5 Day Juice Reboot: Day 4

On the morning of day 4 I was awake at 1.00am, and I mean wide awake. I hadn't felt tired when I went to bed the previous night, hyperactive is the wrong word but I felt very alert. Thankfully, I managed to fall asleep quite quickly, but I clearly didn't need much sleep as I was awake again a couple of hours later. After half an hour or so of debating whether or not to get up, I did fall back to sleep and slept solidly until 7.30am.

Day 4 was harder than the previous day. Yes I was full of energy and I had no negative side effects but it felt harder somehow; possibly because I knew I had only two days left and I was starting to worry about the effects that reintroducing solid food would have on my body. I've suffered from a mild stomach disorder for over 10 years and have always managed it by diet. Whilst I knew that consuming juices would be beneficial to my health, it only dawned on me half way through the reboot that returning to solid foods may have some negative side effects, so perhaps this is why I felt different on day 4, I'm not sure. Anyway, this, coupled with a craving for bananas  resulted in me making a green smoothie for lunch  (something that's part of my everyday diet) and I really enjoyed it. It was as if someone had handed me heaven on a plate, well glass, and I savoured every last drop. I know it was a bit of a cheat as technically it wasn't a juice, but sometimes you just have to deviate from the plan a little and I felt that adding something a bit more substantial to my diet was justified (especially seen as I seemed to have gone through the worst of the detox process) and would help my stomach prepare for 'heavier' foods. 

Through the day, the smoothie had little effect on me, although as was very aware of the sour aftertaste of the drop of milk I'd added; it seemed that the reboot really heightened my senses. I was even more aware of this when I had my second cheat of the day (again partly due to my concern/curiosity about my stomach managing solids but partly just because I felt a bit naughty) - pizza, not a whole one, just a few slices of a thin, stonebaked one (after my juice, of course). It tasted salty and was total system overload. Whereas the smoothie had little effect, within half an hour of eating the pizza I was aware that my stomach felt slightly gripey and bloated. It certainly wasn't happy after being indulged with fresh juices for the past 72 hours. Lesson learnt, once you've cleaned up your act, keep it clean, or as clean as possible. And that was the intention of the reboot - to boost my body and hopefully kickstart healthier routines. I haven't gone through this process just to carry on as before, especially now I've experienced how much better I feel on a pure juice diet. I don't want to lose my focus or my stamina again. My body is brimming with vitamins and goodness and I want to keep it that way.

So in summary, day 4 was a day of hits and misses, although I'm viewing it in a positive light. I still had three juices over the course of the day and learnt the effect that processed foods can have on our bodies. It's certainly been an eye opener.

5 Day Juice Reboot: Day 3

Day 3 was the easiest day of the reboot so far. I felt lighter and my cravings were virtually non-existent; I even managed to do 5km on the elliptical trainer after breakfast. I usually like to run in a morning but I didn't quite feel that my energy levels were at that point, and for me personally, the reboot is about giving my body time to rest and recuperate so I don't want to put too much stress on it. I did notice through the day that my sense of smell was particularly heightened - i'm not sure if this is some ancient hunter-gatherer knee-jerk reaction to the lack of solid foods in my stomach, but I was very aware of the different scents as I went through the day.

In the morning, I noticed that the white fur/detox symptoms on my tongue had started to clear up and it had completely gone by the end of the day. My body felt light and I had quite a lot of energy, not in the "I want to run a marathon" way, but more in the sense that I didn't stop all day and didn't feel tired - my stamina levels were much improved. I also seemed to have more focus; usually I'll get distracted from whatever I'm doing by something else and spend my time jumping from one thing to another, but instead I was able to stay completely focussed on the task at hand and enjoy being immersed in it.

It's strange, I've read online how people end up buzzing with energy around day 3 or 4 of the reboot, but I've found that it's affected me in a much more subtle way, gentler perhaps. I felt a little emotional towards the end of the day, so I think that cleansing is taking place at many levels. Let's see what the rest of the week brings.

Two more days to go!

5 Day Juice Reboot: Day 2

Day 2 of the reboot was much better than Day 1. Although I felt lethargic when I woke up, I was relived that my bloated stomach and nausea had gone. I was amazed at how thirsty I felt when I awoke and ended up drinking a pint of water as soon as I got out of bed. Below is a blow-by-blow account of day 2:

8.00: Woke up after 10 hours of sleep. Felt lethargic, hungry and thirsty. Drank 1 pint of water, hot water with lemon and ginger, and 500ml of Green Citrus juice for breakfast.

