Dear #SparklingDetox, Challenge Accepted
With some challenges, I look them directly in the eyes and say, “challenge accepted!” With others, I raise my eyebrows, cock my head to the side, blink very slowly and dramatically (think Titus Andromedon), and say, “you gone do what to who?” When I first hear about the Sparkling Detox Challenge, my reaction was initially the latter. I can only drink sparkling water? No sweet tea? No lemonade? No coffee? NO CARAMEL MACCHIATOS? What is this sorcery?!
Once I chilled out, I thought, hmmm. You know what? I can go 5 days without drinking anything but sparkling water. Stop being a crybaby! And so I did.
Cutting Caffeine Is The Focus of My #SparklingDetox
When I had some genetic testing done by Fitness Genes, the results came back stating that my body processes caffeine very slowly. This was a real eye-opener for me; I was drinking a lot of caffeine! Now, I have really made efforts to cut back on the caffeine. After I took some time to process my results, I realized I was using coffee and lattes as sort of a safety blanket. When I would be having a particularly stressful day, I would go out for a little bit to walk to the Starbucks near my office, grab a caramel macchiato, and walk back. It used to help relax me when the going got tough.
I believe in science, and I believe the results when they tell me that my body was not processing the caffeine quickly. So what were those daily walks all about? It was probably getting some fresh air, sunlight, and a change of scenery that made me feel better. Just to be safe, I decided to test it out. I would drink caffeine in the morning before work, and that would be all the caffeine I would drink for the day. Would I have enough energy to power me through the day?
The short answer was yes. I definitely didn’t have any caffeine cravings in the middle of the day, especially if I just went for a short walk instead (without stopping into Starbucks). Furthermore, the fact that I wasn’t drinking caffeine in the middle of the day allowed me to actually fall asleep much more quickly at night, giving me a full night’s rest and enough energy for the next day. You know what else it helped me with? Recovery! Getting more sleep allowed me to really give myself the rest my body required.
With the Sparkling Detox, I want to try to get rid of caffeine for the week and see where that takes me. I’m hopeful that I can cut out all of the caffeine without missing it too badly for those days, and that I see some other positive effects from the challenge. (I know that I’m really looking forward to the extra boost of magnesium you get from Gerolsteiner Sparkling Mineral Water – 26mg in just 8 oz! I’d much rather drink it in my water than have to take supplements!) I will be sure to share with you all how I’m feeling with the detox while I’m in progress, and once I get to the end. I’m really looking forward to it!
The challenge takes place from August 27-31 this year. You can learn more about the Sparkling Detox Challenge here, and join the Facebook group for additional tips and information about the benefits of Gerolsteiner Sparkling Mineral Water. There are also some great recipes that folks have been sharing in the Facebook group, in case you want to use the opportunity to clean up your diet a bit while you’re doing the detox. Definitely check it out if you want to join, or even if you’re just curious about it.
Have you ever taken the #SparklingDetox Challenge? Have you ever cut out everything but water from your diet? Have you ever side-eyed a challenge?