Just a Pinch of Salt

I've done a lot of different cleanses in my short life, and when I say a lot, I mean A LOT!!  While nothing I have tried has compared to the effectiveness of Isagenix's Cleanse for Life, there have been a few things that definitely have had benefits, and actually increase the effectiveness of the Isagenix systems.  One of those such things is Epsom salt baths. 

Did you have any idea that taking a bath could not only clean the outside of your body, but the inside as well?!  No, I'm not suggesting you drink soapy bath water.  That's just disgusting!  (Especially if you've already sat in the bath water *gagging*).What I am suggesting is adding a pinch-- or maybe a couple cups--of Epsom salt to your tub (with water of  course), then sit back and literally watch as toxins leave your body. Be prepared to be awed (or nauseated)!


So how exactly does Epsom salt detox the body, you ask? Well Epsom salt really isn't salt at all. It's actually magnesium sulfate. Most of us know about the importance of iron and calcium for our bodies, but what about magnesium? It is the second most abundant element in human cells and the fourth most important positively charged ion in the body. It helps the body regulate over 325 enzymes and plays an important role in organizing many bodily functions, like muscle control, nerve function, electrical impulses, energy production, the absorption of nutrients, and the elimination of harmful heavy metals and toxins.  It is also great at reducing inflammation (a problem many of us seem to have according to Dr. Colgan) which relieves pain and muscle cramps,  helps to prevent artery hardening and blood clots, and makes insulin more effective.  Oh, and did I mention it can help ease migraine headaches. =)

Sadly, even though magnesium is so vital to our level of wellness, our magnesium levels have dropped by half in the last century due to changes in agriculture and diet.  Industrial farming has depleted magnesium from soil and the typical American diet contains much less magnesium than that of our forefathers. And in fact, the modern American diet with its fat, sugar, salt and protein actually works to speed up the depletion of magnesium from our bodies.

What are we going to do!?!

Another factor in decreased magnesium levels has been our focus on getting enough calcium. It’s a delicate dance–calcium depletes magnesium yet calcium functions best when enough magnesium is present. Studies indicate that taking a calcium supplement without enough magnesium can increase the shortage of both nutrients. Researchers have found that many Americans have five times as much calcium as magnesium in their bodies, although the proper ratio for optimum absorption of both minerals is two to one.

I know what you're thinking.  You're wondering when Isagenix is going to come up with a solution to this widespread magnesium deficiency.  The answer is, they already have!  It's called IsaFlush (aka a magnesium supplement).  BUT!! studies show that magnesium is not easily absorbed through the digestive tract. The presence of specific foods or drugs, certain medical conditions, and the chemistry of a person’s stomach acid can render magnesium supplements ineffective.

*Dun-Dun-Dun!!!* Hence the Epsom salt bath! Studies have shown increased magnesium levels from soaking in a bath enriched with Epsom salt, because Magnesium and sulfate are both easily absorbed through the skin.  Your skin is a highly porous membrane and adding the right minerals to your bathwater triggers a process called reverse osmosis, which actually pulls salt out of your body, and harmful toxins along with it.


Allow me to tell you a little story.  I started the Isabody Challenge on December 12, 2011.  At that time I had been heavily medicated for a mental illness and mental disorder for a year and a half.  One of the main reasons I started the challenge was to get off of the medications. I had tried multiple times prior to the challenge, but failed everytime.  My body and brain were hooked to them.  I would go a few weeks without any pills, and then would have to get back on them because of the withdrawals I experienced.  When I started the challenge, I quit taking the meds, cold turkey.  After cleansing multiple days, I took an Epsom salt bath.  I had taken these baths before, but never when I was cleansing, and never when I had been on medication.  I typically took the baths the help with muscle soreness, but the effects of this cleansing bath were SICK!  in both senses of the word--awesome and disgusting!  I had filled my jacuzzi tub with hot water and about 2 pounds of Epsom salt.  I climbed in ready to relax.  After about 1 minute of having the jets on, my relaxation  was abruptly disturbed.  All of a sudden there were large bubbles floating around the tub with an orangish-brown, clay looking substance coating them.  IT FREAKED ME OUT! I practically jumped right out of the tub.

