Weeell, my pumpkins. I had a VERY interesting day yesterday and while I wasn’t 100% successful doing an only juice feast, I had a successful day none the less. Sometimes you just gotta roll with the punches, ‘eh. I’ll get this juice thing yet, I’m sure of it!

One thing that helps is that I’ve been really busy reading all the materials on the Juice Feasting site. I have to admit, that site is LOADED with information. Go on! Check it out for yourself! It really got me excited to do this, and they certainly cover all the things to expect. I read through the whole step-by-step on how to do an enema. Fortunately for me, I’d already figured it out, but still neat that they’re providing a lot of additional information to support people on the journey. There’s even a 30 minute video for every day of the program! Amaaaazing!

92 days, huh?

Sheesh.

I’ll try one first.

To self:

“It’s a piece of cake, Tera. You can do it. Chewing *and* fiber are overrated.”

I’ve reaffirmed a commitment to myself to study and to keep learning more about nutrition and health. I’m going to get some books. I sometimes take a “go with the flow” approach to what we do around here. I like that, but I realize it has some limitations. It’s easy to get caught up in what other people tell me and then just believe it without doing my homework. Yesterday I fasted most of the day and then had a green juice in the evening.  I realized at the end of the day that I hadn’t been to the toilet to “pee” since the morning. And since I’d even gone to hot yoga, that meant I was VERY dehydrated. I just didn’t feel I had a natural thirst at all, so didn’t drink. Also, I’d recently been informed by a health care provider that we don’t really need to drink as much water as we’re told. So, I had been kind of testing this out for myself. (Looking back, this doctor wasn’t the picture of health himself, that’s for sure, but I just sort of accepted what he said without questioning it! *naive blushing*) We give others authority quickly, I think. Okay, I shouldn’t generalize. I give other people too much authority quickly. I see it happen with others, too. Just think about how confusing this raw food movement is. “He’s right, she’s wrong.” “Don’t juice, blend.” “Don’t blend, juice.” “Don’t eat fruit!” “Don’t eat fat!” A girl could drive herself nutso in that environment if she tried to believe everyone.

And you know what’s CRAZY?

They’re ALL RIGHT!

Every single one of them. That’s what’s so ridiculous about the bickering they do. They don’t even realize that they are just out there, speaking from their own experience and saying what works for them and what they have observed. Did you notice that BOTH camps have stacks of testimonials? They’re both right! They’re all right! According to their observations and experience, they are. So your job isn’t to try and decipher who is telling the truth. They’re all telling the truth, but it’s based on their experiences and observations. Your job is to find out what’s true FOR YOU!

You are the only one who has your unique set of experiences, relationships, genetics and emotions that make up who you are. People can suggest things, and you need to decide what makes sense for YOU! Then try it. You only need to try one enema before you realize that for you it fits or it doesn’t! **(see p.s.)  There’s so much fear-based communication out there. So much critical communication about how others are wrong. When you hear someone telling you that they know better and theirs is the only path to health, don’t walk away–RUN!!! And leave the snake oil behind.

Given my own experience yesterday, I’d like to just remind everyone of the importance of proper hydration. It’s KEY! I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT NATURAL URGE IS ENOUGH TO GO ON! Some people say that if we eat raw food, we don’t need to drink as much water. Well, yesterday I was dehydrated and even though I had NO desire whatsoever to drink, I was definitely dehydrated and it didn’t feel good. All the toxins that need to be eliminated by the body depend upon your intake of water to flush things out of the system. During our detox program, we’ll get Dr. Ritamarie to discuss this a lot more.

A major reason people overeat is because they’re simply dehydrated. When “hunger” strikes, drink a tall glass of water and wait a while. If you’re still hungry in an hour, eat! If you’re hearing all this amazing talk about green juice, but just not able to pull it off yourself because of a lack of time, tools or whatever, then start dragging a water jug around with you.

That ALONE will make a huge difference in your health.

**Funny thoughts**

Yesterday I had fasted at least 24 hours and when I was in the metro, I was feeling a bit sensitive. My perceptions were heightened. Anyway, I was in the subway and just looked at everyone and all I could think of was their colons. Everywhere i looked I just saw gigantic colons. Strange, I know, but it made me laugh out loud.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it a gazillion times again, we have a responsibility for the state of health of people around us. It’s not enough to sip green smoothies and keep the fountain of youth to yourself. Not everyone is going to be interested, but a lot of people are. Either way, it’s our responsibility to tell people about it. Green Smoothies are the doorway to getting people interested in a healthier lifestyle. It’s something that usually produces pretty significant results immediately and it’s easy. Most people have a blender, just tell them the basics of how to make a green smoothie. Later today or tomorrow I’ll be posting the winners of our Green Smoothie Contest. That was neat. There are some great pics and amazing stories. I’m looking forward to sharing them with you!

Yesterday at my yoga class, as I was leaving, the instructor said, “Hey! You’re the Green Smoothie Queen.” I blushed. Caught! It’s actually happened to me a few times. Kinda fun. “The Queen” I can live with that.

Okay, so, I’m doing lots of self talk about juice feasting and talking to this little cyst of mine. The truth is, I did almost only green juices just for 2 days and noticed it get smaller. I betcha a shiny copper penny if I could just stick to juice feasting that I would be able to  make it disappear. Go read some of the testimonials and stories on that site. Inspire yourself. That’s what I’m going to do.

I have some exciting teleseminar guests being lined up! Can’t wait to fill you in…

…for now, I’m off to polish off the last little details for our detox announcement.

Love and hugs,

Tera

Shhh… don’t tell myself I said this, but:

I am having SO, LIKE SO, SOOOOoooooo much trouble just getting through a single day of juice feasting. It’s a bit ridiculous. Anyway, maybe I don’t NEED to, but I want to. I want to do the Intestinal Soap recipe, just like Nicole is. Just like Michael Perrine talked about. I already bought all the ingredients. I started making juice, but my darn juicer gets clogged before I can make a few liters of it. Anyway, on our cozy coaching call, Nicole said she wants to do a juice feast this week. That little love nugget inspired me. She just said it and she’s doing it! I keep watching myself putting all this attention on “how hard” it is for me to do a juice feast and I keep hearing myself talk about how “I can’t do it” so I decided to klup myself up the side of the head and change my attitude. Okay, so here goes…

Gooooood morning, Pumperfly. I don’t know why I called you Pumperfly. I guess it’s because Jimbolina calls me “Miss Daisy Pumperfly”. Anyway, it’s Monday. It’s the start of a new week and on the phone at last night’s cozy coaching call, I couldn’t decide what I was going to commit to. I still haven’t decided.

