Week of WOD's 1/21/13 - 1/27/13

1/21/13
Crossfit Reclamation - 1hr - 5:30am

20min AMRAP:
5 HSPU's (scaled)
10 Pistols (alternate each leg)
15 Pull-ups (green ban to toe)
*** completed 6 rounds plus 7 Pistols

Evening w/o
Indoor Bike Trainer - 45min
10min w/u
3 sets of: 7min at 60rpm (biggest gear I can hold), then 4min of 80rpm EZ psin (recovery).
2min c/d


1/22/13
Crossfit Reclamation - 1hr

Deadlifts 5 x 5  at  165, 195, 215, 215, 215#
WOD:  20min (EMOM alternating between 5 Deadlifts at 155#, and 5 Burpees + 5 Box Jumps)


1/23/13
Crossfit Reclamation - 1hr

Back Squats 6rep MAX, 150#  (decided to not push it since I was still feeling it in my lower back from the 75 deadlifts yesterday, as well as a tweak in my right groin).  I probably could have pushed it over my PR of 165# if I was feeling perfect.
WOD:  12min AMRAP:
5 Front Squats at 95# (this was scaled from the Rx of 135#)
10 Hand release push-ups
5 Fr. Sq
10 Pull-ups, green band to toe  (Should've used the blue band.  Sometimes I don't give myself enough credit or have the confidence to push myself).


1/24/13
Crossfit Reclamation - 1hr

Strength = Bench Press 3 x 3 @ 165# 185# 185#  (PR for 3 rep MAX)
WOD:  15min AMRAP.  Alternating Sets of 35# Overhead Barbell single leg lunges, and Sit-ups:
50-40-30-20-10
*** completed the 20 lunges set (ran out of time).


1/25/13
Crossfit Reclamation - 1hr

Strength = Push Press 3 x 3 @ 115# 120# 125#  (I could have probably gone up 5# on each set, but my previous 1 rep max was 125# so I was cautious)  --  meaning 125# 3 repmax was a PR.
WOD: as many burpees as possible in 7min (must jump 6" off the ground for each otherwise it doesn't count).
*** completed 55   (did 15 extra after time expired = completing my 20-burpee penalty for having 2 servings of ice cream at my son's BDay party this past weekend).


No weekend workouts

Week of WOD's 1/14/21 - 1/20/13

1/14/13
Crossfit Reclamation - 5:30am - 1hr

Strength:
Back Squats: 2 squats every 60sec at 150# (90% of 1 rep max), then
8 Front Squat Lunges (4 each leg), followed by 5 Front Squats at 95#, rest 1 min, repeat until 5min has expired.
WOD: 3 rounds of:
200m sprint
6 push-ups
12 Hollow Rocks
*** completed in 5:28


1/15/13
Crossfit Reclamation - 5:30am - 1hr

WOD:
21 Wall Balls at 20#
9 Burpees
400m run
15 Wall Balls
15 Burpees
400m run
9 WB's
21 Burpees
400m run
*** completed in 15:10


1/16/13
Bike - Indoor Trainer - Workout #2 - 5:50am - 35min

10min w/u
2 sets of:
7min at 60rpm, then 4min at 80rpm EZ spinning
Had to cut one set off due to time.  Crossfit was cancelled due to coach having an illness and the fill-in trainer could not gain access to the building.  I was going to do this w/o this afternoon since this is my short day at work (out at 1pm), but now that my ride is out of the way, I may try to get on a treadmill this afternoon for a quick hard run.
*** Total w/o time = 35min

Treadmill Run - 3:45pm - 35min
5min w/u
light lower body stretch
3mile intervals alternating:  7:30/mile pace for 1/4 mile, then 10:00/mile pace for 1/4 mile.


1/17/13
Crossfit Reclamation - 5:30am - 1hr

750m row
30 Pull-ups with green ban to toe
30 Front Squats at 115#
30 sit-ups
30 Power Cleans at 115#
500m row
20 Pull-ups
*** completed in 22:22         This was suppose to continue in this pattern until finishing with 10 power cleans, but I ran out of time and had to leave at 6:30am.


