Two days off TRX and I’m DYING…

SERiously, I was about to kick my own ass! Two days off TRX – and of course the whole detox programme – and on my return today I had about as much power as a comatose flea!!

When I got to the gym, Om informed me that we’d have to take it easy today as Rebecca, who’s doing a weeks’ detox, had been sick the night before so we wouldn’t be doing anything too hardcore and was that alright with me? It turns out Rebecca was the hardcore one and I looked like I’d only just started on the ropes :s

Things that had been easy on Friday were now absolutely killing my arms and my body – which you have to hold stiff as a board as you do all the exercises – had a mind of its own and looked more like it was doing an interpretation of a BANANA rather than a sculpted, honed and toned assembly of kick-ass limbs. Magnificent I most definitely was NOT.

It’s enough to make a girl return to a full on detox quite frankly. I was getting really annoyed with myself – I’ve been so proud of how well I’ve been doing with TRX and today I looked like a floppy mess. Maybe it’s the ‘excess’ of the weekend, I don’t know – although Om came over the road after the session had ended to inform me that it may well have something to do with me smoking. So now it looks like stopping the fags may very well be on the agenda… le sigh. I’ll be having a look at these pills you can get from the Pharmacy to stop you smoking tomorrow – my friend T says they’re actually anti-depressants which have the side effect of not making you smoke. Apparently as I’m not depressed they won’t affect that part of me which is marvellous as I don’t really want anything messing with my head but a) I do need to quit after WAAAAY too many years and b) I am not looking like a wimp for a white tube of burning leaves.

I’ve decided to do TRX every day now in the week to make sure I keep on top of things, if I am going to indulge every now and then (mainly i.e. beer) then I don’t want that to ruin all the hard work I’ve put in over the past month. But I don’t want to deny myself things I like either, so it’s a case of put the work in and I can treat myself.

Good grief – what a change of headspace that statement is!!

Hopefully tomorrow I’ll be slightly more than competent on the ropes and this was just a momentary blip

www.phuketcleanse.com

Back to normality…

So today is the first weekday that I’ve woken up in over four weeks and not gone to Yoga. My body clock has totally adjusted to a routine so of course I woke up naturally at some unearthly hour and then sat there twiddling my thumbs wondering what on earth to do with myself. Whereas normally I’d be up, out and over at the gym collecting my morning juices before heading off to yoga, now it’s more a case of fending for myself and figuring out what I’m going to eat/do to keep myself at the very least at the point where I’ve got to with the detox.

This weekend was a ‘semi’ blow-out. I did have the Full English breakfast – or half of it at least – and I did have half a Sunday Roast last night. But I found myself totally physically and bizarrely enough mentally hankering for a salad and water so instead of the planned pie from Kallots down the road, I plumped instead for a mixed salad, gargantuan in size thanks to the generous portions from Khun Tom restaurant next door, but still pretty much zero-ish calories and DAMN tasty. I thought I’d treat myself to the indulgence of mayonnaise with my salad, but to my shock and horror, I didn’t like the taste of it and had to scrape my over-sized and a tad-too-eager dollops off the plate as much as I could. It was WAAAAY too sweet and didn’t add anything to the salad. If that had been me a month ago, I’d have been asking for more!!!

In my quest to be healthy and stock the fridge with things that are only good for me, I decided the other day to see what the hell tofu was like. I’ve had it a couple of times, mainly in Miso Soup from Pret A Manger back in London, but never actually cooked with it. I do know that it’s majorly absorbent so I bought a tube from the local Tesco shop (they get EVERYwhere) and set about marinading mine in a combination of soy sauce, a couple of spots of tabasco, a dribble of natural honey and a liberal splash of salad vinegar. Left it in the fridge for 24 hours, popped it on a baking tray a la the instructions from the internet for a couple of minutes at a low heat, mixed it up with some raw baby sweet corn, salad onions, raw carrot and tomato slices, and voila! A healthy little breakfast and the tofu actually tasted really nice! I shall be looking up more recipes to see what else I can do with it and of course consult the oracle that is Mel to see what she recommends as well.

