Day 29 – 25th October:

My 28 days officially ended yesterday so here goes with the results…!

Bleep test – still on level 6, but almost got to level 7 this time – just stopped 2 bleeps short! It definitely felt a bit easier today which I put down to the extra running I’ve been doing over the past 4 weeks

2.4 km run – really pleased to knock another minute off my time today – I came in at 14.59 mins for 12 laps of the pitch, kncoking a minute off my previous time and almost 2 minutes off my initial time 3 weeks ago. Obviously there’s still room for improvement but I’m delighted with my progress so far

Measurements – I’m really, really pleased with the changes in these. I re-measured myself last night and the results are below (alongside the original stats from 4 weeks ago):

• chest (nipple level) – 35″ / 89cm now 90cm (!!)
• waist (narrowest point) – 29″ / 74cm now 71cm – loss of 3cm
• waist (belly button level) – 32″ / 81cm now 77cm – loss of 4cm
• hips (widest part) – 39″ / 99cm now 97cm loss of 2cm
• thighs (widest part) – R: 23″ / 58.5cm  L: 22.5″ / 57cm now R: 56.5cm & L: 56cm – loss of 3cm in total

So my total loss is 12cm – with an increase of 1cm around the chest.

I am particularly pleased to have lost around my waist as I have always tended to be fairly straight up and down.

Finally… the dreaded pictures!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

before

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

after

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

before

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

after

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

before

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

after

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

before

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

after

The changes are fairly subtle so they don’t show up very well in the photographs but I certainly feel leaner and healthier as a result fo this process. My skin feels better, my energy levels are really high even when I’ve been working long hours, I’m sleeping well and I generally feel very healthy.

Although I didn’t need to make huge changes to the way I eat I have made some changes over the past 4 weeks:

• I suspected that yoghurt was leaving me a little bit bloated so I cut it out completely 2 weeks ago. I was aware that I probably ate too much anyway, and relied on it for a substitute meal when time was short. Having cut it out I feel much better – I will try to re-introdcue it again later and see how I feel.
• I am far more consistent at remembering to take nutritional supplements
• I have sources 2 local suppliers of wild game and organic, free-range meat
• I now buy most of my fruit and vegetables from local suppliers instead of the supermarket

I have loved the cleanse & detox process. I think that we all need to find out what eating plan is optimum for our own health and this process has been a further step on that journey for me.

To help you on your journey, I will be launching this plan for clients in January 2012 so please email me (jane@taylormadefitness.biz) if you are interested in further details.

Thank you for following my cleanse & detox journey x

Day 27 – 23rd October:

Long time no post! It’s been a busy week with lots of work and two nights out…so apologies for my absence.

Even though it’s been a hectic week I have made sure I have kept up with the clean eating:

• on Thursday I ate in my local pub. I chose pan-fried salmon fillet on a bed of spiced green lentils, served with a butternut squash tart tartin (I didn’t eat the pastry). It was surprisingly easy to chose something from the menu – there were lots of great choices that fitted the eating plan. I turned down the wine and stuck to mineral water with fresh lime!
• on Friday I ate at another local pub – not quite such an easy menu but I opted for pan-fried sea bass with vegetables and mango salsa. It came with saute potatoes (I asked not to have any but they where there any way!!) but I wasn’t even tempted to try one. I didn’t have a starter or pudding and once again stuck with mineral water as I was driving.
• at home I’ve eaten a good range of vegetables with either fish, eggs, chicken or turkey. A trip to the nearby farm shop helped re-stock the fridge with some great local vegetables, including green beans, cauliflower, broccoli, Swiss chard, baby green cauliflower, spinach & the sweetest yellow cherry tomatoes.
• tonight I’m roasting a free range chicken, stuffed with quarters of lemon and 5 cloves of garlic, along with sweet potatoes, butternut squash and red onions; I’ll add some broccoli and chopped raw spinach to serve.

I’ve also managed to keep on top of the exercise this week – helped by a spot of dog sitting which got me out for 1-2 walks every day. I had a fantastic run on Friday morning, which inspired me to have another one this morning! Only about 2.5 km but long enough to get the heart-rate up and feel the legs working…

As it’s almonst the end of my 28 day cleanse & detox programme I’ll be posting my ‘after’ photos and measurements over the next day or so! I hope they reflect the fact that I feel lighter, leaner and full of energy (even at the end of every busy day)…

Jane x

Day 22 – 18th October:

My turn to cook tonight so I took this lot…

& made this:

Who says healthy eating has to be dull?!