1/18/13
Crossfit Reclamation - 5:30am - 1hr

Split Jerks 1x1x1x1x1 to find our Max.  Mine was 155#.  I failed at 165#.
We then were given the remainder of our hour to work on our specific goals that we had established 7 weeks ago.  I worked on my handstand and double unders.  Neither went well.  I'm struggling to find the appropriate rhythm needed for the double unders, and my shoulders took a beating this week, so I was not able to hold my handstands.  I did spend about 12-15min on mobility/stretching at the end.

No workouts 1/19 & 1/20

Resolute

Several weeks ago I posted a recipe for my Paleo Protein Pumpkin Pancakes.  It was the first time I had posted anything onto this blog site in over a year.  Yesterday, my family and I had lunch and went sledding with The D’Abrosca’s, some friends that also enjoy a very active and healthy lifestyle.  Dave and I chatted about a lot of things: The Wattie Ink Elite Team, Paleo, the upcoming tri season, my Crossfit training, new workouts, etc.  It inspired me to go back and read my last post, “The Gift”, which is the story of how my 2011 season ended with a ruptured disk in my neck.  It also seemed to have ended my inspiration to blog. I’ve had so much to say since then, but my blog (my therapy) never made it high enough on the priority list to get any attention.  As I begin typing this, it is 12/31/12, and I’m contemplating some reasonable resolutions for 2013 (more on those later).  On that list of things is to post 2 blogs per month, minimum, and also to vary it a bit more than just detailed race reports and “short” stories about my life, although that is generally the style that I enjoy writing in.  I may get into more recipes, product reviews, and observations from friends and family, as well as potentially pushing the limits when discussing more personal issues.  In this visual/video age, I’d like to post more pics and vids too.

So, WTF happened to me once the decision was made to bow out of my first 70.3 attempt in September of 2011 due to injury?

Fourteen weeks of physical therapy (6 weeks at a PT facility, and 8 weeks at home).  It was right about the time of the Pumpkinman triathlon in 2011 that I was cleared to start “running” on a treadmill (this was about a month into my PT).  My sister and brother-in-law, Crystele & John, had wanted to run their first 5k, and I had prepared their training schedule for them a couple of months prior. Although completely out of shape and deconditioned, I saw this as an opportunity to join them as part of my rehab.  This was at the end of September.  We all finished.  John and I crossed together (well, I let him beat my by a single stride), and I couldn’t have been prouder of both of them.  For me, it was a bit more of a struggle than I anticipated.  Here I was, 6 weeks earlier, possibly in the best condition of my life, preparing for my first half ironman distance, and now I’m fighting to get through a 5k.  It was mostly just the pain in my neck from each jolt of the pavement, even though I was trying to glide, as well as the inability to swing my right arm much. But, I can’t recall a time when I felt happier to just “be out there”.  It was at that time that I decided to not give away my bib for the Seacoast Half Marathon (coming up in 7 weeks).

I made sure that I had no expectations for the Seacoast Half -- just enjoy the fact that I am essentially pain free, I’m off all prescription meds, and I can actually run outside three times per week.  Nothing else really mattered.  Fortunately, we had a very mild autumn, and I ran outside right up until the race.  2:08:58.  I don’t really know what this time means or why I’m even posting it.  It’s just a time.  It’s a time I ran for over 2 hours straight, without pain in my neck, and validation that I was on the mend, had avoided surgery, and was gaining confidence that I’d be back next year (but that didn’t happen either – keep reading). 

