Extreme deep clean(!) - the benefits of colonics for Detox

When I embarked on this 30 Day Mind & Body Detox journey, I asked the advice of those more experienced than me to offer their top tips for detoxing... one thing which repeatedly was advised was that I have colonics to support the liver in ridding the body of the toxins that were being released by my cells. Apparently it wasn't enough to excrete them through my skin and trips to the loo.

Now, I can't say I was keen to try colonics - to be honest, the whole idea absolutely horrified me, not because of a worry about pain but from a concern about embarrassment. I think it was John Cleese who said that Brits would rather die than cause a fuss or be embarrassed and, whilst I'm definitely not that bad, I don't relish the thought of it.

But needs must, and I can now say I feel "flushed" with pride(!) to have completed a course of 3 colonics with the very lovely and reassuring Jo Cook of Serenity Flow in Surrey. She uses the 'open' method which essentially means that water goes in with a tube but comes out naturally (rather than down another tube which can be messy if it doesn't fit **cringe!**) She also assured me that as an IBS sufferer who is prone to constipation that I would love it and that one colonic is equivalent to 3 days fasting... hmmm, now that sounds tempting, I thought.

Colonic 'bed'

So, full of trepidation I attended my first appointment. It's no wonder Jo is in demand as she put me as much at ease as is possible to be in that situation. I was able to do most of the treatment myself which reduced the embarrassment factor, and I was not exposed at any point (front or back!) I would say that the treatment didn't feel as wonderful as I had hoped for, but also was nowhere near as bad as I had feared. In terms of discomfort I had very little, mainly mental as I came to terms with releasing into the hole in the 'bed'.
The very worst moments of discomfort I had I would equate to having a 'hangover poo' the morning after the night before - you feel a little trembly, like you really want to get this out of you, and then blessed relief when it happens - that was as bad as it got, so pretty good really, and that only happened a couple of times.

I definitely felt better after my first one, quite energised and with the flattest stomach ever! My second one was even better so by my third one I was surprised that I felt a little unwell afterwards and had to have an early night - I released a lot of old stuff in my third treatment though, so I think it was probably just a profound detox. (You'll also find you need to pee all the time for a day or two afterwards - it's the fact that your kidneys and liver have been stimulated to flush out the body and it's a wonderful detox aid).

Reading a book during my treatment

I really must recommend you try colonics at least twice... it undoubtedly contributed to a successful detox for me and I will be having more in the future. Sorry if I grossed you out, but I hope this info has been helpful for you... happy flushing!


P.S. Jo says we trump 2,000 times a day! And I thought that cows were bad...






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

Do you feel tired after your Detox? Then read this...

So I'm now a couple of weeks down the line from my 30 Day Mind & Body Detox and I'm still loving the compliments I'm getting about my appearance, and the way I'm feeling inside. I highly recommend making some changes right away such as using organic toiletries, eating organic foods (especially lots of veggies) and doing more regular exercise to soothe the mind and tone the body.

I can also vouch for the dramatic improvement in sleep quality I have experienced by making a few changes such as switching off electronic and wifi equipment before bed, turning my phone to airplane mode, ensuring the bedroom is totally dark and getting to bed earlier. It must sound crazy but I can tell the difference if I've forgotten to switch the wifi hub off or put my phone on airplane mode - it just doesn't feel as peaceful.

This perhaps isn't so surprising when you consider the article I read in the Metro recently (London issue, 23rd May, page 43). Professor Charles Czeisler of Harvard Medical School has stated that turning off your iPad or other LED ray-emitting gadgets could be more important than ensuring that all the lights are off as these LED rays are more disruptive to our sleep. It is all part of our modern lifestyles contradicting our built-in circadian rhythms - we stay awake and stay stimulated past darkness and then artificially induce awakeness with caffeine to cope with the morning.

This may all seem a little OTT but when you consider that research has shown that people who sleep less well or less hours per night increases the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, depression, stroke in adults and concentration in children it is worth taking note. Between 1950 and 2000, the average Briton increased their artificial light sources four-fold with a parallel rise in sleep deficiency. So take note, your beauty sleep may be more important than you thought.

