So About that Reset

Apparently this is a season of resets for me. I find it absolutely no coincidence that God timed everything so that I would be ready mentally to go through a journey of resetting my health, my thought-life, relationships, and my faith. Over the last year or so I’ve been doing the hard work physically – working out, finishing programs, running accountability groups, and in this season?

God has asked me to rest. To reset, focus on doing the work I encourage everyone else to do, and FINALLY kick some bad habits.

If you follow me on Instagram (@crystalstine) or Snapchat (@crystal.stine) you might have noticed a few posts or updates talking about the Ultimate Reset. Since I just finished week 1 of 3 I thought I’d give you a little update – why I started, what it is, how it’s going, what I’m loving, and why I really can’t wait for day 22 😉

What is the Ultimate Reset?

The official version: Developed by Beachbody, the reset is a comprehensive, no-starvation, innerbody tune-up that offers much more than the typical cleanse programs on the market. The Ultimate Reset not only helps you eliminate waste gently and naturally, it also helps revitalize your body and mind, and fuel your body with the micro- and macronutrients it craves. You’ll replace the processed foods you’ve been eating with healthy foods. You’ll eat cleanly—possibly for the first time in your life—and take supplements designed to help your Reset. The Beachbody Ultimate Reset is a complete, three-phase, 21-day mind/body program that provides everything you need to help:

• Reclaim your body’s natural balance
• Release unwanted compounds that have been holding your system back
• Restore your system to its maximum efficiency

Why did I start it? 

A lot of the reasons I mentioned above, but to be perfectly transparent, as well as I do eating on program when I’m doing a specific workout but I’ve found myself wanting a reward when I’m done. A treat to celebrate a job well done, which usually turns into a few weeks of eating terribly. I’ve also not been able to kick my nighttime snack habit, and after a week of vacation and travel and convincing myself that it was ok to eat whatever I wanted because it was social and celebratory and self-control is something I have to work very hard at, I was ready to make a change. My energy has been really low, I haven’t been sleeping well, my face was breaking out like I was 13, and I was over it. But I didn’t want to starve, or just drink juice, or do something that would damage my system more than it would heal it.

I did my research first, and you should, too. Talk to your doctor before you start anything like this, or any workout program. Make sure it’s right for you. Start it when you have the time to really do it the right way – which for me meant a break in travel.

What am I loving?

The food! You guys! It’s SO much food – way more than I expected. To be honest, I’ve done enough round of 21 Day Fix to have adjusted to appropriate portion sizes and meal prep routines, so I think that was an advantage. If you’ve never done a program with a comprehensive meal plan or had to figure out how to prep food in advance to save time, it can be overwhelming. The reset comes with an incredible book that gives you exactly what to each day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with optional snack ideas. All the recipes are included and we already had or were accustomed to buying quite a bit of the food on the menu the first week. Here’s a sample menu for one of the days:

• Breakfast: 1 slice whole-grain toast; 2 scrambled eggs; 1.5 cups steamed spinach or kale
• Lunch: Miso soup; microgreen salad; 1/3 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
• Dinner: Baked salmon; 1.5 cups steamed asparagus; 1 cup boiled baby potatoes

The reset is designed to slowly ease you into a vegan diet, so while you eat clean the entire time, the first week you can have meat, dairy, and eggs. These are slowly eliminated from the recipes and in week two you eat fruits, vegetables, and grains. The final week you eliminate the grains and stick to a vegan diet. The meals and food are designed to reduce inflammation and provide optimal nutrients to your body – and after the final week you can slowly reintroduce grain, meat, dairy and eggs and see how you feel on them.

We’ve also discovered some new recipes that we’ll be keeping for SURE even after the reset is done. And we found out that Madi really likes sushi and miso soup, so yay for that! It’s also a great way to talk to her about healthy versus unhealthy foods in a way that isn’t about how we look or body image but about how God created us and how to take care of ourselves.

There are also really great support groups on Facebook for each week of the reset – super helpful to track with other people who are doing it with you and have a place to ask questions!

What don’t I like?

I drink a gallon of water a day. A gallon. It’s the only thing allowed on the reset (no coffee…sadness…tears…), although you can have the occasional cup of herbal tea. I miss coffee.

I feel strange packing my food and taking it with me to visit family. I did it…but I didn’t love it.

Our local grocery stores don’t carry a lot of the items on the grocery list. We don’t have a Whole Foods or any specialty stores, so I ended up having to order some things off Amazon. Something to consider when you’re planning when you’d like to start!

There are a lot of supplements – fortunately I’m not the kind of gal who hates taking pills or gags easily when drinking something kind of gross, but if you are or you’re sensitive to smells, it might be hard.

Working out is not recommended during the reset – so it’s been hard to turn that switch off. But it’s also been good – I’m just looking forward to getting back to it!

But really – bring on day 22 and a cup of COFFEE!

How’s it going?

So my initial reasons for starting were about self-care, energy, and mental clarity. After the first week I definitely feel like I’m getting my energy back and my mind feels clearer. My emotions also feel more under control and my skin has cleared up tremendously. I didn’t take all of my measurements on Day 1, but so far I’ve lost 7 pounds, which is a nice bonus I wasn’t planning on seeing.

Ultimately (ha…see what I did there?) I’m enjoying the reset. It encourages thoughtful eating, gratitude, prayer before meals, and I’ve spent more time praying in the kitchen prepping food and doing dishes than I have in a very long time. We’ll see how the next 2 weeks go…I’m a little afraid of all the leafy green things I had to buy at the store 😉

If you’d like to learn more about it, you’re welcome to click here. And if you have a question about it that I didn’t answer, just let me know!

Or if that’s not your thing, Country Heat launches today! You can grab a challenge kit here this afternoon and get ready to have a ton of fun while you burn calories. It’s going to be my post-reset workout program for sure. Here’s what comes in the challenge kit:

• 6 workouts on 3 DVDs plus 2 bonus workouts
• 30 day supply of Shakeology
• A Shakeology shaker cup
• Portion fix containers
• Meal plan
• 30-day calendar

I’m so glad country music has come a LONG way from when I was younger 😉 Might be time to pull out those cowboy boots that are collecting dust in my closet! Anyone want to join me?