Gross exhibit #1

 This had never happened before.  I wasn't sure whether to believe the gew was toxins or just dirt from the tub.  I decided to take another bath the next day.  This time, I had just finished Bikram yoga, so I had been sweating perfusely for 90 minutes, and I had showered, and I cleaned the tub ahead of time.  I was ruling out any possibility of the sludge being dirt residue.  Once again, after about one minute of the jets, **deep voice** the sludge was back!

Gross exhibit #2

Me being the quack that I am, I took a sample of the mystery sludge to our science teacher to run a few tests.  Sure enough, CSI-SLC confirmed the mystery substance was the left over meds leaving my body, along with some heavy metals. Mystery Solved!

I continued to take Epsom salt baths every time I cleansed during the challenge, and I still take them about every other week.  While there are many different brands of Epsom salt, they are all the same product chemically.  So get out there are and start cleaning your insides! =)

When Life Gives You Lemons...

When life gives you lemons, you have two options:

1) Squeeze them into peoples' eyes x(

2) Use them to cleanse your body naturally =D

Lemon juice (in its natural form, not that stuff you buy in the green bottle) has many natural detoxifying qualities.

• Its acidic qualities help break down food in your stomach for better digestion in two ways. Obviously it is acidic in and of itself, which breaks down food, but also, it stimulates the stomach to produce more digestive juices. The more efficiently your stomach breaks down food, the less work your liver has to do.
• Lemons aid in digestion by ensuring that all food gets digested; sometimes food particles find their way into the bloodstream and then to the liver. This puts a heavy strain on the liver causing the liver to need detoxing. The digestive aid of lemon juice prevents food from entering the bloodstream. 
• Your liver is part of your body’s built-in filtration system. Lemon juice is a natural antiseptic, so it helps control harmful bacteria. Not only does this help aid your liver function, but also promotes healthier skin, and even helps soothe minor throat and respiratory problems.
• Lemon juice cleans the liver by aiding in the removal of toxins that can build up in the liver.
• Lemons contain high amounts of vitamin C, which acts as an antioxidant inside the body. The liver filters toxins from the blood; after the toxins are filtered out of the bloodstream, they turn into free radicals. Free radicals present a harmful effect on the liver; the vitamin C from a lemon and water mixture counteracts the effects from free radicals.
• Lemon mixed with water is a very alkaline substance, and restores the body's pH balance. Remember that when the body is acidic it can't absorb nutrients, and when we don't absorb nutrients our body tells us to keep eating, and then we get more calories than we need, and then we get plump.

You never knew them little lemons were so powerful now did ya?!  I bet if we had all posted this on our lemonade stands as kids we would have made a lot more money! ;)  

An Apple a Day...

You know that saying "An apple a day keeps the doctor away"?  Well I like the saying "apple cider vinegar each day keeps the debilitating mucus catarrh at bay."  Bet you haven't heard that one before! =D 
Yes I know, apple cider vinegar (or ACV for those of us that live in the American culture of abbreviating everything) is disgusting!  But, can you honestly tell me that mucus isn't disgusting too?  Mucus inhibits the absorption of nutrients, slows blood circulation and increases blood pressure, increases acidic pH levels, and creates an environment for parasites, fungus, and harmful bacteria to grow, resulting in digestive problems and disease, all of which stimulate weight gain.

Which substance would you rather have in your body? 
Pros and cons, folks...pros and cons.

Here's the skinny on apple cider vinegar:
ACV has long been used as an aid for weight loss and improving health. It is a very safe supplement, even for children.  This is why:

ACV supports detox-
ACV is rich in minerals, vitamins, and other nutritive substances. It contains vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin A, vitamin P, vitamin B1, B2, and B6, as well as the minerals manganese, iron, calcium, sodium, magnesium, sulpher, copper, phosphorus, silicon, chlorine, and fluorine. ACV also provides enzymes, amino acids, aldehydes, potash, alcoholic acids, propionic acid, and apple pectin. All of these support the bodies filtering systems to detox unwanted toxins and mucus.

ACV helps create an alkaline environment-
The pH level of our bodies is critical to our health. An alkaline body will more readily absorb nutrients. The more acidic we are, the more likely we are to store fat. Overly acidic bodies greatly diminishes the effectiveness of your immune system.The pH of ACV is very beneficial for the body. Even though ACV is an acid, it has an alkalizing effect on the body. When we alkalize our bodies, we absorb more nutrients, which causes us to need to eat less since we are getting the nutrients we need, and thus we lose weight.

