I survived a cleanse

If you follow me on any form of social media, you know that I recently did and completed the Advocare 10-day Herbal Cleanse.  It was not easy, but I learned a lot from the process and thought it was perfect for what I needed.

I've been wanting to make some dietary changes, but never really found a good way to start.  Even if I told myself, "OK, I'm going to cut [food item] from my diet starting now."  But ... invariably that wouldn't happen. I knew it would take some drastic action to get my eating habits in check.

Some of my friends had done the Advocare 24-Day Challenge and spoke very highly of it.  I was a bit intimidated at the thought of 24 days.  I wasn't sure I could find that stretch of time.  Or maybe I just didn't want to.  Anyway, I saw the option of a 10-Day Cleanse and thought that sounded approachable.

For 10 days, I took a morning probiotic, consumed fiber drink, ate a clean diet (no dairy, no coffee, no alcohol, no white grains), and then took an evening supplement. 

The first day was really rough.  I felt tired and lethargic all day.  After that, it got a little better, though I never really grew to like the fiber drink.

Meals were kind of tough too. With my multiple jobs and obligations, I often have to take breakfast, lunch, and dinner to work with me.  Finding clean options that I could take on the go was a challenge, and I kind of got bored of the same things by the end. 

What did I eat?  For breakfast, I would have a piece of fruit with the fiber drink. Usually a grapefruit or a few clementines.  Mid-morning, I would have a snack of more fruit or a hard-boiled egg.  Lunch was usually a green salad with tomatoes, green pepper, and a little olive oil. In the afternoon, I had another snack of fruit or nuts.  Dinner was usually a chicken breast and some vegetables.  See why I got bored after 10 days of that?

Overall though, it wasn't bad.  In fact, I'd say it was a success. By the end, I felt like I had more energy, slept better at nights, and my skin seemed clearer.  I also just felt better all around.  Oh, and I lost five pounds, so there's that.

I learned a lot about my eating habits from this 10-day trial, and I'll definitely be making some changes as I move forward.  I really missed coffee, cheese, and beer a lot, and I'm happy to have them back in the rotation, however I will be scaling back on how much and how often I consume them. I was faced with a few temptations during the cleanse and was able to hold off, so I know I can do it. It will all come down to making choices.

**I was not compensated in any way for this post. All opinions are my own.

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August Instagram Fitness Challenge Update

Each Sunday, I post a funny pic related to an exercise on Instagram. For every "like," I do one rep of that exercise for the week.  (Be sure to follow me and motivate me!)

This week's funny:

T-Rex and I have something in common. Here's this week's #instagramfitnesschallenge. It's push-ups for the next seven days. For every "like" I'll do one rep.

A photo posted by @thebestmicah on Aug 9, 2015 at 7:11pm PDT

Thanks a lot for suggesting we multiply the totals, Bridget. My arms have felt like jello most nights.

I'm also aiming to run 35 miles this month.

Mileage: 9.5
The month is almost half over, and I'm not even halfway to my goal. I'm clearly not going to get 35 miles, but I better step on it if I want to even get close.

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Last week's workouts

Friday: 28 crunches
Saturday:  28 crunches

Sunday: Yoga at home + 28 crunches

Monday: 3-mile run + 44 push-ups
Tuesday: 2-mile run + personal training session + 44 push-ups
Wednesday: 1.5-mile run + 44 push-ups

Thursday: 44 push-ups


I still hate push-ups. Maybe worse than before.