Bikram Yoga El Paseo

After three months of summer livin……..BBQ’s , Parties, long weekends, and vacations, its time to regroup and get back to a normal routine of healthy eating and minimal imbibing.

I know, it’s not quite season but another month of indulgence just wasn’t going to work for me. I needed a kick in the pants to jumpstart healthy habits so I took a hiatus from summer fun and committed to a THREE DAY CLEANSE.

It’s JUST three little ol days so whats so tough about that?

During this cleanse I also committed to a solid workout routine which included the best detox on the planet…..BIKRAM YOGA! For me its the full prescription. I’ve practiced for so long that unless I do 90 minutes – the real deal – I feel like I”m short changing myself.

So for three days, in addition to my normal 90 minute Bikram Yoga class, I added a three day cleanse from Fresh Juice Bar in Palm Desert. I even snuck in a spa visit: A Lemon sugar scrub to get rid of the dead summer skin as well!

 

 

The following illustrates my experience of my journey of this three day commitment:

DAY ONE : Excited as all get out I arrived at Fresh Juice in Palm Desert and picked up my 6 pack plus one. I requested an extra juice of pure Celery juice first thing in the am to check out what all the hype was about from the Medical Medium…… If you never heard of him – google him. Some swear by him, some say he’s a quack. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

I drank my celery juice and then headed to Bikram Yoga Class. I know from experience that the specific compression and release postures detox the internal organs and glands, and that the heat accelerates all of the amazing benefits. So with the juice cleanse its a Double Detox and a reset for my body and my mind.

I continued drinking the juices from my six pack every two hours. Lots of Kale , Spinach, Celery, Lemon and apple. Some juices have cabbage, parsley, mint , turmeric, ginger and Cayenne pepper. I tried to stay hydrated throughout the day and I went to the spa and took in a swim and a eucalyptus steam.

About mid day that nasty caffeine withdrawal headache kicked in. I didn’t really miss my morning coffee as I was super psyched about starting the cleanse. I convinced myself that I could give up anything for three days. I didn’t even think about coffee until I felt the headache.

I drank my final juice about 8pm, a lovely protein drink and the only non vegetable juice all day. It tasted like dessert. It has almond milk, cinnamon and Grade B Maple syrup.

Day one was a breeze and I felt amazing hitting the pillow that night.

I continued to follow my path for the next two days of the cleanse. I bypassed the beckoning Nespresso capsules that sat on my counter and started my day with water and Green tea. The next two days went fairly well but I have to admit, Day 2 and Day 3 were tough without coffee. I can live without alcohol and can give up solid food for a few days but coffee…….wow ! That’s a tough one for me. In the end, I felt great, had reduced sugar cravings and even stayed off coffee for a few more days.

I talked about my cleanse and wrote about it on face book. Evidently I stirred up some interest so just shy of a month later I was back at it AGAIN. This time with a group of Yogis! I partnered once again with good friend, juice queen Marcie Madain of Fresh Juice Bar and she worked a special deal for my Yogis.

There is something to be said about a group support system. This time around, my biggest issue wasn’t coffee, it was actually craving real food especially on the final day.

Doing a “group” cleanse proved way more fun this time around and I think I developed a new way to procure toned abs: Laughing for three days straight. The “stories” of my peeps as they were checking in with their progress were hilarious.

We had 11 participants in the group. Different personalities, goals and taste buds for sure.  It was soooo fun to see all of our 6pack juice cleanses all lined up and ready to go at  Fresh Juice Bar in Palm Desert.

 

During the cleanse, some of us peeps would practice together  AND  JUICE TOGETHER…………………….

 

My teacher Kristin and I stayed in touch the most often texting several times a day as our cravings set in in order to help keep each other on track.

While we both loved the taste of all of the juices, some of the other participants were not so enthused. Both Patty and Mimi agreed they had to choke down the green juices……..the expressions made on their faces as they stated this made me laugh so hard my belly ached.

The funniest thought came in a picture not words……..  but as they say-  a picture paints a thousand words.  Kristin’s boyfriend sent her a pic of him eating an In and Out burger with fries just as she was struggling missing solid food.

Our workouts during the cleanse proved more challenging than not. After Kristin’s DOUBLE Bikram Classes in one day…….( ARE YOU KIDDING ME…….. one class is definitely enough during any given day of the cleanse)…. she described herself as “TOAST”, then added, “toast, wow I wish I had some right now…………” Another belly laugh for me! My abs are really getting a workout with the comedy that has come along with the cleanse.

All in all we fared well, all got through it in our own way and some peeps are even ready to do it again. I’ve had some new interest from those who could not participate in the last cleanse so I”m sure we will be scheduling another one soon!

Until then, see you in the hot room, sweatin out all those toxins and being the best you can be!

Namaste`