We’re rapidly approaching the midway mark of our 90-day detox and it’s actually hard to believe just how much things have changed in my life since starting this thing. Wow. Let’s take inventory on our achievements, shall we?

Let’s take a moment or two to identify where change has happened in a positive way. I actually am stunned to think of how much my relationships and personal values have changed. Nutritionally speaking, I’ve made some adjustments. I sure do a lot more green juice. For fitness and exercise, I do yoga, oooooh sweet glorious yoga of looooove! So fitness, food and lifestyle have all improved A LOT. I ditched some projects and liberated myself from (I know this sounds harsh, but it was necessary) people that just weren’t contributing in a positive way to my life.

So, that’s a lot of improvement. Maybe that’s enough.

I think I’ll pack it in there. Thanks for the ride, folks.

I’m done.

I’m outta here.

That’s enough for meeeee…

*aaaahhhh….*

HA! HA! HA!

Wouldn’t that be funny? Wouldn’t it be funny if women like us could just say, “That’s enough. I’ve done my best. I’d like to stop now.” Nice idea, but we live to grow and expand and improve. We live to experience the height of what experience has to offer. As long as we take moments to validate the progression, then I have no problem with raising the bar on what we can expect of ourselves–on what we can achieve and allow for ourselves.

Like  the Dutchman, for example…

I’ve read about fairy tales with a prince who is gallant and charming and attentive. I’ve read about those things. But until last night I’d never actually BEEN WITH a real, live Prince of a prince. I mean, he showed up with flowers for a tea date!

And it’s not that I need gushing displays of chivalry, and I’m quite modest when it comes to materialistic indulgences, but I just sat there thinking, “Huh? Flowers? For me?”

And then the next thought I had was, “Uh-oh. I’m wearing jeans!”

You would have thought this guy was preparing for a very special occasion. I mean he was decked out, looking gorgeous and carrying flowers. *gulp* Maybe it’s just because I’ve never had someone consider tea with me such a treat before that I wasn’t expecting to be so graciously received. The entire night I sat listening to this person thinking, “Is this for real?” “Are YOU for real?”

Now, I’m not trying to imply anything about where this adventure will lead. I’m just saying that the whole experience got me thinking quite a lot about things…

There are ways we live and put barriers in place for ourselves. Limitations about what we think we deserve and what we’re “worthy” of. Whether it’s with respect to the relationships we are willing to create for ourselves, the money we make, the pleasure we allow ourselves to experience, the time we give to ourselves to do the things we love or the foods we say we can and cannot control eating. There are ways we put limits on pleasure and possibility. I don’t have all the answers about WHY we do it, but many of us impose limitations on ourselves.

I’ve decided it’s time to stop it with that nonsense.

It’s time to raise the bar on the amount of pleasure, passion and purpose we allow ourselves to experience.

What if I really COULD get swept away to Paris for the weekend with a man I love? What if I really could have a relationship that was easy, empowering, loving and fulfilling? (I’m not saying there couldn’t be bumps in the road, but my goodness gracious, you’d think i’d been riding on a construction site with no highway in site for the last 10 years.)

What if no matter how tough things have been until now, no matter how many stupid mistakes I’ve made, no matter how much I think I do or do not “deserve” certain things in my life… What if I just decided to knock away barriers, obstacles, limitations and self-sabotaging thoughts and stand on the mountain top of my life and shout out to the Powers of Pleasure that be to say:

“BRING IT ON!! BRING IT ALL ON!!”

Bring on as much good, as much pleasure, as much passion and abundance as you REALLY want. Let go of limitation and put possibility on your horizon like you ain’t never done before. You can. I can. We can. We will.

I told you about my apartment the other day, and how that worked out so serendipitously. Well, here’s another fun thing about this Dutchman story…

Last week after I got through the spiritual upheaval and life-change I told you about, then I just felt like “I want to get out and meet someone.” I didn’t have expectations that this be an intense relationship, or anything serious or intimate. I wasn’t looking for love, I was looking for an exhilarating conversation or a walk up the mountain with someone I found interesting.  So, I popped onto one of those online dating sites. (I did it once before last year and after about 4 hours on that site I had dates lined up for weeks and more emails than I could handle. When you’re feeling like you need to extrovert a bit, well, that’s not such a bad thing.)

So the other day, just for the fun of it, I logged on to a site. (I went to this one, because it’s FREE, but I’m warning you, it’s VERY distracting!;-)) I set up a profile for myself. I put the picture of Mika and I to ward off immediately anyone cruising for something other than a respectable relationship. I just wanted to put it right out there that I am a mom of small children.

Anyway, I sat at my computer and just said outloud, “Find me a Dutchman!” My mom is Dutch and I looooove all things Dutch and I’m always google-eyed over my friend’s Dutch boyfriend. Not because he’s anything spectacular, it’s mostly just because he’s Dutch.

Anyway, it could not have been more than a few hours that passed when I received an email from a gentleman kindly asking me to remove the picture of my daughter from the site.

*gasp!*

WHAT?!!

It wasn’t a, “Hey, Baby. Nice smile!” or  a “how r u tonite? i’m lonely. lol… wanna chat… lol…”

It wasn’t “I’m an honest man with a good sense of humor, would you like to go for coffee?”

It was, “I think you should take that picture of your daughter off this site, because it’s not totally appropriate and for safety reasons alone,  I think it would be best if you remove it.” (Trust a Dutchman to say it like it is. I should have spotted it immediately!)

At that point, I was already inundated with more messages than I actually could manage and needed to close down my profile again because it was just too distracting and there were far too many bare-chested Brunos looking for a beer-slurpin’ patio babe. (Let’s face it. I should not be looking for dates online. I should be hanging around the compost bins at health conventions winking at the tall, skinny boys that come by.)

