Well by Friday the wheels had fallen off my detox, and it crashed into a brick wall and then caught on fire!!
Why? Well partly because I didn't have the key ingredients available for the juices or the one solid meal it includes, and I didn't eat anything until, oh, 3pm.
So it boils down to organisation, I was disorganised. I'm ok with that, I didn't really look at how much of these veges I need for a week of detox and now I do. It takes; 49 carrots, 3-4 broccoli heads, 7 beetroots, a celery bunch, bunch of radishes, about a kilo of baby spinach leaves, 14 tomatoes, 4 cucumbers, 1kg brown rice (not sure on that amount, have a 2 kg bag), 3 bok choy, 7 tablespoons of organic miso paste. It also adds a considerable load to the grocery budget, but I guess thats ok, cos It has means a stricter adherence to no buying 'extras' that really have no place in a wholefoods diet.
I also managed to buy a spiralizer from a local shop, its not big and fancy, but it apparently does the job, and cost $40, instead of hundreds, so me likes :). Whats a spiralizer? Well its a funky little gadget that means you can turn veges like carrots or zucchinis into long, either thick or thin, twisty strands. Makes eating more raw foods more interesting and palatable, and is something recommended by all the raw foodie sites around.
So Monday I reset my little world, got to bed at a decent hour, meditated before bed, woke up at 5.30am today, did some yoga, meditated and feel that I can do this all over again, and I will. Because I am too important to give up on me, and giving up on me, means giving up on others around me, and I'm not prepared to do either!
Did some more reading of 'the Handbook' last night, it truly is a book I just should have devoured, yet I put it off, even though when I read it, I just feel so calm. Ho hum, just need to allow 15 mins a day Kimmy, it all adds up.
I was really overwhelmed on the weekend, felt like I was trying to do so much, in such a quick period, was this going to be another 'crash and burn'? Of course not, not unless I decide it was going to be, you can't unlearn things, once it's there it's there.
Further update (Saturday 8/5/2010) distinct possibility that I am pregnant (according to the home preg test I just took), so all detox plans out the window, however I'm still incorporating the raw/wholefoods approach to my eating, though I'm not being too hardcore, some days I eat more cooked food than others, and I'm still eating a little meat here and there, bread is being limited cos while is tastes divine ( I make all our bread), it just does not agree with me, at the moment I'm into having homemade sushi rolls for lunch, yummmm.
So while detox is out, retoxing is something I'm not wanting to do (though last night I ate 3 pieces of pizza, and some softdrink, not the best choice).
Yoga this morning was lovely, I did Hatha instead of Ashtanga, much less sweaty and hardcore, and yet it certainly had it's own challenges to put me through.
Looking at my hands and my nailbed psoriasis on the two fingers is clearing up, as is my knee. All of my psoriasis flares up with major itchies when I eat refined sugars, I've suspected it for a while, but as i was eating so much of it, I didn't really have a comparison! Now I've gotten through my 'detox days' and I really notice it if I eat refined sugar, so I'm kinda addicted to the lovely raw vegan choc cake balls I posted earlier. Even if I eat a few of them I know its been good for my body, even if the fat load of the nuts is a little high, its still not 120g butter!! I've successfully substituted the walnuts with completely ground cacao beans, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and almonds.
This blog really helps me refocus my life, and my path. Thanks to those reading, its kinda scar, but kinda great all at once!!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
To colonic or not to colonic, that is the question...
Weeeeell It has been a busy week in the journey to a more peaceful, healthier self. After watching a documentary called "Food Matters" recommended by Tracey, Yoga instructor extraordinaire ('Absolute Yoga' in Ballarat). It is hard to encapsulate the entirety of it, however that is of course what I will try to do.
It's a documentary made by 2 Australian nutritionists, for the father of one of them. He was very ill and they had been giving him books to read on the subject of food, vitamin deficiencies and chronic health issues, of course like many of us, he wasn't reading them. So they interviewed the authors (I believe) and produced this amazing, if controversial documentary of 80 mins, here is the link if you are interested;
https://foodmatters.worldsecuresystems.com/
Well worth a view in my opinion, the DVD is $24, or you can pay for 3 days viewing online for $5.
