Day 7- Chill Out

“Yes, you have to live your life with all its regular demands, but you also have to give yourself the time and space to heal.” The 21 Day Quantum Wellness Cleanse tells us, "Do what you have to do to keep your life running, but make a point to take some time to rest during the cleanse.”

Your body is extremely busy getting rid of toxins and resetting your digestive system, so go easy on yourself. You could need a little more rest than usual.

According to Wellness Cleanse (as well as Ayurvedic practices), your body does most of its healing, detoxifying, metabolism burning, and re-balancing work while you sleep. Aim for 7-8 hours each night.

• Sleep refreshes the nervous system.
  

• HGH (human growth hormone) is produced during deep sleep. Not only is HGH critical for restoration and maintenance of bones, tissue, and muscles, but it also helps us build muscle and burn fat. You must sleep deeply to get the full benefit.
  

• Sleeping regularly and deeply regulates hormones like adrenaline and corticosteroids, relaxing us. Testosterone and fertility hormones are secreted while we sleep, as well (upping sex drive).
  

And here’s a fun fact you can take to the beach: “An annual vacation has been shown to cut the risk of heart attack in men by 30 percent and in women who take two vacations a year by 50 percent.” Vacations reverse burnout, which is real and very bad for your body. Any questions? Now book that trip you've been daydreaming about!

"Homework":
Kathy writes, “Go to bed early with a good book, and sleep in as much as you can during these twenty-one days.”

Meditation:
“Take a few minutes to sit in the sunshine (or the snow)- or in a beautiful spot out in nature- and soak in the beauty.  Look around and see how life thrives without our pushing it to do so.  The trees grow and flowers bloom; day turns to night, the seasons change, and the complex ecology thrives on its own.  Notice how life as a cycle of pushing forward and resting, of action followed by stillness.”

Your body is processing to let go of the old, healing and rejuvenating.

Today, focus on saying to yourself, “I trust the intelligence of my body.” 

While you are resting today, let your food cook itself in the crock pot!

Comfort Food - Sweet Potato, Lentil, and Chickpea Curry
Since this is cooked in the slow cooker, the ingredients get gooey, but retain the nutrients.  Delicious!
If you don’t have a slow cooker, you may make it like a stew and simmer for at least an hour or two.

1 cup dried, split chickpeas
1 cup red or brown lentils
3 cups water (or more depending on what package says for chickpeas and lentils)
2 teaspoons pure chile powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 can diced tomatoes
½ cup coconut milk
Salt to taste
¼ cup cilantro (optional)
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and diced small (optional)
diced green onions

1. Put chickpeas, lentils, water, turmeric, chile powder, sweet potato, and diced tomatoes in slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or until chickpeas and lentils are tender.

2. Remove the cover and gently stir in coconut milk.  Add salt to taste and also sample to see if you should add more turmeric & chili powder.  Cook for another ½ hour to an hour.

3. Serve and top each serving with one tablespoon of cilantro, green onions, and a bit of chopped jalapeno.

*Note- I needed less water than the recipe called for. If you are home and can keep an eye on it, I would use less and add if needed.

Caffeine's Catty Side and Lemony Lentil Soup

Once again, I’ve underestimated my old friend, caffeine.  What a sneaky frenemy.  She is so toxic!  No matter how nice she croons; begging me to take just one little sip, she’s just waiting to make me feel like crap again.  Bitch.

So, I caved for just a moment, thinking, “What harm would one little cup do?”  I was having breakfast with friends, everyone was drinking coffee, blah blah blah, excuses.  I slipped and took a sip.

No matter how many times I prove it to myself, I still can’t believe it.  Two days later and I’m sleeping like crap with exponentially increased anxiety and grumpiness.  SERIOUS grumpiness.  I’m waking up groggy and wishing for “just a cup today.”  After just one cup of coffee!!!  And I really only drank half.  I wish I’d at least made it a salted caramel mocha – this crappy feeling is totally not worth a regular, boring cup of coffee.  When will I learn????

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Caffeine is evil.  Seriously, she is smiling while plotting behind your back.

Kathy Freston shares (in Quantum Wellness Cleanse) that Caffeine:

• Is a central-nervous-system stimulant

• Affects perception, mood, and behavior

• Raises dopamine, increasing feelings of pleasure, but depleting future stores of dopamine, making you need more and more

• Blocks adenosine receptors, which calm you and help you sleep, leading to anxiety, restlessness, and inability to sleep (but it does not take away the need for sleep.)

• Exhausts the body by stimulating adrenaline production, also raising cortisol (stress hormone)

• Extended overuse of caffeine leading to stress fatigue and high levels of cortisol can lead to:  lowered thyroid function, cognitive problems, decreased bone density and muscle tissue, higher blood pressure, lowered immunity, raised inflammatory reaction in body

According to Freston, “The very things we take caffeine for – more energy and mental focus – are sacrificed over the long term by ingesting it.”

I just made my own lentil soup and was so excited that I wanted to share with you.  This was much easier than most soups I make.  It's very flavorful.  I’ve always dreamed of making soup as good as Aladdin’s and I think I’m pretty close.  Let me know!

Laura’s Lemony Lentil Soup (Vegan & Gluten-Free)
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
1 TB extra virgin olive oil, plus 2 TB for later
3 medium onions, diced
1/8 cup white wine
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced small
1 tsp oregano (dried)
1 tsp basil (dried)
1 tsp parsley (dried)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp Kapha seasoning (optional – my favorite Indian spice – you can buy it from the Chopra center)
6 -8 cups vegetable broth  (I started with 6 and added more as the lentils ate the broth)
½ lemon, peel washed thoroughly
1 apple, cored and quartered
1 ½ cups lentils
½ cup spinach
¼ cup fresh chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste (I barely needed to use any at all.)

1.    In a stock pot, add 1 TB EVOO and sweat onions on med-low for 10 minutes, medium for 10 minutes, then back to low for another 10 min.  Stir often to avoid burning or sticking to the pan.

2.    Deglaze by pouring in white wine and stirring the onions.

3.    Add celery, potatoes, garlic, and lentils and toss with the remaining 2 TB of EVOO.

4.    Add dry spices (save fresh parsley for garnish).

5.    Add broth.

6.    Add lemon, apple (if desired), and bay leaf.

7.    Simmer for 1 ½ to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

8.    Stir in spinach and remove from heat.  Let sit for a couple of minutes and add more veggie broth if too thick.

9.    Serve topped with fresh parsley.