By Kris Carr on May 28, 2009

ACT update!

Hey there pear!

It’s hard to believe that we’re already on day 18 of the Adventure Cleanse Tune-up (ACT)!  For the past 18 days I have been posting daily, answering questions in the weekly Q&A’s, adding recipes and guidance and having a supercharged blast.  Hundreds of folks are follow us, perhaps you might join the next round.  For those who don’t know about the cleanse, I designed a 28 day lifestyle upgrade program with four levels.  Whether you’re a newbie or a pro ACT can help you slowly transition to a cleaner, healthier mind/body plan. At the end of the 28 days we’ll have an online survey for our participants.  How did it go?  What did you learn?  What do you need more of – less of etc?  Oh, and do you feel better?!

My job is to not only answer the detailed questions but to keep the eagle’s perspective.  As I fly over the forum daily it’s amazing what I observe.  I’ll share the positive first (usually a good move).  So many folks feel better!  They’re off coffee, gluten, sugar, and saturated animal products.  Wellness warriors are juicing daily, fasting once a week (when appropriate) and eating more low-glycemic fruits and veggies!  Win, win.  But it doesn’t end there.  The best part of this tune-up is the self-esteem boost that comes from purifying the voices that hold us back.  That’s why I include a daily focus, prayer and affirmation in the posts.  Recipes aren’t enough when dealing with bad habits, self hatred and in some cases – addiction.

To tell ya the truth, it’s been a big LOVE fest.  The energy on the forum is better than it’s ever been.  People are really helping each other stay motivated.  It’s so sexy!

Now for the other shoe, cause it always drops!  The deeper we get the more demons pop up.  Collective demons.  I constantly have to remind folks that there is no way to FAIL.  This cleanse is intended to give folks freedom NOT an eating disorder.  Gosh, we’re all so hard on ourselves.  To focus on a “diet” change doesn’t mean we need to obsess over everything and let food disrupt and rule our lives!  I know it’s easy to go there but it’s not mature and it’s not healthy.  I encourage people to get smart not heady.

I posted this on the forum two days ago, it bears repeating…

Why is it that so many of us beautiful women make food so complicated and so loaded? Food is nourishment, it’s not the enemy. Food is romantic, it’s creative, it’s divine. I love food and I will never damage that love (again). It took me 20 years to get over the disorders that my acting and dance career encouraged. At one point I was weighed daily, not by me, by teachers. When they stopped weighing me I did it myself for years. My mood revolved around that number and I poured thousands of mean words of disappointment into my journals. If only I could have those days back. But life doesn’t work that way.

Remember, health is about an overall direction. Will you travel the same highway all the time for the rest of your life? NO WAY! Snoozeville. You will take scenic roads and even stop at honky tonk bars! You may have a beer and chips in the afternoon followed by a shot of tequila for dessert. This is life, it’s sweet and it’s fun and it’s never predictable. I am not perfect and I never will be. Perfect is beige. I am red hot! So are you. RED and WILD. You don’t politely sit at tables – you dance on them.

Do you know how many people have told me that I would CURE myself if I was 100% raw and never strayed and that I would be so happy when “IT” went away? They also told me that I can NEVER go back to that roadside bar – ever. They told me that I needed to clear up my bad karma and devote myself to one God and pray with fear as my motivator. They told me how many mistakes I made along the way and made me wish I wasn’t so stupid. They told me that if I didn’t do it just right (their version of right) canSer would stay and kill me. Guess what? NO THANKS!

I love my life and my life happens to include canSer. Yes, it may go away (and whatever your canSer is – bad marriage, toxic friends, regret, depression, abuse etc – may go too) but I can’t make that goal my focus. It doesn’t work for me. Maybe you are different – great – you rock! But for me, that’s way too much pressure! Living from scan to scan is too nerve racking.  Instead, my goal is to have a lovely, whole feeling in my heart and in my body. To wake up and feel GREAT in my body, to experience more joy and less sadness. It’s that simple.  We’re all on a very unique journey and each step you take on your path is PERFECT. It’s perfect because it’s where you are now.

I love taking the grand view on the posts. To look at the overall growth and not just the details. So much change and wing-spreading is happening here and it makes me very proud. I read about how many of you feel better and it makes my heart soar. But I also see that lots of you are just too hard on your sweet sweet selves. You want to get it right, to never mess up, to fit into an appropriate box.

POWERFUL WOMAN (and dudes), BREAK THE BOX.

At the end of ACT you will have new understandings of what works for you and what doesn’t. When you find yourself in a pickle you’ll know how to get back on track. You’ll have some guidelines that you might not have had before. Know that these principles are GUIDELINES and NOT RULES. I hate rules! But I do like healthy boundaries. I try really hard to make them in my life and in my diet.

However, I’m a teenager at heart so when life gets too strict I rebel. HA! Oh yeah, bring it on! Naturally, if I rebel for too long (in any way – not just diet) I’ll feel like crap, get depressed and then have a come to Jesus, Buddha, Elvis with myself. That’s when I know that my juicer is there for me and that my prayer beads are longing to be held and used. I dig out my sneakers and go into nature. I pull out my yoga mat and do deep twists to squeeze out the darkness. My journal awaits to be filled with affirmations. A day or two goes by and I feel like me again.

No doubt, I will go back to the honky tonk bar (and hope to see you there, saving my stool), I/We just won’t stay for 6 months…

Ten more days left!  YOU can do it, you can do anything!

Peace & gentle self-talk,

Kris

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