My challenge now is to figure out what else I’m going to eat today. It won’t be all raw but I’ll try to make as much as possible. I’ve got some squash that I’m going to slow roast in virgin olive oil and garlic and then mix in with a salad, and maybe I’ll try to make some sort of healthy smoothie for lunch. I’m going to have to plan a lot more now when I’m buying food – I’m normally just an impulsive buyer whacking things in my basket because they look tasty but with absolutely no idea what I’ll do with them and leaving half of them in the fridge for weeks at a time until they disintegrate.

In the meantime however, here’s another tasty recipe that I got from the Raw Food Cooking Academy to tide the tastebuds over

Raw Pizza:

To make the pizza crust, you need 1.5 chopped red peppers, 1/2 cup of chopped tomato, 2 tbsp fresh basil chopped really finely, 1/4 cup of chopped onion, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 2 cloves of garlic, salt (to taste – and the crust will taste saltier as it dehydrates so bear that in mind), 1/4 cup olive oil and 1 cup of flax seeds soaked in water.

Mash all the ingredients up in a bowl (or pestle and mortar if you have one). Then spread the mixture out on dehydrator sheets and leave to dry out overnight.

Then it’s up to you entirely what you pop on the top. You can spread raw cheese out as the base, whack on some cherry tomatoes, sprinkle some herbs and chopped olives (although why you’d want olives is beYOND me) on top and you’ve got a delicious ‘Margherita’. Or you could use some raw meat to make ‘meatballs’, mix up some raw herby Italian tomato sauce and make your own ‘Meat Feast’. You can go as mental or as simple as you like but they’re UTTerly delicious, a wicked snack food on their own or as part of a bigger meal with salad on the side. RAWgeous

www.phuketcleanse.com

The Full English… the aftermath

So, this morning I went for a Full English. I say this morning, it was actually after midday but I had an actual lie-in this morning and took things easy instead of Boot Camp on the beach Sam was adamant that I wouldn’t finish the whole thing – I was more than adamant I would.

My luscious delight consisted off:

Two fried eggs, two pieces of bacon, one sausage, a bowl of baked beans, fried potatoes, grilled tomatoes, fried mushrooms, two slices of toast with butter, one cup of coffee and one glass of OJ

I finished:

The egg yolks (and a smattering of egg white), a quarter of sausage, both pieces of bacon (not surprising), the baked beans, two pieces of potato, two slices of mushroom, both slices of bread (dunking them in the egg yolk to be fair), coffee and OJ.

I have realised that it will never quite taste the same again, my stomach has most DEFinitely shrunk, healthy food tastes damn good and comes with practically minus calories, I’m loving the way my body is and no greasy fry up is worth it, and my blow-out weekend may turn into a blow-out day.

WHAT HAS BECOME OF ME???!!!!

I love it

www.phuketcleanse.com

Day 1 post detox…

So, I’m now officially off my detox. At 00.18 last night I had cheese & pickle sandwiches (MMMM) and about two sips of beer (which surprisingly I really wasn’t into, v. interesting for me). I’m now off to have my Full English breakfast which has sort of been like the bottle of water and tin foil cloak at the end of a marathon for me. This weekend is most definitely my blow out weekend but oddly enough I’m looking forward to getting back on the straight and narrow once Monday kicks in. I even declined a cup of coffee this morning in place of water, well done me!!

So in honour of my resolve to carry on with what I’ve learned, here’s a STUNNingly delicious raw Pad Thai recipe with all the flavours of the cooked version but oodles of delicious nutritious side-effects

Mix together: 1 cup of cashews or peanuts, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp tamarind sauce (or lime juice), 1 tsp crushed or chopped garlic, 1 tsp finely chopped challots, 1 tsp finely chopped ginger, a pinch of chilli powder, 2 tsp honey, 1 cup of choped dried tomatos and 2 tbsp olive oil.

Then get some kelp noodles, marinade them in water or a sauce of your choice for 10-15 minutes (depending on how soft you want them), and mix into your delicious concoction. Chop up some vegetables like carrots, bean sprouts, green beans, whatever you fancy to give some extra added crunch.

