When Life Gives You Lemons...

When Life Gives You Lemons, Do a Cleanse!

So I have arrived at the anxiously awaited Lemon day! The third and forth day of my cleanse consists of only drinking liquids. To be exact, I am supposed to drink (2) 32 Ounce bottles of a lemon, water and maple syrup mixture. Yum! So far, I have been doing alright, although I faced my biggest temptation yet. I came home from work yesterday after having a very successful day of eating healthy. Only to smell the sweet aroma of everything a birthday party's consist of. My sweet friend was having a birthday party at my parents house and she laid out a beautiful array of chips and dip, buttery croissants, and a creamy white chocolate bunt cake! Can I tell you, that nothing at that moment could have convinced me that my brown rice pasta and sauteed mushrooms were as satisfying as a big bite of that cake! So as everyone is sitting down laughing, eating and being merry, I stood over a hot stove of bowling water waiting impatiently for my pasta to cook. In my mind I kept repeating to myself that the reason I am doing this cleanse and starting a new lifestyle for myself, was for all of the times I did take a big bite of cake and didn't choose something healthier. So instead I sat and ate my food I had prepared for myself. A delicious way to curb the hunger I was feeling. I know this may sound crazy, but I was still able to laugh, spend time with the company that was over and I stuck to my cleanse. These small changes are pretty impressive compared to my normal routine, I was so pleased that I stood my ground and kept my eye on the prize!

After dinner, I decided to cook up my mixture for today's liquid portion of the cleanse. If you remember from my previous post, it is all about PREPARATION! So I took the time to chop up my 15 lemons and measured out the syrup to water proportions. I finally finished, and it felt good!

It is really quite comical to think about all the worrying and the nervousness I felt about tackling this cleanse. The crazy amount of mental stress I was putting myself through has almost entirely subsided. For such a long time I have created my body image and the struggle to lose weight as a giant that I have yet to conquer. Because often I feel like an ant at the foot of a huge mountain consumed with my thoughts of how I couldn't possibly conquer this continual struggle I've faced. But I hear my dad's voice in my head cheerfully saying, "One day at a time Sheena!" & as simple as that sounds, it is so true!!! I can't do this week long cleanse all in one day, I can only do what is on the list for today. Simple logic but sometimes complex to actually implement. I am taking this cleanse one bite at a time.

Post Suggestion: Don't think about the 10 steps you'll EVENTUALLY have to make, instead focus on the 1 step you can take at this moment. I know it may sound crazy, but sometimes the only step I can take is to drink a big gulp of water. & as simple as that step is, it actually gets me closer to achieving my goals! Amazing concept right?! So make realistic goals for yourself then distinguish what you can accomplish at this very moment and what your long term accomplishments will be. Separating these two will give you the freedom and peace of mind to take little steps to making a big difference in your life! 


Keep going... 

Stay encouraged & find ways to keep yourself motivated!

Sheena