I wrote back to the gentleman telling him that I didn’t necessarily share his concerns,  but thanked him for the suggestion and changed the picture (I mean, I don’t want to attract some weirdo!). I had noticed in his profile he would respond in English, French, German and Dutch, so I had to ask, “Are you Dutch?”

Sure shootin’, he was a Dutchman! A real, live, DUTCHMAN! Poof! Just like that! Only a matter of hours from the time I made my official request.

Looking back I can remember very clearly sitting at the computer saying outloud, “Find me a Dutchman!” and how very different from the 436 times I said, “I’m going to juice feast today”. I see a difference in the degree of intention I put into saying those two things.

If you say you’re going to do something, or you want  something, but it’s laced with self-doubt of some possibility that this might not happen, it doesn’t happen. It’s not going to happen. I just wanted a Dutchman. I didn’t have a whole bunch of other qualifications about what kind of Dutchman, or how nice, or how tall or what kind of relationship it would be. I simply wanted a Dutchman. And holy smokin’ baloney did I ever get one FAST!

So, given this little observation, I’ve determined that when you just place your order for whatever the heck you want at the checkout counter of life, then  do so with with a little kick of your heels and a sparkle in your eye and do it like you mean it. Then be ready to get what you ordered.

So here’s the deal, Chica:

I AM GOING TO JUICE FEAST TODAY!

And here’s WHY:

• Because I can.
• Because I want to.
• Because I think intestinal soap sounds delightful.
• Because I want to feel the intense satisfaction of doing what I say I’m going to do.
• Because I know I can, I know I can, I KNOW I CAN!
• Because fiber is overrated.
• Because I have a small cyst on the back of my leg and yesterday I noticed it through my clothes in my yoga class and it made my heart sink in my stomach. David and Katrina generously signed me up for a test drive of their  juice fasting program. I admit, I was impressed with everything they offer and one thing in particular caught my attention. It was a testimonial on the side of the page from Bridgette Mars who had a cyst/lump that totally disappeared while juice feasting.

So I’m gonna do it.

And I’m officially removing a few more limitations off what I thought was possible for myself. I can’t tell you exactly what that looks like, Sunshine, but I can say that I’m not putting on any filters to keep out joy, pleasure, passion and abundance of all kinds this week. Crazy thing, this detox. Every time I think it can’t get better than this, the top pops off all over again.

I love you. I reeeeeeeally, really do and I can’t wait to hear how you’re doing and what you’re going to commit to this week.

My commitment: To accept the possibility that life could get EVEN BETTER than this, that I DO deserve all the magic I can possibly create for myself and more. Then I’m going to do whatever it takes to allow  that  to happen.

*taking a deeeeep breath and diving even deeper*

Tera

P.S.

I’m off to finish up a detox announcement. So close, so close I can taste it!

It’s late, love bunny.

I just wanted to tell you that Sunday was bliss-filled.

I went to yoga, drank loads of green juice and met a Dutchman who brought me flowers.

I talked a lot and walked in the rain and drank green tea.

I had GREAT calls with participants of the Body Enlightenment System and 90-Day Detox, as well as another fabulous coaching call with the ladies I looove.

Now I’m going to sleep, but sending you kisses until tomorrrow.

Dutch love,

Tera

What a day!

It started with a run, then a session of hot yoga and a nice morning walk with the kids.

Then some procrastinating and playing about until the afternoon found me sunning myself on a bench in the park while the kids played. It was HOT! It felt like summer was sneaking in already! I loooooved it and feel so grateful for the change of seasons right now. I actually got a bit of color. I wore my new super sexy yoga top and my winter skin got a bit of a pink sun spanking! Kinda nice. Feels good.

Last night’s call with Brian filled me up with some kind of gigantic bliss bubble and I’m STILL smiling from ear to ear! What a beautiful person and how fun to find someone else just right on the same wavelength the whole time. Last night’s call was loaded with reminders for me to live MY bliss.

If you haven’t listened to that call, it’s worth your time. Brian said something about the derivation of the word, “enthusiasm” and it just resonated with me! I looove living with enthusiasm. I love my life! I love how I live it. Even the bumps and burps and scraped knees that sometimes happen, my good heavens life is SWEEEEEET!

I should be finished the detox announcement tonight! That’s going to be very exciting.

Just polished off a tall glass of green juice and the kids are tucked in bed. I think I’ll save the extended dialogues and mega inspirations for during the week. Our next special teleseminar guest is going to be Brian’s neighbor in Bali. Then there’s another boy many of you know very well who will be stepping on stage. Then.. .well, then I don’t know who’s going to pop up and make life interesting, but if you have suggestions, special requests, I’m certainly receptive to your feedback.

Before I plug out to work on the detox announcement, here’s a bit of inspiration that totally touched me today and while it’s being addressed to high school children, the message will hit right smack on the bulls eye of a lot of you who are reading this blog.

I cried. (Such a sap!)

Then, to finish it all off, here’s a song that kinda says where I’m at and makes me wanna escape into more sunny moments like I had today! It was such a beautiful day, but now I’m realizing my eyelids are awfully heavy. I think I’ll be tucking myself in early tonight…

How was your Saturday, love?

*smoooooch*

Tera

Okay, Ladies and Lovebirds.

It’s Friday.

Did you check out this week’s issues of Health In High Heels, yet? Shayla did SUCH a rockin’ job helping me out with that again. I loooove it.

Tonight is my call with Brian Johnson. I’ve already had a nap and am rarin’ to go for this call! It’s going to be a super boost and I think it’s coming at juuuust the right time for me and hopefully for all of us.

Last night’s call was a hit and we were all very impressed with what Michael Perrine had to say. WOW! I’ve had sooo much positive feedback about that call, and it was very refreshing to debunk a few myths on the subject of bowel health. FLUSH and be free!!

You know what, Sunshine…

I like this daisy:

I know Jimmy’s going to get mad at me because I took the GINORMOUS version and made it a bit smaller in the blog, but I just wanted a big, fat daisy in front of my face right now. Did you notice what Jimbolina Sunshine did to make my bullets very cool and fancy. Check it out:

Here are all the things I love about you, Sparkle Puff:

• Your smile.
• Your sense of community.
• Your willingness to persist in the face of obstacles.
• How you get back up every time you fall.
• The way you encourage others around you.
• That dress you wore the other day, and actually, I’m a little bit jealous because it looked SOOOOO good on you. I’d like a dress like that.;-)

Daisy bullets!