As I have each of the previous four years, once the Seacoast Half is over, I generally take two weeks off from all “working out” to really get a good recovery in.  This year was a little different.  I had just calculated my total training hours for the year (Seacoast Half to Seacoast Half) at right about the same as the previous year’s (right about 200 hours), but remember, I had missed about 6 weeks completely, and then had 7 more weeks of scaled back activity.  So the fact that I trained the same amount of time was encouraging.  I didn’t want to sever my momentum at this point, but knew I couldn’t ramp up too fast.  My wife had given me “Insanity”, one of Beach Body’s home workout programs as an anniversary/Xmas gift several weeks earlier and I saw this as an opportunity to do some high intensity, shorter workouts at home that didn’t involve a set of weights.  Although I didn’t follow their program as it is laid out, I tried to get in 3-4 Insanity workouts per week and supplement with a one hour treadmill run and a 1 hour indoor trainer workout.  I had made a couple of New Year’s Resolutions on 12/31/11.  One was obvious.  Finish a 70.3, and although I had been hopeful it would be The Pumpkinman, prior to my injury  had already signed up for Rev3 Quassy in Connecticut which was in early June 2012.  My other resolution?  I wanted to average 19mph on the bike at an Olympic distance race.  And since I had deduced that my cervical disk issue was a result of swimming, and only breathing to the right, I vowed to only swim three times per month, instead of three times per week.  Yes, that’s right, I typed “per month”.  In its place I was going to add an additional bike workout per week and a short bike-run brick per week.  I’ve been quite happy with my swim times since my first season. And the little I would expect to gain in swim times by continuing to swim three times per week would not outweigh what I could gain in bike times (and hence, overall times) if I concentrated more on building up my bike speed. I had two races in 2012 whereby I could gage if this plan was successful because they were races I had done before, The Mass State Olympic distance in mid-July, and The Timberman Sprint in mid-August. 

Mass State Oly 2012 results

229^TH / 343   OVERALL IN 2:44:33 

22^nd  / 29    in age-group  

140^th / 343   Swim in 28:15   

T1 = 1:39 

193^rd / 343   Bike in 1:08:25 (19.28mph) <---- GOAL ACHIEVED

T2 = 1:51 

290^th / 343   Run in 1:04:26 (10:23/mile pace)        

Timberman Sprint 2012 results

Finished in 1:29:01

163^rd/ 356 for males

34^th / 72 in age-group

Swim in 8:17

T1 = 2:30

Bike in 51:13 (17.57mph)

T2+Run in 27:02

And I can’t imagine how much better they would  have been if it wasn’t for someone jamming a stick into my spokes, figuratively, and almost literally.

A few days before Christmas, the practice where I had been working for about 15 months learned that it was going to be closed down around June 1^st due to many reasons, both political and financial, we were led to believe.  On one hand, it was comforting to at least know that I had an actual date when I would no longer be employed, but on the flip side, I had an actual date when I knew that I would no longer be employed.  I couldn’t really worry too much about it in December (2011).  After all, most employers don’t know what their needs are going to be for staffing six months in advance, so I used the first 3 months of this time deeply contemplating what my next career move should be.  What I already knew was that I needed a position that didn’t require me to be “on-call”, and preferably, no nights, and perhaps very limited weekends and holidays.  Yes, Mommy hours.  I’ve never had a job as a physician assistant with these hours, but there is a reason for that.  These jobs are “office” jobs:  family practice, internal medicine, and some specialty practices that don’t involve surgery.  This is what I’ve considered to be “hard medicine”.  You’ve got to know so much about so much and the degree of noncompliance seen in these patients is frustratingly high, so it’s not a type of position that I ever felt was one I could thrive in or enjoy.  Or should I say, survive in. PA’s that work in family practice, internal medicine and that are on hospitalist teams, I’ve always considered to be the cream of the crop.  I wasn’t confident I could pull it off, or that I wanted to, despite many colleagues telling me that with time and a lot of hard work during that first year, I’d be absolutely great at it.  Time was on my side, initially, so I kept that plan in my back pocket, but it wasn’t a card I was willing to play until the last possible moment.

