Diary of a Detox :: Day 7

Today I woke up, set the alarm early hoping to get some stuff done before work - but BAM, it hit me for the first time in a week: that extreme tiredness that I got with adrenal fatigue. So so bone tired. I'd forgotten - oh so quickly - that this was my daily existance for the past 2 years. One week of detox and it was back. I am not surprised, starting a new job is full on, and clearly despite my all intentions, you just work from adrenals and excitement.



And when you've got no reserves, you feel like I did today. But amazingly, it started to lift when I nourished  myself foodwise.



It's such an automatic reaction - I feel tired, I grab food that'll give me a(n immediate) lift. But really, it's not the immediate lift I need, but a sustained nourishment lift. I'm really starting to see this.



Day was pretty on par, work is getting easier, food is still delish and filling, and in regards to ahem, cleansing, I'm still on track with the #PoopJuice. I had another serving of it last night but my body clearly did a lot of cleansing last week and it's been much smoother sailing today :) Except for the tummy gurgles (audible to my buddies in the office!)  it's been pretty ok.



Ahhh, it's nice to be ok :)

Cleanse :: Day 6 The Weekend wrap

Weekends are proving hard for me.

I was still a little tired when I woke up - I guess throughout the week I've been on go-go-go that I've not thought about having time to nap, sleep or be tired. But now that I have a chance to sleep past 6am, my body calls out for it!

I really napped and slept in this morning, so there was no time to prep my green smoothie before I dashed off to teach yoga. Get this though: after teaching, the only thing I wanted was HOT CHIPS. I could smell them, could taste them, my mouth was drooling.

So if there is ever a lesson to be seen - nourish yourself properly before you head out! 

Wow. What a lesson! I made it home (NOT via the fish & chip shop, despite temptation!) and whipped up a green smoothie in record time. I must have put a bit more coconut oil in than usual because MY GOD it tasted phenomenal! Amazing! So my coconutty green smoothie certainly filled the whole.

I followed it up with my 'official' breakky, of quinoa toast with scrambled eggs, spinach and lemon. DELISH. Seriously, how can you crave hot chips after that?

That is one thing I've totally noticed this week - that I am so FULL that I'm not picking, and when I'm not picking, I'm not generally craving the chips/chocolate/sugar/coke that I've talked about this week. Most of those things make an appearance in my diet but I've always had heaps of fruit (yum, sugary!) in there and salads so kind of thought I was doing ok. 

But then when something like adrenal fatigue hits, like Angie keeps telling me, we need to get my body nourished in every single way it can be. All my meals need to fill me up at this deep level - and when I follow her plan to a T, it totally works. 

I have found that this is a lot more food than I'm used to eating, but when I eat most of it, things fly along. I don't snack - I have no desire to! I notice when I eat early (we're talking 6am smoothies here, breakfast at 830ish!) I am sustained, alert and on the ball.

* * * * * *

I totally wouldn't wish adrenal fatigue on anyone. You are exhausted all the time. And not just, 'I need a wee nap and I'll be fine' exhausted, but total bone-tired cannot get up exhaustion. Not only physically either, but mentally concentration is a challenge and this stuff isn't simply fixed by even a week of sleep. It's sustained nourishment, and I'm so glad I'm on the path :)

Phew, big outcomes in only a week!

I've also been told this week on 3 separate occasions that I'm looking really well - which I love. Am revisiting that awkward moment when people comment on how tired you look all the time but that now you're looking grdat. Yes, awkward.

But good, and it cements why I want to do this! Thanks Angie xo

Keep Calm + KEEP DOING THIS!

Cleanse :: Day 5, Happy Spring!

One of the girls had a coke in the office yesterday, and whether it was because I had a sandwich for lunch (when I'm on a pretty-much grain free cleanse) or a cupcake after lunch (um, sugar sugar sugar) - I couldn't stop dreaming about coke.  *drool*

BUT I didn't have it - I didn't succumb! And today, I'm so glad I didn't. Today was not what I'd call awesome. #PoopJuice was on the menu last night again, and whilst it was no repeat of earlier in the week, I felt a little queasy and (very technical term here) yuck.

Pretty low on energy. Pretty blah.

But I had a beautiful day other than energy-wise, that started off with my loved green smoothie (coconut water with chia seeds, vital greens, coconut oil, an orange and handful of spinach) and then I met a friend for a coffee date. She had coffee, I had a peppermint tea. I was going to allow myself plain scrambled eggs for breakky (no milk, no bread, just the way I like 'em, and detox allowed!) and then when my coffee date pal mentioned she'd already eaten, I decided to save my treat out for another time.  I was impressed with myself ;)

The sun was shining at Breakkie, I even got a rainbow on my face! 

