GIVEAWAY...and The Lowdown on put the SUGAR DOWN

First off, I want to apologize for not being present in the blog world lately but I have made a commitment to myself to put 'First things First' and haven't had a free minute to give it the attention that I wanted.   It's also a hectic time of year for us teachers with state assessments, galas...you know the drill. 

On to the nitty gritty...

Tomorrow is the last day of the Quantum Wellness Cleanse book giveaway and I'm really excited to pass on the wellness.  My SIL recently posted a comment on my blog that I wanted to share. 

I have to admit, when I first read about this Cleanse, I thought "No way." I did a Cleanse earlier this year and loved it, but it was only 4 days, and I was allowed to have caffeine. 21 days just seemed....... well, impossible.


Honestly, what changed my mind was seeing you this past weekend. You look SO healthy and fit, and you looked healthy and fit before!!! Your skin and eyes looked so clear and healthy, and your tummy definitely did flatten out! I could see those 6 pounds that you lost. Its one thing to read about a cleanse or a fitness program, but its another thing to see its actual effects in real life. That was just the motivation I needed!


So, I feel like this Kathy Freston program is the thing to take me to the next level. That and re-joining the Y so I can start swimming, too! (No better summer workout!)

How bad was your caffeine and sugar withdrawal? 

Caffeine I started a few weeks before the actual cleanse because I was nervous about it.  I did it slowly and it wasn't that bad.  Knowing that I might have withdrawal and expecting the withdrawal made it not so bad.  Kathy guides you in her book, day by day about what you may feel and how to handle it.  It all made so much sense about how the more I took in caffeine my body became more dependent and how my body would "miss the benefits of rest".  Before my body would begin training for the marathon I wanted to see what it could do on its own…not "artificially".  
But how bad was it?  Not bad at all.  I think Scott can also vouch that he thought giving up the sugar would be TEN MILLION times worse.  Knowing and understanding that it wasn't really that bad or hard is what helps me now that I am finished with the cleanse because now I understand that it is all a choice. I understand why I am going for the snickers bar now...I feel more powerful, more aware.

 How long did the cravings last? 
The cravings for sugar lasted for about 4-5 days.  After that I found myself realizing I didn't need it and that there were other options and actually being able to choose those other options.  This was a very empowering feeling.  Giving up the sweets and gluten was most difficult when I was out in social situations.  On that note...my hardest withdrawal was with the gluten.  That was hard but again I found other options that I am still using today.

 When did it start feeling GOOD? 
Honestly, I am going to say day 3-4.  I started immediately noticing changes in my body.  I noticed it in my skin.  I was able to sleep better at night.  I noticed changes in the bathroom department lol...which was welcomed!  I felt so proud that I was able to make choices and say no to something that I thought controlled me (sugar/caffeine). 

Were you starving the whole time? 
NO!  I actually never felt fuller.  (I know this is sounding like Kathy is paying me lol but I promise you she's not lol)  The food was healthy, real, and there really were no limits on how much you ate.  Everything I ate was much more filling than the junk I was used to.

And do you feel like the changes “stuck”?
The changes absolutely stayed with me...they be stuck!  The one thing I did go back to full force is the gluten.  With running it is not very hard to stay away from the carbs nor did I want to stay away.  The sugar- I am much more limited than I ever was.  I know now that I really don't need the artificial sugars.  I also am so much more aware of how much sugar is actually in my food....and stay away from things that are unnecessary.  So for example I'll choose dried fruit now instead of gummy bears lol...  Caffeine- I haven’t gone back to this because I realized how much it was keeping me up, how I had such ups and downs from it, and overall just made me feel dependent on something which I don’t like. 



I hope this helped!  You have till midnight tomorrow to enter!  So excited for the giveaway!
Enter the giveaway here!!!!
http://runintherightdirection.blogspot.com/2011/05/im-giving-away-some-quantum-wellness.htmlI thought this said it well...it changes you in all the best ways...from the inside-out.  Here are some questions that Marie asked me to answer...I'll do my best!