This year, for my 43rd birthday, I bought myself a present of a 30 day raw detox. I worked with Natasha, a raw coach with over 25 years of experience, and started on a journey that has changed the way I eat and live. People always tell me that I don’t look 43, and doing things like this is one of my secrets to always looking and feeling young.
WHY I DECIDED TO DETOX
I do a lot of hard work to take care of my body. I am taking better care of myself every year and learning to be the best version of myself, so I like to try new things to mix up my life and learn to be healthier. Luba Jakobson, my best friend from Israel, who is also a blogger, had been doing this detox once a year and recommended it to me. I also heard about it from my friend Monica Dixon who runs the Monica Dixon PR agency here in Chicago, and she looked so amazing after doing it that I finally decided to pull the trigger.
MY RAW DETOX EXPERIENCE
The raw detox program meant I could only eat fruits, vegetables, and nuts. No cheese, no meat, no alcohol, no fish, and no coffee, which was crazy. Natasha coached me every day. She would text me to ask how I was feeling, and tell me what to eat, and what not to eat. I would report back to her, and it was so great to have her and my followers to keep me accountable. It was hard sometimes, because all of the raw vegetables were hard on my stomach and would make me feel bloated, but she was always there to tell me what to do to feel better. She encouraged me to keep going and trust myself, and after a month, the results were already amazing. My skin looked insane, and I slept like a baby. I would wake up in the morning feeling super energized, like I’d slept for 20 hours, and ready to use my 6 Tips to Stay On Top of Practically Everything. The whole program was a lot easier than I thought, and the hardest part was just making the decision.
6 TIPS TO CLEANSE YOUR BODY AND FEEL BETTER
Get a coach: Having a coach like Natasha was super helpful because the program is so extreme, so she helped me to know what to do and stay motivated. I would especially recommend her for people who want to cook, because she gave me a lot of great recipes.
Be prepared: I don’t cook a lot at this point in my life, so instead I would go to a coffee shop called Raw near my house, and I ate there almost every day. Whenever I didn’t eat there, I would just buy fruits and vegetables, put them in a tupperware, and bring it everywhere. I also bought a Hurom juicer recommended by Natasha and I would make myself juices every night and just have them in bottles to walk around with the next day. The key is to be prepared all the time, which makes it much easier to stick to.
Hydrate: During the detox, I also trained myself to drink a lot more water, which has been really helpful for my skin and feeling better.
Stay accountable: It’s always a good idea to be accountable when you challenge yourself, so it will be easier to do this with a friend. It was very helpful for me to have my followers to stay accountable, because I really wanted to set a good example with my life.
Dry Brush: The detox really improved my skin, especially since Natasha told me about dry brushing. Every morning take a dry brush, which you can buy at Whole Foods or Amazon, and brush your skin before you get in the shower. I’m still doing it and I feel like it’s really improved the texture of my skin, and it’s helped my skin a lot.
Take cold showers: During the raw detox Natasha also told me to take cold showers every day, which was really fun. I thought I would continue doing it, but I just couldn’t, so now I mix it up and do hot, cold, hot, cold. I love the cold shower because you can feel the blood start running through your body and you can feel like every single part of your body is awake. It reminded me a little bit of when I served the military because we didn’t have the luxury of hot showers, so it made me feel like a soldier, ready to go and attack my day.
WHAT I LEARNED
After my detox, I was so happy to see that I was more toned, my skin looked amazing, I slept like a baby, and I was really proud of myself for being able to take on this challenge. I felt so good that I considered going raw forever, but in the end decided that it doesn’t fit with my lifestyle. I’m all about balance, and food is one of my biggest indulgences. My trainer Chad also told me that I need to have proteins like fish if I want to build more muscle. But since I stopped the diet, I’ve been focusing more on fruits, vegetables, and juices. I take snacks with me everywhere, so I don’t have to sit down and have the whole production of a meal.
When I go to restaurants, I try to go to vegan restaurants, because we have a lot of really amazing vegan restaurants in Chicago. Althea at Saks Fifth Avenue is one of my favorites, and their plant bowls are to die for. You can see more of my favorite restaurants in Your Ultimate Guide to Chicago’s Best.
Overall, I work very hard to be a very healthy person, and I think it’s all about balance. I’m planning to do a detox like this once a year to challenge myself and clean out my system, and keep using these tips to stay healthy and energized.