ACV promotes fat depletion-
ACV is obtained from the fermentation of apples. Fermentation provides alcoholic apple cider that is combined with oxygen to produce acetic acid. Acetic acid helps prevent the buildup of body fat and certain liver fats, by assisting in breaking down fats so thatyour body can use them rather than store them.

ACV boosts your immune system-
ACV has malic acid in it. Malic acid contains the properties of being an anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal. 

ACV is an anti-inflammatory-
The acetic acid and active enzymes within the ACV also help the body metabolize protein and absorb the amino acids more effectively. This is a critical step for building healthy hormones and enzymes and repairing tissue. Through these mechanisms, ACV helps to recover from injury, excessive exercise, and states of chronic pain.

SOOOO...long story short, if you what to super charge your body's cleansing abilities, add apple cider vinegar to your daily regimen.  Got a weak stomach?  Quick gag reflex?  No worries!  You ever look at the back of the Isagenix Accelerator capsule?  The main ingredient is ACV!  So if you're not taking it,  get on it!  If you are already taking it, keep doing so.  I'm a double-dipper by nature myself.  So I take the accelerator capsule and ACV capsules every morning.  I notice all the difference in my recovery time between workouts, and the amount of soreness I get. 

The Living Diet

This is it!  The moment you've all been waitin for!  The answer to the number one question I receive is about the be revealed.  I know the anticipation has been unbearable; the suspense insufferable. But before I can reveal the answer, I feel it is important to reveal something else of utmost importance: the question! =P  In all honesty there are actually two #1 questions.  Now, being a mathmagician I know it is in fact impossible to have two #1 questions, one will obviously out weight the other, even if it isn't by a statistically significant amount,  but the margin of error in my tallying is so small that it really is hard to determine which question really is the #1 and which is the #2.  Plus, I already posted an answer to "the #2 question" so we can't call the second #1 question the #2 question now could we?  So for the sake of not having to go back and changing previous posts,  we are going to call the top 2 questions "Question #1" and "Question #1 and 1/2."

Are you feeling a little something like this right about now?  =)

Now that we've got that all "cleared up," let's get to the question.  The top two questions I receive are "What do you eat?"  and "What do your workouts look like?"  Because nutrition is the single most important element to optimal health, I've decided to confront "What do you eat?" question first.  I eat...*drum roll please*...*drum roll still going*........."The Living Diet!"

You know that saying, "All I really need to know I learned in kindergarten."  Well I have my own saying.  It goes something like this, "All I really need to know I learned from Aaron Ogden (or Google)." ;)  What I am about to explain to you is not a scientific phenomenon.  I was introduced to this way of life by Aaron, but as I researched it myself, I found there is information about it ALL OVER THE INTERNET!  It is common knowledge that has been around for centuries.  Many a culture all over the world have naturally followed the diet I have adopted since the beginning of time as we know it.  And they do it, because it is their way of life, not their way to lose weight. That is the first thing to know about a diet: A diet is what you eat; not your plan to lose weight.  We are all on diets everyday. 
Some of our diets are good...some of our diets are unhealthy.  Plethoras of people say "I need to lose weight!  I'm going to start exercising." That's wonderful, but as the all knowing Aaron says, "A good exercise program alone can’t ensure excellent health. Without good nutrition you could even say that your exercise is somewhat in vain. Exercise itself depends on the fuel we give it. If you exercise to be healthy, then you better give your body the high-octane fuel it deserves. Diet is actually more critical than working out."


Life produces life. If you want to be healthy, if you want to feel alive, you must put living things in your body.The American diet is predominantly made up of processed, manufactured food.  It is all DEAD!   It contains little to no energy.  The food we buy out of cans and boxes are almost completely nutritionally and minerally depleted.  Why do you think everything is now "enriched" and "fortified."  We've removed all that is good in our food during the processing process, so then we have to add lab manufactured nutrients back in, most of which aren't assimilated into our body because they aren't natural.  Why do you think you can eat a whole carton of ice cream, a whole bag of Cheetos, or a box of "whole grain cereal," and still want to eat, but if you eat an apple you don't have the desire to continue to eat 9 more servings of apples?  It's because you're body got the nutrients it was craving from the apple,  but those other processed foods have nothing in them to satiate your body's desire for nutrients. Just take a look at these Kirlian photos. Kirlian photography is a scientific way of showing the energy fields emitted from objects. The first shows energy given off of our hands, the second of a fast food hamburger, the third is fresh broccoli.

