My Top 5 Sugar Detox Tips

I'm four days into my two week sugar detox and overall I'm feeling great! Any other time I've done a sugar detox, by the afternoon of day one all I want is cookies & ice cream so I'm pleased with how this round is going. Now I should clarify, I'm doing an added sugar detox not a complete removal of all natural sugars found in fruit or carbs that quickly turn to sugar in the body like starchy vegetables and grains. I'm still carrying a fairly heavy training load of around 90 miles this week so I do want to make sure I maintain adequate energy levels. While this is not for weight loss I do find it's beneficial to reset to your digestion and metabolism from time to time is great to kick any feelings of fatigue and sluggishness. Removing added sugar can feel like a struggle the first few days while your body goes through detoxification so focusing on what you CAN do instead of what you can't eat can be very helpful. Here are my five top tips to implement when briefly cutting out sugar.

Drink Water

Water is an excellent tool to help flush the body of excess toxins. Paying attention to your hydration levels will also help reduce your urge to snack. Before reaching for that cookie, try drinking a glass of water first- you may just be dehydrated. Water will also help reduce bloating while helping your digestion system maintain regulatory. Aim for half your body weight in ounces. Not a fan of plain water? Try placing sliced strawberries and cucumbers in a gallon of water overnight to infuse with a fruity taste.

Prioritize Sleep

Chances are your desire for sugar drastically increases when you are lacking quality sleep. Insufficient rest can often be mistaken for cravings of sweet and salty foods. While everyone is different in their sleep requirements aim for 7-9 hrs per night. Have a difficult time shutting off your brain in the evening and getting a good night’s rest? Try to create a peaceful nighttime routine-similar to how you have formulated a morning routine over the years. Aim to shut off all electronics at least one hour before bed and reduce screen time as much as possible. Dim the lighting in your house and make yourself a cup of tea or take a hot bath. One of my favorite things to do before bed is put on a face mask and stretch for 10-15 minutes to peaceful music. I know we think we have to be running on all cylinders at all hours of the day and night, but give yourself some grace while prioritizing your evening routine and sleep.

Include More Protein

Instead of thinking of all the foods you can’t eat while on the detox, try focusing on other foods you will include, like more protein. Similar to fats, protein can help with feelings of fullness while keeping those sugar spikes at bay. No, you don’t need to be downing protein drinks; rather look for little gaps you can fill throughout the day. Snacking on an apple? Try adding some almond butter and cinnamon. Making veggie tacos? Try adding some sprouted black beans. Small additions like that can truly help reduce sugar cravings and keep you feeling satisfied throughout the day. The goal is NOT restriction during this detox, but rather identify small ways to incorporate as many nutritious options as possible.

Eat Those Leafy Greens

Greens are a great source of detoxification while providing a punch of nutrients like fiber, calcium, and protein. Starting your day off with a green smoothie is an excellent way to get your greens in first thing. Mixing fruits like pineapple and watermelon make a spinach smoothie taste amazing! Not a smoothie fan? Try adding pureed spinach to mashed potatoes or chopped kale to a quinoa salad. You can sneak in a little spinach to almost all recipes to help you incorporate more greens. The goal is to crowd out processed, refined foods while adding in more whole foods like leafy greens. After a large pineapple spinach smoothie, I often find my sugar cravings reduce.

Move More This could be as simple as a brisk walk around the neighbored, a pilates class at your gym, or a trail run with friends. The key is to get away from that desk or couch and get the heart rate pumping. The first few days of a sugar detox can present some symptoms of withdrawal since your body has become accustom to it only a daily basis; physical activity can significantly reduce those unpleasant symptoms. Craving a bowl of ice cream, try going for a 15 minute walk or doing a 10 minute ab workout on YouTube. Chances are with a surge of endorphins from your mini workout, you’ll no longer want that ice cream, and will choose a handful of nuts instead. One key to note. Exercise is NEVER to be viewed as punishment for eating, but rather eating as a means to fuel the body for movement throughout the day. Chances are if you view movement as punishment, you will find yourself binging on sweets later in the day. Learn to love your body through movement and honoring it by fueling with quality sources.

