'The difficult second week...' - How my Detox fell apart & came back together again

Hmmm... you know how bands release a really good album and then follows 'the difficult second album'...? Well this was my difficult second week of my detox, hence the radio silence on this blog for a few days. It would be fair to say that I have not stuck absolutely to my plan this week!

Although I did climb back into the saddle after a bad morning for detoxing at Deal or No Deal last week, this past few days have been less than ideal. I have not had the energy to get up early every morning and meditate, exercise and juice veggies, and with the morning programme disrupted it was easy to let the rest of the day go...

Now I should just clarify that when I say I let the rest of the day go, it wasn't the all-out disaster of previous attempts to stick to a programme. I didn't head for the nearest takeaway menu or pick-a-mix but I did indulge in a couple of rather excellent buffets(!), one at a wedding and one at a 50th birthday party. Yes, I did eat the crudites on offer but, yes I also ate the sausage rolls! I suppose on reflection it wasn't too bad a failure but I am still frustrated with myself - it seems ridiculous that in a 4 week programme I could fluff the larger part of the second week!  :-S

I think the lesson I have learned from this past week is not to let things get too far off kilter - when I let myself get really hungry I eat things I shouldn't, when I go bed too late I get too tired to get up in the mornings, when I overcrowd my day I get too lazy to juice in the morning, etc etc.

Anyway, this week I am really reticent to get the bathroom scales or the tape measure out so I have decided not too. Instead I have treated today (the first day of week 3) as a whole new day and am happy to report I have done everything I should have done! I started my day at 7am with an hour of yoga, meditation and quiet reflection, then at 8am I did a new workout video (Tracey Anderson's dance cardio - man, that's hard!!), then I had my veggie juice, breakfast and shower. My halo is super bright today :-)

As a final note before I sign off tonight (ready to get up at 7am again tomorrow!) a few people have asked me what I am eating on this organic, no sugar, no processed foods, no cow's dairy, no wheat, no yeast, high veggie, low meat diet... Well I start my day with a breakfast like avocado or sliced tomatoes and organic beauty oil on yeast-free rye toast or very occasionally I have sugar-free muesli (although the grains are high in natural sugars) with goat's milk. Lunches vary hugely from greek salad to grilled chicken and quinoa to a mezze of homemade yummies or soup, and dinner can be fish, potatoes and grilled veggies, tofu stirfry, homemade vegetable stew or curry, stuffed peppers, or a million other things you can make with a fridge full of fresh organic produce... I also got some great ideas from Neal's Yard Remedies latest book, 'Healing Foods' (available here for £16.99) which has gotten rave reviews to which I would add my own; the book is divided up really usefully so you can find exactly what you are looking for, the recipes are gorgeous and not too "yeah man, this obscure and flavourless bean really does it for me" and diet really is a great way to improve your health... FOOD for thought ;-) Try it and see what works for you.

Sarah is an Holistic massage & beauty therapist, owner of Edge of Eden and Senior Consultant for Neal’s Yard Remedies. You can call her on 01277 220301, email at sarah@edgeofeden.co.uk or comment below and she’ll get back to you x