Which food do you think is going to sustain life?  Again, if you want to be healthy, if you want to feel alive, you must put living things in your body.  Sure processed food is quick and easy, and fits our fast paced lifestyle, but it is KILLING US! Ask yourself this question right now: Do you want to be dead or alive?  If you choose the latter, then read on to discover what the "Living Diet" entails.

The Living Diet, or the "Fab 5" as I like to call it, consists of 5 ingredients: fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds...in that order.  Thee End!  That is what I eat =)  I consume processed foods as minimally as possible, and I avoid high fructose corn syrup like the plague.  I know the majority of you are now sitting speechless with raised brows, thinking to yourself,  "That's it?!  Where's the dairy?  Where's the meat?  Where's the chocolate?  Aw hell no, I can't do that!"  Allow me to put your nerves at ease by quoting Aaron again:

Optimal health means nothing without balance and enjoyment. Start implementing this diet and remember to create balance in your life while you learn to eat this diet. It is ok to celebrate and eat cake and ice cream. It is ok to go on a vacation and explore new foods. It is ok to have friends over for a summer BBQ. All these activities can add value to your life and won’t necessarily damage your health as long as you are balancing these types of foods with the high nutrient, high fiber foods that come from this diet. The Living Diet cleanses and nourishes the body to help you achieve optimal health, vibrant energy, minimal illness, and ultimately a balanced life. 

I'm an all or nothing kinda gal, so when Aaron told me to start following this diet, I did...all out. I got rid of all my processed foods.  I filled my fridge with produce and my pantry with whole grains (locally made whole grain bread (with only 5 ingredients), steal cut oats, quinoa, long grain rice), and unprocessed nuts.  I'm not really a seeds person so those aren't part of my daily diet.  On any given day, 70% of my food is fresh produce, and about 80% of that 70% is eaten raw. The other 20% I steam.

Here's an idea of what my typical day looks like: 
      First thing in the morning:  Drink Ionix Supreme, 1 tsp of Jurassic greens,
      and about 24 oz. H2O.
      Breakfast (after workouts): Isalean Shake and 1-2 servings fruit
      About an hour/hour and half later:  More fruit,  granola or other whole grain if I want it.
      1st "lunch" (another hour or so later):  HUGE spinach salad  (various mix-ins), with an
      oil/vinegar based dressing (I love Newman's Own brand).
      2nd "lunch" (about 2 hours later): fruit, steamed vegetables and whole grains.
      Couple hours later: snack on nuts and fruit
      Dinner:  steamed vegetables, whole grains, possibly some seafood or chicken.
 
You'll notice I am pretty much literally  eating ALL DAY.  I don't really sit down for a meal until dinner. The rest of the day I am grazing like a cow. 
You'd think that by eating that much I'd look like a cow too, but the truth of the matter is that even with all that food, that often,  I only eat between 1300-1400 calories a day (and I burn at least 1,000 every morning). Some days I have to force myself to eat more to get past the 1100 mark.  That is another misconception our society has tried to ingrain in our heads.  We are taught that calorie counting should be the foundation of our diet.  WRONG!  All calorie counting does is develop a complex about your body and your eating habits.  Nutrients and minerals are the foundation to any healthy diet.  That is why the Living Diet is so beneficial!  That is why Isagenix is so beneficial! (Are you starting to see how this diet and Isagenix go hand in hand)?

