19/06/2024
Day… - and I am done!
It has actually now been a few days since I stopped the Cleanse – but I wanted to take a moment to reflect and also observe my body & mind in this new normal.
I took my first cup of coffee at my favourite local spot and it did feel totally amazing – the aroma, the taste, but also the ritual of it all!
Lesson #1 coffee was the hardest part to give up and I would not want to do that permanently – as it is such a big part of social life and slow life
Lesson #2 the hardest were by far the first 3 days, with the headaches, body aches and simply adjusting the routines and shopping / cooking habits. After that, it was totally fine and seeing the great benefits was keeping me going at any “weak” moments (but there were not that many, actually).
Lesson #3 it is amazing how we use food as activity, entertainment, break, socialization, boredom remedy, etc. And not really to address hunger. We eat in anticipation “I might be hungry later so I better eat now”… which is totally wrong. In the cleanse the eating is responsive and it changes everything.
Lesson #4 I was fearing this to be expensive and difficult to shop for – but it is not!! You will find that if you stop buying snacks, takeaway coffees, ice creams and alcohol, the food bill goes down by A LOT, even with 100% organic diet and gluten-free items (which are understandably more costly that non gf equivalents).
Lesson #5 Meny has the best stocked “free from” aisle, but actually there are plenty of options everywhere, even at Rema1000.
Lesson #6 Planning is key, since you cannot just pop to a bakery when hunger strikes.. but again this is a blessing in disguise. You will find yourself eating less and going for walk, reading or engaging with other activities rather than mindlessly snacking “because it’s there & available”.
Lesson #7 The changes in the body & mind are incredible and waaaaay worth the effort and the initial struggle. I’ve never slept so deeply, never had such steady high energy level throughout the day into late evening. Never felt so light and calm and focused. My body never felt this loose, even with regular training I had no soreness in the muscles and the joints felt super flexible.
Whilst I recognise this is not for everyone, it definitely sounds much harder than it actually is and the benefits are priceless. It’s also amazing to experience the impact of food on the body and mind in that way and it definitely makes you reconsider your dietary choices.
I will be doing this again in a shorter version in September – come join!