Day 22 – 18th October:

Good morning!

Workout done for the day – a quick 30 minute whole body workout using  the Tabata protocol (20 secs work/10 secs rest x 8 blocks). I used 4kg dumbbells with alternating pairs of exercises (4 x 20 secs each) as follows:

• spinal mobilisers
• crunch with chest press / supine scissor legs (woke up my core muscles nicely)
• alternating side lunges with DB reach to ankles / mountain climbers
• bent over running rows / power squats
• renegade rows / plank jacks
• squat, curl & shoulder press / power jacks with DB
• spiderman presses / reverse lunge & biceps curl

I finished with 1 minute burpees – to be honest I wouldn’t have done these if I hadn’t been posting on here so I guess that shows how powerful it is to feel accountable to someone!!

Off for a shower now then pan-fried turkey for breakfast with spinach and baby plum tomatoes.

HAGD x

Day 20 – 16th October:

I had such a great day on Friday. When I went out for my first bootcamp session the moon was bright & the sky was clear and filled with stars; by the time we finished the sun was rising; by the time I was driving home at 6pm (after a packed day of training clients) the sun was setting. I felt I had gone full circle in one day. Amazing!

My nutrition was okay too. I bought a bag of raw mixed nuts which kept me going between clients, along with a couple of apples. My last stop on the way home was the supermarket and picked up a tub of olives and snacked on those as I drove home. I also found  calves liver and fresh wild rabbit!

The calves liver was delicious, lightly pan-fried in coconut oil and served on a bed of mixed leaves and fresh tomatoes.

In a former life (about 20 years ago!) I was a chef so I’m fairly comfortable in the kitchen, but I don’t remember cooking rabbit before… Luckily I found a really cool Mediterranean recipe for rabbit in a paprika, garlic & chilli sauce. It turned out really well and I really enjoyed trying something different. I served it with lightly steamed marrow and organic green beans.

I always try to cook enough for two meals and luckily my son wasn’t home so the spare portion made dinner tonight. Bargain – two great, natural, healthy meals for the price of one!! Tonight I added a small portion of quinoa…and cooked enough so that I can have some for a tasty salad tomorrow.

I had a long day yesterday – clients 8am-4pm and then (after dinner) on the laptop until 12.30am!! Definitely missed my 11pm curfew so I’m going to get an early one tonight. I cope really well on 5-6 hours per night but I know that my body ideally needs more. The problem I have is that I naturally wake up by 7.30am (latest) every day so I need to focus on getting to bed earlier in order to clock up more horizontal time. Setting myself a bedtime definitely helps, even though I feel a little too old for a bedtime!!

So for the week ahead I will be focusing on:

• keeping up with the clean eating
• getting to bed by 11pm
• walking every day (I’m looking after my daughter’s Spaniel this week so I’m looking forward to getting out and covering some miles – it’s just not the same without a dog!)
• keeping on track with my running, Pilates and interval training (at least one session of each)

Wishing you a healthy week

Jane x

Day 18 – 14th October:

Another quick update…

Exciting news on the measurements – I have now lost 3cm off my waist and 2 cm off my middle at belly button level – well pleased with that! And the thighs and hips have lost some too so I’m feeling really good today!

Workout done already for today. I used the grid (foam roller) to loosen out any tightness in my lower body, performed a few standing roll-downs (with feet in various positions) to mobilise my spine and then did a quick dumbbell workout:

• 20 minutes continuous work
• 4 kg dumbbells
• 4 exercises x 12 reps each, repeated as a circuit
• bent forward lunge with reverse fly
• supine chest fly with alternate leg drop
• power squats with DB at my sides
• renegade row
• I finished with 200 jumps on the skipping rope…and a cup of green tea!!

Like most people I find that it is very easy to get busy and neglect my own exercise routine so I’ve started putting it in the diary at the start of each week, which is definitely helping me to stay focused.

Yesterday I repeated my 2.4k run (12 laps of my local football pitch) and reduced my time by 42 seconds coming in at 16 minutes exactly. I’m aiming to get it down to 14 minutes over the next four weeks so I’ve still got some way to go…

On Monday I repeated the bleep test but not with full conviction – I did one extra length than the time before (still level 6) but gave up as soon as I knew I had beaten the last session! Must work on my mental focus….!!