Anyhoo, I've been spending hours and hours trawling the net for more information, and believe that a detox is necessary to help with the process of sorting my head out, basically the modern, western diet overloads our bodies existing detoxification system with far too much 'junk' for it to effectively remove. Combine our toxically loaded bodies with foods that are depleted in necessary vitamins and minerals (from cooking and growing in depleted soils, or simply because of the over processed nature of much of the food available), and we get many people who's bodies are malnourished, leading to disease, and more interestingly for me, possibly leading to depression/anxiety.
So I am detoxing and this is the plan taken from Food Matters Website, I hope they will not mind me putting it on here, there is actually an entire 50 odd page E-book that it comes from, so I'm not disclosing the entire content as i feel that people doing such work and presenting it in such an accessible way need our financial support to continue their work. So here is the detox I'm planning to follow for atleast 3 days, but I'm hoping for 7;
On Rising
Take a large glass and add the juice out of 1 fresh lemon and crush a thumbnail size of fresh
ginger. Fill the rest of the glass with room temperature or warm water.
Between starting work and breakfast
Mix Wheat Grass or Barley Grass powder & spring water to make a green drink to alkalize
and energize the cells of your body and accelerate the cleansing process. It will taste a little
weird to start with but as your bloodstream PH levels drop your taste buds will adjust to the
flavor.
Breakfast
‘Break your Fast’ with a fresh vegetable juice of 4 medium size carrots, 1 beetroot, 1 cucumber,
1 handfull of baby spinach, ¼ cup parsley. Take 1000 mg of vitamin C & 2 x 1000mg
Flax Seed Oil capsules.
Between Break-Fast and Lunch
Have a caffeine-free detox tea of peppermint, ginseng, licorice root, ginger or chamomile or a
special natural laxative tea. More green drink as you need it!
Lunch
Have a small to medium serving of brown rice with a mixture of raw & steamed vegetables
(choose from broccoli, shiitake mushrooms, bok choy, radishes, rocket, spring onions, watercress,
garlic and ginger) season with sea-greens and flavor with 1 cup of miso soup or lemon
juice and extra virgin olive. Take 1 x 1000mg of vitamin C.
Mid-Afternoon
Have another vegetable juice of carrot, apple and ginger to boost your energy levels
Early Dinner
Have a freshly squeezed vegetable juice of 2 carrots, 2 tomatoes, handful of spinach leaves,
2 celery ribs, ½ cucumber, ½ green bell pepper. Add one table spoon of wheatgrass or barley
grass powder. Take a 1 x 1000 mg of vitamin C.
Before Bed
Relax your body with a detox tea of peppermint, ginseng, licorice root, ginger or chamomile
tea or fresh mint and green tea with cardamom pods.
There you have it! Follow this program as closely as possible for a minimum of 3 days to
really see the results. You can experiment with the vegetable juices throughout the day but
just make sure you are not adding too many sweet fruits (ideally none at all) as these add to
the sugar (acidic) load in the body which is what we are trying to avoid during this cleanse.
If you get unbearably hungry then munch on a handful of almonds. You may also alternate
the veggie juice for lunch with a veggie soup if desired (if you live in a cold climate then this
will feel better). You will throughout the detox notice that after the second day your body will
be getting used to the routine and will not get such cravings. Most of all stick with it and the
results will follow.
So that's it for the detox input, but on to the errrhem...how to put it in a dignified way, shall we say output? Well I rang around around town for the colonic hydrotherapy option, which I may one day follow, however it is rather costly ($200 for the recommended 3 sessions), and also it does make me a little nervous.
While out at the health food shops today trawling for ingredients and appliances I happened upon the holy grail of vitamin and supplement shopping, 'Go Vita' in Ballarat, this woman has EVERYTHING, so I asked her about an oral input option that would produce a similarly effective output as a colonic. She pointed me to a product called 'Colon-cleanse', she informed me it should do the trick, was much cheaper as well, at around $30.
My searching on the net also lead me to further investigate the website of Andrew Saul, one of the people interviewed for the documentary, his website link is here
http://www.doctoryourself.com/niacin.html
The particular area I was looking at is the use of vitamin B3 (Niacin) to treat Depression, and Schizophrenia (I personally have depression, however my interest for the Schizophrenia is for a very close family member). Vitamin B3 is not available at the pharmacies I tried, so I had almost given up, in fact many B complexes don't contain it.