I can read the majority of your minds as you're reading this, "It sounds so boring!  Vegetables are gross!  Fruit makes me gassy.  I have to have my meat."  First of all,  if your body has an 'intolerance' to fruit, that should be your first indicator that your diet is unhealthy and you need to start making some changes.  What I found after a couple weeks of eating this diet, is all the processed food I used to like, didn't taste very good anymore. I quit craving processed/refined sugars, and desired holistic foods.  I started cooking with fresh herbs and spices, and found multitudes of holistic recipes online. Now all other processed foods that used to seem so hearty and delicious, taste bland to me.  On my free days (which I have once a week),  I didn't feel the need to try to "make up" for everything I didn't eat during the week like I used to when I tried the Body for Life, South Beach, and Atkins diets.  I actually just wanted to eat close to the same things I ate all week.  In fact,  there were multiple times during the Isaboday Challenge that Aaron made me promise to eat WHATEVER I wanted from 3pm-10pm.  He did it because 1) he knows balance is key to everything in life, and 2) he knows that living the Living Diet provides the way for the body to handle all the other crap we want to put in our bodies.
 
For many of you, this diet may still seem impossible, or too hard. "It doesn't fit my life style." Let me remind you that you created your lifestyle. You can redefine it whenever you choose.  You don't have to go all out like I did.  Start by adding things into your diet.  Then proceed to remove the things that shouldn't be there (aka processed foods and HFCS).  I'm a carnivore by nature, but I have cut back my red meat intake drastically, and only eat "organic" white meats a couple times a week.  I also L-O-V-E cheese, but I also have asthma, and dairy products are mucus forming, so I have had to live by Aaron's saying that "cheese is a condiment, not a staple."  I also love potatoes, another mucus forming food (when cooked).  I've had to convert potatoes from being my main food, to being a occasional side dish. It's tough at first, but definitely doable.

These are the guidelines.  Start adding in the ones that fit your lifestyle,  then continue to add in the rest to transform your lifestyle.  You'll notice the first 5 are Do's, and only the last one is Don't.

                1. Eat 4 fruits and 4 Servings of vegetables

                (preferably green, leafy) each day

                2. Eat whole grains (not whole wheat), nuts
                and seeds.

                3. Drink at least 64 oz of water each day

                4. Drink nourishing fluids (fresh juice, herbal
                teas, Jurassic greens)

                5. Take supplements that are food based

                6. Avoid processed foods and HFCS

Whenever I help someone adopt the Living Diet/Fab 5 lifestyle, I get asked "Well can I eat this? Can I eat that?" I've learned to respond to these questions in the same way that Aaron told me he teaches his kids how to eat,  "I don't tell them what they can't eat, I tell them what they have to eat."  Simply put, if it isn't part of the Fab 5, it shouldn't be the basis for your diet.  Doesn't mean you can't eat it.  Just don't eat it in mass amounts.  This diet centers on your health: your body needs high fiber and nutrients to operate properly. Try to get to where you can follow the diet completely for one day; then two days. As Aaron would say, "If you can't commit to eating this way at least 3 days a week, then you better learn to cleanse and cleanse often."

Which brings me to my final point.  If you are reading this blog then you more than likely are already aware of the benefits of cleansing.  The problem with cleansing (especially Isagenix style) is it is so amazing, and so efficient at helping us remove unwanted fat, that many people have come to use it as a "Plan B" for not living a healthy lifestyle.   If you want to get the most out of cleansing, and maintain your results without having to deep cleanse every other week, you need to adopt the Living Diet.  If you want a more in depth explanation on why to eat the Fab 5, and why to not eat all the other foods not listed in it, visit http://www.chickenorpig.com/nutrition.html.
 
In summary, if you want to get the results that I did during the Isabody Challenge, you need to remember these 5 points: 
              - A diet is what you eat.
              - Life produces life-Don't expect to receive energy from dead food.
              - The "Fab 5"
              - Focus on nutrients not calories
              - Cleansing is not a Plan B

Tune in next time to learn about all the "yummy" natural supplements you can add to the Fab 5 to help your body help itself...Like apple cider vinegar and cayenne pepper...mmm!

"The Master Plan"

Today we address the third most asked question. That's right, I'm still deferring  the #1 asked question.  Don't let the suspense make you lose sleep (Isagenix actually has a product for that if you're indeed struggling with the matter;)  The question is, "what protocol did you follow/How often did you cleanse?"  The answer isn't as simple as one would think; not because Isagenix is complicated, but because I may or may not have ADHD, so following the same schedule for six months just wasn't going to happen.  Not to mention there were other factors to consider. I must warn you that this is gonna be a loooooonnngggg post.  We got six months to cover!

