When life gives you lemons……add pepper!

I have to admit, I got a little weak. It’s been a crazy rough year for me with a ton of changes. I spent almost an entire year and a half being depressed. I just haven’t been myself. I’ve slid down the slippery slope of drinking and inactivity since April of this year when I decided to take a season off from skating with the Detroit Derby Girls. This is the longest I’ve been off skates in six years and it’s been rougher on me physically and on my psyche than I had expected. I handled my depression in a typical self destructive fashion. I quit working out so much, quit eating as good and I began drinking.

You know, it’s weird that so many people stop caring for themselves like they should when experiencing depression. I know that my destructive habits aren’t exclusive to me; I’ve met many others that react similarly. The ironic part about the whole scenario is that when depression has you captive in its clutches is when caring for yourself is most important. Why do so many of us take the opposite route and systematically damage ourselves in various ways instead?  It doesn’t make any sense, but then again, sometimes neither does depression.

The day after Thanksgiving, I stepped on the scale a full thirteen pounds heavier than I was in April. Drinking a few hard ciders three times a week, my lack luster diet and bad gym habits were beginning to take its toll. The worst part of the scenario is that I knew better. I totally knew better, but I beat myself up and let myself go like some strange self loathing experiment. I decided thirteen pounds and feeling like dog crap every day was pretty much my breaking point.

There once was a time when I rarely drank. There once was a time when I avoided processed carbs and fast food like they were the fucking Devil(and they are). I reminisce of that woman who would detox with the seasons four times a year and realized that my life was so out of control that I hadn’t done this in a very long time.  I miss that rat in me, you know, the Gym Rat. Seeing the inside of a gym twice a week was evidently not cutting it. So, a few days after Thanks giving, I decided to make some changes and get myself back to good. After all, I can’t write about healthy living if I’m not walking the walk and talking the talk. How stupid would that be?

I decided to try something new to my average lemon water and raw food detox and I’m glad I did.  The results have been amazing! I lost four pounds in a week and I feel great! Let me reiterate….I feel great! I’m pretty much off the detox now and I’ve gained back a pound, which I expected, but getting consistent with my gym schedule will fix that. I’m in the tweaking stages right now.

So, here’s what I did. I did a modified Master Cleanse Detox. By modified, I mean that I didn’t do the salt water flush as recommended and I never fasted at any point. Also, I didn’t do any laxatives.  I drank the Master Cleanse detox lemonade, ate only raw veggies and ate a big bowl vegetable soup when I was really hungry or for dinner. I did this for the first three days. On the fourth day, I ate raw veggies, kept drinking the lemonade and I would eat one hot meal a day.  I’m slowly adding a few snacks here and there, but otherwise, I keep it low carb and healthy.

If you’re interested in checking out the Master Cleanse and all its benefits; here’s a link: http://themastercleanse.org/

The recipe:

• 2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
• 2 Tablespoons Real Maple Syrup
• 1/10 Teaspoon of  Cayenne Pepper Powder – or to taste (as much as you can stand)
• 8 ounces (250 milliliters of Pure Water)

There are some pretty specific guidelines when making a batch of the Master Cleanse. I have a hard time following directions, so I do things a little differently. First of all, I’m not buying all those stupid lemons. I use lemon concentrate. I absolutely do stick to using only organic maple syrup and distilled water. I like to use a little extra cayenne, because I like a little extra spice in my life. Also, I try and stretch the solution a little farther buy using a little extra water. Seriously, organic maple syrup is expensive.

So, being the inquisitive mind that I am and being thoroughly impressed with how well it worked and how good I feel; I began to do some research into the elements in the special lemonade I’ve been drinking almost every day for the past two weeks. Every component in the Master Cleanse lemonade has healthy benefits, but in my opinion, the key ingredient is the Cayenne pepper. What I discovered is unbelievable!

You keep reading, I’ll keep writing!

Thanks, Cee Jay