This is actually a little new to me despite the fact that I write for a living. I've never done a personal blog before. I'm accustomed to writing business blogs and webpage copy. So the freedom to relax a little with my grammar and take a more conversational tone is something I'm going to have to get used to.
Now, as for my story and the reason for this blog. I'm 29 years old and I've had more issues with my health and weight than I feel are normal for anyone my age. I'm not super sick or anything, but I feel like if I don't do something now I will be before the next 10 years go by. In the last 10 years, I have had:
- Painful boils
- Weight fluctuation (but mostly weight gain)
- Insomnia, which results in....
- Sleep deprivation and exhaution
- Depression
- Memory issues
- Some strange total body pain that felt as though all of my joints were going to explode. (Doctors never did figure out this one, but it went away on its own after a couple of weeks.)
- Migraines
- Miscarriages
- More colds, flus, and bouts of bronchitis than I could ever attempt to count
- Uneven skin tone
- Serious dental issues (we're not going to discuss those too much because they really bother me)
- Strange skin rashes and outbreaks
That doesn't even scratch the surface of everything, but I think it just about covers the major items and besides--some stuff is just personal, ya know? Either way, that list does not describe a healthy person of any age, but particularly not one who is clinging on to her last year of her twenties with sheer determination.
It's the last item on the list that really just set me over the edge. I'm going to make a post about it for more detail. For now though, just know that my latest outbreak is a strange and rather uncomfortable form of eczema called dishydrosis. I don't know if what I intend to do will help or not, but it can't hurt and I've become just a little bit desperate. I cannot begin to describe just how sick I am of constantly feeling like crap or having some strange something pop up on my body.
The History and Ugly Details
Not quite two years ago, after extensive research, I made the decision to participate in the Master Cleanse. I'm not advocating it or recommending it, but I found value in it. I cleansed for three weeks and felt better for it. I even quit smoking while on the cleanse, only to stupidly start back six weeks later. But we'll discuss that some other time. I've thought about doing another cleanse in the time since then, but never could find the motivation to do it. (I said I found value in it, not that it was easy!) This dishydrosis thing, though--yeah, I'd say I have plenty of motivation.
After the cleanse, I swore off caffeine...for a while. Slowly but surely, it made its way back into my life till I was just as hooked on it as I ever was before the cleanse. It was like nothing happened. Then, last year, I made the decision to lose weight. I successfully lost 35 pounds simply by cutting out my sugar, watching my food intake, and doing a little exercise. But I could not give up my soda. I could not imagine living without soda...and coffee. So I switched to diet soda which helped me cut out the sugar but also resulted in some more crazy kinds of headaches.
After researching aspartame, I decided that it was safer for me to be fat than to put that stuff into my body...so back to the fully leaded stuff I went. I promptly regained every pound I lost and probably a little more. I'd tell you for sure, but my scales have been in hiding for several months now and I just really don't care to hear their opinion enough to dig them out. I will soon, but not today. I guess myself to be somewhere around 160-165 pounds. At not quite five feet tall, all I have to say is that it's not pretty.
The Plan
You've probably guessed by now that I intend to do the Master Cleanse again. I've set a date to start for this Saturday, January 12th. The thought of not eating again for so long doesn't bother me so much, but I'm just really not looking forward to the whole flushing process. But again...a topic for another post. This time, though, I plan on doing things a little differently.
I'm trying to prepare myself for the purely wretched process of caffeine detox. I know I need to slow down on it now, but I intend to never go back to Coke and coffee again after this, so I'm having a hard time saying goodbye at present. As I write in this moment, I'm sipping a Coke while waiting on my coffee to brew. Yeah...seriously. I'm gonna be kicking myself for not weaning off come Day 1, but ya know--insanity and all that.
After two weeks of cleansing, I intend to break the cleanse by going directly into a juice fast. It's really not so very much different from how you'd break the cleanse normally, except I will continue with a liquid diet for some time before returning to whole food. How long remains to be determined. I've tossed up the possibilities of two weeks, four weeks, and six weeks, but I really don't know yet. I'm really not crazy about green juice, but it will be vital for nutrition during a juice fast so we're just going to have to see how well my palate resets.
The Goal
What do I want to accomplish with this insanity? First off, I want to detox from caffeine again and make a better effort to stay away from it in the future. Second, I want to reset my mind and body to a healthier state--of both being and thinking. Third, I want to energize my spiritual health. The opportunity for study, prayer, and reflection that the cleanse provides is a clear advantage from a spiritual standpoint. Mostly, though, I just want to feel better, have more energy, and sleep like a normal person. Weight loss is a definite goal, but more of a long-term goal than an immediate one.
I know it sounds really, really, stupidly crazy, but I'm still debating about whether I want to quit smoking again. I mean, I do want to quit for health reasons, and doing all this while continuing to poison myself with cigarettes seems incredibly pointless and stupid. But I enjoy smoking and have spent more of my life doing it than not. It's comfortable. (Please be kind...I am fully aware of how ridiculous, dangerous, and idiotic these statements are.) I feel like, before this is over, I will make the decision to quit and be the better for it. But giving up my coffee and my coke is hard enough to think about right now--one thing at a time.
When it's all said and done, I want to be more focused, more physically active, and generally more fun to be around. I want this to be a permanent lifestyle change. When the juice fast portion of this process begins, I plan to start adding in some light forms of exercise. By this time next year, I want to be healthy enough and fit enough to take on the Insanity program. Whether I do or not is still up in the air, but I want to know that I could if I wanted to.
Why I'm Blogging About It
Why not? When I did my first cleanse, I kept a journal of sorts on Facebook to share with my friends and family. Writing about my experience and sharing it with others helped me get through the tough times and gave me some accountability and motivation not to give up. I've also been wanting to keep my own blog for some time now as an experiment in Internet marketing--the ads you see on the site give me a small commission if someone purchases something after clicking on them. I figured I needed to write, needed accountability, and needed to finally tackle one of my self-employment goals, so why not roll them all in one?
There. Didn't I warn you about the length of my writing? While I won't promise that I'll never write anything this long again, I can tell you that most regular posts will be considerably shorter. I could really give you way more information, but this is overwhelming enough as it is. I'll incorporate the rest in posts to come. Thanks again for reading! I hope you enjoy the blog and feel comfortable enough to leave comments!
Nice...I give you a thumbs up, and wish you the very best on your quest for a healthy lifestyle!!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! :)
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