I am currently taking approx 180mg daily (3 times a day I've reduced my anti depressants down to 150 mg daily, I'll be keeping an eye on things, and have my lovely man also watch over me.
Let you know how all this goes. I lasted 2 days on the 'full detox' regime posted, lack of organisation and green vege hobbled me, though so far the benefits have been great, processed sugar cravings seem to have gone missing? Not sure for how long, but I like it! My skin is doing wierd things, like dark circles under eyes are fading, and blackheads are clearing, but two HUGE pimples have emerged, blaming the detox for those babies!
So I'm enjoying how much healthier I feel on a more natural diet, and am trying to stick to a mostly raw foods diet. Funny what killed the strict detox wasn't chocolate or anything like that, but yummy homemade vege soup! I have never enjoyed a bowl of soup so much!
So if 'cheating from my detox and overall healthy eating means I 'indulged on home made vege soup, then I'm pretty ok with that!!
This recipe has also been AMAZING, its a Raw Vegan Chocolate Cake, and it is just so yummy, and healthy, I roll and press into balls, bite sized morsels of yumminess, and is you use raw Cacao beans ground, then you are really ingesting a superfood chocolate snack!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7r4CNuj-o8
follow that link to a healthy, butter free chocolate blissout
nom nom nom
It's a documentary made by 2 Australian nutritionists, for the father of one of them. He was very ill and they had been giving him books to read on the subject of food, vitamin deficiencies and chronic health issues, of course like many of us, he wasn't reading them. So they interviewed the authors (I believe) and produced this amazing, if controversial documentary of 80 mins, here is the link if you are interested;
https://foodmatters.worldsecuresystems.com/
Well worth a view in my opinion, the DVD is $24, or you can pay for 3 days viewing online for $5.
Anyhoo, I've been spending hours and hours trawling the net for more information, and believe that a detox is necessary to help with the process of sorting my head out, basically the modern, western diet overloads our bodies existing detoxification system with far too much 'junk' for it to effectively remove. Combine our toxically loaded bodies with foods that are depleted in necessary vitamins and minerals (from cooking and growing in depleted soils, or simply because of the over processed nature of much of the food available), and we get many people who's bodies are malnourished, leading to disease, and more interestingly for me, possibly leading to depression/anxiety.
So I am detoxing and this is the plan taken from Food Matters Website, I hope they will not mind me putting it on here, there is actually an entire 50 odd page E-book that it comes from, so I'm not disclosing the entire content as i feel that people doing such work and presenting it in such an accessible way need our financial support to continue their work. So here is the detox I'm planning to follow for atleast 3 days, but I'm hoping for 7;
On Rising
Take a large glass and add the juice out of 1 fresh lemon and crush a thumbnail size of fresh
ginger. Fill the rest of the glass with room temperature or warm water.
Between starting work and breakfast
Mix Wheat Grass or Barley Grass powder & spring water to make a green drink to alkalize
and energize the cells of your body and accelerate the cleansing process. It will taste a little
weird to start with but as your bloodstream PH levels drop your taste buds will adjust to the
flavor.
Breakfast
‘Break your Fast’ with a fresh vegetable juice of 4 medium size carrots, 1 beetroot, 1 cucumber,
1 handfull of baby spinach, ¼ cup parsley. Take 1000 mg of vitamin C & 2 x 1000mg
Flax Seed Oil capsules.
Between Break-Fast and Lunch
Have a caffeine-free detox tea of peppermint, ginseng, licorice root, ginger or chamomile or a
special natural laxative tea. More green drink as you need it!
Lunch
Have a small to medium serving of brown rice with a mixture of raw & steamed vegetables
(choose from broccoli, shiitake mushrooms, bok choy, radishes, rocket, spring onions, watercress,
garlic and ginger) season with sea-greens and flavor with 1 cup of miso soup or lemon
juice and extra virgin olive. Take 1 x 1000mg of vitamin C.
