Why I decided to cleanse?

I will start off saying this...I am not a huge fan of cleanses. My reasoning is that if you eat whole, unprocessed food....you have no reason to detox. I think that most cleanses are really strict and I personally can't handle drinking my meals all day. I decided that I would open my mind up a little and give a cleanse a try at this time in my life.

Here's why:

1. My immune system sucks!! With my daughter starting Kindergarten...germs have gone rampant around here! Everyone is sick and in order to take care of them...I have to be at my best! Even my sweet little 2 month old has been sick this week! :( I used to NEVER get sick! Being a nurse....I was exposed to so many germs and my body had no problem fighting them off. Staying at home with my babies and not being around a ton of people on a daily basis...has taken its toll on my body's ability to fight off simple viruses.
2. I need energy! Right now....my body hasn't completely recovered from childbirth and physically I can't handle too much exercise. That used to be a huge energy boost for me. My life is the craziest it has EVER been and although I know in a couple months things will slow down and my body will be able to handle it....right now is not the time to commit to a fitness regimen. I have heard great things about the energy boost that a cleanse will provide so we shall see!
3. I have 8-10 pounds that I would like to lose and I have hit a major plateau. Weeks and weeks of clean eating and these last few pounds aren't budging! I know it takes time and I am not concerned at all with the number on the scale....my issue is that I want to feel comfortable in my clothes again! I don't want to go buy a whole new wardrobe and although I fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes....I wan't to fit minus the muffin top that happens in some of my jeans! :) Seriously though...if I could lose a few pounds....that would be fine with me!
4. I need a diet overhaul. Yes...I eat clean 90% of the time but no...I don't eat as well as I would like. I am craving chocolate daily and depending on too many protein bars/Larabars to get me through the day. I need something to force me to take a few extra minutes and get some veggies in! I also need to increase my protein so this cleanse will force me to do that!

I am doing the Advocare 10 day cleanse. The reason that I liked this one is because it encourages clean eating. Lean proteins, healthy fats, fruits and veggies are all that you eat during these 10 days. No dairy, breads, or refined sugars.  I love that! I purchased the Herbal Cleanse packet and the Catalyst pills. The herbal cleanse includes probiotics, a fiber drink and the herbal cleanse pills. The Catalyst is to preserve lean muscle mass which I thought would be good although I feel like I have very little muscle mass left after this pregnancy. I decided not to do the Spark Energy drink. I know people LOVE Spark but it has artificial sweeteners in it and I like to avoid those if at all possible. I will continue drinking black coffee through this cleanse. I do plan on cutting back to one cup instead of the 3...errr 4 cups I have daily!

My husband is also doing this cleanse with me and I am very excited about that! He is a junk food addict and I hope this will encourage him to continue eating healthy even after the cleanse! I promise to keep you guys updated and let you know how it goes! We start tomorrow! Wish me luck! 

I don't distribute Advocare products at this time and am not affiliated with them in any way. Just heard about it through a friend and thought I would give it a try!