When I hear the word CLEANSE, I immediately think of those all liquid cleanses where you only drink lemon water and don't eat a thing.  Or remember the cabbage one?  Or the one where you only ate orange food?  You may have the same reaction when you hear the word cleanse.  Well this week I started a 21-day cleanse with my friend Melissa who is a Health & Wellness Coach.  There are two reasons I am doing this cleanse.  One, because Melissa asked me, and two, because I can still eat real food!  Oh and three, because I already cut most of these foods out of my diet already so I didn't think it would be too difficult.

Here are a couple of things I have learned so far on this cleanse.

• For me, its been about being more mindful of how I eat than what I eat.  Savoring each bite and slowing down.
• I have had to plan ahead more.  Making a batch of quinoa and roasted veggies to have on hand.  Because several nights a week I get home after 8pm, this has been great to have at the ready.
• I can still go out to eat and make good choices and if I want to enjoy a beer or glass of wine with dinner, then I should go ahead and do that, as long as I'm not going to beat myself up about it afterward.

I still have 17 days to go on this cleanse, so it will be interesting what else comes up for me in the days to come.

Also on the health and wellness front, I had a great conversation with Karen over at Journey Back to Self yesterday and her recent health challenges.  Go over to her blog and see what she has been facing these past couple of weeks.

And don't forget to check out my friend Melissa's blog, Wellness with Melissa!