That’s so cool. Thanks Jimbo!

So, here’s the situation for this, Day 40 or our 90-day detox. I have a lot to do to finish the detox announcement we’ve been working hard on, so if it’s okay with you, I’m going to put the steering wheel in YOUR hands for a change.

Maybe you could share with me where you’re at. What’s shaking in your universe, Sunshine? What song can you recommend to inspire our community? Cuz for a Sparkle Puff like me, right now my sparkle is dull and my puff is a bit PUFFier than I like it to be.

So if you don’t mind, why don’t we turn the wheel over to you fer a change? Huh? I’d like that. Give the ol’ girl a break.

As you know, I went through a bit of spiritually reconstructive surgery this month and there are moments when I look out at the world and just don’t quite know what to think. It’s not a bad thing. It’s just change but I’m in more of a state of observation than expression right now, so maybe you can help.

Send us a song. Tell us where YOU are at. What’s shakin in your universe this Friday night?

I’m sure tonight’s call with Brian will be pretty neat. I hope to catch you then. In the meantime… INSPIRE US with anything you’ve got! A song, a video, a few words of success, a confessional… ANYTHING!

It’s your turn!

Ponderingly yours,

Tera

For as much attention as we put on the food going into our mouths, it’s a wonder we aren’t discussing A LOT more what’s coming out the other end. And what about the process as it makes its way through the pipes.

We blush in embarrassment, excuse ourselves for “passing gas” or feel apologetic when discussing constipation in public, but the fact is folks, there are some VERY important things to understand about bowel health and it’s time to lose the inhibition and start asking a few questions!!

That’s why we’ve invited Michael Perrine of Gravity East Village in New York City to come and talk with us about a few things. He’s given us an open invitation to ask ANYTHING, ANYTHING we want about bowel health and elimination.

How hard, how soft, how often, how much? What should we do, what should we avoid? What about enemas, colonics? What are the dangers, risks, if any?

There’s sooooo much to understand and so many opportunities for us to learn about what’s going on IN the body, by LOOKING at what is coming out of the body and we’re very excited to have the chance to hook up with Michael TONIGHT as part of our 90-Day Detox. You can access this teleseminar HERE! Please send in your questions NOW by clicking the link and writing your questions in the box.

—-> CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THIS TELESEMINAR!

Just to give you a bit more about Michael, he is a detoxification consultant, certified colon hydro therapist and the co-owner of Gravity East Village.

Here’s a bit more about Michael: (I suggest you read this before attending the call, because I’d prefer to spend my time asking him our questions than going over his history or experience on the call!) Read what follows to get a sense of Michael and his story:

By the age of sixteen Michael began to experience a “genetic” anxiety disorder. Subconsciously connecting the absence of symptoms to using alcohol he began to self medicate. Innocent teen experimentation very quickly turned into heavy abuse and rapid physical degeneration. “At a certain point I stopped getting sick from consuming large volumes of alcohol… I just kept going beyond the threshold until I blacked out. There was no longer a signal from my body to stop. I would have a terribly painful awakening with no memory of the night before.” By the age of nineteen, only 3 years later Michael hit bottom and found himself in need of rebuilding his life and his body.

His first teacher and inspiration came in the form of a book. One fateful night looking to pass the time, he picked up the autobiography of Malcolm X. Through the deep teaching of Malcolm’s life experience, Michael was for the first time able to see his own life clearly and found power, inspiration and a sense of spiritual life that he had never before experienced.

Within days Michael stopped drinking alcohol completely and in turn stopped smoking cigarettes and using other drugs. Over the next few months he began to turn his attention toward his physical body and through another life changing book Diet For A New America he adopted a vegan, whole foods diet.

—-> CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THIS TELESEMINAR!

Within months he lost over sixty pounds and began to experience some extremely intense detoxification symptoms as his body cleansed itself of the accumulated poisons of his previous lifestyle. The most amazing and unexpected part of his transformation was the realization that his anxiety disorder had disappeared completely. Battling criticism from his friends and family about “where do you get your protein?” and frequent “illnesses” Michael sought out Dr. Fred Bisci for guidance. Throughout those years Dr. Bisci has acted as both a mentor and friend. Michael now works with Dr. Bisci by offering services that support Dr. Bisci’s program and lifestyle recommendations.

Initially Michael studied food preparation and diet philosophy and for eight years, he worked as a natural foods chef at some of New York City’s premier natural food restaurants.

Working for the last seven years as colon hydro therapist and detox consultant, Michael has performed over 10,000 colonic irrigations and supervised thousands of people through various methods of internal cleansing including fasting, colon cleansing and liver flushing.

Michael is going to talk with us about his approach to cleansing which suggests that through “the consistency of leaving out anything that challenges the body we create an environment that allows the organs to purge toxins from the various tissues with it’s own innate healing wisdom.”

“As the body circulates toxins into the passages of elimination, we then assist the body in removing it as quickly as possible with various cleansing modalities. Remember, many stored toxins are stuck there for a reason. It only makes sense that they need a little help finding the door. In turn the body can “breathe” again and rejuvenate the tissues and restore a balanced and harmonious chemistry.”

Michael agrees with me on the point that there is no blanket method for healing and cleansing. Each individual needs to examine their own experiences and conditions to determine what’s right for them.

Michael says his mission is “to inspire people to connect to nature in a more enthusiastic, respectful and intelligent way as a path to spiritual evolution.” He encourages us to be challenged by our predicament and see it is an opportunity to push the limits of who we are and develop the character of our spirit. Michael says that the way we treat our bodies and what we choose to eat is just one aspect of this, but it says a lot about our intentions in this world.

P.S.

Here’s the teleseminar link again: —-> CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THIS TELESEMINAR!

I’m sorry to those I promised a support blog yesterday. I certainly had that intention when I started, but yesterday got a bit long winded so here’s where I was going to go with my discussion yesterday:

• Here’s the THEMESONG for today’s blog post!