I followed it up with a kinesiology session (which I'm hooked on!) and was feeling really great and excited, but then my body spoke up. If you have ever tried kinesiology, you know there is no hiding. Your body speaks. And my body was saying, loud and clear, that my adrenals and thyroid were shouting out in tiredness.

In my transition back into a new job and new timetable, I have been extra careful about not tiring myself out, setting limits, and taking care of myself. I guess excitement still plays a role though, and being so switched on was showing up in my body. Still, it makes me so so glad that I've committed to Angie and the cleanse, because clearly it's just what I need.

I poached my first egg!

On returning home I had a delish bowl of chicken broth, quinoa, steamed greens and a poached egg (my first homemade poached egg) which was technically my breakky dish. God it was good! I had quite a lot of work to do so settled in at the computer, still tired and lethargic, but keeping on. I did have a nap in the afternoon and by the time I woke up it was too close to dinner to have a late lunch. So I snacked on an egg and some seed snaps (oh. my. god. These seed snaps are SO yum!) and pottered. Dinner was meant to be another broth but I was a bit brothed out to be honest, so had a huge salad instead - AMAZING fresh, organic veggies (snowpeas, cabbage, carrots, mushrooms) with garlic, ginger and oil. YUMMO. Heaps of seeds on top and I was a happy camper.

Before I knew it, bed time was calling out and I really listened. Detoxing is one thing, food is another, balancing work/life/play is yet another. So I needed an early night and I had it. 

:)

#Detox Day 4 - the Day of Truth

So yesterday was all about cravings. But then I came home to my amazing Food Connect box. Yay! If you're not au fait with Food Connect, it's an awesome enterprise based on the principles of Community Supported Agriculture. It's delicious, seasonal (& organic/ chemical free) produce that comes from LOCAL farmers living within a short radius of the city. Cool hey!

Now it's friday, how'd we go? Much better.

Well, till lunch.

You want honesty? You’ve got it. 



I had a work meeting/wine tasting with catered-for veggie sandwiches for a new client, and seeing as I wasn’t wine tasting, the least I could do was eat the sandwiches! I had a few triangles, which equalled one sandwich, and the belly was rumbling but I’m not sure if that’s because of the bread (wholemeal, and rye – I tried to go for the better ones) or because of the whole detox thing.

Regardless, a cupcake was thrown in there too – hey, it was the end of the first week of my new job and my boss bought them for us all! So I felt like I had to, but – honestly – it wasn’t a hard decision to make. I enjoyed every mouthful!

I did follow it up with some quinoa bread and toppings *nom nom nom* but now I’m feeling a wee bit bad – I know I need to do this detox because of what I uncovered in Day 1. I WANT TO BE WELL BECAUSE.....

That means no processed stuff. 

But I want to be realistic too, because socialising will be a big part of my life working in publicity. That said, that’s why I’m loving Angie’s detox - it's about choice, making the best available decision, and being so full of wholefoods and delish veggies that I'm not craving sugars. 

Afternoon snack - back on track!

I was expecting cravings - of course! But they haven’t been half as bad as I was anticipating, and I was expecting some vicious sugar and coffee callings! But no. Totally surprised.

I’m not hungry in the slightest – at all, not even 1%. I am not snacking like I normally do. I’m not, on the whole, craving sugar. Ok – so at night I’ve thought about my normal after dinner dessert, but it was probably only on the 2^nd night I really craved it. 

Since then I’ve been totally sated.  I will be interested to see how the symptoms go tomorrow now that I had sugar and bread today. But it’s also somewhat inspiring to not throw in the towel just because of one afternoon’s mishap. Now THAT is living.

x stella

Cleanse :: Day 3

Thursday will now be known as 'craving day'.



Pizza? I’m craving it.

Bread? Give it to me.

Chocolate? I wouldn’t push it away.



It was a day where my colon cleansing magnesium oxide totally, 100% lived up to it’s name. I've nicknamed the drink 'poop juice' and today, I was pooping all day long.

All. Day. Long. Morning and afternoon.



Seriously.



So truth be told I actually haven't been that hungry today, but by the time the evening rolled around, all those half-meals I’d eaten made for a very hungry me. Hence the cravings. D'oh! So lesson learnt - Angie has me on portions and times because they work!



Gee habits are a hard thing to break, and so far the most challenging thing for me has been eating early in the morning. But I'm a green smoothie lover and having that on my way to early morning yoga is the trick. It totally works and by some kind of magic, I'm starting to crave my green juice (now that's a good craving!) when I wake up!