Must go and get on top of my nutrition for the day – I put off the dreaded food shop yesterday so I’m a bit light on snacks for today – it looks like it will be apples & apples. I’ll also try to buy some hazelnuts on my travels. Anyway, the fridge will be full again by the time I finish today as I’ll be passing my local farm shop en route between clients – I like to plan my clients around interesting places to stop for food!!!

Whatever you’re doing today, have a good one – eat well and be healthy x

Day 16 – 12th October:

Quick post this morning!

Firstly I’m proud to report that I didn’t even look at the Ben & Jerry’s last night – totally not interested!!

I went out for dinner last night so strayed off the food list slightly – I chose a homemade burger but declined the burger bun and fries, opting for a mixed salad instead. Beef is not on the food list as it is more acidic than most meats and red meats are harder for the body to digest, but it was the cleanest option on the menu. Clients often tell me it’s impossible to eat out while eating ‘clean’ but I really don’t think it’s so hard once you get your head around the rules. Most restaurants will be able to adapt a meal to suit – you just need to ask…

Finally, thought I’d share a few of my favourite things with you…

This is my favourite coconut oil. I use it for cooking (fantastic for scrambled eggs!) but coconut oil can also be eaten (or drunk) to help control cravings. It is stable at high temperatures, which is why it’s so good for cooking, and is easily digested by the body.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My favourite supplements from Nature’s Sunshine. 

 

 

 

 

 

I know that some people wouldn’t get excited about these things but I never really was a shoes and handbags kind of girl!!!

Have a fabulous day x

 

Day 15 – 11th October:

All the best laid plans….!

I didn’t quite get to my turkey stir-fry last night because a friend came round and I got busy chatting instead of cooking, but I kept within the food list with raw carrots & hummus. It didn’t really hit the spot but it kept me going until breakfast today, which is the main thing.

This morning I got off to a flying start with some Pilates moves to mobilise my back and some foam rolling on my new ‘Grid’ roller – I was feeling great…until I tried to send an email and found that my broadband connection didn’t want to play! 40 minutes later and I was seriously late for the rest of my day…hurried breakfast, still in pyjamas when the hairdresser arrived to give me a quick cut & then only 2 seconds for a shower afterwards!!

Oh well – can’t get it right all the time…

I decided I was going to save my cheat meal for today as I’m going to the cinema and LOVE Ben & Jerry’s…however, my son reminded me that he had frozen a piece of chocolate & almond torte for me last week and that became my cheat after our friend had gone home. To be honest, I didn’t really enjoy it and now I wish hadn’t had it – it will be interesting to see if I can resist the chocolate macadamia ice cream this evening….

I had a real boost yesterday when I checked my measurements and found that I have lost a total of 6.5 cm from my waist, hips & thighs since I started the detox. I hadn’t really expected to change shape as I was already following the eating protocols beforehand so haven’t made many changes to my diet, so I was really pleased to see these results. It’s a great motivation to keep going when you can see the positive effects!

I ordered myself some supplements a couple of days ago and they have just arrived, along with my coconut oil (I buy it from Tiana as it tastes fantastic), so I’m going to unpack them now – very excited by all things nutrition!!

I’ll let you know how I get on with Ben & Jerry tomorrow…have a good day x

Day 14 – 10th October:

Yesterday was a very good day for food…

Breakfast (8.30am) – scrambled egg on a bed of spinach and chopped fresh tomatoes (with bifidophilus supplement)

Snacks while driving – 1 x apple, 2 handfuls hazelnuts

Late lunch (3pm) – homemade vegetable soup with chicken on the side

Dinner (8pm) – baked sea bass with fennel, served with carrots, fine green beans & kale (with bifidophilus supplement)

The best bit was that there was enough sea bass left over for breakfast this morning (served with raw spinach & tomatoes) so I feel like I’m off to a flying start today as well.

I’ve got chicken cooked & ready for lunch, carrots and apples as snacks between clients, and vegetables & turkey breast fillets ready for a stir-fry this evening. As far as eating goes, planning is definitely the key for me…

As it’s day 14 I’m officially allowed a ‘cheat’ meal today. A ‘cheat’ meal allows you to eat/drink any of the items that have been eliminated from your diet for the past 14 days, for one meal only. This becomes a weekly feature from now on. The idea behind this is to:

• reset the body’s metabolism by disturbing the pattern of eating it has started to get used to
• help you to stay with the clean eating plan long term
• remind you how bad you feel when you go back to eating the way you used to!

