[If you missed earlier posts about Spent, just follow these: Part I (In Search of Vitality), Part II (Weekend Edition), Part III (Awesome, Awesome, Wall), and Part IV (Loving It, Even on a Sick Day).]

Well, friends, I did it! I (more or less) followed the Spent program for six weeks, and would highly recommend it to anyone looking to add a little vitality, energy, and health to their life. And really, don’t we all want that? If you’ve been following along, you know that I did not follow the program perfectly, but even with my (smallish) cheats, I reaped amazing rewards. Part of me wishes I had done even more of the program, but I did what I could at the time; there’s no reason I can’t implement the other pieces in the future. In fact, I’ve already started to increase my restorative exercise. Anywho, here’s the rundown–

• More energy. I’m still not at the level I’d like, but I think that’s largely due to my poor sleep. [The program does address sleep issues, I just found it hard to follow many of the recommendations given my living/work situation. Additionally, if I'd followed the restorative exercise program more closely, that would likely have yielded more energy, too.]
• Clearer focus. This was a huge one for me. I’m the queen of foggy brain, and I really didn’t suffer from it much during this program. Hurrah for that!
• Nudge closer to vegan. I do want to address the program from a vegan standpoint. (For the record, I am currently a pescatarian who tries to make vegan choices most of the time.) I really wish Dr. Lipman had recommended more vegan options. For example, like he recommends whey powder instead of a hemp or other vegan protein powder. Rice protein powder is offered as a “lesser” alternative. Similarly, he suggests taking fish oil, rather than promoting the greener, vegan flax seed oil. Grumble grumble. He also supports low-mercury fish consumption, and suggests people eat only organic meats. I understand that many people would walk away from a program that promoted a vegan lifestyle, but he could easily have suggested more vegan options. At this point, you’re probably wondering why I said it nudged me closer to vegan. 1) There’s a no dairy phase, and this helped me realize admit just how sensitive I am to the stuff. I’ve had a slice of cheese here and there, but far less than before, and want to cut down even more. 2) So much of what he recommends for healthy eating is, surprise surprise, a plant based diet. Green smoothies, big salads, fruit and nuts for snacks. Because I’d already given up meat before I started, this was a nice reinforcement.
• Much more aware of my food sensitivities. I am no stranger to elimination diets and cleanses and the like. But perhaps because I’ve been cleaning my diet bit by bit, and because this is a longer program than many, some food sensitivities really hit home. As mentioned above, it became very, very clear how much dairy and I don’t get along. I also knew I was sensitive to sugar, but hadn’t realized just how much. But that’s a story for another post.
• Stronger, leaner body. The program has helped me develop more muscle tone through restorative exercise (yoga yoga yoga), and also helped me shed some stubborn weight so I could actually see my muscle tone. And this encourages me to want to do even more. I have hit my dream healthy weight, something I honestly never thought I could or would do.
• Confidence boost. Even though this program was pretty manageable, with lots of little changes, I’m still really proud of myself for sticking through it. Believe me–holding out on the wine was not easy sometimes. But I got through the other side and reaped the benefits.

The question now becomes, will I keep it up? The short answer is yes, mostly. I might allow a few more treats here and there, but believe me, they will be in moderation. I’ll post soon about my transition off of the program, and how that affected me. In the meantime, I hope this inspired you to give the program a try! If you do, please let me know how it goes.