Remember, you do have the power to improve your sleep:

• If a whirring mind is keeping you awake, try writing down your thoughts before sleep or if you wake in the night. Acknowledging them will allow your brain to relax and move on knowing that you can address them in the morning.
• Ensuring your bedroom is totally dark will lead to better quality of sleep – blackout blinds, turning off lit screen alarms and TV power lights can help with this.
• Reduce electrical intereference – turn things off at the plug socket, have your mobile away from your head and on airplane mode or off totally (your alarm should still work), turn off the wifi and unplug cordless phones to reduce the signal waves flowing through you.
• Take time to relax just before bed – some meditation or deep and restful breathing, self-massage or even just a pampering facial cleansing and moisturising routine can do the trick.
• Regular massage and facial treatments have also been shown to promote body and mind balance and therefore aid sleep naturally.
• Use aromatherapy to help you sleep – either burn an essential oil before bed, add a couple of drops to your pillowcase or use a product on your skin that contains essential oils to treat you all night long. Great oils to look out for are benzoin (helps with stress), cedarwood (for grounding), clary sage (calming with sedative qualities, also great for the skin), cypress (soothes nerves), lavender (scientifically proven to promote sleep), orange oil (for insomnia), patchouli (for serenity), valerian root (for relaxation) and ylang ylang (for toning the nervous system and lowering blood pressure). You can find many of these in the organic Beauty Sleep range from Neal’s Yard Remedies – Beauty Sleep Concentrate for a smooth and youthful face and the NEW Beauty Sleep Body Butter for 24 hour moisturisation.

Sweet dreamzzzzzz…..

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

That's all folks! The end of my 30 Day Mind & Body Detox

So, it's the end of my 30 Day Mind & Body Detox programme... Or is it?!

Yes, the 30 days are up. Yes, it's been quite a journey with some big ups and downs and (cheesy though it sounds) I've really learned something about myself and my relationship with with food, my body and what goes on inside my head.

With Week 4 came a certain calm, a peace with leaving things on my plate and accepting that, better than 30 Days of Perfection, is a life long series of changes and better choices. My bum feels firmer (hooray!), my skin feels incredible and my boyfriend even commented today how he could really see a change in my shape. Yes ok, I still have a way to go before I feel uber-energised, cellulite-free and slim as a whippet but I'm SO on track for that and if I keep going on this journey then that is surely the direction I am heading in.

To that end, I am going to keep up with many of the facets of this programme ongoing. I do feel that there is benefit in short-term detoxes however what has become clear is that a gradual change is more sustainable. What isn't going to happen is the classic annual 'detox month' each year that allows me to "cheat" the other 11... remember, I'd only be cheating myself and I can honestly say that my desire to eat sugary or processed or wheat-filled foods has diminished hugely so resisting should be much easier.

But more importantly than all this outer bumpf (and yes, it really is more important) is the greater sense of inner calm and contentment and faith in my own ability that has come into it's own recently. I always said that age 26 was the age at which most women seem to make their final "adjustments", reviewing the character traits they dislike and learning to accept the ones they cannot change, perhaps even becoming fond of their quirks and idiosyncracies. It is then you can learn to love yourself and be at peace with yourself...

I now realise that this happens more than once as here I am feeling the same way about more recent changes aged 32. (I'm now also certain it will happen again and again through life). I'm excited to keep this personal development going as I feel I'm right on the brink of something big and exciting although i haven't a clue what... but I'll keep you posted :)

For now, I'm off out to celebrate a rather lovely piece of news I've just had but I'll be posting again in the next few days with the dreaded 'After' photos and a review of how I found each aspect of the programme and what I'll be keeping up with.

Until then, cheers! x

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

A week's retrospective - the first week of my Mind & Body Detox

Well well well, I couldn't believe it when I stepped on the scales on Wednesday morning and found that I'd lost a massive 6 lbs this last week! WAHOO!

I'm so glad I resisted checking throughout the week; you fluctuate so much anyway day by day, and I wouldn't have had this big surprise! I'm truly happy that I've lost some weight (and 5 inches from my vital stats too, including 2 inches from my waist!) and my skin feels so super soft. I do still have some spotty bits on my face and decolletage (in fact more than before) but that's ok, the skin is excreting toxins. It feels great to know I haven't given it any extra ones to handle for a week!

It not plain sailing though. I do feel like the other 'half' of my detox, the Mind Detox, isn't going so well.

