It’s been a blast hanging out with my family grabbing some much needed connection, sunshine, and sleep…. All of which fed my body and soul more than any food could ever do.
So on this 30-day quest to clean up the diet and put more energy into your health, remember that it’s not just about the foods you’re eating or that yummy morning detox cocktail you’re drinking.
Chill Out
Stress plays a bigger role than you might realize. And believe it or not… but stressing out over your food choices and exercise regime just adds insult to injury. While you are in this 30-day period of detoxification, make sure it includes people that bring you joy, activities that help you relax, and enough sleep to allows your body to take it all in and heal.
Exercise.
I always have the best intentions to do a regular exercise regime while away, but it rarely happens. But I think what ends up happening is better than any perfectly timed and calculated scenario…. I enjoy my vacation and make sure to be active.
Case in point…
My first day included naps. Lots of them. : ) There was no exercise in sight and it was exactly what I needed.
Day Two: Out at the beach while my brother hung out with his very cool (and insanely huge) dog Dale, I decided to take off for a fast walk that turned into a jog, that turned into a nice run, that ended with a round of Tabata sprints. It was awesome.
Day three was all about (attempting) to hit the waves. I’m still a novice surfer, but just the mere effort required to paddle out past the breakers, attempting to catch a wave, crashing, and then doing it all over again is out-of-this-world fun and yes…EXHAUSTING!

Paddling out past the breakers… I wish I had a great surfing pic… but I pretty much bailed everytime before a picture could be snapped. : ) You at least can’t say I’m not determined!

Too bad the pic wasn’t snapped a short second later… then you could have seen me *CRASH*!!! (which was pretty much the common theme to my day)
Knowing I’ll be sitting on a plane for a long time tonight, I’ll be hitting a few yoga poses and hopefully (if I can convince my mom) one more fun beach run with a few Tabata drills.
Food
I had a blast videotaping and snapping shots of all the amazing life giving foods we shared together as a family. My sister in law, Lyn has been following my blog for a while and both she and my brother enjoy healthy, simple,and delicious foods. She’ll be the first to tell you that finding peace and happiness in her life put her on a path to discovering a more life-giving way to eat, easily shedding unwanted weight. My mom is in the same boat choosing a healthy lifestyle filled with real food and consistent exercise. She’s been a member of one of my favorite boot camps run by Brad and Cynthia Linder in my hometown, Coppell TX. I think she’s healthier now in her late 50’s than she was in her 30’s! Go Mom!
So what I’m trying to say here was that being surrounded by like-minded people made it real easy to make great food choices.

This was seriously THE BEST chicken soup I’ve ever had… Organic Chicken PACKED with tons of veggies, even kale!

Lunch at my new favorite deli, Lovey’s: sauteed organic veggies topped with organic turkey burger patty. And I never would have thought I’d find Kombucha in Wilmington NC!

Lyn made this fabulous egg and veggie scramble mixed with leftover gyro meat and asparagus. Such a great way to start off the morning!

Hanging with my mom and bro at one of my favorite beach restaurants. I ordered the Vegeta-Bowl… a huge salad with tons of veggies, topped with seared tuna… So delicious!
Audra,
Can we have
peas
popcorn
red wine vinegar
on the cleanse?
Peas and popcorn are on the no list,
red wine vinegar is a yes. : )