In late February (2012), I had a lead come my way unexpectedly.  It was an Urgent Care position in Lowell, MA. The interview went very good, not great, the commute was going to be horrible, and the hours were a bit atypical yet intriguing (three 10-hr weekdays, 8ap-6pm, and only a single 5-hr Saturday shift per month).  Karen had always hinted, sometimes not so subtlety, about moving closer to Woburn, where she has worked for ten years.  Well, this was her chance.  I told her outright and without so much as a quiver in my voice,

“If you want your job in your backyard, this is your chance.  You just say ‘Go’ and we’ll do it. We can temporarily rent an apartment down there while we rent out our home in NH.  Let’s  allow someone else to pay our mortgage.  I’m pretty sure we can make it work.  It’s up to you, but I’ll need to know within 3-4 weeks.  If I’m even offered the job, I don’t think I’d be able to hold them off longer than that (regarding a decision).” 

After years of dropping hints about wanting to be closer to her work, I was met with very little response, like I had completely stunned her.  Finally the hypothetical was reality’s next door’s neighbor, and it obvious got her thinking about a few things in a way that maybe she hadn’t really been forced to before.  Being the planner that I am, even though she suddenly seemed quite resistant to the idea, I began looking at neighborhoods, apartment complexes, schools, etc., and even contacted a realtor regarding our home.  My current job was ending in about 3 months, I had no other prospects, and even if we didn’t relocate, I needed to very seriously consider taking the position anyway, even though my heart wasn’t really in it.  And when I say that, I mean the actual job itself.  I was content with moving if it made Karen happy, and that is what was most important to me.

Through ongoing emails, I was convinced that this urgent care anticipated me accepting the job, so much so, that they mailed me the credentialing packet to begin completing.  Medical providers have to get “credentialed” or obtain hospital “privileges” in order to work.  This process takes 6-12 weeks on average, and that’s once they (the employer) receive the packet back from you.  It can take a few weeks just to complete it.  Remember, I’m 12-14 weeks from being unemployed.  Crunch time was one block away, and the sun was setting fast.

The following day a call came in from Access Sports Medicine in Exeter, my hometown.  I had never done ortho as a specialty, but this was for their new Acute Injury Clinic, which was also a budding urgent care.  Within 48hrs I was interviewing with the practice manager, three of the docs, and the lead PA.  It was a fantastic interview.  They sold me on this “new” position.  They wanted someone to take the lead and work with the President, Dr. Joshua Siegel, and their Medical Director, in bringing the injury clinic to the next level, offering more urgent care services.  Again, and I can’t stress this enough, this is how they were selling me on this job.  They wanted a “go to” guy, a leader, someone to commit, do whatever it takes to assure success, and then once that success is achieved, to replicate it at other sites.  And oddly, they wanted me to make them an offer.  Everything was game (salary, bonuses, benefits, you name it).  I spent days putting together a four page proposal that outlined my requirements.  I was told a few days later that it was accepted by each of the partners !!! (We are now into very late March – early April).  We immediately began the extensive credentialing process, I began reviewing architectural designs of their potentially new urgent care building, and had even agreed upon a per diem start date of June 5, 2012.  But on May 30^th I made the smartest mistake I’ve ever made; I had my initial proposal, that they had accepted 2 months earlier, officially drawn up by a lawyer and sent to them so both sides could sign it.  The following day, my last day at my current job mind you, and 5 days before I was supposed to start at Access, I got an emailed letter from Dr. Siegel essentially stating that the partners had decided that I was not a “good fit”, “that we are withdrawing our previous agreement”, and that they have “decided to fill the position internally”.  I was told that The Practice does not enter into any formal contacts with their mid-level providers. Huh???  This was also the day before I was supposed to leave for Rev3-Quassy in Connecticut, my first attempt at that elusive 70.3 distance (now the second 70.3 I had signed up for).   Come to find out, the letter they had sent was nothing but a lie, as was probably just about everything they had told me over the previous 2 months.  On June 18^th (less than 3 weeks later) they announced on their website the hiring of their new provider (professional photos, bio, etc.), which they had obviously been negotiating with and credentialing right along with me, and who knows how many others.  Some of the absolute slimiest business moves I have ever encountered.  And since then, I have heard several stories from former employees that sound eerily similar.  I will never have anything good to say about Access Sports Medicine.  Never.

