Day #18

Hi Out There,

What a glorious day it was today in the Hudson Valley! Sunny, warm & green as can be. For the first time in a long time, I took a few minutes to do some breathing exercises. I was reading that deep breathing is very important in the cleansing process so I figured that some breath work would be good for me to practice. If you are interested in checking this out, you can just sit comfortably in a chair with your spine straight, your hands on your lap or at your sides & your feet planted on the floor. Close your eyes and begin focusing on your breath. Take a deep inhale through your nose and out through your mouth. Then once again. Be aware of how you feel as you fill your lungs up with the inhale and then notice how your body lets go with the exhale. Now breathe in and out slowly through your nose and feel the calm that comes over you as you just focus on your breath. Do this 10 or so times for today & then maybe tomorrow try for 15. If you like, try thinking when you inhale "breathing in" and when you exhale "breathing out".

Did some more in the way of house & garage clean up today which felt excellent. We are starting to make some headway with our garage. If you have a garage cluttered with stuff, I encourage you to start clearing out one item at a time. It's overwhelming to think about clearing out a whole garage but if you try to do a few things a week, you will get there.

Food wise, I ate a variety of veggies including kale, cauliflower, beets, watercress, carrots, daikon radish & green beans. I did however go off the program when friends who came for dinner brought coconut ice cream for dessert. I only indulged in 1 tbsp of a mint chip coconut milk based ice cream. It was delicious. I have decided I will extend the cleanse for 3 more days since I have gone off program 3 different times during the 18 days I have been doing this. I am realizing how much harder it is to keep to the cleanse when we have company over or go out.

It is late and I am tired. Will start tomorrow off by going to the gym to "bodypump" which is a weight lifting class. It's a lot of work but really fun.

Sweet dreams,

Lysa