21-Day Purification: The Purge

"I feel healthier already!" Said Graham, who had just rolled out of bed on day 1 of our Standard Process 21-day Purification. Cut to a few moments later, when we at first eagerly, and then very hesitantly, poured water into our SP Complete Vanilla shake. "F*@&!" Said Graham, who forgot to close the lid on his shaker, exploding room-temperature vanilla/earth-smelling shake all over the kitchen.

Tip #1: if you don't have a blender, get one. Add fruit, veggies, whatever it takes. You can actually blend up a pretty tasty way to start the day. My personal favorite is strawberries, pineapple and banana, with carrot and orange juice. Some spinach wouldn't be a bad idea either! What can I say? I'm a work in progress.

Next came the supplements. You'll be taking a grand total of 27 capsules in a day, and these, too, are.. Shall we say.. "Earthy". If you have trouble taking pills, you'll be a pro in no time. If you're a baby like me, you're sure to have a chaser handy to tackle the aforementioned earthiness. No big deal, easy enough. I only gagged a little and made Graham leave the room when I took them. It's gotten better since then. We haven't been bolting to the bathroom, but I gotta tell ya, these things will clean you out in the best way!

Tip #2: prepare. I made the mistake of waiting until the first day to go to the store, which sent Graham to work with less than an ideal amount of snacks to get him through the day, and I was left with carrot sticks for lunch given my usual barn runaround and, again, lack of prep.

I will say this. For myself, the first day was not as tough as I'd imagined. When I knew that my caffeine habit was going to be kicked to the curb, I dreaded what I was sure to be the worst headache of my life. There was not much headache for me, but I did feel mentally foggy and a little tired. Graham, on the other hand, was miserable with a big headache. We both were in bed by 8:30. 

Much to my surprise, I woke up on day 2 feeling great. It's been pretty smooth sailing, and now we're on day 5. Almost 1/3 of the way done already! Call me crazy, but I'm breaking it down by three weeks rather than thinking 21 days. For some reason a smaller number makes it seem easier. After all, this is by majority a mental game.

Not even a week in, and I can already tell a difference in fueling my body rather than just eating whatever sounds good, which is what I've done for a while now. The benefits are already very evident, if nothing else the self control. It's a lot easier for us to get out of bed in the morning, and we both have a lot more energy throughout the day. My body feels happier.

Something else I've gotten out of the past few days is joy in cooking, albeit simple cooking. AKA sautéing, if I'm not enjoying my veggies fresh. Still, there's something quite nice about chopping, tossing, feeling the freshness of your food. Going beyond opening a box or can. It isn't boiling water, bringing processed food back to life. It's all real. Don't get me wrong, I think processed food is delicious. But I already feel so much better without it. 

Stay tuned, guys. I'll be filling you in on our 21-day purification adventures as we go.

Have a beer for me, will ya?