Hudles (such an original analogy) in honor of the olympics.

So, I’m wrapping Day 6 of The BodyLab‘s detox and I have to say, all of that anxiety was completely unwarranted. I feel just fine. That doesn’t mean that this thing isn’t without it’s challenges. Finding a two-week span when you can say no to almost every single invitation (because most involve food or booze)  is hard enough, let alone the fact that life still happens. Just because I chose a two-week period to do this doesn’t mean it’s been the perfect two weeks to choose. In fact, I started the detox a day later than originally planned because of the Aurora theater shooting–I covered the events for a different news outlet. Instead of mapping out my detox, I was in Aurora. A few other challenges are ahead and I have yet to decide how to handle them. But, more on that to come. I’m currently consulting with Sara Peternell. Tomorrow, for instance, I have two separate photo shoots for 303 happening at the same time on the same day. (If you haven’t heard, we’re doing our September Fall Fashion Issue. Get excited. Print, baby, yeah.) But, I’ll save how I handle all of these challenges for my next installment.

I mentioned in Part 2  what was going on in terms of the detox–dropping dairy, then gluten, then grains completely (all, of course, after nixing sugar, caffeine, artificial sweeteners and booze). But, I can eat any veggie–potatoes included. I’ve had sweet potatoes, roasted veggies, salad with homemade dressing and my fave Sara Peternell recipe–snow peas sauteed with sea salt and red pepper flakes. So. Good. Add some garlic to it, and you’re in heaven. Anyway, I’ve been trying Sara’s recipes as much as possible–it’s my chance to see what else I like and what else fits into my life.

Snap that thing...

Days 4, 5 & 6 Lows
-I continue to be extraordinarily tired. I average about 10 hours of sleep each night. I guess this is a high, too. But, I’m not the sort of person at all accustomed to needing a lot of R&R.
-I only want to mention this in passing, but my passings (eh hem–b.m.s and twinkles) have been strange colors. That’s all I will say.
-The thing I was hoping would happen but that won’t stop now–days 5 & 6 have been bad breath days. It tastes a little reminiscent of a…cigarette. So weird. I even had a little buzz.
-If something is any of the following, it’s been amplified: sad, annoying, disappointing. But, it’s tricky. It’s sort of like the emotions of P.M.S. (sorry, men, you can’t directly relate) in that the sensations feel very real, but you know in the back of your head something’s messing with you, too. I mean, some of what I’ve experienced in the past few days is just sad, annoying or disappointing. But, I tend to be able to wrangle my emotions as opposed to letting them get away from me.

I'm as light as a feather. (Do not challenge me to a cliche analogy war. I think I've just proven, I will win.)

Days 4, 5 & 6 Highs
-On Day 5, I awoke with a few hours of extreme euphoria. It was awesome, duh. And, I was on my way to Waxing the City. I won’t reveal my beauty secrets, but I mean–the name alone suggests I wasn’t off to some relaxing spa treatment. I remained super-high throughout my time there and after.
-I feel extremely strong (willed) and light (weight). It’s awesome. I don’t know if I’ve lost weight…next Saturday’s blog will be the big reveal there.
-I am impressed with myself in that this detox isn’t that far off what I normally eat. I mean–I’m not doing all the bad stuff I normally do during this detox. I guess that’s what’s making me happy. That this is how I want to eat 99% of the time and I’m proving to myself that I can. Although, I will never go this long without cheese unless I do another detox that requests it of me.

Laura Standley is the editor in chief of 303 Magazine. She’s been blogging about fitness since January 2011. To read her past blog posts, click here.