By Kris Carr on April 22, 2009

The Official Adventure Cleanse Start Date: May 11th

Planet Protectors,

Happy Earth Day! I can’t think of a better way to honor the earth than with my “Adventure Cleanse”!  More than 18% of the earth’s green house gases come from food production – namely factory farming.  The truth is, we produce more than we consume.  We consume more than we need, and the types of “food” we’re eating are making us sick.  No more!  As I mentioned in last week’s blog I’m busy at work on my new book.  Part of the book is a 4 week cleanse, an opportunity to allow your body to take a break from the substances that create adrenal exhaustion, indigestion, acid reflux, cause inflammation, weight issues, allergies, fatigue, acidity, and chronic disease.  I’ve asked my lovely readers (YOU) if you’d like to join me and experiment with what I think is a great program.  The response has been enormous!  WOW, ya’ll really love yourselves and wanna get in the groove ASAP.  OK!

The official start date will be May 11th. Our NYC Wellness Posse meet-up at Urban Zen is on May 9th (please come if you’re in town!) so I want to give my New York crew the opportunity to join us.  Also, the 10th is Mother’s Day and lord knows there will be (vegan) cake at my house!

From now until the start date we’ll be loading you up with information on how to transition and prep for the 4 weeks at My.crazysexylife.com – please join if you are interested in taking part.  I’ll be blogging about it but the majority of the discussions will be there.  Tools like a low-gi fruit guide, where does gluten hide, the No-No list, the yes-yes shopping list, pantry stocking, kitchen tools, cutting costs, what juicer to buy, etc will all be provided for you.  Guest writers and chefs will give you lots of ideas on how to make this work in your busy life.

I’ve received many emails from people worried about the coffee, booze and cig factor!  My advise for you hardcore addicts (I used to be one of them) is to start weaning slowly NOW. Coffee drinkers transition to 1 cup per day for one week. Then 1/2 caf, 1/2 decaf for one week. Next stop yerba mate, green tea or white tea. Some of you mentioned Tecchino (note: this contains gluten so if you’re sensitive it might not be a good drink for you).  The same plan holds true for alcohol and cigs.  Slowly cut back now. Try to limit your alcohol consumption to no more than 2 glasses of wine per week until the Adventure begins.

What will you be eliminating AND what will you replace it with?

1. Coffee
2. Alcohol
3. Refined sugars
4. Processed starches
5. Gluten
6. Dairy
7. Meat (OR reduce to 2x per week)
8. Negativity
9. Inactivity
10. Disconnect to your Divinity

Replace with….
1. Herbal tea, green or white tea, Yerba Mate
2. Water w/lemon, kombucha
3. Stevia, Agave, or Yacon
4. Whole Grains that are gluten-free
5. Nut milks, nut cheeses and other alternatives
6. Beans, sprouts, leafy greens, nuts, seeds, vegan protein powder, superfoods and other sources of protein.
7. Meditation & prayer
8. Affirmations & visualizations
9. Yoga & sweat!
10. Sleep, nap, sleep

When cleansing it is important to make sure that you are eliminating properly, meaning several times per day!  Some folks “go” once a week if they’re lucky.  Your God pod wasn’t designed to haul around all that toxic waste.  If you can afford it, I recommend that over the course of the 4 week Adventure you get between 1-4 colonics.  If you can’t do that then a weekly enema would be fine, especially after the fast day.

Of course a “cleanse” ain’t a cleanse without exercise! My favorite exercise is walking, yoga, jump rope and hula!  Ya don’t need a gym to be fit, you just need a little motivation and consistency.  I have a 20 minute routine that I try and do without fail.  On the days I can’t get my long workout in, the 20 minutes is there for me and it’s enough – better than nothin’.

Re-building your God pod takes love and consistency, that’s why we will include affirmations and prayer. I encourage you to start a meditation practice during this time. 5-15 mins per day.

It would be helpful for you to keep a journal during this time. At the end of the cleanse we would love your feedback!  A handy-dandy survey will be available for you to share your thoughts with us.

Many of you aren’t vegans and that’s OK. After my experience at the Urban Zen Well-Being Forum I have decided to open this up a bit.  Our goal is to eliminate all animal products for the Adventure, but if that makes you shy away and say “no thanks” then I ask that you reduce your meat consumption to no more than twice per week.  Dairy is another topic and for the cleanse you will need to remove it completely.

Gluten – think of your time off from gluten as a scientific experiment. Many of you will see a huge difference – some won’t. Voila, you’ll know if you are intolerant or not.  You can also get tested for gluten/celiac sensitivity but sadly, close to 90% of the test results come back false negative.

I know there will be hard days – that what our forum is for – unconditional support. I can’t wait! Last night as I was sipping a glass of wine (or 2) and thinking about this cleanse. My body told me “you need this too Kris”. Though I recently finished a 21 day fast I’ve been surprised at just how quickly I re-toxed! I think 3 weeks of juice was just to extreme for me. I like one day per week just fine.

On the cleanse we will be fasting once per week.  This is another area that frightens people. Don’t let it. If you have to bring your juice to work in a big mason jars, so be it!  Will all the enzymes be fresh and active? No, but who cares. Do the best you can. I bring juices and smoothies with me all the time. Green powders are perfect for travel as well.  But if fasting is impossible for you (for health reasons etc) then keep it lighter and brighter on that day – salads, juice, steamed veggies, smoothies the possibilities are endless and your body will feel so much better.

Will you have detox symptoms, probably!  If the junk went, stayed and set up shop, then it might kick and scream on the way out.  Ride the dragon.  You will know when it’s too much.  A headache is ok, pimples, fatigue, rashes – that’s natural.  Of course with any cleanse check with your doctor if you have concerns and if you are too weak or in the middle of medical treatments now might not be the time to unload the garbage.  Take a few of my tips and run with them but don’t overdo it.  Wait till you are stronger.  Remember: No one knows your body more than you do!

We’re going to make this as doable for you as possible. It won’t be couch potato easy or an Olympic event.  I want to build a program that works and inspires.  Guess what?  You will meet a truly terrific, really wonderful person – you. The “you” who has been hiding and you’ll begin to get intouch with your core energy – the real you sans crutches.

Peace & freedom,
Kris

 

 

   
 

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