28 Day Action Plan - Day One - Cleanse and Simplify

I've taken the pledge to do the Whole Living 28 Day Challenge and today is day one, cleanse and simplify.

Yesterday was prep day so I got cleaned out by kitchen cabinets and did some grocery shopping for the challenge this week.

This week's tasks include eating 5 small meals a day of detoxing foods, eating less foods which often cause allergies, like wheat and dairy, avoiding caffeine, alcohol and sugar and simplifying life by spending less time on TV and the Internet.

Since my husband is gluten intolerant, we pretty much avoid wheat products anyway, instead using other grains like rice, quinoa, millet and gluten free oats. If you're doing the challenge, there are lots of gluten free recipes on the Whole Living Website too. We don't eat a lot of dairy either but we do use milk in our coffee (which I cut down to one cup this morning).

Today, one part of the challenge is to slow down and eat mindfully and savor food. Living more mindfully is good for digestion and stress both. It feels great to take a deep breath, slow down and enjoy a meal or a walk.

This morning, I actually got out of bed 45 minutes early so I could do my qigong self healing workout. I go to a tai chi class once a week and always promise myself I'll do a work out during the day but the day gets away and I don't do it. I thought if I could force myself to get up early and do it, then I'd feel more energetic and balanced all day.

For my qigong work out I used Qi Gong for Health and Healing: A Complete Training Course to Unleash the Power of Your Life-Force Energy by Lee Holden. This program was a little expensive but I there are 5 DVD's and 5 CD's of workouts, meditations and other great tools. I put the CD's on my Ipod and listen to them daily.

I started my day with a green smoothie made with:
Calli tea,
1/2 banana
1/2 cup blueberries
1/3 cup yogurt
2 cups spinach
1 tablespoon of flax seeds
1 tablespoon of chia seeds
a handful of walnuts
1/2 tsp of cinnamon

For dinner tonight, we're trying the Millet Bowl with Black Beans and Rice. I love black beans and keep cans of them around to add to various dishes I make.

My goal, as usual too, is to drink more water. I can manage to get about 4 eight oz cups down but it's difficult to get 8 of them. Monday is my yoga class too so lots to work on.

If you're doing the 28 day challenge, I'd love to hear from you!