Crossing the finish line...

Today marked an incredible first for me! My alkaline level tested at 7.5, which has never happened before.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the alkaline/acid levels in your body and how they impact your health. a 7.5 is the ideal number. When your body is too acidic, under the 7 range (or maybe 6.5), you are much more susceptible to disease. For instance, my levels tended to be in the 6 range throughout my cancer treatment, no matter how many vegetables I ate or green drinks I consumed. I am officially detoxed!

Success! As today is the night before my two-year anniversary of my breast cancer diagnosis, it feels really good to know that my body is healthy inside.

So, once again, I didn't sleep last night. I felt very tired and kind of weak today and it is hard to tell if that is because I am wanting more solid food or if I'm just exhausted from sleeplessness. Probably a combination of the two. I will not lie: I am hungry.

Today's drinks were delicious! If I were to rank my favorite flavors of the cleanse:

1. The smoothies--satisfied my sweet tooth
2. the juices--really fresh and enjoyed the variety
3. the elixirs--yummy and right in the nick of time in the late afternoon
4. the salads--tasty and you get to chew!
5. the soups--I am not really a soup person. I rarely, if ever, eat it. These were definitely tasty and unique and if you do love soup, you'll be in heaven.

Overall, this has to be the freshest, most satisfying and varied cleanse around. The care and love put into every single detail from the packaging to the preparation is obvious. I felt supported and was able to ask questions and ask for help at any time. Lisa and Meredith were very responsive.

I will admit: I resisted cleanses for years and only tried my first one last year in an effort to purify my body from all the drugs and radiation. This is not something I'll do every month! When I do a cleanse again, which will not be for quite a while, it will definitely be Beaming. I am only doing 3 days of the 4 but, feel like I got great benefits!

I feel lighter and leaner and ready to incorporate some of the tools I gained in my everyday diet. I'm also happy to have zero cravings.

Day 2: Energy and Emotions

Day 2: Unfortunately, I didn’t have a good night’s sleep last night. I was so sure that I would sleep like a baby because I had no caffeine or sugar. Perhaps all those greens energized me too much? Or, the Full Moon did its thing?

Despite the sleepless night, I did wake up with a lot of energy and that increased once I had my green drink. It is so funny to me that I voluntarily consume beverages with Kale listed as a primary ingredient. If you’d like to hear my true view on Kale, please check out this older post when I was forced to consume it: http://clairepetretti.blogspot.com/2010/01/kale-kale-everywhereeven-in-mammoth.html. I enjoyed this morning’s green drink and when I went to teach my 9am yoga class at Reform Yoga, I was flying.

Once again my smoothie was delicious. We had the option of swapping out the lunch soup with the dinner salad. As I think I need the solid food in the middle of the day, I gobbled up the delicious salad. These salads are so delicious and each one has been different. I love the variety. The cleanses I’ve done before became very monotonous and now I look forward to the different juices and meals each day.

My energy remained high in the afternoon and I ended up cleaning the house and finishing up a variety of business projects. Teaching my third class of the day at 7pm was a little bit rough, I must admit. My legs just gave up on me in Garudasana. I had to advise my students to "Do as I say, not as I do." Perhaps I should have rested this evening after such an active day?

I’m happy to be halfway through the cleanse already! I’m going to take advantage of the Beaming Bucks at 20 Lounge in Cardiff and add a honey mask to my pedicure. Yes! I love pampering.

I must admit that I’ve felt a lot of emotions come up today, especially ones from the past. I wonder if I am releasing those as well as the physical toxins? What a fabulous benefit that would be.

Happy New Year with Beaming Cleanse

If someone had told me two years ago that I would be embarking upon a 4 day post-holiday cleanse and that I would be excited about it, I would have laughed.

Times sure have changed.

Two years ago, on January 12, 2010, I was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer. And, this blog documented my rollercoaster of a journey. So much has happened since then and most of it is positive. As I approach my two year anniversary, I want to feel healthy and strong. I've learned how vital nutrition is to radiant health.

I am really excited to be experiencing the Beaming cleanse with several other people in San Diego. Of course, I want to feel rejuvenated, lighter and leaner but, these days I am more focused on detoxifying my body. Like most people, I was a glutton over the holidays and need to break my sugar addiction. Should the side-benefit of weight loss occur from this endeavor, I wouldn't mind one bit.

Day 1: Yesterday, I received my Beaming cleanse bag from the pick-up site in Solana Beach, The Nest. The refrigerated bag unzipped to reveal organized and labeled juices, soups, elixirs and a salad. Everything was numbered in order of how they were to be consumed. I really like how Beaming is making it easy to follow the program. Beautiful presentation: I was very impressed.

I admit that I was worried about not having my daily morning cup of coffee. And, I did feel a little shaky without caffeine until I had Bottle #2 which was a really yummy smoothie. After that, the raw soup for lunch energized me enough to enjoy a walk on the beach. I’m excited for dinner: a scrumptious looking salad. Everything was prepared with care and attention to detail. It feels like I've checked into a luxurious spa vacation and my personal chef is catering to me.

Overall, Day 1 went well and I’m looking forward to tomorrow. I really haven't been hungry and more importantly, I'm not craving anything at all, which is amazing.

I’ve picked up Day 2’s container, which just happened to be green. Coincidence?