If you find yourself feeling a bit extra fatigued lately, perhaps a sugar detox is just what you need to kickstart your energy and mood! Hope these few tips help :) Asian Fusion Bowl

• 2 Cups Broccoli • 1 Cup Pineapple Sliced • 2 Cups Red Cabbage Sliced • 1 Avocado Sliced • 1 Cup Edamame/Golden Potatoes • 1/2 Cup Dry Roasted Cashews

• 1 Tbsp Ginger Powder • 1 Tbsp Coconut Oil

• Salt/Pepper

Chop golden potatoes and drizzle with coconut oil, ginger powder, salt & pepper. Once almost tender, roughly thirty minutes, add chopped broccoli florets to roasting pan. Toss in residual coconut oil from pan. Roast for another ten minutes or until broccoli is tender. While veggies are roasting, prepare the remaining ingredients. Slice purple cabbage, pineapple, and avocado and set aside. Next, prepare Asian Sauce (recipe below). Once veggies are tender, assemble bowls. Divide broccoli and potato into two bowls. Add cabbage, thawed edamame, pineapples and avocado to vegetable mixture. Top with sauce, additional ginger, and roasted cashews.

Sauce: • 1/2 Cup Peanut Butter

• 1/2 Cup Soy Sauce • 1 Tbsp Siracha

• 1 Tbsp Powdered Ginger

• 1 Lime (juiced) In a high powdered blender, mix peanut butter, soy sauce, siracha, ginger, & lime. Soy sauce contains a high amount of sodium so you may not need to add salt. Add pepper to taste.

Did You Pack Your Joy? Grand Traverse Race Recap.

Well it actually happened...a race in 2020! This past weekend I, along with 250+ runners, toed the start line of the Grand Traverse and set out to run 43 (but really 47) miles around the mountains of Crested Butte. Have you ever woken on race day feeling fresh and excited to roll-pumped for the day ahead? Well, this was...not that type of day. I just felt a bit of anxiety about the day and the performance I would have. Not sure if it was the anxiety about my heel injury or just playing the race up too much in my mind, but nonetheless my mind and heart were not in it; two of the most important components to a successful ultra finish.

Enough thinking and worrying about the day, it was time to start, so at 5:54 am we were off. First few miles felt pretty good-up until the first aid station at mile 9 and it was shortly after I found myself on the struggle bus for the next 37 miles. The original plan was to push the downhills harder than any previous race to make up any time left behind on the climbs. On the first major descent after Star Pass around mile 18 I quickly realized my plan may be a little challenging to execute as I began to experience major stomach cramps on any descent. Time to problem solve I thought. For the next twenty-five+ miles I kept the sole mission of don't stress about your pace but move as quickly as your legs and stomach will allow-which was slow at best. I was out there hours longer than I had hoped for but with the slow pace, I had a lot of extra time to search for a lesson to learn from and a lesson to be grateful for.

Right Foot Left Foot

As the minutes and hours started to quickly add to the clock, I realized my finishing time would far surpass my original goal. A sense of frustration, sadness, and yes, embarrassment came over me. I thought to myself, "You trained to run faster than this, pick up the pace everyone's gonna think you're slow!". You know the funny thing about thinking negative thoughts? They rarely lead to positive outcomes. I'd think a negative thought, try to make myself run faster and soon be met with an achy stomach or breath-taking anxiety. It wasn't until mile 43 where I told myself "it's really ok" that I began to feel a sense of peace with the day that lay behind me. I had battled so many physical and mental demons on that course but with every nauseous step I really gave my all. Your all one day may look drastically different than your all on any other given day. Be flexible. Be patient. But don't give up. Some races may feel like a constant state of flow and others you may chanting right foot left foot just to keep moving. The key is to keep moving.

But What Do YOU Think?

It took everything for me to keep moving that day and I couldn't help but countdown the miles in my head till the race would be over. Seven. Six. Five. When I arrived to the final aid station at mile 39 I knew I had four more miles. Four! I could do that. Heck, I did four mile repeats in June for 50 hours what was one more four mile set. I took some time to regroup at that aid station and right before leaving a volunteer commented only seven more to go. What? Seven miles?? On any other day seven miles would be a nice recovery day, but today it felt like a monumentous task. I was already going to have an embarrassing finish time with four more what would seven more do to my time. Yes, you may be thinking, "Um, Jen that's only three miles more." but yeah it felt like 30 more at that point. There was a mile or so dirt road stretch from the aid station to the single track climb where I truly contemplated quitting. Over and over I played excuses in my mind. I could say I fell, or the heat got me, or my stomach was just too bad. Maybe then people wouldn't judge a DNF (did not finish). I texted my husband Kal that I may drop out because what would people think and he responded with the perfect answer, "But what would you think?". That's the exact motivation I needed. Deep down inside I knew that yes, it would be a slow finish, but I could keep moving. I could keep walking. I could finish this race. How would I feel 30 minutes post calling it quits? Would I feel that I made the responsible decision because I was putting my body at harm or would I feel like I made the scared decision because the day wasn't going to plan. Right Foot Left Foot. If you know you've given it your all..that's all that matters.