10.00: Started to feel more energetic. Got dressed and went out to do some gardening. Managed to drink 2 pints of water during the morning.

12.00: Picked a load of fresh tomatoes and basil from the greenhouse and decided they were too good to waste so made a soup for lunch - it was the most delicious thing i'd ever tasted and I felt like i'd been given the world...note to self: add more warm juices to the reboot.

1.00: Back out into the garden to do some more jobs - my energy levels seemed to be increasing. Water sipped throughout the afternoon.

3.00: Afternoon snack - another 500ml of Green Citrus juice. Missed having a cup of tea. Noticed that my tongue felt strange and discovered that it was covered in a white coating - detox symptoms. Drank more water which made it feel (and look) better.

5.00: Tea time - 500ml of Carrot-Apple-Ginger juice followed by 500ml of Peach Pie Delight.

9.00: Still felt wide-awake so went to bed to read.

11.00: Bedtime - started to crave a baked sweet potato and salad.

On day 2, I found that my cravings weren't as intense as the previous day, although I really wanted a baked sweet potato topped with butter! I noticed that I missed drinking tea, I wasn't actually craving it but it's become more of a habit/reward so sitting down mid-afternoon without one felt odd, as if there was something missing. I guess that shows how food consumption can easily become habit rather than needs based. Overall, day 2 of the reboot was much easier than day 1. I had more energy and didn't want to hide away in bed all day, oh and I didn't feel sick, which is a bonus!

Day 3 tomorrow...

5 Day Juice Reboot: Day 1

Just over a month ago I watched 'Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead', a film in which Joe Cross goes on a 60 day juice fast (reboot) to help him lose weight and become healthier. The results were amazing, after 60 days Joe had not only lost a huge amount of weight but his body had healed itself to such an extent that he no longer needed his prescription medications. As I was feeling slightly under the weather at the time, I decided to dust off my juicer and give it a go.

At first, I started to incorporate daily juices into my routine, I was already an advocate of green smoothies and always had one before I went to work, so adding a juice to my daily routine wasn't too painful. After the first week I really noticed the benefits of replacing my lunchtime sandwich with a juice - I no longer felt lethargic, I had more energy and my skin looked clearer.  On 'treat' days when I changed my routine and had those extra carbs at lunchtime, I noticed that my sluggishness returned and I lacked enthusiasm.

So, out of curiosity I decided to follow in Joe's footsteps and do a 'juice reboot'. I bought his book and was impressed with the wide range of recipes and detailed reboot plans ranging from 3 to 30 days. As I'm not looking to lose weight but just give my body a boost, I opted for a 5 day reboot. Although, I'd read about the side effects of the detox process, I naively thought that as I juiced and drank green smoothies I'd be fine, how wrong I was (hence the reason I'm writing about day 1 on day 2 of the reboot).

What follows is a rundown of day 1 - be warned, it's a warts and all account as I want to be as honest as possible about my experiences...

7.30: Warm water and ginger followed by 500ml of Sporty Spice juice - it was tasty but my stomach felt ful after drinking it.

9.00: A relaxing lavender bath.

10.30: The cravings started - all I wanted was a bacon buttie and I couldn't get the thought out of my head. I tried to drink water to alleviate the feeling but my stomach was feeling full and slightly gurgly.

11.00: Started to feel nauseous so laid down for a bit.

11.30: Extreme bowel movement- lets just say that no-one could say I was constipated!

12.00: Nausea eased so made and drank 500ml of Joe's Mean Green. Struggled to get it down as stomach was still feeling very full.

1.00-3.00: Frequent visits to the toilet and waves of nausea/cold sweats.

3.30: Attempted to drink the remaining 500ml of Sporty Spice but couldn't stomach it, even the smell made me gag. Replaced with a herbal tea. Still craving bacon butties.

5.30: Drank the remaining 500ml of Joe's Mean Green - halfway through nausea struck and had to run to the toilet. Brought nothing up, just gas so started to wonder if I was maybe dehydrated as I hadn't been drinking much water through the day due to feeling full. Made an effort to drink more water.

7.00: Drank 500ml of Peach Pear Delight plus a pint of water.

