Spring is in the air!

Upon hearing birds chirping yesterday and feeling the itch for warm weather, I have decided to do some spring cleaning in my system. 

For 28 days, beginning Sunday, I am going to eat completely clean, abstain from alcohol, complex carbohydrates and anything processed. 

This challenge will not be easy. I already eat healthy but, as many of you know, I am human and do, indeed, have cheats. I enjoy my wine and cheese on occasion. 

I am not advocating that this “perfect” 28-day “diet” be a plan for life. It is merely a jumpstart and a cleanse to get my body running as efficiently as possible. 

Since I am sure this is going to be a major challenge, I am going to be blogging about this daily. I will include what I am eating and how it’s making me feel. I am going to be completely honest! I am doing this to show all of you that, while I KNOW this is HARD, it can be done. And it can be done with an extremely busy schedule. 

Along with my dietary changes, I am going to be taking at least a 15 minute walk after a meal (dinner would be best but as my schedule doesn’t allow, I am going to take my walk after lunch). During this walk, I am going to simply concentrate on my breath and allow the stresses of life to simply, NOT MATTER, for those 15 minutes. 

Just to clarify, these 28 days are NOT a vacation from exercise. Along with my 15 minute walks, I will be continuing with at least 5 days of exercise. My blog will include comments regarding my workouts and related energy levels. 

I invite any of you to join me in my personal challenge. You can take the entire challenge or take bits and pieces. This is “your ride.” 

Remember, it is not about the end of these 28 days, but about the journey through them.  

Rachel Carta, CPT, NASM
Feb. 25, 2012

• I am not a registered dietician and am only making note of what I am personally eating. Please consult a physician before making major changes to your diet and exercise. 
• During the first 24 days of my challenge I will be testing some products from Advocare. More information to follow regarding these products.