I was thinking over the weekend what I would have for my cheat meal and failed to come to any decision. I’ve been eating this way for almost a year now so I am really not missing anything. My cheats over the summer months were always Magnum ice creams (the dark chocolate one!) and often more than once per week…so that urge is well and truly out of my system now!

I’ll let you know what I decided to go for – and how I felt afterwards… x

Day 13 – 9th October:

I’ve had a pretty good couple of days since I last posted on here.

I’ve finished phase one of the cleanse & detox process. I had my last dose of the cleansing supplements on Thursday and now the focus is on restoring good bacteria which may have been lost as part of the cleanse. This comes in the form of bifidophilus supplements which are taken with meals twice a day.

I’m still on track with the clean diet. I just had one brief urge to buy chocolate when I stopped for petrol on Thursday (I resisted!!) but other than that I am craving-free and enjoying trying new foods.

The cooked chicken worked really well as a snack last week so I’ve just cooked a whole load more and it’s in the fridge ready to go! I took some to work along with carrots and apples and felt really good all day. Obviously it would be better to have a balanced lunch but that’s not always possible when I’m out & about with clients, so I just make sure I’ve got the right snacks available and then make myself a bowl of mixed salad when I get home.

This past week has been a very busy one and I have not felt as energetic as I did for the first week on the cleanse program. In particular I have felt tired a few times, my skin doesn’t feel so good and I have felt as though I may be starting with a sore throat. However, I feel a bit brighter today and I’m looking forward to seeing how I feel over the next week once the bifidophilus kicks in.

Exercise sessions have been very sporadic this week – I ran on Tuesday, didn’t get any Pilates practice done on Wednesday and felt too tired for an early workout on Thursday…but I did have a great whole body workout yesterday when I spent 2-3 hours digging compost into very heavy clay, so it’s not all bad! I also followed a Fitness Pilates DVD this morning which was an fantastic start to the day.

This week I plan to:

• re-do my bleep test on Monday (aiming for higher than level 6!)
• practice Pilates on Tuesday afternoon
• home interval workout on Thursday morning
• sprint drills on Friday morning
• practice Pilates on Sunday morning

I’ll keep you posted on how I get on… x

Day 10 – 6th October:

Slightly chaotic day yesterday with regards food….my son and 7 friends took over the kitchen & dining room so they could host their own version of ‘Come Dine With Me’ so getting near the cooker was very difficult!

I had a ‘packed’ breakfast of cold chicken, spinach, rocket, watercress, tomatoes and olive oil, which was eaten between clients and bootcamps.

No matter what I’m doing or where I have to be I always make sure I have access to a breakfast high in protein & greens. For me this is so important that I’ll get up at silly o’clock if necessary to prepare my breakfast and pack it into a box ready to go. Over the past year I’ve leaned that if I get my breakfast right I don’t spend the rest of the day chasing cravings and negotiating energy peaks and troughs.  

My other key is to carry snacks with me so I always take apples, raw carrots and nuts to eat on the go. I could eat apples forever but I try to include carrots to reduce the amount of sugar I’m getting and to vary the fibre intake. I’m not great with nuts but find I can cope with a few hazelnuts or almonds from time to time.

So yesterday started with my packed breakfast, followed by 2 carrots and 2 apples over the course of the day. I found enough space in the oven to cook a whole red tilapia at around 4pm – but sadly got distracted by work and didn’t sit down to eat it until 5.15pm by which time it had been out of the oven a while (I like my food piping hot!) and the boys had used up the last of the olive oil so I had no dressing for my salad…

I didn’t eat again until CDWM was over and by then I wasn’t really interested in a meal (and there was no clear surface in the kitchen so prepare anything!) but I was still hungry so I had my favourite ‘meal replacement’ of 2 chopped apples with about 3 tbs natural yoghurt.

Not a great day for eating – but today will be better….maybe! I have a really long day ahead working a solid 12 hours with just one break between 4.15-5.15pm so some planning is definitely required.

I’m off to a flying start with alkalising salts, my detox capsules and a cup of green tea! Breakfast will be turkey & eggs and I’ll take some cooked chicken with me to snack on along with my usual fruit and carrots. I’ve already got salmon out of the freezer for dinner later on and we’ll have that with some roast vegetables (marrow, red onions, butternut squash, carrots & leeks) so in theory it’s all good.

It says in my diary that I’m doing a workout right now – clearly not the case – and I’m struggling to find time for enough exercise at the moment. Obviously my job keeps me generally fit but I don’t set aside time for my fitness often enough so that is definitely an on-going target for me.