(Obviously, if you can’t read and have the background music playing at the same time, then you can reduce the volume and just kinda let it play, but I actually want you to know that I spend a lot of time picking these songs and the lyrics themselves could be considered blog posts on their own. So, if you want an extra boost, then listen to it, read the lyrics and enjoy!)

Okay, so let’s get serious. We have some people in distress and I need to address it in a significant way.  Beth sent me this is as “Angst on the first day of Spring” and I just want to know if it sounds familiar at all:

Dear Tera,

Winter is out the door, and so is my diet. I say ‘diet’ lightly, meaning it as the foods I normally eat. I went vegetarian in June of last year, vegan in October, and spent 2 weeks as a raw vegan during February. Then, hell broke loose. I was stressed out, and instead of reaching for carrot sticks, my hands dove right into the peanut butter, crackers, breads, cheeses, and sweets. I binged like this for two days before I threw up my hands and did something about it.

Unfortunately, what I did was not very smart. Instead of going back on a raw vegan, or even vegan lifestyle, I water fasted for 12 days. While the benefits of fasting are numerous, I hardly received any of them. I developed the flu during my fast, and had to end early. Once I could eat again, instead of going back into fruits and veggies like I knew I should, I dove right into processed food hell. And it’s been that way ever since.

I’m not happy with the lifestyle I’m leading now. I’ve developed a bad reaction to gluten, so I’ve cut that out completely. But, I’m still eating cooked and processed foods heavily. I miss the feeling of being light while being raw vegan. But, I’ve realized that it’s impossible to be raw vegan when I’m under stress.

In the two weeks I was raw, I lost 8 lbs. I used to be extremely overweight. It took me 4 years to go from 262 lbs, to the 170 I am now. Tera, I don’t want to ever be that weight again. And I don’t want to wait another four years to lose 30 more lbs.

Now that spring is here, I want to start a fresh new page. Next week is the last week I would be under as much stress as I’m in now ( I’m heavily involved in a production of the musical Beauty and the Beast…next week is our last week). I’m cutting all processed foods out starting tomorrow. March 29 I’m doing the 24-hour fast, and then starting back into the raw vegan lifestyle, starting with your 7-day detox. Winter is over, and though this first day of spring I’ve had more slip-ups than I’ve cared for, I’m ready to change my life. I’ve stumbled numerous times, but like the saying goes, “Fall down 7, get up 8.”

-Beth

Now, here’s what Beth left in the comments the day before yesterday:

I haven’t posted much and I have to confess it’s because I, how can I say it? Strayed? This weekend, I spent a lot of time with other people, eating meals at others’ homes and at events where I’d really have had to bring my own food to stay close to the raw diet I’m working on. And that meant that, for a few days, I tried to just nibble on the sad little plates of raw veggies and dip that someone brought, but that there was nothing else even remotely close to a raw or vegan offering around. And so I went back to my “old” way of eating. Nothing too bad, but I ate a big plate of lasagna and some meat and some desserts, and not a single meal this weekend felt like it was that good for me – and now I feel like hell. So I’m convinced that I had my body on the right path, and that I need to steer back in that direction. I’m exhausted and grumpy and I feel bloated and ick.

I want to start back at square one with a 7 day detox, and then move back on to the path of the 90 day plan. I feel sort of ashamed to admit it. So for the next day or two, I’m thinking mono meals, and then a 24 hour water fast…and I hope I’ll feel that energy come back soon!

Beth

Beth, thanks for letting me put you on the table. (Just so you know, my dears, I asked FIRST!) But I can GUARANTEE that there are people reading this right now in the same boat, they’re just not feeling comfortable enough to say anything about it or reach out for help.

We have some observable patterns of behavior within this beautiful community related to our reactions when things get rough. Let’s take a look at some of them:

First of all, people tend to roller coaster to the extremes.

The Binge-Purge back-and-forth is going to make for a rough ride. Those of us who are committed to making these dramatic changes need to make the word, “GRADIENT” our mantra. Change happens over time on a sliding scale. We don’t wake up one morning in the middle of winter and realize that Summer is here so let’s put on our bikini.

We’re not here for any unrealistic miracle purges, Ladies. We’re here for long-lasting, life-altering changes of the variety that we can implement for the long haul.

Be GENTLE WITH YOURSELF!! C’mon! Just think of all the things you’ve been through in your life. Think of the things you’ve overcome and endured. Now you’re trying to do something to make life better, more enjoyable, don’t beat yourself up for the fact that you struggle along the way. Babies don’t learn to walk overnight.

Here’s another thing I observe far too often:

People slip-up or “slide back” or “fall off the wagon” and then think the whole show is over and they should go back to Day One!

No, no, no, no, nooooooooo! Don’t DO that, Muffincake. Really. You’ve GOT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE JOURNEY!!

Don’t completely erase for yourself the fact that you had a few glorious days on raw food just because you chomped on a bagel or two. There was a time not too long ago when you would have been eating almost exclusively bagels. If you’re running a marathon and you fall down, you’re NOT going to stand up and day, “Oh well. I better go back to the beginning and try running it again!”

*GASP!!!*

PLEASE, Lovenugget. Don’t do that. Don’t go back to “Day 1″ just because Day 17 was the pits. You made it all the way to Day 17, so pat yourself on the back for that much, at the very least.

Some people race at light speed through a marathon, but they dedicate an enormous amount of time, attention and training to making that happen. Some people get there exhausted and sick for having pushed too hard then never run another one again.

Some people slow it down juuuust a bit, take deep breaths and look around to enjoy the scenery EVEN WHEN they fall on their butts or run into some other unexpected bump in the path.

And some people, sweet diva, some people WALK A MARATHON, but they still get there, for heaven’s sake! They still DO IT! They start in the morning and they get up early and they WORK IT UNTIL THEY MAKE IT!

You are on a journey, here. You DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT need to go back to the beginning because you “slipped up”.

You slipped up because there was something more to learn or overcome and if you completely invalidate all the work you’ve done to get to that place, then you risk missing the point! There’s something to learn. Sit there on your swollen butt cheeks when you fall and look around a bit. Just see what’s there to see, observe and take the learning.

Then get up and move forward at a pace that feels right for you. But KEEP GOING FORWARD!