Needless to say, I slipped into just a bit of a depression for a while.  Not finishing Quassy that weekend,  thanks to a major bike malfunction less than 2 miles into the bike leg, didn’t help.  My biggest concern was not having a full time job.  As soon as I got back from Quassy, I called just about every colleague I knew explaining my situation, and within a week I had an entire summer of per diem work at three different Urgent Care sites between Barrington and Boston.  Because I only averaged working 29hrs per week for the next four months, I had to use all of the money I had saved from unused vacation from my previous job, my one month’s severance, as well as the saved dependent daycare money that we hadn’t yet withdrawn from our account. We also had to cancel our vacation to Jamaica. I’ve never felt so fortunate to have purchased the trip insurance which gave us an 80% refund.  All of that money was supposed to pay off the remainder of our once insurmountable credit card debt.  It was going to be a fresh start. Finally, after 10 years, we’d be just comfortable enough whereby I wouldn’t be required to work regular overtime shifts at my moonlighting jobs.  Well that didn’t happen.  That money was now used to “get by” until I started my new job in November 2012.  And that new job is in Internal Medicine at Dartmouth Hitchcock in Manchester.  I work 4.5 days per week, no nights, no weekends, and no holidays.  The benefits are superb and the salary is more than fair.  They have been extremely flexible based on my family needs.  I’ve been there two months and professionally I feel about as happy as I have ever been.  And I am really enjoying the work (the specialty). 

To review my 2012 season, let’s just say that the stress and anxiety, coupled with bizarre work hours, and long commutes into Boston, my training suffered immensely, and that is an understatement.  Literally, I averaged 2.25hrs of training PER WEEK between my failed Rev3 Quassy 70.3 race in early June, and the Pumpkinman 70.3 in early September 2012 (which I might add, ended up being my first 70.3 finish after all.  At some point I hope to finish my race report for that race, but don’t count on it.

To finally put closure on this 15-month summation, this new job allows me 1hr of training each morning, from 5:30-6:30am, and I knew that I needed high intense, full body, core oriented , shorter workouts, that were close to home.  Enter:  Crossfit Reclamation in Exeter, NH.  I have been doing it for 14 weeks now and I’ve got to say, I am stronger, more explosive, faster, more fit, more balanced, and more agile than I have ever been.  My diet/nutrition has been under control as I transitioned to a >80% Paleo diet on August 23, 2012, and everything about me, since doing so, is just plain better.  I gave up bread, pasta, cereals, grains, and dairy, to name just a few.  My energy is just “nuts”.  I’m making every attempt to follow Brian MacKenzie’s book ,”Power, Speed, and Endurance: A skill based approach to endurance training.”  So far, so damn good.  I can’t wait to see what it does for my races in 2013.

So, since I’ve digressed, what about 2013?

What are some of my goals?

What are my fitness and professional resolutions?

In no particular order:

1   1)  Go back to Quassy and finish what I started. Just registered a couple of days ago!

2   2)  Average 20mph on the bike leg at the Mass State Olympic Tri.  (And yes, I did accomplish last year’s resolution of >19mph at this race).

3   3)  Post to this blog a minimum of twice per month. 

4   4)  Be able to Rx every workout at Crossfit starting on 1/1/14.  Every workout has an “Rx” for male and female, as well as a “scaled” version of the same workout, which generally includes lighter weights, alternative exercises, or easier versions of a complicated movement.  I have no idea if one year is enough time to get to that point, but I’m gonna aim high on this one.

5   5)  Run a sub 21:00 5k.  My current PR is 22:05

6   6)  Complete my “Paleo Prescriptions” seminar.

In 2013, I no longer will accept “average” or finishing in the 50^th percentile for my age group.  I think it is reasonable to shoot for that upper 1/3^rd or around the 30-35^th percentile.