On a positive note, I’m doing really well at getting to bed by 11pm. Previously I would sit up watching rubbish on the TV but I’m now making a concerted effort to go to bed instead. I’m not sure I’m really feeling the benefits yet but it definitely feels like a positive step to have taken.

I’ll update you again tomorrow x

Day 8 – 4th October:

Feeling much better this morning – 8 hours good sleep have worked their magic!

I’m going to do some shuttle runs before my 9am bootcamp today so I’ve already had breakfast and done some Pilates exercises to mobilise my spine. (I ran 2.4km (12 laps of the football field) in a not very impressive 16 minutes 42 seconds so I’ll work on bringing the time down over the next few weeks…)

My working day is not quite so busy today so I will set aside some time for food preparation to get me through the week. Although I try to shop well and only have nutritious food in the house, I often fall down by not planning ahead and preparing meals in advance. I’ve always said I’d like to have a magic fridge that was always full of freshly prepared food, so I guess I need to make that happen today….!

I had an hour and a half between clients at lunchtime so I did a quick shop and got cooking – 12 chicken thighs cooked, picked and in the fridge; a huge pan full of turkey chilli ready to freeze down in individual portions and a whole load of minced pork waiting to be transformed (not strictly part of the detox but I decided it was a better option that minced beef – sadly no minced turkey available today).

For the turkey chilli, I sauteed 3 chopped red onions in coconut oil until soft; then added 1-2 tsp each of hot chilli powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, 1 inch piece fresh ginger (grated), 2 cloves of garlic (finely sliced) and mixed well. I used turkey breast steaks and diced them before adding to the pan. Once the meat was seared I added sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, 4 tins of chopped tomatoes, 1 tin of drained and rinsed canellini beans and a squeeze of tomato puree. I left it covered and simmering for about 60-70 minutes in total. Finally, I removed the lid and increased the heat to allow the sauce to reduce and thicken. Job done!! Fabulous served with cooked quinoa and a side salad.

Here’s my food diary for the day:

Breakfast (7am) - detox capsules with chlorophyll supplement & water; pan-fried turkey breast steak on a  bed of raw spinach, watercress & tomato dressed with olive oil; cup of green tea

Lunch (1.30pm) – detox capsules; left over vegetable stew with feta cheese on top; picked at chicken when it came out of the oven

Evening meal (6.50pm) - detox capsules; bowl of turkey chilli with cooked quinoa

Snacks – 2 apples between clients, 1 carrot late afternoon, small portion of turkey chilli after cooking (just to check it was ok!)

Drinks – 5-6 cups green tea; 1 litre water

Hmmmm! Seems to be lots of turkey in my diet today…and I didn’t even like it until about a year ago?! Note to self – variety might be good – think I’ll go for some fish tomorrow!

G’night x

Day 7 – 3rd October:

Seems like the energy bubble burst a little this afternoon….

The day started really well – early bootcamp at 6.15am and then home for a shower & breakfast. Remembered to take my Nature’s Sunshine cleanse capsules and then enjoyed pan-fried turkey breast fillet, scrambled eggs, raw spinach and tomato, followed by a chopped apple with natural yoghurt.

Then I hit the road and was out with clients until 4.15pm…which was possibly the root of the problem. Over the course of the day, in between clients, I ate about 60g hazelnuts and three apples. When I got home I took my next dose of capsules and rushed a portion of cold stir-fried vegetables and chicken. By 5pm I was struggling to stay awake and my head was aching – I’m not used to feeling like that!

I rallied a little before teaching my 7pm class and then came home to a bowl of mixed vegetables which I topped with feta cheese.

So what have I learned from today?

• plan better for when I’m out & about
• drink more while I’m out during the day (I felt dehydrated this afternoon)
• don’t eat so many apples – even if they are free & delicious!!

To be honest, I’m surprised to feel this way today as I’ve been feeling so good for the last few days. But I started this cleanse & detox for a reason and I’m happy to accept this as part of the process – anything worth having is worth working for! My ultimate goal is to have the best nutrition I can for optimum health and I expect there will be a few more bad days along the way, but it’s all part of the journey.

Tomorrow’s a new day so I’m going to have a good night’s sleep and get right back on track. Ill let you know how it goes….

