Happy New Year Body… Cleanse 2023! | The North County Moms

Monday, January 2, 2023

Day 1

Water Fast

 

Let the Clean Cleanse begin! For the past several years (What? Where did the time go?), I’ve committed to a three-week cleanse to kick off my new year in a ramped up health-focused direction. It’s 21 days of thoughtful eating, eliminating triggering, anti-inflammatory foods and beverages that may cause cumulative adverse effects on the body.

I’ll be posting updates throughout the next few weeks to share insights into my progress. But for now, I’ll take you through today’s game plan and goals.

Mindset

Today’s adventure is pretty straightforward – a water-only fast. Some may find the idea of  ingesting nothing but water on a given day an impossibility, but I find it a necessary component of my normal weekly routine. I usually fast every Monday of every week, unless it’s a holiday, or I’m out of town. My Monday fasts are grounding, stress-relieving days that help center my spirit and make my early-to-sleep plan a priority.

There’s nothing like heading to bed on my fast days. The only thing that rivals it is waking up the next morning with another successful water-fast day completed. I’m encouraged by the good I’ve given my body (as research from NIH makes clear) – the opportunity to rid my body of toxins and the release of broken down cells that would otherwise remain, while igniting a process of cellular renewal. All of these aftereffects inspire feelings of accomplishment that are energizing! They’re elements that come together to make my fast-break-day commitment of thoughtful eating stronger and more meaningful. 

Activity

I try to restrict my schedule to office work where lots of physical activity doesn’t have a chance to zap my energy. However, I do run – not my usual hour-plus event but a scaled back thirty minute trek that combines with other general movement and allows me to hit the 10,000 step mark – the low end of my daily step goal.  At 30-minutes, I find I don’t get worn down and my thoughts don’t tend toward the temptation to take in calories to offset fatigue like they may when I’m more active.

Water

Water is the feature today. And lots of it. The bathroom becomes a favorite room in the house on these days. TMI? Apologies, but that’s the reality of waterworks cascading through the body. A focus on taking in nothing but water is a beautiful way to open up the weeks’ long whole-food cleanse ahead. And, for the past decade, this fast-and-cleanse combo is my favorite way to start off the year!

Goal

Today’s Goal = 64 – 90 oz. Water

Day 2 – Check out how I break my water fast!

Happy New Year, Happy Clean Cleanse 2023!

Written by Maria Felicia Kelley
Disclaimer:
Maria Felicia Kelley is not a medical doctor. The cleanse and fasting benefits she discusses in this post are derived from her own experiences and observations. Individuals should consult their own healthcare providers when eliminating foods from their diets.
@thenorthcountymoms@1MariaFelicia 
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