I’m breathing a huge sigh of relief right now.  I made it.  I completed the Beachbody Ultimate Reset!  I feel great!  I’ve learned a lot – more than I expected – about food, being healthy, about myself, and my own personal limits (or lack thereof).  I’ve overcome a lot of obstacles.  They weren’t all obstacles originating from the Reset program itself; some of them I created (like staying awake in a movie theater for 24 hours) and some nature created for me (the death of a dear family member).  Either way, I’ve learned how to really use food as fuel for my body – not as a crutch, or a convenience, or an addiction, or a social expectation.  I’ve improved my digestion DRASTICALLY.  I mean, without getting into the nasty little details, my digestion is 500% better than it was before the Reset.  I’ve increased my energy and mental clarity significantly.  And I’ve lost some weight in the process.  While my success on the Reset is not measured in how much weight I lose, it is nice to know that it’s happening, and that I reached my goal of meeting a “normal” healthy BMI, which I haven’t been at in years.  I’m very proud of myself and what I’ve accomplished in the past 21 days.  I took my last Alkalinize today, and rather than looking at it as steamed liquid spinach in a glass, I looked at with a sense of nostalgia.  I’m looking forward to sharing my experiences with others and answering questions about not only the Reset but also how to live a cleaner and healthier life in general.  Please feel free to contact me with any questions!

Day 21

So what was in day 21?  You guessed it – fruit for breakfast!  Lunch was an awesome carrot-seaweed medley, which included a new seaweed – arame, which kind of resembles a very thin black pasta.  This medley was delicious, and something I’ll definitely prepare post-Reset.  And what would the last day of the Reset be without the microgreens salad?  Of course, that made an appearance too.

Day 21 Lunch

My evening was busy.  I had my first acupuncture appointment ever today.  It was very relaxing – it felt like a massage for my soul!  Then, I had a meeting into the evening, so my husband graciously prepared dinner.  I am so proud of him!  During the Reset, he LEARNED TO COOK!  Nothing beats that.  He could hardly cook Ramen Noodles before the Reset, and now he’s preparing avocado-cucumber soup and roasted veggies – all of which came out perfectly!  Dinner was so filling, I actually couldn’t finish it.  The avocado-cucumber soup was delicious and little spicy (I love spicy) with jalapeno and cilantro.  Amazing way to end the Reset!

Day 21 Dinner

Now, there are a bunch of empty bottles of pills in my recycling bin.  It’s really sad to see all of the little guys go.  So sad that I actually ordered a Maintenance Kit that includes the Optimize and Alkalinize supplements.  I’m also going to sign up for the Alkalinize supplement on home direct because I think it’s really going to help me as I begin to reintegrate acidic things back into my diet (like alcohol).

Transition Plan

Food and Drink

While my official Reset may be complete, that doesn’t mean I can jump right back into red meat and rum tomorrow.  Oh no.  I think my intestines would explode if I tried that.  There is a whole transition process, where you slowly reintroduce things back into your life.  For example, I can start reintroducing grains tomorrow, then legumes if I do well with the grains; then, next week, I can reintroduce tempeh and sprouted grain breads; the following week is animal proteins, beginning with yogurt or eggs; and finally, 4 weeks after today comes sugar/soda (yuck), coffee (starting 1/2 decaf), alcohol (go light at first), and chicken and fish.  At each step of the process, you are supposed to listen to your body and watch out for discomforts like bloating, gas, skin and sinus problems, which may indicate a sensitivity, or perhaps even an allergy, to a certain food group.  I’m really curious to see how my body reacts as I reintroduce things, and hope that I can get to the bottom of whatever food (or drink) group might have been holding me back pre-Reset.

As far as consumption goes post-Reset, I think I am going to immediately restart my morning Shakeology for breakfast.  My body is perfectly primed right now to accept all of the nutrients that come in this amazing shake.  For lunch, I’m going to go for the cafeteria’s salad bar at work, which has a lot of healthy options.  I think for dinner I’m going to try to prepare some of my favorite meals from the Reset.

In the short term, I’m going to try to stick to the transition plan.  I’m going to try to reintroduce everything, though I have toyed with the idea of being a vegan or vegetarian.  I think a lot of that will be decided in the future, as I listen to my body for sensitivities and try to weed out those foods that might not work for me anymore.  It could be chicken.  Who knows?  I certainly don’t know what those foods might be, but I’m certainly open to anything.  I know I’m going to drink less coffee than I did in the past.  I don’t really feel like I need it anymore now that I’ve become able to tune into my body’s natural energy.  I think I might cut back on alcohol, though I am definitely not going to have a dry household.  I do love fancy cocktails.

Exercise

I am super excited to begin working out again!  I think my body is going to be really receptive to exercise right now.  It is recommended that you only workout at about 50% your max for 1 week before giving it 100%.  I’m going to start working out to some old Jillian Michaels videos tomorrow (they were pretty easy to me before the Reset).  Then, on Monday, I’m going to start Focus T25.  My goal is to complete the whole program (it will be my second time completing it in full), then do Insanity again (it will be my fourth time completing it in full), and then finally do Insanity the Asylum (it will be my second time completing it in full).  Les Mills Combat is also on sale this month, and I’m going to buy it, but I’m not sure where I’m going to fit that into my schedule.  I like the idea of the Shaun T progression.

For each program that I complete (including the Ultimate Reset!), I am going to send in before and after pictures to Beachbody as part of the Beachbody Challenge, get a free t-shirt, and enter to win cash prizes!  Should be a pretty cool progression from Reset to Asylum.  Wish me luck!  Let me know if you want in on this opportunity.

Things I Am Looking Forward to in Tomorrows

• Tomorrow’s weigh in!
• Keeping you all informed of my progress as I begin reintroducing foods.
• Getting back into non-Vegan Shakeology.  I really miss my Greenberry shakes!
• Digging into my NatureBox and BuluBox, which are sitting untouched.
• Working out again.
• Enjoying booze (in a couple of weeks).
• Getting out again and dining out in my city!  No more cabin fever cooking meals endlessly at home!

Important Links

• My Team Beachbody Coach Page – Let me coach you through the Ultimate Reset or any other Beachbody program.
• Where to Buy the Ultimate Reset – You can buy this on sale right now – March 2014!  Up to $85 off if you purchase it with Shakeology!  Time to get ready for summer!