Jane x

Day 6 – 2nd October 2011:

Happy to report that there have been no adverse side effects at all from the cleanse capsules I’ve been taking since Tuesday. I was slightly anxious what the effect would be but it is all good. 

The real difference seems to be a really good, consistent energy level throughout the day. Although my energy levels have been consistent for the past year since I radically changed my eating habits, I don’t think that I have had this much energy before, particularly as this has been a full-on, busy week at work.

The other really positive side effect for me has been that I have made a more concerted effort to add new foods into my diet. This weekend I bought and cooked fresh octopus and I added fresh ginger to a stir fry this evening. The stir-fry was great – I used leeks, pak choi, fine green beans, sugar snap peas, broccoli, ginger, garlic & asparagus – and served it with shredded chicken thigh meat. Before my son dug in to the pan I siphoned off a portion for my breakfast or lunch tomorrow – I love it when there’s something in the fridge ready to eat!

I also visited a local farm today to pick apples straight from the tree. Obviously apples are nothing new but I have always opted for store-bought, non-English apples rather than local ones because, strange as it may sound, I don’t like the really ‘appley’ smell that ‘farm’ apples usually have. My mind has been changed today and I will go out of my way to find local apples in future – once I’ve got through today’s haul!

For the week ahead I’m going to:

• make sure I focus on getting to bed on time…I missed my 11pm target a couple of times this week so I’m going to make sure I improve on this over the next 7 days
• get ahead so that I can have next Saturday afternoon & all day Sunday off work
• use my foam roller at least every other day
• practice Pilates at least twice
• celebrate the first anniversary of my business by giving fresh, local apples to all my bootcampers and class participants tomorrow – I figure that they can’t have cake while I’m on a detox!!

Anyway, time to work on the first one of those and get myself into bed – I’ll post again soon x

Day 4 – 30th September 2011:

Just going to bed and remembered I had this to do so here I am at the end of a long, busy day breaking two of my own rules – the one about not using the laptop in bed and the other one about not using the computer in the last hour before you need to sleep!! However, I’ll be quick & I’ve dimmed the screen so here goes…

I cannot believe how much energy I’ve had today! It’s been a hectic week and there’s still a full working day tomorrow but so far I’m cruising through it. My head feels calm and clear, my mental focus is good and my energy is consistent. Long may it continue!

I had a great little workout this morning, using my TRX suspension trainer and some shuttle runs on the local football pitch. Heres’ what I did:

• TRX warm-up & stretch (inc. single leg chest press, side lunge to curtsy lunge (same leg repeating), narrow row)
• 60m shuttles (there & back) – 2 x jog/run; 2 x side step/run; 1 x run/run
• Rest 60 seconds & repeat shuttle sequence
• TRX suspended lunge with knee lift
• TRX power pulls
• TRX planks – mixture of abduction, pendulum, pike and crunches
• TRX stretches & done!

The eating is still going well. I’m trying to be a bit more experimental and try new things so today I tried pan-fried fresh Cornish sardines for lunch. To be honest they weren’t really my kind of fish (too many bones) but the flavour was good and it was cool to try something new. For dinner tonight I made a vegetable stir-fry (in coconut oil of course) with pak choi (another new cooking experience), garlic, green beans, mushrooms and red onion – it tasted really good with pan-fried sliced chicken breast fillet nestled on top.

I slipped up by forgetting to take my 3rd dose of detox capsules this evening – too busy cooking – and they need to be taken on an empty stomach so I’ve missed that dose and will add it on at the end of my 10 days.

Tomorrow will be challenging as I’m out with back-to-back clients from 6.30am to 1.30pm. Planning is crucial on days like this so I’ll be getting up early enough to cook turkey breast & eggs for breakfast – I’ll either eat early or (more likely) pack it in a box and eat it a bit later on while I’m out & about. I’ll also be taking some nuts, raw carrots and apples to snack on while I’m driving between clients. While I’m out I’ll be drinking the chlorophyll supplement in my water.

Anyway, whatever you’re doing this weekend, try to stay healthy & have fun

Jane x

PS laptop going off in 10 seconds!!

Day 3 – 29th September 2011:

Great start to the day today!

I was asleep just after 11pm and woke at 7.20pm – I usually tend to sleep for 6 hours a night so this was a rare ‘lie-in’ for me!

After a cup of green tea with lemon and time for yesterday’s crossword and idoku puzzle, I had a workout in the garden before breakfast.