Now it's true that I have just lived through some of the most awful months of my life for various personal and family reasons, and there are still plenty of challenges ongoing, however I did think I'd be feeling a little less cluttered of mind and scatty of thought! Maybe that will come...
I know that detoxing does require quite a lot of work from the body to process and excrete all these toxins that are being released from your cells... maybe it's the same for the mind. I have certainly been feeling tired in the last few days and take that as a good sign, but it's bound to affect my state of mind.

Perhaps as well if I'm totally honest, I haven't been quite as on top of the 'Mind' side of things as I could be. A couple of mornings I've skipped my yoga and meditation in favour of an extra wee snooze, mainly because of not getting to bed at a reasonable time (I had aimed to be in bed by 11pm which isn't even that early!) Hmmm... think it's time to review the 'Mind' detox:

• Yoga & meditation 5 x week - hmmm.. I think one of the problems with this, in addition to

  

  Aromastone for burning oils

  getting to bed a bit late, is that I'm not enjoying them as much as I'd hoped :( I find meditation with the guided meditation CD I'm doing kinda boring (!) so maybe I should try another technique? Any suggestions? I also am not enjoyed my sun salutations as much as I always have... gutted. Not sure why although it could be that I feel a little cramped for space at home - think I'll try somewhere else and maybe playing some music and lighting an aromatherapy candle or burning oils in my aromastone instead.
• Sleep (before midnight, total darkness, wifi & mobile off, 6-8hrs, aromatherapy) - I could definitely work on getting an earlier bed time and using some aromatherapy. I genuinely slept better after my detox bath last week which I followed with the aromatherapeutic Beauty Sleep body butter - think I'll try more of that and burning a relaxing oil in my aromastone before bed too.
• De-stress (creative time, time outside with nature, aromatherapy, quiet time, music) - Quiet time...? What's that?! I have definitely fallen foul of not having any of that. I'm the sort of person who finds the more I fit into a day, the more I seem to do, so maybe I should try fitting 'Quiet Time' into my diary? It sounds crazy but could it work? Time outside with nature I have definitely been enjoying (although we could do with that sun back!). I also noticed I hadn't had much music in my life recently - usually I sing in a band once a week and am practising for that or just listening to music a lot but not recently. So... today I have been playing my 'top rated' playlist all day, dancing and smiling like a lunatic!

Ok, a few pointers for me to work on there. Glad we had this chat ;-)

Now go put your music on, and dance like there's nobody watching...

Get yours here: http://bit.ly/12uYwhb

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

My 30 Day Mind & Body Detox... Dispatches from the first 3 Days

What is it they say about the road to hell…? Paved with good intentions, you say?

Well the eagle-eyed amongst you will have noticed that, whilst my last blog post dealt with the formalities of what my 30 day mind and body detox would involve, there have been no subsequent posts to check in on how I’m doing.

“Mixed” would be an honest appraisal of the last 3 days…  In the mornings I feel really proactive and then, I don’t know if it’s cutting out sugar and caffeine or whether getting up and getting on with the day at least 2 hours earlier are to blame, but I am dog tired come the afternoon!

Things I’m loving:

• OK, it sounds crazy but I’m loving finishing my shower with an icy blast. My strangled yelp still causes consternation from my other half but he’s learning to just roll his eyes at the whole thing and is even getting on board with some (other) aspects of the detox programme
• I genuinely feel my skin is softer, smoother and more toned since I started dry skin brushing and using my organic toning body moisturiser... can’t believe I’m seeing a difference already!
• I have more energy in the mornings… noticeably
• I feel happy I am being really planet friendly :)
• Realising that I have done by lunchtime what would previously have been a whole day’s worth of tasks #oohgetme #superproductive
• I can still drink red wine!!

Things I’m not:

• Getting up with a ‘To Do’ list as long as my arm before I can start my day! Meditation & yoga followed by an hour of exercise, then hot water, lemon, manuka honey and root ginger to drink (actually this is yummy) whilst I make fresh vegetable juice, then it’s off to body brush and shower… phew! There must be a better way of doing this
• The fact that I cannot stop thinking about what I’ll make for dinner while I’m supposed to be meditating, although I think this will just take practice (she says hopefully)
• There is no longer any such thing as convenience food! A quick snack means prepping veggies and dips and whatnot… This has really highlighted to me that even though I thought I was good before, I have a long way to go before I am living as well as I think I am!

There have been challenges aplenty in the last 3 days to encourage me to stray off the path of the detox but I have overcome them, even managing to eat out before going to a show last night. OK so it wasn’t organic food but I didn’t have any wheat, yeast, cow’s dairy, sugar, processed foods etc and I still enjoyed myself!