Run with Joy

As I was making my way into the last mile I thought about this blog and the meaning behind it. Joy. Joy in training, joy in racing, joy through great days, joy through difficult days. The key is there's always something to find joy in. Was it the race I wanted? No. Was it my best performance? No. Yet, there I was. Surrounded by the majestic beauty of the Colorado mountains-spending a day in the beautiful creation of God. No, it may not have been a performance to right home about, yet could there be beauty and yes, joy in the journey. Joy doesn't always mean things are going to plan and you're happy with your circumstances. Yet rather, that you make the conscious decision to find gratitude, peace, and grace in whatever state you're in. That's what I was missing the whole day. Instead of running with joy, I was running with fear. Fear of failure, fear of judgement, fear of regret. The night before a race I always walk through a checklist to make sure I've packed everything I need for the race in the morning. I take the time to ensure of have adequate gels, bandaids, and water but last weekend I forgot to pack the most important gear of all-joy.

Ultras have a funny way of challenging you to your core and Grand Traverse did not disappoint. Life's kinda the same way. Sometimes you soar through the day and others you stumble and fall; but each day is a new day-an opportunity to learn to grow and most importantly to find joy. Have you packed your joy today?

It's a Gut Feeling...

Fun fact: Did you know that 70% of your immune system resides in your gut? Even more, your gut health is a key factor in whether you'll develop ailments like autoimmune diseases, cancer, high blood pressure, alzheimers, and even depression, or even more relatable, bloating, indigestion, brain fog, fatigue. So why is this? Why are chronic illnesses on a steady rise? As Dr. Will Bulsiewicz on the Rich Roll Podcast discusses, our diet, lifestyle, and environment all play a major role in the health of our gut or what's called gut microbiome ( the make up of trillions of bacteria, fungi, and other microbes) found within us. The bad news, according to the CDC is that 1 in 6 Americans have been diagnosed with a chronic illness. The good news, the answer may just be in our own control.

Diet

Our diet may be the leading contributor to our overall health. With the majority of our meals following the Standard American Diet-SAD (which spells it out pretty clearly in the name itself) we are lacking in many vital nutrients our bodies need to thrive. Food author Michael Pollan stated it perfectly when he said, "eat food, not too much, mostly plants". Eat food. Real Food. Our bodies were not designed to consume chemicals, additives, and preservatives, and yet processed food sales are in constant demand. Think about it, when was the last time you saw a commercial or add for carrots or strawberries? We have been programmed to believe that a lean cuisine or smart choice frozen meal is actually good for us. These processed foods and added sugars are creating a condition called dysbiosis, meaning the bad bacteria is crowding out the good bacteria in our gut leading to things like leaky gut and ultimately autoimmune conditions. So what's the fix? Incorporating a wider variety of plants in our diet, increasing our fiber intake, removing processed sugars and additives, and adding fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, and kombucha. All of these steps will help reduce the bad bacteria and keep the good guys thriving!

Lifestyle

The gut-brain connection is a real thing! Have you ever felt a knot in your stomach, been so anxious you became nauseous, or felt those little butterflies floating around? Well those are all indicators that our emotions all tie directly back to our gut. Because the brain and gut are tied together by the vegus nerve, the signals go both ways-allowing the brain to send a message to the gut and vice versa. Anxious thoughts, chronic stress, and depression can all be tied back to intestinal distress. Sow how do we fix this? We have become so programmed that go go go means successful. In order to thrive you must always be hustling. And while periods of increased stress are all part of a normal life, it's important to find that balance. Incorporating practices like movement, quiet time, and prayer can all be simple yet extremely effective ways to battle gut distress. Feeling anxious, take a moment for a few deep breaths, take a 30 minute walk, or call a friend.

The gut is at the center of our health. Fix an ailing microbiome and you may just find an increase in mood, energy, and overall vitality. So what's the magic pill? Well, not really a pill at all-even though there are countless pills marketed to fix your ailment. Instead the cure is right within our own power through incorporating more plant diversity in the diet, increasing fiber intake, decreasing processed foods consumption and spending more time in a restful state.