To Detox or Not To Detox

That is the question.

This past weekend I went up to Williams, AZ with a family I've been nanny for for the past year and half. While in Williams I had this epiphany. It's a very simple really. And I when I think about, I'm kind of mad I didn't come to realization earlier. Do you want to know what it is? If I tell you that means you're going to have to be responsible for future actions. Okay, you ready? Here it is.

Eat Clean. Feel Good. 

So you're probably in some state of shock with this truth I just shared with you. It's okay, it hit me like a ton of bricks too. Like hello, why didn't anyone tell me before?! Okay, maybe I have heard this before but this time, I was actually really listening. I was listening to what my body has been trying to tell me for years. And I think it's time that I start doing what my body is telling. 

So let me give you a little background on how I came to this epiphany. For the past year in a half I have been nannying for a family that I am totally obsessed with. I have been so blessed by the Bathel's. They are two of the craziest, funniest, most caring, encouraging individuals I have had the privilege of knowing. Through them I have been recommended to other families to work with, and let me just say they have one amazing community. I hope when I am married, and have kids I can have a community like they do because it has been such an example to me. Well one thing I noticed about this community is that they really know how to take care of themselves physically and are teaching their kids those habits. Let me just say, I never had organic fruit snacks growing up or LARA Bars for that matter. I usually shared a Big Gulp and some sort of candy with my two older brothers.

So anyway, this past weekend I went up to Williams, AZ with the Bathel's to nanny as they & other families I work for prepared to host the Wild Canyon Games at Lost Canyon. As we left on Thursday morning I was on day 2 of a 15 day detox that I was all pumped up about and thought for sure I was going to finish with flying colors. By Friday night my detox was over as I indulged in some deliciously seasoned ground turkey. The rest of the weekend I enjoyed cucumbers with hummus, all natural peanut butter with bananas on whole grain toast, quesadillas on whole wheat tortilla's, vegetable soup, and I even had a couple handfuls of baked BBQ chips. Side note, we stayed in a cabin across camp with another family, and they're just as health conscious with their food, so I had a lot of yummy options to choose from this weekend. 

When I got home last night, I thought for sure I would have gained at least 5lbs because my detox was out the window after three days. Much to my surprise, very very surprised might I add, I had actually lost 5lbs. WOAH! How in the world did that happen?! I've been eating regular food all weekend and totally off track from my detox. This, my friends, is where my epiphany hit me. It finally was clicking. 

If you eat clean, healthy foods that are good for your body that aren't over processed, covered in sugar and fat, your body will be happy. It's that simple. It's all starting to make sense to me. The past few days I have been a little hard on myself with this weight loss journey but when I have these epiphanies, it makes for the journey a lot more exciting. This journey isn't just about working out, and seeing results. It's also very much about all the little habits I need to break, like the binge eating fast food, the countless Diet Cokes I get from McDonalds each week (that damn triple filter), the over eating when I am clearly full and implying the lifestyle change that needs to be made. 

Our bodies need to fuel to function properly, and if you feed it junk, its going to function like a piece junk. We need not only to live in our skin, but be kind to our skin. So come on and join me by making the choices, day by day, to eat clean and feel good. 

-Allison Rose