Give yourself the satisfaction of at least finishing the process. Just like I mentioned yesterday, close one door first. If you start over every time you slip up, you’ll never get there. The first time you do this, it might be rough. But you’ll do it again and the more you do it, the easier it will get.

Find what you can to celebrate about your own journey and acknowledge the adventures. I can’t walk your path, nor should you be trying to walk mine, even if we are going to the same direction–HEALTH and a Vibrant, Passionate Life!

At the end of your days, are you going to look back and think, “I really wish I hadn’t eaten that lasagna!” or are you going to think, “I really wish I hadn’t spent so much of my life punishing myself about the food I eat.”

Look around  outside and ask yourself how many others were willing to take the road you’re on. Not many, Sister, so just for having laced up the shoes and started this path, you should be acknowledge and admired for your courage! You’re a trail blazer–a pioneer in the name of health and wellness. What you do here and now could affect the lives of many people.

I only started this website in June of 2007, and now tens of thousands of lives have been touched by what I do here. But what WE do here.

So strap on your proverbial sneakers, today and do whatever it takes to get a win for yourself. It might just be avoiding ONE THING you would have otherwise eaten. It might be just that you drank water after 8pm instead of snacking. I don’t know what that one thing will be for you, but find it, acknowledge it and KEEP GOING!

What we put our attention on grows. Validate the positive and you’ll get more of it. Beat yourself up for bingeing by imposing a hard-core fast on yourself and you’ll get more bingeing. Find grace in this journey. Appreciate the bumps in the road, because they make life interesting and they teach you a lot. Problems are there for you to find creative ways to get around. So bless them and love them.

There’s more I want to say, but I think this hits it home nicely for one day. In case my theme song hasn’t ended yet, let it finish, then soak up this one in the background.

Love yourself first, then all good things will come. Be gentle. Detox self-punishment, guilt and self-invalidation from your life TODAY! Let them go. They never helped you get this far and they’re only holding back your wings now.

YOU are amazing! Live that truth in THIS moment and all will be well, my dear. I promise.

My biggest, snuggliest snuggles to you on THIS, the first day of your new life!

Tera

Okay, lovebuttons. I know this is a late night post, but there was a parents’ meeting and a meeting with my new landlord and a hot date (and I do mean HOT date) with my pores at yoga!

I just HAVE to tell you what happened to me yesterday as I was walking and smiling and strutting my happy green stuff in the street. I was coming out of somewhere… oh! Having bought my groceries at the health food store. I was pushing the jogging stroller, loaded with fruits and veg, and I walked past a couple of men who were Italiano and chatting away…

…I smiled and just walked right past. When I was about 3 stores down, one of them yelled out at me at the top of his lungs,

“YOU ARE BEEEEAAAUTIFUL!!!”

*gush*

It’s that special? I felt happy the whole day for that one! Just another example of how you can make someone feel so good, when you’re brave enough to say what you think when you think it. That just made my day!

Today was pretty great, too. I did two great things for myself today:

• I RELEASED a project I had been ify about. I’d been thinkin’,. wonderin’, tryin’ waiting to see if and how I would make something happen and today I said,

“NO!”

In the nicest way possible, of course.

Here’s what became my affirmation for the day:

I CHOOSE to prioritize the projects and people that GIVE me strength and that excite and empower me and I RELEASE the rest to the wind.

Eventhough having released this project meant losing some significant opportunities, I just had to go with my GUT and not my brain and SET IT FREE.

So I did and I’m sure I’ll be really glad about it eventually.;-) It did hurt a bit, because there are always costs involved (emotional as much as financial) when letting go of something, but you know what they say about doors and stuff…

…you have to close one door before you can let another open.

So, here’s to promising possibilities with projects and believe that inspire me to be the best I can be and have the most positive impact on the world.

• The other thing I did for myself was I prioritized ME! I went to my yoga class even though I was heavily tempted to come here and do my late blog duties. I let the guilt go for the late blog post and just sweat myself to bliss by going to yoga!!

So overall, I’m feeling empowered. Voila today’s themesong:

CLICK HERE, LADIES!!

I’ll be putting up the announcement very soon for our teleseminar with Michael tomorrow! Remember, this is going to be YOUR opportunity to ask questions, so once that announcement is up, you better start sending me all your questions and concerns. ASK ANYTHING!!! He really said we could ask ANYTHING, so let’s do it!

You can leave you name out if you’d like it to be anonymous. That’s totallly fine. On the call, just so you know, I won’t say something like,

“Umm… Michael, Stacey in Winnipeg, wants to know if poop should sink or float and why?”

Love you, Stacey.

Okay, here’s another reminder that FRIDAY is my rescheduled date night with Brian Johnson. PLEASE, you do NOT want to miss that call, it’s going to be AMAZING and I’m so looking forward to it! There are more things up the pipes, but I think we’ve got enough to worry about for now.

It’s time for some emergency support, but since this is getting long and juuust in case you’ve been waiting for my post, I’m going to continue it and put the rest up in another post. I have A LOT to say and so I may as well keep it going. A sequel.

Stay tuned and in the meantime, check out Annie Lennox and Aretha Franklin on that theme song I told you to start up!

Good morning, my little Sparkle Puff of delight! I sure appreciate all the kind words people send me and encouragement to rest. I am feeling much better and I got a lot of sleep, so thanks!

I also used the opportunity of being “tucked away” to move forward on the detox announcement that we’re supposed to be putting together this week and I am SOOOOOO excited. I can hardly wait to show it to you and to kick-start the next stage of deep tissue detox for those of us who will be carrying through with that level of intensity in this program.

Okay, prepare for a mega-update.There’s a lot to say and a day in the bed feels like I’ve missed a week of action.

First of all, I’m going to make a little confession, here and it’s just slightly uncomfortable. My brother would squirm in disgust if I said this in front of him, and quite frankly a lot of other people I know would, too, but I still want to tell you what happened for me, because, well…

…I guess that’s just the way I am. I put it all out there, with the hope that it might help you, too.

So, here it is:

Yesterday when I wasn’t feeling well, I realized there was something toxic brewing inside. It must have come in through the seaweed salad I ate, because I remember reacting to it almost immediately. That or the green vegetables, I’m not sure. Maybe a bug slipped in through my celery juice. I don’t know, but it sure didn’t feel comfortable.