Mid-Afternoon
Have another vegetable juice of carrot, apple and ginger to boost your energy levels
Early Dinner
Have a freshly squeezed vegetable juice of 2 carrots, 2 tomatoes, handful of spinach leaves,
2 celery ribs, ½ cucumber, ½ green bell pepper. Add one table spoon of wheatgrass or barley
grass powder. Take a 1 x 1000 mg of vitamin C.
Before Bed
Relax your body with a detox tea of peppermint, ginseng, licorice root, ginger or chamomile
tea or fresh mint and green tea with cardamom pods.
There you have it! Follow this program as closely as possible for a minimum of 3 days to
really see the results. You can experiment with the vegetable juices throughout the day but
just make sure you are not adding too many sweet fruits (ideally none at all) as these add to
the sugar (acidic) load in the body which is what we are trying to avoid during this cleanse.
If you get unbearably hungry then munch on a handful of almonds. You may also alternate
the veggie juice for lunch with a veggie soup if desired (if you live in a cold climate then this
will feel better). You will throughout the detox notice that after the second day your body will
be getting used to the routine and will not get such cravings. Most of all stick with it and the
results will follow.
So that's it for the detox input, but on to the errrhem...how to put it in a dignified way, shall we say output? Well I rang around around town for the colonic hydrotherapy option, which I may one day follow, however it is rather costly ($200 for the recommended 3 sessions), and also it does make me a little nervous.
While out at the health food shops today trawling for ingredients and appliances I happened upon the holy grail of vitamin and supplement shopping, 'Go Vita' in Ballarat, this woman has EVERYTHING, so I asked her about an oral input option that would produce a similarly effective output as a colonic. She pointed me to a product called 'Colon-cleanse', she informed me it should do the trick, was much cheaper as well, at around $30.
My searching on the net also lead me to further investigate the website of Andrew Saul, one of the people interviewed for the documentary, his website link is here
http://www.doctoryourself.com/niacin.html
The particular area I was looking at is the use of vitamin B3 (Niacin) to treat Depression, and Schizophrenia (I personally have depression, however my interest for the Schizophrenia is for a very close family member). Vitamin B3 is not available at the pharmacies I tried, so I had almost given up, in fact many B complexes don't contain it.
I am currently taking approx 180mg daily (3 times a day I've reduced my anti depressants down to 150 mg daily, I'll be keeping an eye on things, and have my lovely man also watch over me.
Let you know how all this goes. I lasted 2 days on the 'full detox' regime posted, lack of organisation and green vege hobbled me, though so far the benefits have been great, processed sugar cravings seem to have gone missing? Not sure for how long, but I like it! My skin is doing wierd things, like dark circles under eyes are fading, and blackheads are clearing, but two HUGE pimples have emerged, blaming the detox for those babies!
So I'm enjoying how much healthier I feel on a more natural diet, and am trying to stick to a mostly raw foods diet. Funny what killed the strict detox wasn't chocolate or anything like that, but yummy homemade vege soup! I have never enjoyed a bowl of soup so much!
So if 'cheating from my detox and overall healthy eating means I 'indulged on home made vege soup, then I'm pretty ok with that!!
This recipe has also been AMAZING, its a Raw Vegan Chocolate Cake, and it is just so yummy, and healthy, I roll and press into balls, bite sized morsels of yumminess, and is you use raw Cacao beans ground, then you are really ingesting a superfood chocolate snack!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7r4CNuj-o8
follow that link to a healthy, butter free chocolate blissout
nom nom nom
Sunday, April 25, 2010
food matters
Yesterday was one of those days when all seems right with the world. Serae, Mevan and I decided an outing was in order due to brilliant (albiet, chilly) autumn weather, also we had run out of fruit, a mortal sin when you have a fruit monster for a child. Mevan rode the bike with Serae in the kiddy seat, while I ran along with them. It felt magical to get out and really 'be' in the world as a family. Car trips are fine, sometimes even necessary, but you don't feel the crisp air fill your lungs, as you power your way up the hill, or get the thrill of making it to the top just as you think your lungs might explode. Such a cheap thrill isn't it, but this outing which also involved babychino, chai latte and mochachino, set me up for a day of peace and gentle awe of thew world and my little families place in it. I also had a ball listebibg to the conversation starters of our 2 and a half uyear old. Comments like "mummy, you got big muscles" whule I'm running do wonders for the ego, though I have the sneaking suspicion she meant bum, wheb she said muscle. This of course is an area of my life I'm happy to leave uninspected. if Serae says - have big muscles, then so be it! I also think its a wonderful example to set being active together. 3ec
Monday, April 19, 2010
You can lead a horse to water...
