Joyce joined the challenge with a commitment to remove the toxins from her life. Here’s her story, in her own words (initially posted as a comment to Day 26: Feeling Blue). Guess what? There are 30 of us working this challenge. Check out the roll call under Joyce’s story.

Clean as a whistle!
By Joyce Black (emphasis is Dyana’s)

I made through a 21 day detox program. I worked not only on removing the food toxins in my life, but other toxins as well including cleaners, skin products, situations and people. I also made a point to go to the beach and inhale. I didn’t do this detox to lose weight, but to feel better and to make changes in my life. The program helped me push my own internal “restart” button. Today I feel propelled to move forward, something I haven’t felt in a very long time.

On preparation: plan your meals a week in advance. Do your shopping before you start, clean out the big temptations (like leftover chips or) I waited until I was out of almost everything. I work from home, which is a great advantage. If you don’t work from home–you really have to plan ahead and be sure to have extra food with you, in case you are hungry. Know what your weakness is. I love munching, so I took cut up carrots and grapes instead of sesame seed sticks or chips. If I didn’t have the good stuff, I WILL eat the bad stuff.  I was out running errands one day and was out WAY longer than planned and was caught off guard by hunger. I stopped at a grocery store and searched–got some almonds.

The interesting thing about the program is that my creativity was sparked. I was experimenting with foods that I hadn’t tried before and coming up with alternate solutions to everyday dilemma’s such as “what do I snack on?” I tend to eat healthy anyway, but in doing this detox, it sparked my creativity in really thinking about what fit the criteria and sounded appealing. I found that my creativity was has also been sparked in my work and in other aspects of my life.

In trying foods, I tried to keep an open mind but I’ve decided that for me, millet should be used ONLY as bird food, I don’t care what great recipe you may have, and Quinoa should be renamed as Quin-why? I was also pleasantly surprised how much I like Kale baked in the oven with a little bit on olive oil and garlic. Who knew? I also learned that despite the availability of a vast amount of herbal teas, I want my morning coffee or even cocoa. Something about that heavy warm drink makes the morning feel good to me. I’m glad to not need it, but I appreciate my position with it more now.

On hunger: I noticed that on the detox I sort of slid into hunger. Normally, I’m working, working , working and hunger is sudden and I had to eat. When I was detoxing, it wasn’t as uncomfortable, I just got a little more hungry and a little more hungry. I think it was because I was eating more often and not eating until I felt heavy or really full. It was just an all around evened out kind of slight hunger, eat a little, hungry a little, eat again. This is another place where planning and preparing meals ahead really, really helped!

Now that the detox days are over, I am sitting here drinking my decaf coffee, yes I know there’s still caffeine in decaf, but I don’t care, I like it. I decided to embrace it (see above paragraph)and exchange it with cocoa from time to time to not develop the complete reliance on it. I hope I can stick to the regular eating and not wait until I’m dizzy and have a headache before I eat schedule I was on.I’m going back to the bad habit of not planning what I’m eating and doing a bit of a mad-grab. It’s not the best physically or economically, but I’m aware of it and will apply my learning to plan better ahead of time. I now cook twice a week (there’s no way I have time to cook every day) and that helps a lot.

Most of all, I want to do a mini-detox, for a day or two every couple of months, to remind myself to focus on me.

What story do you want to share about how you focus on YOU? Leave it in the comments or send me an e-mail.

I did my cardio today, which was really fun to do in the daytime. The 40 days of My Body (if you are new to this story, read the intro here) project, is a quest in service to my business, my body and my own path of finishing what I start. I am committed to exercising 6 days/week, keeping a food journal and being more aware of ways I use (and abuse) my body. Going public is extreme, yes, and it’s working! I’m working with a fantastic trainer, Sunny Riggs, to create a program I can sustain over time and she’s amazing. HIRE HER!

I am not alone on my quest. The roll call is at 30 people (including me)! Some are getting organized, others giving up fast food and some are simply breathing! Check out the updates and links below and show your support:

Tanya Geisler–40 days of hatha yoga and radical self-care
Petra Korn–30 days on her body (supported with love by hubby Nick)
Tia Reddy–yoga and exercise
Alisa Bonsignore–working out and food consciousness. She’s traveling through Saturday and is posting great travel/workout/eating tips here.
Suzie Powanda–no fast food or beverages
Julie Rorrer–training for the Austin marathon in Spring
Emma Alvarez Gibson–some bit of exercise, every day
Joyce Black–FINISHED her 21 days without caffeine and doing a general detox, congratulate her!
Carabunga is rocking 40 days of hardcore productivity and rocking a blog about it. Check out her intense post on beating excuses!
Paula Trucks-Pape and her husband: 87 Days of exploring their passions  is in Wisconsin this week, loving the snow.
Monica Kingsbury: 30 days of the Candida diet to deal with her sweet tooth
Jack and LisaMarie Rowell: 30 days of extreme health (alkaline diet)
Diane Sherry Case: 3 weeks of walking–she’s up to 20 minutes 4 days/week! (yoga if it rains)
Cindy Morefield: 21 Days of 30 mins/day of cardio exercise
Paula Estes: 30 Days of playing congas while she works in her studio–she added a strategy and is writing “D” in her calendar daily to keep her accountability solid.
Sheila Hart is IN: 21 Days of no sugar!
Amy Ahlers: 40 days limiting processed food.)
SouperJenny Team: 40 Day hits the ATL! So far, Meredith is giving up sweets and Jenny is giving up booze!! 7 folks have joined their group. Gooo, Team Body, Mind, Spirit! Watch their daily update video here. As of today, the WHOLE team is on target and rocking their challenge:

• John from San Diego is giving up carbs and working out 3x/week
• Sharon from Souper Jenny giving up all sugar except fruit
• Merrideth giving up all sugar and exersising 4 times a week
• Marcie will journal every day and cut down from 4 to 5 diet sodas a day to one per day
• Tricia from Atlanta will drink a quart of her green juice concoction and exersise 5 to 7 times a week
• Lucero Martinez a restaurant/bar owner will give up all alcohol!
• Jenny giving up all alcohol and working out 5 times a week

Ashley White-Stern: 40 days of meditation and is up to 20 mins of meditation; Go Ashley!
M Arsenia Brown (aka: @donutdemon) joins with a commitment to 40 days of her body
Cat Sabonis-Chafee is in and says “I will move my ass” for 21 days of daily, considered exercise
Emily-Sarah is joining with body awareness and daily movement. Welcome, Emily-Sarah.

Tell your story in the comments!

Related posts:

1. 40 Days of Our Bodies: Day 30, Leap of Faith
2. 40 Days of OUR Bodies: Fast Food Junkie Kicks the Habit! (28/40)
3. Why Wait? 40 Days of OUR Bodies: Day 25