THE 10 DAY CLEANSE PHASE
DAY 1-3
The 24 Day Challenge begins with a cleanse. This is a gentle tune-up good to do every 90 days. It’s the same concept as getting an oil change every 3000-ish miles in our vehicles. This will allow our body to absorb nutrition and function efficiently for energy and repair.
CONFESSION TIME
So, day 1 I mess up. Yup and I only admit this to hopefully help others NOT do the same. I know some of you have done this very thing so I realize it’s easy to do.
I rocked this cleanse all day until the very end and forgot to take the herbal cleanse supplement before bed. Ok, stop laughing. So for me, day 2 became day 1. Or I might look at it like I am doing an 11 day cleanse. So, if you prefer to do the 10 day cleanse, follow my lead from here…
THE REAL DAYS 1-3
START THE DAY with a Spark drink (vitamin energy drink). I do this everyday anyway. During the cleanse I am taking 1 Catalyst 30 min. before each meal- a branch chain amino acid that protects your muscle from getting burned as energy. Also good to take when exercising.
* Let me nerd out for just a minute… On average, we burn 1 calorie per minute doing nothing. Correction – even when we are doing “nothing” like sleeping, our body is working hard to rebuild and repair. So, of that 1 calorie/minute burned, about 50% comes from carbohydrates, 50% from fat and 10-15% can come from muscle. It’s preferable to keep the muscle and burn the fat. Can I get an amen?
30 MINUTES LATER drink a Fiber Drink followed by breakfast. These days for me have fallen on busy early morning days, so I quickly mixed a Meal Replacement Drink.
* Let’s talk a sec about this Fiber drink. First, as you can expect, it’s thick. My suggestion: use a straw and drink it fast! The first day I let it sit a minute and ended up using a spoon to “eat” it! LOL It was like apple sauce without the flavor. * When choosing the Fiber drink consider this – Citrus is like gently scrubbing your intestines to remove build-up, which for many people helps minimize cravings. Peaches & Cream stays in your system longer and is the great food for the gut. A note from my Coach, Danielle: “I typically suggest citrus for the cleanse because it is a little more thorough when it comes to scrubbing. Peaches & cream is great for maintenance after the challenge since it feeds the probiotics and can help with feeling full.” ~ Thanks Danielle that’s super helpful!
When it comes to this Fiber drink, listen to The Rock
SNACK TIME: about 10 am I have a snack
LUNCH TIME: Follow the guide – real, balanced food
SNACK TIME: I drink a Spark and then have a snack about 3:00
BEFORE BED: Take the herbal cleanse 🙂
My grocery shopping before starting 24DC.
I’m not going to bore you with all the food I am eating, but I’ll share a few meals and snack here and there. This is hormone free grass-fed lean ground beef, slightly grilled veggies (normally I cook them to the point of crispy… not so nutritious), avocado and salsa.
Easy, quick and delicious snacks.
This was my breakfast for the first 3 days of the cleanse. Berry Meal Replacement is so good. I also adore the chocolate 🙂 This is my “running out the door” version: water and powder shaken and dumped into a cup with ice.
And this is my “Oh cool I have 5 more minutes” variation – Blended with ice.
One more thing…we need to drink lots of water!
Things on the cleanse change slightly for the next days.
Be intentional in everything you do!
Stay healthy!
I just completed the PhysicalMind Institute 2 day E401 Standing Pilates Workshop held at the Chelsea Studios in New York, NY taught by Yuu Fujita, Institute Lead Teacher. Traditionally, Pilates is practiced on large equipment like the Reformer and Cadillac and is not always accessible to everyone. Mat Pilates is less expensive, does not require a lot of space, and can be followed by video or live streaming. Often Mat Pilates classes will involve small equipment like a ring, bands or balls. Still, performing Pilates exercise standing has been challenging to master. 
For this training, we used the NEW Tye4® wearable resistance system from TheMethod Pilates. It’s a harness that fits over the shoulder and connects higher on the chest, or lower depending on comfort. It’s easy to put on and can be adjusted quickly. It has loops that connect to each foot anchoring the single leg bungee and hand loops that anchor the single arm bungee. While standing, the bungees function like a “bar” and gives support to movement that require balance. Because it’s not as stable as an actual bar, it requires the body to work harder to balance. This type of work is great for developing strong stabilizer muscles and a strong core. The bungees can also be used to assist in movement and of course we used them to create resistance in the standing position – up to 40 lbs depending on how the bungees are used! We also worked through Pilates fundamentals and traditional exercises on the mat. In this case, the Tye4 functions like a Reformer by providing assistance and resistance. Mat Pilates is much more effective when using Tye4. It can also be used on different Pilates apparatus – see here 
