One Mom's Journey to Health and Wellness

 I made it to day seven of the Standard Process 21-Day Purification Program with little problem. Today I had my first weigh-in at TRU Integrative Health and Wellness and was down 6.2 pounds! I was very pleased with the weight loss, but have been even more pleased with the changes I am seeing in my appetite and in my life. 

    I am a sugar addict. I admit it. I crave starch and sugar together in an addiction so strong it feels like it must rival heroin. I crave sweet and salty together to the degree that I could easily forgo any other food. Pop Tarts are my first weakness. Brown Sugar Cinnamon to be exact. There is nothing like the first bite into that warm frosted goodness. Jello Cook and Serve Pudding is my second weakness. Chocolate or Vanilla, sweet and steaming right off the stove filled with Nilla Vanilla Wafers. These foods have been a real problem for me through the years (along with others.) The amazing thing is, this week I am not craving my sugary starchy narcotics at all. I haven't even thought about them. My body seems to resonate with the organic whole food diet it is being fed. 

    I have added a nightly walk to end my days on a more relaxed note. It is just a short walk around my neighborhood, but I am getting to know which trees contain nests with baby birds, and where the squirrels like to congregate. I am ashamed to admit that I have been so busy that in the past four or five months, three baby boys have been welcomed into my cul-de-sac and I have yet to meet one of them except on Facebook. I have sadly neglected my friendships. I am devoted to spending time at least one day a week with friends, reconnecting. My soul longs for contact with others and I know that I must cultivate deep relationships with others to feed this hunger. 

    Tonight it is almost eight o'clock and I still have energy. That is a phenomenal change. I am used to getting home after work and barely crawling to bed. I look forward to increasing energy as the cleanse continues, and maybe doing some gardening in the evenings, or at least spending some time visiting with my children on the back porch. My quality of sleep has improved too. I am feeling rested and ready for the day when I wake in the mornings.

    We had artichokes and a salad for dinner this evening, eaten on good china at the dining room table. I had challenged my children to come to the table with one funny story and one interesting fact that they could teach the rest of us. There was no fighting or arguing, no sarcastic comments, just people who love each other sitting around a dining room table loving each other. I saw my children. I SAW my children. At one point I found myself teary eyed at the beauty of such an ordinary moment. Living mindfully is really paying off.