If you can’t find kelp noodles you can always julienne your vegetables or use a spiralizer to create long ‘noodle-like’ spirals.

And voila!!! A tasty raw treat that will fill you up, give you tonnes of energy and keep your body in stunning condition

www.phuketcleanse.com

Final day!!!!! :DDDDD

I can’t beLIEVE it’s my last day!!! Finally! After the false start I was pretty demoralised as I’d been gearing myself up for finishing on Wednesday and the thought of two more days felt like some one had added another half a month onto the end.

But here I am now, on the last day, having finished my last session of yoga with Om and one more TRX to do. I feel absolutely fantastic, mentally and physically. My body has NEVER been in better shape. Although I am going to have a blow out this weekend, as soon as Monday comes it’s back to healthy eating and TRX sessions. It’s amazing to see how much my body has changed over the past month and there’s no way I’m going to let it slide now. I’ve got muscles on muscles, my arms look fantastic, my thighs are veritably cut, my waist has totally gone in by inches, my stomach is the flattest it’s ever been and my bum has been collecting ogling glances from random men in the 7/11 by the bucketload. It’s such an AWEsome feeling to feel body confidant, I don’t think I’ve ever had it this much before.

Food-wise, and Mel and Duanne have been gradually introducing fruit back into my green juices so that my metabolism doesn’t go into shock when I start eating ‘regular’ food. I have no idea what’s going to happen when I eat meat or eggs or chips, I don’t know how my body is going to react to the re-introduction, but I’ll be sure to let you know.

I feel like I’ve come such a long way from the couch potato I was only 30 days ago. In fact it feels like yonks since I took in my first green drink all those weeks ago with Tamar. I remember thinking it would feel like forever until the end, and it certainly has been a lengthy stretch. But in that time I’ve dropped over SIX kilos (xx pounds), lost an average of 2 inches all over my body, I’m fitting into my old clothes (in fact some of them are baggy on me!!!), I’ve made it to almost every single yoga and TRX session with some Mauy Thai thrown in for good luck, and I haven’t cheated once on the food side of things. I’m SO proud of myself, I’ve finished the whole thing without slipping up once and even admitted that I’d got two days more than I thought and stuck to the full time limit.

If you’re thinking about detoxing, whether it’s just for a couple of days, a week or the month long version, I really couldn’t recommend it more. I feel like a new person, I’m loving the way I look and my insides definitely feel more tickety-boo. I also couldn’t recommend Phuket Cleanse more. They’ve been with me every step of the way, supporting me, keeping me on the straight and narrow, tailoring everything to my needs and listening to me every day to make sure I’m getting what my body needs. They don’t just know their stuff – they’re absolutely passionate about it, and what it can do for you. They don’t preach at you – they gently show you and help you to get the most out of your experience. Mel is like the High Priestess of Detoxing and Green Juices, and really cares about how the experience is affecting you and how you’re doing. Stanton just makes you feel so welcome whenever you arrive, his humour and good nature make you feel like you’ve got a home at Phuket Cleanse. Om is a fanTASTic trainer, she’s helped turn a sedentary 34 year old who hated exercise into someone who really enjoys not just the results, but actually the whole process of doing the exercise – a miraculous feat in itself!!! Toh and Margie are always there with words of encouragement and in the case of Toh some fabulous pirouettes as well, and Duanne in the kitchen is an absolute genius, making some of the tastiest food I’ve ever eaten whether it’s raw or not. And they’ve all been thrilled to see how much weight I’ve lost and the body I’ve developed – even the cleaners are full of compliments! I’d also like to say a massive thank you to my beautiful girlfriend Sam who’s supported me the whole way through the last month. She’s now on course to ‘cook’ me gorgeous raw food so I can keep up with everything that I’ve learned and has been so proud of me doing the long haul, it’s really helped keep me going.