Too much information:

Consider yourself warned. So I promised there would be photos and honesty aplenty, so here are my slightly horrifying ‘before’ shots… Aged 32 and following a pretty horrendously stressful time in recent months and a horrible eczema on my face after becoming allergic to a common preservative chemical (which is not in Neal’s Yard Remedies products!) I have really started to see some ageing and a general ‘tiredness’ in my complexion. My main body concerns have been excess weight, lack of muscle tone, cellulite and less than glowing skin.

Did you know that fat is often created as a ‘safe’ way for the body to store toxins? (Dr Mark Hyman has written extensively on this) So I’m hoping that in addition to upping my water intake and exercising more, this detox in general will help me shed some fat by cutting out pesticide toxins, chemicals in beauty products and all the gunk in processed foods… We’ll see in the next set of photos :-O

My face has started to get spots and the fine lines between my eyebrows where I frown and across my forehead are a lot more visible than even a few months ago. The visible pores around my nose and on my cheeks have been a concern too. Let's see what the next 27 days can do!

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

My 30 Day Mind & Body Detox... The Plan!

Did you know that this is the ideal time of year to detox?

Even though glossy magazines with bikini-clad babes sold in January may wish us to believe that immediately post-Christmas is the best time to detox and start working on that mythical beast 'the bikini body', in fact you are much better off waiting for Spring. Warmer weather is more conducive to feeling positive and eating salad after all, and longer lighter evenings mean more likelihood of getting to the gym or out to exercise even with a busy working/family life. And the lifting of the S.A.D cloak generally gives most of us some much needed extra get up and go.

So I've gotten up and gone on a mission - a gentle mission, but one designed to use the next 30 days to detox myself, not only through cleansing the body of the accumulated toxins of a winter's hibernation but also through focusing on the mind to soothe, organise and clear out any cobwebs... that's the idea anyway ;)

I have designed my own programme based on the accumulated knowledge of years of interest in Holism, my own experience as an Holistic massage and beauty therapist and more recent research into the affects of diet on cancers and other chronic diseases. All this is coupled with a small obsession with how to do things kindly (to myself, other people, animals, the planet) and this will be a key principle for me.

My programme is in no way supposed to recommend a course of action for anyone else, although I am very happy to share my thoughts and experiences with you all. I'll be honest, there will even be photos(!) and I do hope you'll find it interested and maybe even useful - either way please do leave me your comments below.

Here are the bones of my detox programme...

The Mind: I have always been fascinated by (but utterly useless at) meditation so I am going to try some 'guided' meditation CDs, starting with my reiki one that I haven't touched since doing my Reiki I course months ago. I'm also going to combine this with yoga practice as I often feel quite mentally relaxed after a class. To keep costs down (I want to start my day with an hour of this 5 times per week) I'm going solo so it might just be the sun salute for now as that's all I can reliably remember!

I'm also certain of the importance of the little things in life when it comes to 'detoxing' the mind. I have made a little weekly schedule for the next 30 days (I know, I know!) and have scheduled in some quiet time, creative time and some time outside with nature, even if it's just doing the weeding. I'll be exploring all of these aspects and more, such as how to get the best sleep and how much to have, the benefits of aromatherapy, music and more over the next month too.

The Body: In a nutshell, I'm going organic. I'm already pretty organic to be fair but I'll be upping the ante and cutting out processed food, sugar, sweeteners, wheat, yeast, cow's dairy, low fat products, caffeine (except in green tea) and alcohol (except in red wine, purely for its resveratrol content obviously!) I'm going for a high vegetable diet and a lot less meat, and I'm also going to be trying a few supplements including various vitamins, manuka honey, apple cider vinegar and some remedial teas and oils.

As the skin merely reflects the inner health of the body I'm confident I should see improvement in my skin anyway, but it can't hurt to focus a little organic attention directly onto it either; I've got a pretty good skincare routine anyway but I'm going to be adding some exfoliation, body brushing, masques, detox salt baths, cold water blasts (eek!), regular massage (yay!) and various other factors into the mix too.

Exercise is also going to play a key role as I'm aiming to get six 1 hour sessions in a week... this is considerably more than the zero I do now, but I'm going to start slow and listen to my body but push myself too... wish me luck!