Let's start at the very beginning. Afterall, Maria Von Trapp says "it's a very good place to start."  I started the Isabody Challenge on December 12, 2011.  My schedule looked something exactly like this:

 Allow me to explain my OCD color coding.  I had four kinds of days throughout the entire challenge:  Cleanse Days, Shake Days, "Regular" Days (numbered days), and Free Days. 

The first two weeks I really had to ease myself into the whole system--not because I had food addictions, but because I was addicted to those toxic "synthetically manufactured supplements" I mentioned in the last post, and I was full of multiple anesthesia's from a double date with surgery I had at the end of October, and I had had more than my fair share of run ins with Bicardi and his cousin, Corona, in the 18 months prior to starting. During my "Intro Weeks," I simply shot 4 oz. of Cleanse for life in the morning along with an Isalean Shake.  I also took many an epsom salt bath (just you wait til I post the pictures of the results of those!)  After I got my body aclimated to cleansing again,  I started a 9-day system (modified due to the fact I was still healing from surgery and needed calories in order to do my 3 hours of wonderful physical therapy everyday).

Now back to an in depth description of my color coding: A cleanse day is exactly what it sounds like...it's a cleanse day.  I drink 4 oz. of Cleanse for Life, every 4 hours.  I also have a scooby snack (see "Elixers of Life" post if you don't know what Scooby Snacks are) and a few almonds every 90 minutes.  Along with that I drink approximately 120 oz. of distilled water and anywhere from 24-48 oz of Herbal teas.  Yes, I do have to make trips to the water closet here and there, but drinking that much liquids never really disrupts my daily schedule. Then again, I am a teacher. We are known for our insanely strong kegal muscles (sorry if thats TMI).  =)

Shake Days are the days that I actually drink 2 Isalean shakes.  The morning starts out with an ounce of Ionix Supreme (what better way to start the day than sending your whole body into a minor seizure from the taste of this life supporting tonic?), and a cup of "Horse Water."  Horse water, which is commonly known as Jurrasic Greens, is a concoction that Sir Aaron Ogden, "aka Boss," introduced me to.  It is a flash dried mixture of Alfalfa, Barley and Kamut.  I call it Horse Water because well,  it smells and tastes just like water in a horse trough.  (I actually don't know what water from a horse trough tastes like, but I'm pretty good at inductive reasoning and I hypothesize that it tastes a lot like it smells, and Jurassic Greens smells just like it, so there ya go).  If you can afford IsaGreens, I would highly suggest you just use that instead.  It tastes much better!!! (Notice I put 3 exclamation points on that statement).

Back to the daily regimen.  Now that we are wide awake from our spine tingling supplements, we go work out.  At about 7:30am workouts are all done and we indulge ourselves with an Isalean Shake.  I'll go into more detail about my actual diet in a later post, but here is the basics of what I eat: I eat all "raw" on these days, and limit my calories to approx 1300-1400. Snacks through out the day consist of fresh fruit, nothing canned or processed!  Lunch #1 always consists of a spinach salad of some sort.  Lunch #2 is another variety of vegetable (steamed broccoli, roasted asparagus, sauteed bell peppers, balsamic marinated tomatoes, cucumber,onions, etc.).  Dinner is of course another Isalean Shake.  As with Cleanse days I also take Scooby snacks and almonds about every 90 minutes to 2 hours, and consume a small reservoir worth of liquids.

"Regular Days" are very similar to shake days.  The main difference is I don't drink 2 shakes.  Everything follows the same protocol except come time for dinner I will eat another meal.  This meal usually has some sort of meat (often fish), a whole grain (quinoa is my favorite), and of course, more vegetables.  I also let myself snack on whole grains on these days.  I love Rosemary triscuits and whole grain granola! 

Free Days are a slight variation of "Regular Days."  I still drink Ionix, Horse water, and  a shake in the morning, but on these days, come approximately 12:00pm, after I have eaten all my healthy stuff for lunch,  I eat whatever else I want to until breakfast the next day.  The Boss has taught me that cleansing is a lifestyle, not just a "Plan B" pill for eating and partying too much.  But with that, he insists that I have a free day once a week to enjoy life.  If you don't enjoy cleansing you won't make it a lifestyle, so you have to have balance. I LOVE eating out! I especially love eating different ethnic foods.  I use my free day to nurture this hobby of mine =)

Onward to January!!