I spent a lot of time hugging the toilet bowl, but that didn’t seem to do the trick. Nothing would come out and I’m just not good at “forcing” that particular issue. So I waited and allowed things to move through a bit. When I was sure they’d moved “further down the track” then I did…

…an enema!

Yup! The “Big E” as Jimmy likes to call it.

Now, maybe it’s no coincidence that this week we have our special guest with Michael Perrine where he’s going to tell us “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Poop, But Where Too Afraid to Ask.” I am the one who gets to put myself out there and ask the rosy-cheek questions. (I can take it. ) Anyway, I know it’s a subject of controversy and the reason I’m bringing it up is because for a long time I advised people against it. For a long time I just regurgitated what people told me about it.

I used all the excuses that “it’s not natural”. We’re just “not supposed to” do that kind of thing. It’s the exit door, not the entrance, blah, blah, blah.

I heard fear tactics like “I know someone who did an enema and never took another natural bowel movement again!”

I’m sorry, I’m not totally convinced about that one, and fear-mongering isn’t my style. The next time someone tells me something like this I’m going to ask WHO, WHERE and How do I get in touch to ask them a few questions myself.

Fortunately for me, my commitment to base my truth on experience over indoctrination has allowed me to expand my horizons. That and the realization that there’s very little about how we live that is natural these days, so “natural” doesn’t serve as justification not to do something anymore.

It’s not “natural” to wear clothes, but if I tell the police that when I’m walking nude in the street, I’ll still get arrested.

I don’t look out my window and find seaweed, chard or pineapples growing. If I had to live “naturally”, I’d have died a very loooong time ago. So this isn’t just about being “natural”. It’s also about doing what makes sense TO YOU, given your conditions and situation in life and then having the courage to try things and find out for yourself what works.

As much as I would have loved to have given birth to my son “naturally” I’m quite certain either he or I would have died on the table if science hadn’t been there to help us out. I’m all for nature and natural living, but I think science and the “unnatural” world has its valuable contributions to society, and the fact that you’re even reading this in the first place is proof of that.

I’ve lived in the jungle before and tried to lead a “natural” life and those of you who know me closely, know it didn’t work out so well for me. I’m okay with walls, with internet and YES! even high heels and lip gloss. There’s nothing natural about these things and I’m okay with that.

I want to feel good. I want to live a fulfilling life and make the world a better place. I want to learn, grow and share (love you, Fred!) and do whatever I can to make things work in my life and in the lives of those around me. So that’s why I’m coming out of the colonic closet to say that experience has now shown me that flushing the intestinal tract with water is far, far, far more comfortable than suffering with toxicity and constipation.

I am a believer!

Now, granted, I don’t know everything about it, perhaps there are risks, things I should be concerned about. But there are risks to constipation, too, and risks to worrying about the risks of constipation. And where I do not know all the story, I can seek answers and THAT is why Michael is coming this week on Thursday to answer our questions.

I encourage you to visit his site and check out some of his resources. (and eh hem, you can check HIM out while you’re at it.;-)) I think you’ll be more than impressed with this character and I do hope you’ll join us on Thursday for the scoop on poop and much, much more.

(Just couldn’t resist, sorry!)

Now, that’s all out of the way, what other juicy things do I have to share?

I suppose that’s quite a sufficient update, except for the fact that I forgot to mention, my date with Brian Johnson has been reschedule for THIS Friday at 9pm EST. I’ll make that call available again and change the links on the original announcement. Anyway, just pencil that one in your calendar, because it’s going to be inspiring.

I’ve been observing some things and I’m very excited about pushing a few buttons with him to ask him some questions about how he does it all.

A Really Neat Thing Is That…

…because the power went out at Brian’s place, his friend Daniel Aaron dropped me an email to let me know Brian couldn’t make it to the call. Turns out Daniel is *hold your britches, my dear* an expert on “the joys of the all aphrodisiac diet” and much, much more. He runs a yoga training center in Bali and I’ve so enjoyed my connection with him and was SO, SOOOO inspired by some of the things he’s doing that I’ve decided I’m moving to Bali!!

Okay, just kidding, but I know some of you wouldn’t put an extreme move like that past me. Nor should you.;-) He he…

Seriously, though. He’s going to be our teleseminar guest next week and you know, I’m SUPER excited about this. And while I might not be moving to Bali YET, I am wheeling and dealing with some close friends about the idea of doing a retreat there. We’re torn between Bali and Hawaii. Anyway, we’ll keep you posted, but that’s for later in the summer.

Here’s a quote from Daniel’s website that got me thinking in a BIG way. I loved it:

“Work does not kill you, food does. God does not kill you, food does. Food is your first and last enemy. If you take in more than you can handle, it takes all of your energy to digest it.”
( Yogi Bhajan )

I’m not going to show you his website yet, and dont you go googling his name either. Just busy yourself with checking out Michael Perrine and hang on to your shorts for that super inspirational call with Brian, and then I’ll show you all the juicy stuff Daniel has to offer.

*aaaaaaahhh…*

Guess the silence had gotten to me, huh? I seem to have purged a prolific expression of my thoughts for one day and so I will leave you with a few of your own thoughts, well, the thoughts of program participants like yourself that take the time send me their thoughts, expressions and appreciation. But before you get started, why don’t you click this link and get the musical soundtrack to this part started up:

What You Have to Say About Things

Tera,

I meant to write this yesterday (Saturday, end of GSC) but it just didn’t happen!  I did indeed make it to the finish line of the 7 day Green Smoothie Challenge and I feel great!  I feel more centered physically and emotionally.  Not noticing many detox symptoms either, but I was eating mostly raw before the challenge.  But this was a great way to really focus on the greens and I have been telling people how it cuts down on most all cravings, amazingly! But it does make sense if greens are one of the most nutrient dense foods available.

I have discovered during this challenge how much I enjoy collards and mixed baby greens in my smoothies and have really increased the green part of the fruit:greens ratio!  Thanks so much for offering these challenge!  I am now signed up for the 7 day free detox, printed out the materials and organized them into a binder notebook and excited to get started!  My focus will be on cutting down on oils and using fats a little less!  And drinking plenty of water of course!  By the way, yesterday I spent a whole 45 mintues with my Omega juicer, juicing the heck out of some veggies that needed to be used and made nearly a whole quart of pure veggie juice, including a whole handful of parsley!