Poop juice is 'magnesium oxide' and can only be taken for a small amount of time (not permanently, unless you want to cause permanent damage!). It basically works to clean out your insides so you have a wee bit of the runs in the morning. I am taking it alternate nights during my first 21 Days and would you believe that the first night I took it, nothing happened? That whole next day I was waiting.. waiting.. and there was a bit of tummy gurgling, but nothing like what happened today.

But oh well, I feel light! And cleansed! And I feel totally at home in my new workplace now. Ahem.



So all in all, Day 3 is going on. Cravings are about but I think they're more mental than physical as the dreaded headaches have not arrived - I guess it's because I'm totally topping up and nourishing and am not hungry, there's no deprivation, so in effect I'm crowding out the sugars/caffeine and it all seems to be working. That Angie sure knows how to do this :)



Anyone else out there making changes for Spring? Come share the love with me!

x stella

& later on that night....

The day started off well.. how did it end? x

Diary of a #Detox Day 2

It's Day 2 of my wholefoods detox and the sun has gone. Not out of me - but out of the sky. And ok, truth be told, I'm a little sun-less myself right about now too. 2 Days of no coffee, no packaged stuff, no white stuff, no processed sugar, and all in all I'm not feeling so bad. Yet. I thought I'd be climbing the walls right about now, but I'm ok. I am thinking of all things food - because obviously that's what you do on detox - and I miss the idea of sugar. I will also admit  quietly, I miss the jump-start sugar gives me when I'm stressed and need to keep going. I'm a little tired today. And I really miss our evening dates together. Last night I totally missed dessert.

But alas, it's just over 2 years now since adrenal fatigue kicked my butt & totally, absolutely defeated me. Hair falling out, periods stopping, huge weight loss kind of adrenal fatigue (AF) depths. And now that I'm re-entering full time office work (I've been teaching yoga full time since then) I'm quite frankly, terrified of falling into the shit-heap that AF covered me in.

I completely have come to understand that physically my body took a wee beating 2 years ago, and adrenals worked overtime, thus getting burnt out. But more than that, at the root of all the illness was some pretty sad emotions. The never ending work in order to please others was something to look at. That leaves me pondering today: Would I do it again?

- Would I work through my lunchbreaks because I was so busy?

- Would I stay late every night to prove myself to my boss & coworkers?

- Would I be so stressed out when pitches/releases didn't work out, would that make me so depressed that I'd question my ability to do my work?

The first few days of work in my new job so far have proved to me that one can learn a lot in 2 years. One can start to trust their ability. I can trust that I don't need to work all night to prove I can do my job. I can trust that I could leave on time even if there was stuff to do. Yes, I'm feeling much more confident about all of that. 

I guess with distance comes some clarity - I left my last job, devastated that physically and yes, mentally, my self was giving out, despite (in spite of??) all my efforts.

So it's funny to think that this 21 day cleanse is bringing me space and time from foods that aren't helping to heal me, in much the same way that time and space helped me build 'me' back up in the last 2 years.



Lightbulb Moment:

Foodwise all is good - I am totally realising that I don't eat enough, nor regularly enough. And that has a huge HUGE impact on how I feel and get through the day. A little sleepy today, but nothing crazy, and excitingly no cravings. Much. I think the cravings are coming more from mind (habit!) than any physical sugar/coffee withdrawals.



I'm also realising that when I eat at the times Angie tells me to, I can eat most of it, and then don't dive into food later because I'm starving. I also haven't had a sugar rush or sugar shakes which is a nice bonus.



Oh, and it's really interesting to see just how much sugar I normally have in a day. Angie cleaned out my fridge and my normally stocked sauce and condiments shelf in the fridge now looks like this:

And this is my No-Go Zone!

She told me every single thing in the no-go zone was loaded with sugar. (And I totally know it.)



So instead, my fridge now looks completely stocked with this:

aka WHOLEFOODS HEAVEN!

How can I not be excited by this?



x stella

Cleansing for a brighter ME #Detox Day 1

I'm doing another cleanse as we transition back in to a gorgeous sunny Spring, here in Sydney. I have always struggled with Winter, and this one was no different! A bit of the blah's and a vicious viral infection that saw me in bed for close on 2 weeks (and ingest 2 rounds of antibiotics!) has made me ever so glad to smell the Spring air.



I've also started a new job this past week and am totally loving it, but wanted to ensure I was in the best health physically and emotionally to get back behind a desk 5 days a week. I've lived a freelance life for the past 2 years, full of yoga and flexibility, so with this in mind I spoke to my gorgeous friend - Angie Cowen of AngieGlutenFree and we agreed we'd work together on a 21 Day Cleanse.