January is *deep voice* "Deep Cleanse Month!!"  You will notice that I did indeed cleanse on New Year's.  Some say I am crazy, but to those haters I simply say "I'll send ya postcard from the Caribbean when I'm on the Transformation Cruise."  Ok in all honesty, it was difficult, but there are harder things in life than not eating on New Year's.   

 

Following the conclusion of my first 9-day system I had a few regular days (remember those are the days that just have numbers), and then started another 9-day cleanse.  This time I followed Isagenix's suggested schedule.  Then we had a bunch of regular days because I had a basketball tournament in Fremont, California, and we all know Cleansing on road trips is next to impossible.

February was an exciting month, because I got to really start working out (without wearing my boot), and by the end of the month I was cleared from surgery.  For the months of February and March I pretty much just did two cleanse days a week.  I did shake days prior to cleanse days to make sure my body had the nutrients it needed to effectively cleanse.  I followed them with a shake day to reload my body with the nutrients it needed to complete my workouts.  During these months I was simply doing 50 minutes of high intensity circuit training, and 45-50 minutes of low intensity cardio (65% maximum heart rate).

April brought in a slight change of schedule.  The Boss man somehow convinced me that I should participate in his Adventure Race.  I volunteered at the Moab Adventure Xstream Series race to get a better look at what all this adventure bidness was all about.  After seeing those participants I told The Boss that we were going to have to workout harder.  A lot harder! So we did. April 16th I started training for the 12 hour Adventure Race to be held in June. With the increased working out, I decreased my cleansing to once a week, and increased my daily caloric intake by 200 calories for each additional workout.  I still did the same workouts as the previous months, but added running/hiking/biking to my weekends.

May was crunch time!  Only 28 days left of the Isabody Challenge, and only 2 months until the big race.  As far as cleansing goes, I finished the challenge with another 9-day system.  Workout wise,  I continued with my morning workouts, and added running (hills) or biking every other day, during the week, road or mountain biking for 3-4 hours on Saturdays, and hiking on Sunday. (Perhaps this might help some of you skeptics understand why I was so tan in my after pics.)  

 

In June...oh wait! That's The END!  I finished the Isabody Challenge on May 28, 2012. Ironically enough, May 28, 2010 was the date that I lost control of my life. It was 2 years to the day that I got it back. I don't consider it a coincidence... more of an omen, really. 

 

Obviously there are some minor intricacies that need expounding upon (cleansing aids, workouts, diet rules, etc.) which I will continue to post about, but this here is the foundation for how I achieved what I did. I hope it helps all you aspiring Isabodists =)

 



~The Elixers of Life~

The second most commonly asked question I receive is... (yes, I said second...don't start questioning whether you remembered to take your Brain Boost today, and start looking for a previous post that answers the #1 question. It hasn't been posted yet. I'll get to the #1 question later on), "What products do you use?" Most people are surprised to hear that my arsenal is quite small. Although I firmly believe that all Isagenix products have their place, and are beneficial to our health, the fact of the matter is I'm a school teacher, a.k.a. practically on welfare.  Although I've kind of become an "Isagenix Celebrity," I haven't made millions off of Isagenix (yet!), so I can only afford to use the basics.  BUT... I tend to try to live by the saying "Quality not Quantity" anyway, and using the basics is what got me the results that everyone seems to be after, so I'm planning on sticking with them even after I surpass Jimmy and the Escobars in total earnings! *cough cough* That was a joke ;)  So here they are, the products I use: 


"The God Send"

 

I use Ionix everyday!  It is like life support. One ounce fuels my 5am-1500 calorie workouts, keeps me awake for my 11 hour work days (thank you B vitamins), and keeps me from being incarcerated for physically harming my boss (gracias adaptogens).  I totally feel the difference when I forget to use this, and my students notice too (mainly because they leave class with more bruises the days I neglect to shoot this cocktail down).