With much green goodness thanks,

Jennie

I love this lady, she just hits me up with doozies all the time and yet insists she has nothing to say to the world. Check out this one:

This has most definitely been a week from Hell, but I never once wavered about how I was nourishing myself.  No wine, no pizza, no pills, no Hershey’s (or even Trader Joe’s 85%) chocolate.  I just kept on doing what you taught me to do…and it worked!

It worked because it’s the right thing to do, to eat like this.  To listen to our bodies and provide the things it really needs.  My son spent time in Nepal, in the Peace Corps. One thing that impressed him is that the people where he was stationed have no word for “want,” but several words for “need.”

I think, as a country, we’d be a lot better off if we did, bought, ate, lived more of what we need and MUCH less of what we want.

It’s time to make juice, and later a smoothie…and probably another one tonight.  I’m loving the simplicity of them and feel no need for fancier meals.  I’m grounded and at peace, and you showed me the way.

Thanks again, love.
S

Now, this is pure love and enthusiasm in 1s and 0s. ENJOY!!

Hi Again Tera,

Well, I’m on a Diva inspired roll here!

I’m reading Leslie Kenton and Cherie Calbom and
I am SO ready for the Deep Tissue Detox.
Bring it on Sistah!!

I love the Gradient concept.
I realize that that is just what I’ve been doing on my raw food/optimum health journey BUT
instead of patting myself on the back for all the progress I’ve made, I was beating myself up for
not being “good enough”!

So, for my fellow travelers on this journey….
When I started “going raw” about a year and a half ago, I couldn’t imagine how I was ever going to
“give up” cookies, ice cream, candy….
Then a few months into it, I was rarely eating those foods but couldn’t imagine how I was ever going to
“give up” crackers, chips, bread….
Then a more few months into it, I was rarely eating those foods but couldn’t imagine how I was ever going to “give up” cheese, yogurt, kefir
Hmmm…..me thinks there’s a pattern emerging here )

Now…although I do occasionally partake of a less than optimal food choice, most of the time the foods I eat are raw, living and plant based.
Now…although I do occasionally crave a less than optimal food choice, most of the time I crave “weird” things like kale or parsley (REALLY…. I DO!!)

This morning, while reading over the last few days of Tera’s blog posts, I had an A-HA moment:
I wasn’t “giving up” anything, I was “letting go” of those things (food, possessions, habits, relationships) that no longer served me. Wow! How liberating. Yeah, I’ve got a way to go on this journey but wow, I sure have come a long long way in a very short time.

Thanks Tera
Thanks Diva Friends!

Oh … I have to share another recipe.
Here’s what I made last night for dinner.

I’ve named it my “Diva Inspired Detox Salad”
(Sorry about the lack of measurements …. my food preparation tends to be more art than science)

INGREDIENTS
Large handful of sunflower sprouts
Large handful of arugula
Small handful of dulse
2-3 stalks of bok choy
1-2 green apples (granny smith)
Sprinkling of raisins
Drizzle of cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
Lemon juice (I used a half slice cut maybe about 1/4″ thick)
Fresh ground pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Place the sprouts, arugula, dulse and bok choy leaves in a bowl & cut into small pieces (I use a pair of kitchen scissors and cut everything pretty fine)
Dice the bok choy stalks and toss ‘em in
Chop/dice the green apples and toss ‘em in (I include everything – core, seeds – just not the stem)
Sprinkle on the raisins
Drizzle on the olive oil
Squeeze on the lemon juice
Grind on the pepper
(Do a little dance while you’re doing all this — so much fun!)
Toss and enjoy!

Bright blessings,
Karyn

And with that, my lovelies… I’m on my way to purge what little bacteria might still be wriggling about in a sesssion of (you guessed it) HOT YOGA!!! Mmmmhmmm…Love you!

YOU!! What are you going to do to make this day the best day ever? And what do you think off all this chatter-whacking I’ve just done! My goodness gracious!!! Look forward to hearing from you…

P.S.

DON’T wait on the world to change! Get up and change it yourself!

P.P.S

Jimmy wants me to do a bulleted list to that he can do a cool new trick on the blog. Here’s a list of all the things I can do to make this day (here’s to you Wolfie) the BEST DAY EVER:

• Go to hot yoga
• Buy a whole bunch of greens and load up on fresh fruit and veggies
• Do my hair and get myself some new, styling yoga pants
• Snuggle my muffins with 1000 kisses
• Have a phone conversation with someone who inspires me
• Pee. No, really. I have to go pee, now!!! Byeeeee! Love you!!

I woke up in the night feeling like I needed to be sick. I hugged the toilet bowl for a while, but no action. Mr. Wheatgrass thought maybe I caught some kind of bacteria or something. The only thing I ate yesterday was Green Juice and a seaweed salad. But I’m not feeling so hot right now.

Jimbolina Sunshine just sent me this when I told him how I was doing:

Halo Daisy Pumperfly,

Today is the first day of your new life. But you must struggle in rebirth for four days. You will be released to Freedom later in the afternoon on Thursday of this week if, and only if, you allow yourself the nap to end all naps during the afternoon of that day. If you choose to skip this nap, or are unable to attend this meeting with your bed, you will  have to wait until Friday am….after a sound night’s sleep. This is imperative.

During these days you will have two best friends…the Hollow Reed, and Faith. Unshakable Faith. Listen to what speaketh the stomach! Stop caring! (For so often, ‘caring’ is fearing…)

Angels shall swarm and warm you…if you follow Her ways.

Whoooosh!

That’s why I love Jimbolina Sunshine Gilker. I can’t say I always fully understand what he’s saying to me, but I sure do like that guy.

*waaaave of nausea*

Whoops. That’s my cue! I’m outta here.

I have lots to say but need to purge this little villain invader before I’ll have the energy to say it. So, I’m tucking myself in bed, letting the sun shine on my face and I’ll resurface when this critter has left the building.

Loooove and hugs,

Tera