8.00: Started to feel tired. Still craving bacon butties.

9.30: Bedtime - felt exhausted, nauseous and craving solid food.

And that sums up day 1 of my reboot. I spent most of the day feeling nauseous and bloated, craving food (yet when I really focussed on how I felt in my body, I wasn't actually hungry). I'm not sure why I craved bacon butties so much as I don't usually eat them, only as an occasional treat. Anyway, day 1 was spent feeling very deprived and wondering why I'd decided to put myself through this.

Tune in tomorrow for day 2!

Saving Tree Cabbage Seeds: Part 1

A few years ago I bought 'Paul & Becky's Asturian Tree Cabbage' seeds from The Real Seed Catalogue. These fantastic little seeds cost me £2.99 but have provided me with cabbage for the past 3 years (and I still have seeds left). The great thing about these plants is that they are perennials (I managed to keep one going for 2 years) and they have provided me with cabbage virtually all year round. I made the beginners mistake of trying to start them off in the greenhouse, which they didn't like at all - it was too hot and they withered and died; but after that initial blip I've had no problems with them, in fact, they've been one of the easiest plants I've grown on my plot and have become a firm favourite.

This year, I decided to have a go at saving my own tree cabbage seeds. As with all 'Real Seeds' products, they 'Tree Cabbage' came with it's own seed-saving instructions, which basically said to let the plant flower and allow the seed pods to dry on the plant before picking. I followed the instructions but was confused when the flowers formed on the plant and dropped off leaving nothing but a thin stem behind. I scoured the internet but could find little to guide me so decided to wait and see what happened, half resigning myself to the fact that I'd done something wrong and missed my chance to collect seeds. However, a week or so later I noticed that the remaining thin stem had started to fill out and had turned into a seed pod, amazing! You can see the stems and the seed pods on the close up picture below...

I'm intrigued to see how much bigger these tiny pods will grow. The next steps are to let them dry on the stem before cutting them and removing the seeds, I'll post 'Part 2' when that happens.

How time flies when the sun shines...

...Well almost, in my head it's been sunny, despite the frequent downpours we've been experiencing recently. Since getting back from my hols (we had a fab time!) I've been outside most weekends planting seeds and getting the veg patches ready for the summer. Over the past few weeks I've planted courgette, patty-pan and winter squash, as well as some pots of new, experimental greens - 'Buckshorn Plantain', sorrel and land cress. I'm hoping that they'll make a nice change from the cut and come again lettuce that I plant each year; although I still have a tub of that on standby, just in-case.

I've given in and weeded the no-dig raised beds as they were being overtaken by wild grasses and dandelions. I've used the space to plant onions, carrots, root parsley and leaf beet. There's no sign of growth yet but I'll be keeping my eyes peeled over the next few weeks. However, the dwarf peas, broad beans and mangetout are growing well, so the plan is to harden them off this week and plant them out next weekend.

It doesn't feel like summer yet with all the dull weather we're having and things seem pretty slow in the garden. Hopefully the sun will come out to play soon and all my tiny seeds and seedlings will have a growth spurt. However, one thing that is thriving at the moment is the rhubarb - it's huge! It must be the combination of the rain and all the lovely fertilizer that results from it being planted close to the chicken run. I've taken two huge 'cuttings' from it already and used them to make this numerous portions of this rather delicious rhubarb and ginger crumble and there's plenty more growing, yum!

Garden antics...

It's been a busy few days in the One Girl Growing household, not with vastly exciting things, more the mundane tasks of washing, ironing and generally keeping the house tidy. Friday was a very productive day in the garden though as I re-potted 72 plug plants - Arctic Dianthus, which I'm hoping will provide some much needed weed-preventing ground cover for my borders. I was amazed at how tiny they were when they arrived and was worried that I'd damage them when I removed them from their tiny plastic covers but so far they seem to be pulling through unscathed.

 

I'm also awaiting the arrival of some Mesembryanthemum and Polyanthus so there'll be some more re-potting to do soon.

Almost half of the garden is dedicated to self-sufficient endeavors. I have a large chicken run and coop which houses 9 chickens (the 'chooks') and the rest contains two veg patches and a couple of compost bins. I've been busy planting various seeds and on Friday my girlfriend and I planted a cherry tree in an unused spot of the garden. Hopefully, with a bit of tlc, in a couple of years it'll give us some lovely cherries that we can use in pies and crumbles.

