10-Day Acai Berry Easy-Cleanse

If you follow health and diet trends, then I am sure you have heard about the latest craze—the Acai Berry cleanse. Although I believe cleanses are occasionally necessary, I am cautious when products promise to give me a "firm, flat stomach" or "dramatic weight loss." However, not all acai berry cleanses are the same so it is important to do your research.

Dr. Tim Ramirez claims that his berry cleanse is "simple, successful, and doable." Looks make a strong first impression and judging by his website, he needs some help. I wouldn't buy a lottery ticket from this guy. At Best Acai Berry Cleanse, you can read reviews about a variety of berry cleanses, and Acai Berry Cleanse Reports provides tips on how to begin your cleanse.

I decided to try Applied Nutrition's 10-Day Acai Berry Easy-Cleanse, which is very inexpensive at Costco. On the bottle, the company advertises that you will "feel light and clean inside" and that their cleanse is "fast and powerful, yet gentle." The cleanse consists of 40 pills taken over ten days—two pills in the morning before breakfast and two pills in the evening before bedtime. While they have a mineral taste, the pills are easy to swallow although you may have an aftertaste in your mouth for a few minutes.

I have an incredibly sensitive stomach so I embark on any cleanse with some trepidation; however, the Easy-Cleanse is fairly gentle. The side effects that I experienced included:

• occasional mild stomach cramping
• loose stools/diarrhea (typical for a cleanse though)

For someone who suffers from constipation all the time, the Easy-Cleanse definitely works, but it is not a magical cure. It did not:

• cause me to lose any weight,
• trim any inches off my stomach, or
• make me "feel light and clean inside" as the packaging promised.  

I have another bottle though (Costco sells it in twos) so I may "cleanse" again before my reunion.

AWW – XoXo

10-Day Acai Berry Easy-Cleanse

Workout Report: Days 29 – 35

Monday, April 26
P90X Chest and Back Workout Results:

• 53 minutes, 40 minutes in target zone
• Average heart rate: 129bpm
• 300 calories burned
• Soreness factor: 4
• Body parts that snapped, cracked or popped: elbows, feet, hips, knees
• Also participated in our weekly one-hour Lindy Hop class

Tuesday, April 27
I didn't exercise today.

Wednesday, April 28 
P90X Shoulders and Arms Workout + Yoga Booty Ballet (Abs I and II) Results:

• 75 minutes, 28 minutes in target zone
• Average heart rate: 117bpm
• 325 calories burned
• Soreness factor: 5
• Body parts that snapped, cracked or popped: elbows, hips, jaw, shoulders

Thursday, April 29
I didn't exercise today. Too many deadlines.

Friday, April 30
I didn't exercise today either. And I definitely indulged at the 24 series finale wrap party tonight.

Saturday, May 1
P90X Legs and Back Workout Results:

• 64 minutes, 47 minutes in target zone
• Average heart rate: 138bpm
• 410 calories burned
• Soreness factor: 7 (But I also walked in my Skechers Shape-Ups the rest of the evening!)
• Body parts that snapped, cracked or popped: elbows, hips, knees, lower back

Sunday, May 2
Yoga Booty Ballet (Sculpt) Workout Results:

• 48 minutes, 22 minutes in target zone
• Average heart rate: 116bpm
• 220 calories burned
• Soreness factor: TBD
• Body parts that snapped, cracked or popped:elbows, knees

Week 5 Results: April 26 – May 2

• 4 workout days
• 1255 calories burned (excludes any calories burned during dance class)
• Overall soreness: 5.5

AWW – XoXo

Workout Report: Days 29 – 35

Help me if you can I'm feeling down ...

I am 34 days into this crazy experiment, and I am failing on several counts:

1. I am not blogging every day. In fact, I have not posted in four days, which is my largest gap yet. I could give you an abundance of excuses, but I hate it when people do that to me. 
2. I have not shed one pound. Not one. Not even half of a pound. It is frustrating beyond belief. I appear to have lost almost 1/4 inch in my waist though I could be pulling the tape measure a bit tighter just to make myself feel better. 
3. I am not working out every day. A recent study showed that if a woman wants to maintain her weight, she needs to work out for an hour every day. Apparently, moderate exercise three times per week is still good for our health, but it is not enough for we women to maintain our girlish figures. Fantastic.

Okay, enough of my complaining. I need to do two things: make serious changes to my diet and vary my exercise routine, which I love, but it isn't working for me. I'll report on the dietary adjustments in future posts, but I want your opinion regarding my future workouts. Even though I am reaching my target heart rate during my strength training workouts, I don't think I am doing nearly enough cardio each week to burn off the fat around my abs. I can feel my core muscles becoming tighter and stronger. I am positive that I am simply building muscle underneath this layer of fat, as I engage in numerous crunches in a variety of positions.

I have researched several programs that focus on cardio while creating a flatter stomach. I'm not going for a six pack; I just don't want the extra fat around my mid-section.




Here are the workouts that I am checking out:

• Jackie Warner Fat-Burning Cardio and Strength training
• Mari Winsor Slimming Pilates
• Shaun T. Hip Hop Abs

Please vote for the one that you think I should do by taking the poll (on the right beneath links). There is also Shaun T's Insanity program, but I am not ready to be insane. Yet.

AWW – XoXo

P.S. And I do appreciate you being 'round to read my blog. More than you know.

Help me if you can I'm feeling down ...