Homemade Lemonade Is Best
Today was my first day fully on the homemade lemonade. It is such a difference from the Vibrant Cleanse mix. The mouth feel is one major difference. I found my mouth feeling dry and slightly irritated after drinking the Vibrant Cleanse mix for several hours. I have no hint of that sensation with the homemade mix. If anything, my mouth feels better and more nourished. Speaking of nourishment, the dried mix has only 60 calories per serving, while the homemade mix has a little over 105. That’s a pretty stark difference when you multiply it by the number of glasses of lemonade one may drink in a day (between 6 and 24).
A slight word of caution and a bit of experience. I have found that when I juice the lemons I bought, which actually look big for the average lemon, I end up with 5-6 tablespoons of juice. This would leave extra juice laying around since each glass of lemonade calls for 2 tablespoons of juice. I could make two glasses at a time, but not three. So when I made my lemonade today I just put the extra juice into two glasses. That was only an extra tablespoon of lemon per glass but it made my stomach feel just slightly upset. This might have been because it was the first batch of lemonade for the day. The feeling did not last more than 20-30 minutes and was only slightly noticeable. So my advice is not to overdo it on the lemon juice.
I also have to note that I did feel a little bit of a rush this morning when I had my first glasses of lemonade. This could have been from the maple syrup, which is my suspicion. For a little while, maybe 15 minutes or so, I felt slightly hyper. The feeling did not last through the rest of the day.
My personal solution to the uneven about of lemon juice that comes from my lemons is to make the concentrate from Tom Woloshyn’s book, “The Complete Master Cleanse”. He recommends that you can make the concentrate by combining equal parts of lemon juice and maple syrup. You can then simply measure out 4 tablespoons and a dose of cayenne, add 8 ounces of water and you’ve got your lemonade. The best part is, no wasted juice! I should add that Mr. Woloshyn does not highly recommend the concentrate. I would be remiss to say that the concentrate is his primary recommended means of administering the lemonade. He recommends making it fresh and drinking it within 10 minutes of making it, using the concentrate as a last resort.
Sound Sleep
Last night’s sleep was the soundest sleep I’ve had in a long time, and I feel like I normally sleep soundly! I’ve never thought of myself as a restless or light sleeper, especially since making daily exercise a part of my life. Despite my previous thoughts on the quality of my slumber, I think I have experienced the secret to a better night’s rest. I’ve read and heard from several people and sources that going to bed on an empty stomach is best for several reasons. First, it is difficult for food to move out of your stomach while you’re sleeping because of the orientation of the stomach and its connection to the intestinal tract. Secondly, if you eat sooner than 2 hours before bed, your body will continue to work on digesting your food while you sleep instead of attending to the body’s need for detoxification and restoration. I had yet to put these ideas into practice. My excuse for this is the fact that I often eat late due to activities that keep me busy well into the evening. When I am finally ready to eat, I look forward to what will be the most flavorful and rich (as well as vegan) meal of the day. This is a habit that I have had trouble breaking, but the experience of high quality sleep while on this cleanse is personal motivation to make that change.
Hei Gong
As a practitioner of Hung Ga, I make every effort to include some Hei Gong (aka Chi Gong, Qi Gong) in each day, typically in the morning. Today’s hei gong felt especially good. I was practicing the “8 pieces of Brocade” and they felt better than ever. Today I felt the energy flowing in new and more perceptible way. It was a subtle difference, but something I could sense specifically in my hands. I feel that this has come as a result of greater well being.
Totals
- 32 oz salt water flush
- 11 glasses homemade lemonade (105 calories per glass = 1155 calories)
- 1 cup organic chamomile tea