But under no circumstances can you guilt her into exercise!!
The weight of my soul is currently 120kg, and that is actually down over the last 18 months by approx 7kg, I am the weight of the bigger, 'Biggest Loser' contestants.
As a part of my personal growth mission, I have a personal reduction mission. Which comes first, the chicken or the egg? Well I think for me it has been a few steps forward, a few steps back for both.
I can totally 'get it', and have my routine going so well, minimal 'bonus' food, no binging, exercise and the my life organised and then I sabotage myself twice, the second one I've only come to realise last night. I'll explain.
I start to feel so 'on top of it' that my bossy self ( who really should know better) says "hey you' ve really got this down now, you totally understand life and the universe, you are at peace with yourself and the meaning of life is indeed 1. Why don't you just take a little break...". And that my friend is the beginning of my slow decent into a depressive pit, with a side of anxiety.
Up until last night I used to think that was my problem, I just wasn't disciplined enough. However after mulling over some of the wisdoms from my current favourite books "Eat, Love, Pray" and "The Handbook to Higher Consciousness", I've realised that perhaps the problem was I wasn't loving myself unconditionally. "The Handbook to Higher Consciousness" (or the Handbook as it shall here after be called), calls on us to love everyone unconditionally, including ourselves.
I have been really, really loving myself when I do 'the right thing', follow my routines, stick to my budget, put in enough time for my little one and dearest man, exercise and eat well, but if it started to slide I'd get all disappointed with myself, "oh well here you go again". If I had the energy, I'd tell myself to fight it, and would try and draw some energy from the anger within me to make some positive steps, and it did work sometimes.
Of course anyone with depression will realise that it can suck all of the energy out of you, so if I didn't muster the energy to fight, I'd crash and burn and have to take a few days to pick myself back up again ( this is a VAST improvement on the weeks and months of the past). Yesterday was one such blegh day.
Just before I went to bed I decided instead of trying to muster the strength for anger, I'd try throwing out unconditional love to my sorry little self. I managed to go to sleep feeling love towards myself. How I managed this I'm not entirely sure, but in The Handbook they discuss how our emotions come from conditioned responses, decisions made when we were too small to understand the world. We can use all of our emotions to help us in our path to higher consciousness by looking at what we wanted so badly that its lack of fulfilment could alter our mood so much.To take that aching desire and change it to a preference. If I merely preferred myself to be organised and on top of things, then I could love myself regardless. Make sense? maybe not, perhaps if you are really interested you could check out the book, or try google, and see what it throws at you.
Well my little one was up half the night, and I with her, so I didn't get up at 5.30 to exercise or meditate, or do yoga. In fact I got up at 9am. I had lots to do including groceries and washing. But instead of the panic and disappointment, while I berated myself frantically trying to regain my 'path of perfection', I thought of an action plan. Go and visit a friend, do the groceries, come home and finish off other things.
It worked. In fact I'm typing this post workout, 20 minute workout, but with Jillian Michaels (from Biggest Loser USA), you can be sure that she s making it count!
So yes, you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot MAKE her exercise, but if you give her some space, and tell her she's doing ok just the way she is, then she may just surprise you and get up and do it anyway!
The weight of my soul is currently 120kg, and that is actually down over the last 18 months by approx 7kg, I am the weight of the bigger, 'Biggest Loser' contestants.
As a part of my personal growth mission, I have a personal reduction mission. Which comes first, the chicken or the egg? Well I think for me it has been a few steps forward, a few steps back for both.
I can totally 'get it', and have my routine going so well, minimal 'bonus' food, no binging, exercise and the my life organised and then I sabotage myself twice, the second one I've only come to realise last night. I'll explain.
I start to feel so 'on top of it' that my bossy self ( who really should know better) says "hey you' ve really got this down now, you totally understand life and the universe, you are at peace with yourself and the meaning of life is indeed 1. Why don't you just take a little break...". And that my friend is the beginning of my slow decent into a depressive pit, with a side of anxiety.
