Pressed Juicery. I am doing a customized cleanse, but it's closest to their "Cleanse 1." Since I work from home I often sit all day, consuming more than I need to and snack/binge eat not-so-healthy things out of:

Boredom
Emotional Eating
Mad Cravings
Guilt/Obligation (i.e: Someone gives it to me, or I bought it for my boyfriend-or so I tell myself-and he hasn't eaten it so I don't want it to go to waste)
Convenience/Laziness (I'm on video calls all day and don't feel like cooking or grocery shopping so I eat the less healthy pre-made options around the house)

So when I discovered Pressed Juicery at Santana Row-a VERY convenient, delicious, and relatively cost effective juicing option I loved it! Quick, no cooking, no clean up, and it tastes amazing? SIGN ME UP! I've done two 3-Day cleanses from Pressed Juicery before. The first one (when I was already on a health kick) was so easy I told my sister I honestly didn't understand all the information and posts I read where people were complaining all the time and saying it was something you needed to do when you could just lie around and not see people. The second cleanse can only be described as, "OMG NOW I UNDERSTAND!"

So I am trying again and this time I have a goal of a whole week (I know, I'm crazy). I really want to give it a chance to cleanse my gut and detox. I intend to restart my metabolism and eat healthier and more balanced meals after I'm done with this cleanse. As I mentioned my reasons above for why I tend to binge eat or even just eat regular, poorly balanced meals (mostly carbs and proteins, lacking greens) I am hoping afterwards my body chemistry will be a little more balanced and it will be easier to fight these poor reasons a little better. Have I mentioned I just really struggle with wanting to eat greens???

I will be posting discoveries as the week goes on. Let me know if there are any questions or research you want answered.

NOTE: This provides all the normal calories someone of my body weight/height should consume-I AM NOT FASTING/STARVING MYSELF!!! PLEASE DO NOT DO THAT! My goal for doing this is to detox my body-not to lose weight! If you are looking for fast weight loss this probably isn't the right thing for you.

Buon Natale & Snow Storm Goliath

January 03, 2016

Living Intentionally & Learning to Relax

December 20, 2015

At work we're required to put both professional and personal goals in our development plans for the year. One of of mine this year is to be intentional in my life- professionally and personally. Since I work from home I tend to have issues with creating boundaries for myself between work life and home life. There is never enough time to do everything and so I make the time by staying up super late working or creating or cleaning etc. But lately I've been working on being intentional with my time. Instead of just fooling around on my computer or Netflix for free time I've been giving myself moments, hours, or even a whole day dedicated to shutting down and recuperating. I sleep in, indulge in an amazing breakfast, make a glorious cup of coffee (best coffee I've ever had is Intelligentsia), and then do something that doesn't require me to be plugged in or feel pressured in any way. No computer, no thinking about work, no hanging out with people that, while important, maybe stress or wear me out a bit. Just downtime for me, myself, and I. I embrace the idea of giving myself grace to just relax and not feel today's needs to always be productive. I feel everyone should take at least one day a week to completely relax. Taking time for ourselves is important.

This fall I subscribed to OwlCrate, a subscription service that sends you magical monthly boxes tailored to a chosen theme. Each OwlCrate contains a new YA novel and 3-5 other bookish treats to help you get your nerd on. The unboxings have been both fun and beneficial for my "living intentionally and relaxing" goals. I get to let the kid in me get excited about it every month and look forward to the surprise. I am loving having a new novel as a goal to read each month. It makes me unplug and unwind in the best of ways. Which, in turn, recharges me and helps me be more creative and better at my job over all. So I can take those moments to sit down with my coffee in my Wonder Woman mug a read an amazing novel with my Wonder Woman glasses and Tardis socks and travel to another world. How do you like to relax and unwind?

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