I did a 20 minute interval session, alternating skipping with weights and core training, 1 minute of each. I used 3kg dumbbells and I also used my pelvicore  ball trainer throughout the workout. The pelvicore ball is a small inflatable ball surrounded by strong elastic which is worn around the thighs so that it creates resistance when legs move – the idea is that it activates the core muscles subconsciously and it’s a great addition to most workouts. I’m a real believer in multi-plane, holistic exercises which use as many different muscles as possible so this little toy ticks lots of boxes!

Here’s what I did:

• Full body roll downs & upper body extension x 4-5
• Skipping 1 minute / wide squats with biceps curls
• Skipping 1 minute / diagonal lunge with ankle reach
• Skipping 1 minute / side to side lunges with ankle reach
• Skipping 1 minute / alternate wide to narrow squats keeping legs bent throughout
• Skipping 1 minute / reverse rotational lunge
• Skipping 1 minute / plank hold (feet wide)
• Skipping 1 minute / shoulder bridge with alternate leg extensions
• Skipping 1 minute / push up with row & rotation
• Skipping 1 minute / internal rotation squat with torso rotation
• Skipping 1 minute / stretch / shower!

I’m loving today!! Feeling full of energy even though I’ve been dashing about training clients all day; loving the sunshine and looking forward to my Gyrokinesis class in 30 minutes. Gyrokinesis is like seated Pilates and it’s great for mobilising the spine and hips, whilst engaging the core muscles – I always leave feeling lighter and more open.

Food diary:

On waking – green tea with lemon

Breakfast (9.20am) – glass of water with detox capsules and chlorophyll supplement; homemade turkey burger, pan-fried in coconut oil, on a bed of spinach, watercress, rocket, avocado, drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice; braeburn apple; green tea with lemon

Snacks between clients – 2 apples

Snack (1pm) – no time for full lunch so just had 2 small cold chicken breasts and an apple

Lunch (3.10pm) – glass of water with detox capsules & chlorophyll supplement; mixed salad (spinach, parsley, green lettuce, avocado, golden cherry tomatoes, olive oil & lemon juice) with reheated leftovers from last night; green tea with lemon

Evening meal – I’m out for my class and then to meet new clients shortly so I won’t be free until 8.30pm. That’s a bit late for a full meal so I will probably have my detox supplements and a bowl of chopped apples, mixed berries and natural yoghurt when I get back.

Tomorrow:

I’ve found a gap between clients tomorrow morning so the plan is do do some shuttle runs on the local football pitch to try & improve my CV fitness and running endurance so i can beat my bleep test score next time…

Have a good evening – catch up soon x

 

Day 2 – 28th September 2011:

Very excited today to receive my ‘active living nutrition’ manual in the post today. It’s packed with loads of information to support me through this detox process. Although I’ve been following most of the eating guidelines for most of the year, there’s some extra detail about food alkalinity which will help me to make further positive changes. and the manual also gives day-by-day meal plans , recipes and shopping lists. I’ll be having a good read of it later for some new meal ideas…

One simple tip included in the manual is to add a squeeze of  fresh lemon juice to every glass of water which helps to alkalise the blood so that it is better able to carry oxygen and nutrients into the organs, and carry waste and toxins away from the organs. How clever is that?!

My meals today have been as follows:

Breakfast (7.30am) – detox capsules, glass of water with chlorophyll supplement; turkey breast steak pan-fried in coconut oil, 3 scrambled (free range) eggs, spinach, watercress and rocket leaves; cup of green tea with lemon

Snack (8.10am in car) – golden delicious apple

Snack (9.45am in car) – golden delicious apple

Lunch (12 pm) – 2 (small) cold chicken breasts; cup of green tea with lemon (I wouldn’t normally eat lunch this early but I was hungry today – very unusual for me); handful of almonds and hazelnuts

Snack (3.15pm) – detox capsules, glass of water with chlorophyll supplement, 1 braeburn & 1 golden delicious apple, chopped, with 4 tbs organic, natural, full fat yoghurt; cup of green tea with lemon

Snack (5.30pm) – two small carrots and hummus

Evening meal (7.45pm) -  detox capsules with glass of water; chicken breast pan-fried in coconut oil with fresh tomato & garlic sauce, quinoa and side salad (spinach, red & green lettuce, avocado, olive oil); mixed berries with natural yoghurt

Extra drinks – 3-4 cups of green tea with lemon over the course of the evening

I haven’t really noticed any changes yet, other than feeling hungry today. I’m still feeling energetic even though I didn’t have much more than 5 hours sleep last night (must improve on this one!!)