"The Daily Bread"

 

I have a shake every day that isn't a cleanse day.  Let me repeat myself...I have A shake every day that isn't a cleanse day.  The only time I have two shakes is when I am actually following a 9-day cleanse, which I think I did four during my whole 6 months of the Isabody challenge. I know that right now I probably have a bunch of people thinking, "This is blasphemous! Isagenix says to drink 2 shakes a day!"  But let me remind you,  my products haven't been being paid for.  Am I against having two shakes a day?  Heavens NO!  But my bank balance currently is.  However I can assure you, as soon as I have enough money on that Isagenix debit card of mine, I will be converting to two shakes a day.  Shoot! I'd drink 5 shakes a day if I could afford it =)  and that my friends, is not a joke :)    

 

"The OxyClean"                  During the Isabody Challenge I was typically in "deep cleanse mode," which means I used the Cleanse for Life just how it is prescribed.  I took 4 oz. four times daily.  I say 'typically' because I didn't start the challenge in deep cleanse mode.  I had been taking a lot of "synthetically manufactured supplements" (I'll let you figure out what that means, and if you can't, just message me on facebook and I will give you the straight up verbage) for a year and a half, and I had just had reconstructive surgery on my ankle, and an arthroscopic surgery on my knee (at the same time) just 2 months prior.  My body was still swarmed with anesthesia and other toxic chemicals.  Had I attempted to start the Isabody Challenge with a deep cleanse, I would have more or less gone into anaphylactic shock (that might be a slight exaggeration). For the first two weeks of the Isabody Challenge I followed more of a  "maintenance" schedule.  During those two weeks I drank 4 oz. of cleanse every morning.  After that, my cleanse days were regular old "by the book" cleanse days. Nothing special.

 

"Scooby Snacks" A.k.a "Life Savers."  I use scooby snacks on cleanse days, and 9-day system shake days.  You're probably wondering by now, "What the hell is the difference in a shake day and a 9-day system shake day?!?"  Sorry,  you're going to have to wait til I post my 6-month schedule to get the details on that =(  Anyway, back to the scooby snacks.  On cleanse days, I follow the OOOOLD manual.  I eat a scooby snack and 2 (okay let's be honest, 3) almonds every 90 minutes.  When I'm doing a 9 days cleanse, I will eat about 6 scooby snacks on shake days.  I don't use them any other time.  They simply help me from having cravings and being tempted to cheat.  They are the only thing I eat on cleanse days.  I don't use any "negative calorie foods" or nuttin'!

"The Draino"
Anyone who has cleansed knows that the exodus of toxins is not always pleasant or "easy going." Our bodies have to work hard to get rid of toxins.  Add in the amount of work required to repair itself after working out every morning, and its multi-tasking abilities freeze up fairly quickly. Isaflush is like the extra RAM (no pun intended...ok, maybe it was slightly intended) our bodies need to get rid of all that junk.  I take 2 capsules at night, right before I go to bed, on cleanse days only.  Wake up in the morning, *insert Plucky Duck voice here* "toxins go down the hoooooole!"  **If you don't know who Plucky is, YouTube it...I strongly suggest you YouTube it =)**



"The 'all the things I would never take by themselves because they are disgusting' capsule"
How many of you can say that you have supplemented ACV (apple cider vinegar), cayenne pepper, or alfalfa in their raw forms?  I for one, being the subservient guinea pig to Mr. Aaron Ogden that I am, have done so, and I was not a happy camper.   I use this magic pill as prescribed--twice daily--when doing a 9-day system, and once in the morning on all other days.  You might be wondering why I only took it once when I wasn't doing a 9-day system.  The answer is quite simple you see...Isagenix hadn't released the Brain Boost when I did the Isabody challenge, and I have nagging teenagers desiring my undivided attention for the majority of the day, and I simply forgot to take the 2nd capsule when I was not intently focused on cleansing like I was during the 9-day systems.  Now you might be asking, "well why don't you take 2 capsules now that you are using Brain Boost?"  The reason for that my friends is that I haven't done a 9-day system since the challenge ended, so I simply haven't ordered any magic pills.

There you have it!  All the products I used during my 6-month Isabody Challenge.  Tune in to the next post (hopefully before next Sunday) to enjoy a day-by-day documentary of which days I actually used each product (cleanse/shake days) for 6 months. This is something you DON'T want to miss =)