Week of WOD's 1/6/13 - 1/13/13

1/6/13

Bike WO #1 - Indoor Trainer

10min WU

3 intervals of 5min at 60rpms - holding biggest gear that I can, followed by 5min of EZ spinning at 80rpms

5min CD

Total WO Time = 45min

1/7/13

Crossfit Reclamation - "Total"

This was a simple workout in order to establish a baseline for strength on 3 different power exercises:

The Back Squat

The Strict Press

The Deadlift

Each are done in succession, and in this order.  There is a very quick warm-up set, then 3 attempts whereby you only get one chance to address the barbell, and go for it.  Spotters verify corect form and pass or fail you on your "rep".  This is a "One Rep Max" exercise.  In other words, given one attempt, what is the most you can do, once.  Then, whatever your Max weight is for each, you "total" that number (in pounds).

Back Squat = 185#  PR

Strict Press = 125#  PR

Deadlift      = 255#  PR

Total score = 565#

1/8/13

Crossfit Reclamation - WOD - "KELLY"

5 Rounds of:

400m run

30 Wall Balls at 20#

30 Box Jumps at 24"

*** completed in 36:08

1/9/13

Crossfit Reclamation - WOD

Bench Press 8 sets of 3 reps, increasing weight each set:

95# - 135# - 140# - 155# - 165# x 3  (didn't have time for last set)

10min of:

Reps: 10-8-6-4-2 of alternating between Floor Kettlebell Shoulder Presses at 35# and Kettlebell Swings at 44#, then:

10min of:

Reps: 10-8-6-4-2 of alternating between Russion Triangles with 25# barbell, and Side Bride Push-ups

1/10/13

Crossfit Reclamation

Cleans Touch & Go, find the 3 rep Max weight, then stop.  Mine was 125#.

Then:

AMRAP 8min of:

3 Cleans, followed by Lateral Burpees for remainder of each minute.

Total score equals number of burpees completed. Mine was 36.

1/11/13

Crossfit Reclamation

10min AMRAP:

Row 500m

5 Deadlifts at 135#

3 Toes to bar with Pull-up (TTB-PU)

   5min rest  -  *** completed 2 rounds + 5 deadlifts

5min AMRAP:

30 DU's (or 90 singles)

30 SU's (Sit-ups)

   5min rest  -  *** completed 2 rounds + 40 singles

5min AMRAP:

10 Med Ball Cleans - 20#

10 KB snatches (35#) 5 per side

10 Jumping alternating lunges

                      *** completed 2 rounds + 10 MB cleans

1/12/13

Bike WO #1 - Indoor Trainer

10min w/u

3 sets of 5min at 60rpm at biggest gear I can hold, followed by 5min of EZ spinning at 80rpms, then 5min c/d.

15min of mobility/stretching

Total time =60min

Total Training for the week  = 6.0 hours


First two weeks of January I've hit 6 hours of training per week.  I'm back on the bike finally.  Next week I need to get in 2 bike workouts in 7 days, and the workout will change a bit.
It's so damn warm out right now (nearly 50) that I should go for a fairly hard 5k run, but this was suppose to be a rest day, a day to do all of my laundry, stock up on groceries, do some stretching, and chill with some Pats vs. Texans football.  Karen isn't home right now.  She went to do Bikram then meet up with a friend.  not sure what time she'll be home.  If she's home by 3pm, I'm heading out for a quick 5k I think.

Week of WOD's 12/31/12 - 1/6/13

Recovery (I use this term loosely), 12/31/12 & 1/1/13

1/2/13

Crossfit Reclamation - "LAREDO" Hero WOD

U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Edwardo Loredo, 34, of Houston, Texas, assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, was killed on June 24, 2010 in Jelewar, Afghanistan, when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He is survived by his wife, First Sergeant Jennifer Loredo; his daughter, Laura Isabelle; his stepdaughter, Alexis; and his son, Eduardo Enrique.