So as I come to the final hours of what has been a truly remarkable personal journey, and essentially facing the rest of my life with what I’ve learnt in my back pocket, I’d say to anyone who was thinking about detoxing, whether it’s to give your already healthy body a full MOT, or to kick start your body into a more healthy and productive lifestyle – you just can’t get any better than the team at Phuket Cleanse. And once you’ve done it, it’ll change your life for good – literally.

www.phuketcleanse.com

I officially suck at maths…

Ugh. So I officially SUCK at maths. Woke up this morning full of the joys of Thai high season thinking it was my last day. Then had the sudden realisation that I’ve comPLETEly miscalculated and in fact I’ve still got two days to go. Dammit and drat. I started on the 3rd of November, so if today is the 30th then it’s only day 28.

I did contemplate not saying anything and just carrying on like it was Day 30. I also considered the fact that TECHnically, Day 28 is four weeks which would be a full ‘month-long’ detox. But try as I might, I know that if I don’t do the full flipping 30 days, then although I’ll always try to justify it to myself one way or another, I’ll know that I didn’t fulfil the full 30 day course and I won’t have succeeded with going the distance. It’s like the finishing line that I’ve been celebrating for the past couple of days is a complete and utter mirage and I’ve still got the home stretch to do. And I was SOOOOO looking forward to a cheese & pickle sandwich at midnight tonight too…

Ah well… in the long run I’ll feel better knowing that I didn’t cheat myself. *trogs off to yoga*

www.phuketcleanse.com

Penultimate day!!!

So it’s day number 29!!! Only a mere 24 hours practically to go and I’m almost at the end of my quest to detox, purify and generally give a good old whupping to this used-to-be sedentary body of mine.

It was what has now become my regular routine – morning yoga workout on the beach with Om, stunning views all around, random dogs coming up to say hello when you’ve got your arse by your elbow and your head twisted underneath your hip, making it impossible to escape should you be anti-canine… Om has started me on the Sun Salutations which look simple when she does them but sliding down from Downwards Facing Dog (which is a killer) to the Plank to a press-up then up to a Cobra is most DEFinitely not as easy as it looks! I’ve half got it under control but I’m sure I looked a right sight to the two tourists who plonked their deck chairs right down in front of us to watch. On the plus side, they actually enquired about joining the class which is always good

Lunch, and who would have thought that cherry tomatoes and avocado would go with papaya and watermelon??! Not me for sure but culinary genius Duann (her vegetable soup the other day was senSATional) gets it right every time, a gorgeous combination of sweet but savoury and juicy and chewy all in one delicious bowl. Needless to say it didn’t last very long

TRX was a total killer today, Om is moving me on to the advanced level exercises which are really pushing me to my limits. But I have to say, my body is SERiously toning up – my arms are starting to get some real definition which is something I’ve wanting for ages – the dreaded bingo wings were becoming a definite reality and something I was not fond of. There’s still a slight wobble there underneath on the upper arm but it’s massively reduced and the muscles that are coming into play right now are starting to firm everything up. I’ll be carrying on with TRX after the detox is over so I’m looking forward to getting even more definition as the weeks go on. I even survived the dreaded ab exercises, which are getting harder and harder but I’m pushing it as much as I can. Even if I collapse halfway through (I’m on my back with my hips in the air, not having a coronary before anyone gets worried), Om just waits for me to regain my composure and then we carry on until we’ve done the full set. It’s a good mental thing for me, because the longer I lie there ‘having a moment’, the longer I’m leaving it till we get the damn rep over and done with.

Dinner is Tom Yum broth and a green drink, and it’s pretty much all I can take right now because I’m absolutely exhausted from the TRX session – my body is pretty much going to sleep on me. But bizarrely enough it feels great – I feel like I’m putting myself through the paces and the knackeredness and tiredness I’m feeling means that I’m not slacking or doing things half-heartedly.

I can’t express to you how excited I am about finishing. It’s not just about the food (although I’m like a kid waiting for Christmas ) – but it’s also about realising that I’ve actually managed to stick the WHOLE thing out!! Just 24 hours and I’ll have done what I set out to do, with no cheating, no wobbles, no dramas or moaning (well not much anyway ) – it’s a huge mental and physical accomplishment for me personally and now that the finishing line is looming large (hurrah!!), I’m absolutely, massively and 100% whole heartedly really proud of myself

If you want to find out more about Phuket Cleanse, visit www.phuketcleanse.com.