Up until last night I used to think that was my problem, I just wasn't disciplined enough. However after mulling over some of the wisdoms from my current favourite books "Eat, Love, Pray" and "The Handbook to Higher Consciousness", I've realised that perhaps the problem was I wasn't loving myself unconditionally. "The Handbook to Higher Consciousness" (or the Handbook as it shall here after be called), calls on us to love everyone unconditionally, including ourselves.
I have been really, really loving myself when I do 'the right thing', follow my routines, stick to my budget, put in enough time for my little one and dearest man, exercise and eat well, but if it started to slide I'd get all disappointed with myself, "oh well here you go again". If I had the energy, I'd tell myself to fight it, and would try and draw some energy from the anger within me to make some positive steps, and it did work sometimes.
Of course anyone with depression will realise that it can suck all of the energy out of you, so if I didn't muster the energy to fight, I'd crash and burn and have to take a few days to pick myself back up again ( this is a VAST improvement on the weeks and months of the past). Yesterday was one such blegh day.
Just before I went to bed I decided instead of trying to muster the strength for anger, I'd try throwing out unconditional love to my sorry little self. I managed to go to sleep feeling love towards myself. How I managed this I'm not entirely sure, but in The Handbook they discuss how our emotions come from conditioned responses, decisions made when we were too small to understand the world. We can use all of our emotions to help us in our path to higher consciousness by looking at what we wanted so badly that its lack of fulfilment could alter our mood so much.To take that aching desire and change it to a preference. If I merely preferred myself to be organised and on top of things, then I could love myself regardless. Make sense? maybe not, perhaps if you are really interested you could check out the book, or try google, and see what it throws at you.
Well my little one was up half the night, and I with her, so I didn't get up at 5.30 to exercise or meditate, or do yoga. In fact I got up at 9am. I had lots to do including groceries and washing. But instead of the panic and disappointment, while I berated myself frantically trying to regain my 'path of perfection', I thought of an action plan. Go and visit a friend, do the groceries, come home and finish off other things.
It worked. In fact I'm typing this post workout, 20 minute workout, but with Jillian Michaels (from Biggest Loser USA), you can be sure that she s making it count!
So yes, you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot MAKE her exercise, but if you give her some space, and tell her she's doing ok just the way she is, then she may just surprise you and get up and do it anyway!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Ataraxis
Ataraxis is the result of a google search , uncovering a word I never recall hearing, for state I seek to attain.
Meaning: the absence of mental stress or anxiety.
Now, from my limited research into the achieving such a state of serenity, there seems to be a lot written, my focus currently is on the books " Eat, Pray, Love" and "The Handbook To Higher Consciousness". The latter basically seems to put forward a view similar to that of Buddhism, I have heard it described as "buddhism for westerners".
Of course I don't want to offend with my narrow description and analysis, I haven't even finished it. I've had the book for .. oh 3 weeks, and its no anthology! It seems that bossy part of myself that likes to think it is in charge, is trying to commandeer my pursuit for tranquility, because when I actually READ it, I find it really quite accessible.
Hmm anyway this blog is about me sorting out myself, though I'm beginning to feel that term 'self'' to be more fluid than I had originally thought.
Today I feel that if I wrote a book about trying to find my enlightened it would be called "Eat, Eat, Eat"... and not have quite as an inspiring impact I should imagine
Meaning: the absence of mental stress or anxiety.
Now, from my limited research into the achieving such a state of serenity, there seems to be a lot written, my focus currently is on the books " Eat, Pray, Love" and "The Handbook To Higher Consciousness". The latter basically seems to put forward a view similar to that of Buddhism, I have heard it described as "buddhism for westerners".
Of course I don't want to offend with my narrow description and analysis, I haven't even finished it. I've had the book for .. oh 3 weeks, and its no anthology! It seems that bossy part of myself that likes to think it is in charge, is trying to commandeer my pursuit for tranquility, because when I actually READ it, I find it really quite accessible.
Hmm anyway this blog is about me sorting out myself, though I'm beginning to feel that term 'self'' to be more fluid than I had originally thought.
Today I feel that if I wrote a book about trying to find my enlightened it would be called "Eat, Eat, Eat"... and not have quite as an inspiring impact I should imagine
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