While doing the cleanse, I also read Dr. Lipman’s book Revive, and in one of the chapters, he recommends meditating. He acknowledges that for overly productive people (like moi!), the idea of sitting in silence and breathing can cause more stress. So he suggests finding something that quiets your mind — be it knitting, cooking, or even walking outside. For me, it’s dance. I’ve been studying dance since I was 2 and a half years old, and during the cleanse, I made sure to take some hip-hop and jazz classes. While booty shaking to Nicki Minaj might not sound relaxing to some, nothing feeds my soul like moving to music in a room full of collective energy. Memorizing the routines and performing them once I did cleared my often-racing thoughts. Dancing instead of my usual high-intensity workouts feel like a needed, meditative release.
Throughout the two-week cleanse, I tried to also be gentler with myself and my time. Instead of running around from workout to appointment to late dinners each day and night, I carved out more time to just chill. First, I pulled a bunch of events off my calendar — especially the food-related ones so I had no excuse not to cook. Throughout the cleanse, I often skipped morning workouts to sleep in a bit. I often walked home instead of taking the subway. I attempted to keep my phone in my bag while strolling around the city, allowing me to breathe in the Summer air, appreciate New York’s energy, and disconnect for half an hour. In the evenings, I lit a candle and curled up in bed with a book rather than streaming Netflix. I tried to make every moment of my day feel special.