When I did my courageous cleanse earlier this year (you can read all about it here, here and here) it made such a huge difference in my life and after 2 years of strong adrenal fatigue, I finally saw a wee bit of light at the end of the tunnel. However, it's not something that is going to be 'fixed' in just a day or couple of weeks - but it's balancing on all levels that is required. Mind, Body and Spirit.



So yes, starting a job was a good time to be in tip-top condition, and Angie felt the same about nutrition as I do - that it's absolutely what we put in our bodies, but also what we feed our minds.



Rundown:

- I had an initial meeting with Angie, to talk about my life - my emotions, digestion, thoughts and what not. I'll be honest - I enjoyed a coffee over our chat with sugar. ("There'll be none of that on the cleanse", Angie said when she spied the processed white sugar!)

- She also asked me, "Why do you want to be well?" and it was the kicker. I knew we were meant to do this together when she asked that! Um. It's obvious, or so I thought, but really, WHY? I have spent (as I'm sure you all have!) so much time and money on feeling better, but what is the drive? It was really great to have this at the forefront of my mind (& pinned up in my kitchen! Seriously - see below!)) to remind me of joy and vitality (especially in Week 1 of detox when it's always a wee bit tough)

- Day 1 - let me tell you, I've not for a LONG time felt so full - but not overly full, just totally nourished.



Banana bread (made from soaked whole buckwheat) for Breakky (after I had a yummy green smoothie) and hearty Pumpkin Soup (for lunch) followed by Quinoa loaf (soaked to ease digestion) heaped with Angie's home-made hummus, and then chicken broth packed with quinoa and organic steamed veggies for dinner. I actually had to remind myself to eat the quinoa loaf in the arvo as I was still full from the morning!

Banana Bread for Breakfast / Chicken broth and Roast Veg + Quinoa for Dinner

Thoughts:

Normally I don't eat till early afternoon, but Angie let me know our digestion is up and happening and primed for work between 6am and 2pm, so I'm changing my timings and habits. No cravings on Day 1 so this is off to a good start :)

Also, having Angie on the other end of the phone to talk me through stuff is simply like a big warm hug. I cried when talking to her. Emotions of first week at work? Or just having someone concerned about me and my wellbeing? Not sure, but it totally goes to show you that food is just one part of the equation and awesome as it is, cleansing needs to be supported - 100% - on all levels for any long term joy to be achieved. I just know this is going to be amazing :)



x stella

Green Smoothie Power!

I'm kicking off Round 2 of the adrenal fatigue battle. I kicked ass over it at the beginning of this year, but bad habits slowly crept up on me & with all the career & life changes that have happened this year, it's time for another repeat performance.



I've had random green smoothies over the past few months but I'm recommitting to daily smoothies, lemon & hot water in the mornings, meditation and loads and loads of veggies, fruits and whole foods.

I just read through a couple of my own posts here as well and was astounded by the transformation I experienced before, and can't wait to dive into that again!



Love to you x

Cleansing - It's A Wrap

So it's Day 23 since I started my 21 day adventure cleanse and WOOHOO it's done! Let's be honest here, it's not done done. No.. 21 days have passed, but this has had such a great impact on my adrenal stuff that I'm continuing it.

Yep, so that's the answer I am so proud to shout out and share aloud. It works! Well, that was always going to be the case though, yes? Of course eating healthy fruits, tonnes of veggies, & green-ing it up is going to have a good impact on you.

But how do I rate it? Well, in it's simplest definition, each day I wake up and I am not that heavy, exhausted kind of tired I've felt for the last (almost!) 2 years. Each day I'm able to concentrate more than I have been able to in the last many months. To be honest, like I've shared before, it's not an overnight ZING!-kinda-feeling, or that I'm just pumping with energy.

But then out of the blue and for no reason at all, I'll have a really tired day. It's at those moments I realise just how good I was feeling. And I'm happy with that :)

I'm continuing this cleanse, albeit in a modified format. This next 21 days I'm going to focus more more on the 'extras' - more meditation, more walking and moving my body, more ahimsa/non-harming to myself (not just with food, but with life and thoughts).

So there you have it. A new horizon, a new experience, a continued journey. Aren't they the best ones?

xx

More Courageous Cleansing

I'm on DAY 13 friends!!! Can you believe it? So really just a week to go.. although I'm looking to continue it. In what way, shape or form is to be decided and publicly announced, but at this moment it's definitely something to be continued.

I'm feeling much more clear headed, awake, & on it that I have in a while and it's just made me all the more excited to begin my study at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition mid-year.

Check out more guff below about the tummy tales of the 21 Day Adventure Cleanse :)

x