Saturday, January 29, 2011

I feel good!


To quote the legend JB himself, "I feel good!". The difference between me and James, aside from being able to do the splits, is that I didn't know that I would.

Like a marathoner entering the stadium for the last few laps before the finish line, I'm on the verge of completing my very first cleanse. And you know what, it was a piece of cake. Ok, poor analogy I know, but I really thought it would much harder than it was.

The decision to cleanse wasn't part of any New Year's resolution, but a combination of Holiday over-indulging and timing. When I learned that my good friend and health junkie Laura was organizing her second community cleanse starting in early January, my guts were like, "It's on!".

I felt like Laura's suited me more than those other health freaky ones because it's simple: Cut out: 1) sugar, 2) dairy, 3) processed or hydrogenized foods, 4) caffeine, 5) alcohol, and 6) white flour. Most of them are cut out of my diet already anyways.

But why?

I didn't do it because I was overweight (yet) or have low energy levels. I'm not a big drinker, either. Aside from the much needed break, I was also curious to see if I could do it. To see if I would feel any differently afterward.

As a rule, I eat pretty well. And because I eat relatively healthy, I tend to justify gorging my one food weakness: my sweet tooth. It's easy to tell myself that I deserve all those treats that seem to be omnipresent around the office thanks to my generally healthy habits. "Hey everyone, left over desserts from that meeting! Oh, a box of donuts to boost team morale is it? Chocolate mousse cake for so-and-so's Birthday! Whose turn for "Chocolate Friday" this week?" And hey, I'm a Frenchie. I'm going to enjoy the finer things in life guilt-free - it's in my blood!

I've never tried to give up sugar. I've cut back since my University days of downing an entire Haagen Daz tub in one sitting, but never given it up altogether. I savour my mid-morning warm, freshly baked banana loaf from Mangez, Mangez every few days, or my Saturday morning croissant au chocolat from the local patisserie. And truthfully, I'll have no problem resuming those relationships now that the cleanse is over; although, I am willing to go less often.

How'd I fair

It's only by stopping a habit and stepping outside your routine that you realize how much you do it. I wanted to see if I had the self-discipline to go without those sweet treats for four weeks. If I couldn't resist, then I'd have to admit that I was addicted.

The results were great. In three weeks, I've had two small cheats in the form of a chocolate loaf and some homemade banana bread. That's pretty good considering there have been chocolate macaroons (chocolate + coconut? I submit that there cannot be a better combination!) and countless other temptations that I've managed to 'just say no' to.

I resisted alcohol until just recently, too. I rarely have a drink in my hand on a weekday anymore, but I drink casually on weekends. I caved in at the end of a particularly stressful day at work last week when a text from a friend simply read: "Pint?". But, and I'm being honest here, it was much more about about getting together with a couple of friends than it was needing the alcohol to cope with the work stress. Did I mention I don't get out much anymore?

And on a positive note where alcohol is concerned, I did manage to go without the reflexive 'beer after footy' several times - even post-pint night! Fortunately, none of 'the boys' noticed I was standing around empty-handed, so I never had to confess I was cleansing. Imagine if these men's men had found out the cleanse was actually my choice, and not something my wife was making me do? I never would have heard the end of it.

The skeptic is silenced

The most shocking part of it all is how difference I feel. I know it probably shouldn't surprise me, but the increased mental clarity, energy boost, and good mood has been noticeable to this skeptic. Crazy as it sounds, I haven't been my grumpy old self this past month. Like the unpolluted water that runs from a fresh spring, my blood is circulating freely and my digestive system is not being overworked or poisoned. The ironic part is that feeling like this should be the norm.

Aside from the odd temptation, the only real challenge I've had with the whole experience is that I felt hungrier more often. I realize that beyond fruit, many of my snacks are sweet in nature and I've struggled a little to find healthy alternatives that actually fill me up.

Michele and I will plan to celebrate then end of the cleanse next week by taking part in the Dine Out Vancouver event - probably a French restaurant guaranteed to serve wine, cheese, and they better have a ridiculously rich chocolate mousse for dessert! I'm willing to punish myself for one just one night.

Thanks to Laura for raising awareness and congrats to all others who participated in this January's Community Cleanse! I double-dog dare you to try the next one...

3 comments:

thehealthyjunkie said...

Haha! Your blog's funny. It's been great cleansing with you.
Not sure I'll ever commit to eight weeks worth of cleansing in a three-and-a-half month period again. But it sure has been rewarding.
I’m going to be developing The Healthy Junkie blog so that new cleansers can follow the recipe for a successful cleanse any time of the year—at their own pace.
http://thehealthyjunkie.wordpress.com/
Talk to you soon,
Laura Levesque-Page
aka - The Healthy Junkie

Craig said...

Well done hermano! And thanks to Laura for encouraging well being!

Did you refrain from Mate as well?

Kudos...

Chris Pady said...

@Craig, of course not! Don't have to refrain from something that's healthy... I did stop the mini afternoon top ups though