The sun is shining today so I'm going to make the most of it and weed and feed the lawn and sort out the blueberries which have been slightly neglected so far this year and need a good weeding. We're going away on our hols for a couple of days tomorrow so I suppose I should pack my suitcase too - I hate packing!

Birthdays, baking and blogging from an ipad

This is my first attempt at blogging from my iPad, partly due to me being lazy and not wanting the hassle of uploading my photos to my laptop. There's an obvious time lag between typing the word to it appearing on the screen, which is slightly annoying, but I'm going to preserve with it and see how it goes.

It's currently the Easter holidays which means I have two weeks off work - hooray! And I seemed to have crammed quite a lot in so far. On Monday it was my lovely girlfriend's birthday so I spent the day making her feel like a princess and eating cake - yum. I made this carrot and courgette cake from the Good Food website as it's her favourite (and this is the point where I discover that there's no option to add a photo from my iPad - or if there is, I can't find it so will have to do some research...):

Tuesday was spent in the garden - cutting the grass, weeding and all the usual jobs that we dash to do at the first hint of sunshine. We also bought a cherry tree which we plan to plant together on Friday.

Then yesterday I painted the bathroom and bedroom ceilings. I should have done it when I decorated the rooms but as my leaky roof needed replacing it didn't seem like a wise choice (especially when I woke up mid-winter to a dripping sound, only to discover that my loft was full of snow which was melting - thankfully the insulation soaked up most of the moisture but the ceilings didn't completely escape). But after a long day of painting and discovering the day later that I had muscles that I didn't know I had, the job is now complete. Two ceilings down, two to go - although they can wait until the summer holidays!

Today has been a tidying up and feeling very tired day. I haven't pushed myself to do too much and have just pottered around the house. I made myself this lush veggie pizza for tea:

I made the dough in the bread maker and topped it with tomato purée, frozen mushrooms, peppers and sweetcorn with a sprinkle of mozzarella on top - delicious!

Taking care of your mind

I've started to listen to some TED talks while getting ready in the morning, in fact they've virtually become part of my daily routine. I always find them fascinating and inspiring and love how it's possible to type in a keyword and a whole host of talks centered around that theme come up. My theme at the moment is 'happiness' and this morning I listened to a talk by Matthieu Ricard who suggested that happiness comes from within. As someone who has read a fair bit about Buddhism and had on-off love affairs with meditation, this idea didn't come as a surprise to me; but one thing that Matthieu said really struck a chord with me, he said that we are prepared to spend time working out, educating ourselves and looking after our bodies but we don't spend time looking after our minds (meditating). Wow! When I heard that, it hit me that I fall into the category of people that don't look after their minds; I do everything else: working out, eating healthily, taking vitamins, getting enough sleep etc. but my days are filled with such busyness that I rarely take the time to sit and meditate anymore. It's something I often think about but rarely do. But that is going to change, from today I'm going to make the time to look after my mind and spend some time each day meditating. I'm not going to set myself goals of "I'm going to meditate for x amount of time each day" as it's not a competition and I have nothing to prove, it's simply a way for me to create some space and time for myself each day, a quiet place where I can allow myself to unwind.

For anyone curious about what else Matthieu had to say, I've posted the talk below:

 

I hope you find it as inspiring as I did.

A new journey...

Sometimes your life hits the point where you feel completely stuck; you get up every morning, go to work, come home, eat, watch tv and then go to bed before beginning the same cycle the next day.  And life begins to feel somewhat mundane and...well...lifeless. That's the point where I'm at right now. Somewhere along the line, I feel I've become so wrapped up in my work and the day-to-day running of a home, that I've forgotten about the things I love in life. I no longer spend my spare time reading, baking, creating and crafting; instead my days are filled with working and keeping my home in order. Something needs to change. I want to feel inspired again rather than irritated, enthusiastic rather than exhausted.

This blog is my 'fresh start'. It's a place to chart my journey as I create more space for myself within my life and reconnect with the things I love. My previous, rather sporadic blog, can be found here, but my new commitment to myself begins right now. And on that note, before I create some quiet reading time, I think it's important to share this 'Life Manifesto' that I stumbled upon, something that I feel is important to reflect upon:

I hope it inspires you as much as it inspires me.