6 rounds of:

24 body weight squats

24 push-ups (had to change to kneeling on round 3)

24 single leg walking lunges (12 per leg)

400m run (outside in 12 degree weather)

***completed in 39:10

1/3/12

Crossfit Reclamation WOD

10min of Double Unders practice

Strength = Strict Shoulder Press - 5x5x5 (95#, 105#, 110# x 4 reps)

6min AMRAP of:

5 Deadlifts at 145#

6 Pull-ups (used blue strap to toe)

7 Box Jumps (24")

*** completed 3 rounds + 3 Box Jumps

1/4/13

Crossfit Reclamation - "VICTORIA"  Hero WOD

Victoria” is a hero wod from fallen teacher Victoria Soto who was a first grade teacher in Newtown. She hid her “angels” as she called her students in a closet behind her during the horror that occurred.

5 Rounds for time:
10 x Thrusters (95# / 75#)
14 x Box Jumps (24" / 20")
12 x SDHP (95# / 75#)
12 x Burpees
27 x ‘American’ KB Swing (53# / 35#)

An extremely difficult WOD, I only had time to complete 3 rounds in 26:26 before I had to scoot out of the Box and get on the road to work.  I did the "scaled" version on the weights, but kept my box jumps at 24".

1/5/13

Open Gym

Since I started my "cleanse", and feeling absolutely horrible (I hadn't replenished or recovered since yesterday's Hero WOD), I was quite sore and lacking energy.  I decided to take it easy, hang with some other crossfitters, and get some pointers on some skills that I had been struggling with.

I rowed 1000m then did about 25min of stretching.  I then worked on Double Unders for about 15min, then did a few wall handstands and some oblique ab stuff for about 5min.

That is my week in review. 

"The Cleanse"

I have never done a cleanse like this before.  There are literally hundreds of "detox drinks" and various forms of 1, 3, 5, 7, 14, 21, 30-day, etc. cleanses out there.  I wanted something quick, to the point, and with variety.  I didn't want creamy smoothies with heaping scoops of whey protein and peanut butter.  I wanted fresh, low calorie, low residue, easy to digest, clean, mostly green drinks.  I chose drinks that looked and sounded like all of these things, as well as seemingly easy to prepare.  Since I don't have a blender at work, my afternoon drink which I will have at work can be easily prepared in the morning and will keep nicely for several hours in a fridge.

I plan on a moderate salad each day for lunch which will include only vegetables and 4oz of chicken or tuna.

I am also going to be drinking 4 cups of green tea per day and an additional 50oz of plain water.

 

My Post-Holiday 72hr Cleanse

(I will try to post pics of each as soon as possible after a make it, or at the end of the cleanse. I'm probably going to start Friday morning, January 4, 2013).

Breakfast (Days 1 & 3)

“The Yummy Green”

½ bunch of spinach leaves

2 big kale leaves (no stems or center veins)

¼ OJ or other unsweetened natural juice

1 small banana

1 kiwi

16-20oz water, blend together

Breakfast (Day 2)

“Ginger Root Boost”

1 inch sliced ginger root

Juice from 1 lemon

6 small carrots

1 seeded apple

16-20oz water, blend together

1-hour After Lunch (Days 1,2 3)

“Master Cleanse”

Juice from ½ of a lemon (2 table spoons)

2 tablespoons of grade B real maple syrup

1/10 teaspoon cayenne pepper

10oz water, blend together

Just before dinner (Day 2)

“The Propellant”

2 cups seedless grapes

3 slices of Kiwi

¼ peeled orange

5 red lettuce leaves

2 cups of water, blend together

Just before dinner (Days 1 & 3)

"The Detox"  -- NOTE: you could quadruple this recipe and just sip on this throughout the day as an alternative to making several other drinks throughout the day.) 

1/8 cup fresh pineapple juice

1/2 cucumber

2 large kale leaves (remove stem and large veines)

juice from 1/4 of a lemon

1/8 inch strip of ginger

1/8 cup of fresh mint

30min before bed (Days 1 & 3)

“Super Green”

1 bunch of spinach (handful of leaves)

1 small cucumber (3-4 inches)

2-3 small stalks of celery

1 small bunch of cilantro

1 cup water, blend together

30min before bed (Day 2)

“The Nightcapper”

1 handful of lettuce (Spring mix)

1 cup seedless grapes

¼ of an orange

2-inch piece of a banana

1 cup of water, blend together