Hope you’ve had a good day too

Jane

Day 1 – 27th September 2011:

So I started today by taking my measurements and getting my (horrified) son to take a few photos of me (in my bikini!!) so that I had a really good idea of where I was starting from. Read on to see my results (& photos!!) and my goals for the month ahead.

Photographs:

I probably hate having my photograph taking more than most people so this was a big deal for me but I knew it was an important part of my journey. I’m sharing my pictures with you not to be an exhibitionist but just to hold me accountable. I’m not pleased with everything I see here but I know that the photos in 4 weeks time will be easier for me to look at!! Here goes…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As well as recording my starting point, these photos also help me to be brutally honest with myself about the areas of my body that I want/need to address! So based on what I see my goals for the next month are to:

• continue to address muscle imbalances by focusing primarily on my upper back, hamstrings & glutes (I tend to be quad dominant and this causes havoc with my posture)
• losing fat off my thighs – definitely carrying too much weight here!

Measurements:

I have also taken some key measurements, as follows:

• chest (nipple level) – 35″ / 89cm
• waist (narrowest point) - 29″ / 74cm
• waist (belly button level) – 32″ / 81cm
• hips (widest part) – 39″ / 99cm
• thighs (widest part) – R: 23″ / 58.5cm  L: 22.5″ / 57cm

I don’t have any specific goals regarding my measurements although I’d like to see less of a gap between the chest & thigh measurements…as the chest is very unlikely to get bigger (!) I’ll focus on the hip circumference :0)

I don’t have a set of scales so I don’t know what I weigh. However, my weight doesn’t fluctuate much and I tend to hover somewhere around 10 and a half stone.

Fitness:

To give myself a starting point I performed a bleep test this morning…! As I haven’t been exercising hard for a while it came as a bit of a shock to the system and I reached only level 6.

Having done the test twice I felt really great by the time I got home and it reminded me how good it feels to push myself. So this brings me to my fitness goals for the month ahead:

• 2 x 30 minute interval training sessions per week (1 min skipping alternated with 1 min DB exercises)
• continue with the Gyrokinesis session that I attend each week
• practice Fitness Pilates at least once per week to further develop my core & get to grips with this new activity
• repeat the bleep test in 2 weeks and 4 weeks time

Wellbeing:

On top of the physical goals I have set myself, I also intend to use this month to focus on my mental health. Because I love what I do and tend to allow myself to be over-run by work and I have recently started to address this so that I work smarter and ring-fence some ‘me-time’ every week. It’s early days but I have already made some small changes & I plan to continue with this.

My specific goals for this month are to:

• ring-fence every Sunday and one afternoon/evening a week as work-free time
• learn more about mindfullness and start putting it into practice
• be in bed by 11pm every night

So there you have it – my plans for the month ahead in glorious technicolour! Apologies for the photos – the next lot will be nicer, I promise!!

I’ll post again tomorrow…

Jane x

Detox overview:

Hi – welcome to my first post about the detox programme I have started today!

I have recently signed up as an Independent Distributor of Nature’s Sunshine health supplements and decided to try out the Nature’s Sunshine ‘healthy starter programme’ so that I could gain first hand knowledge about the products.

The heatlhy starter programme includes:

• herbal supplements for digestive, colon, liver, urinary tract and circulatory health
• liquid chlorophyll supplement to refresh, rehydrate & alkalise
• bifidophilus capsules to restore intestinal micro-organisms

I have always been facsinated in nutrition & health and took steps last year to radically clean up my diet. I wasn’t personally looking for a huge level of fat loss (although I have definitely noticed some positive changes to my body shape) but was more interested in stabilising my energy levels which used to swing from high to low very rapidly & very frequently during a normal day. Thanks to these changes in my eating habits my energy levels are now constantly high, I sleep well & I wake feeling refreshed and ready to go. I feel healthy & alive.

This detox is the next stage of the journey for me. I am interested to see how much healthier I can feel and how much leaner I can get over the course of the next month. I decided to share the journey with you for two reasons:

• it makes me accountable to someone! I think we all need to feel accountable in order to achieve our goals, and sharing this with you means I can’t back out if it becomes a bit tricky along the way…
• so that you can see what the process involves in case you feel it would be beneficial for you to try the detox at a later date

I hope you’ll enjoy following my progress over the next month.

I’ll be posting my ‘before’ photographs & measurements later…!!

Jane x