Overdue Thursday

It is about time I wrote a post about what I experienced on the juice cleanse.

So Steven and I did a 3 day colon cleanse and a 1 day kidney cleanse, followed by an apple and carrot juice fast/feast. It was fairly easy and was not a struggle at all. The first 4 days (on the colon and kidney cleanse) were the worst simply for the fact that we were house bound due to needing to use the toilet regularly. It cleans you out and literally gets rid of all of the shit!

We had some good sun over those 4 days, so we lay outside on the grass, which was so good. We found that drinking carrot juice before sun bathing really helped our skin and we had an added glow. Our sunburn healed faster and our skin looked amazing.

The main benefits that I experienced were weight loss, clearer skin and improved bowel movements. 

I started taking a probiotic and this has helped with my digestion and bowel movements, as has incorporating the juice of half a lemon mixed with 500mls of water every morning. 

In January / February I was struggling to be raw and my weight was 10st.5.0, I have been raw since 13th February and upon starting the juice cleanse I weighed 10st.1.2. At the end of the juice cleanse my weight was 9st.10.4. Since I started being 100% raw in February I have gone from 27.5% body fat to 23.4% (at the end of the juice cleanse).

I had a spot problem from October last year and being fully raw has definitely help clear it up, as has sun bathing and the use of a sun bed.

I am very happy with the results from the juice cleanse and I feel like I have had a really good clean on the inside. 

Moving forward I want to start eating juicy fruits for breakfast and leaving the heavier fruits for lunch and dinner. I want to see if eating this way will improve my overall feeling and whether it will affect my weight loss.

Tomorrow I have accepted a challenge of going barefoot. I might write about it, especially as I have to go to Tesco to do some shopping for my Bon Voyage party! I just hope I don't step on any glass or sharp objects.

Jennifer x

What I'm doing Wednesday

3 day colon cleanse

I started another colon cleanse yesterday, my last one being in March. I follow this plan, highly recommended by Steven and myself.

It starts with a pint of prune juice followed by half a pint of juice (apple, carrot, etc) and water every alternate half hour. For example, say you start at 8am with prune juice, you follow with apple juice at 8.30am and then water at 9am. It is recommended that you take 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil too, 3 times a day.

What should happen is that after 2-3 hours you start evacuating your previous days consumption and then eventually the rest of the contents of the colon. Eventually after your first visit to the toilet, which is normally very loose stools, it should become a liquid that you evacuate and this is a constant process so you will need to be resting all day and close to a toilet! The prune juice is supposed to pull the toxins from your system, which is why you do it every morning.

Unfortunately this process is not as quick as going for a colonic, however I do believe this method to be the best way as it avoids unnecessary stress and potential damage to the body. The poop shoot is a one way zone, it's best to keep it that way!

I was considering going for a colonic, but this is by far the most natural way, despite the perceived inconvenience. It is a great way to get some rest, let the body clean itself out and spend three days in your pyjamas catching up on your favourite TV, movies or books! 

If you choose to do this, it is very important that you will make a commitment to a raw food lifestyle. This is ultimately the best diet and I believe that we are naturally fruit and plant eaters. 

My top tips for doing this colon cleanse

1. Prepare your/buy a juicer (I have a standard juicer, but I'd prefer a slow juicer)
2. Prepare your/buy a distiller
3. Stock up on toilet roll
4. Get some extra virgin olive oil
5. Get a muslin cloth to filter the juice
6. Buy your prune juice from the shop - we use Asda's own brand
7. Go to the wholesale market and buy a box of apples (96 apples at least)
8. Make the juice the night before for the following day
9. Filter it until once or twice
10. Get a pint glass and a half pint glass and some bottles to store the juice/water
11. Prepare your TV, films, books, etc
12. Have a bath every night

I have lost 3lbs in the first day and that is likely to be all of the shit (literally) that was in me. Following on from the 3 days I will be juicing for another 10-14 days.

What I hope to gain from this and am seeing results of already

1. Clear skin - no more spots
2. Soft and smoother skin - it's already there, but I imagine it could be like silk
3. Weight loss
4. Improved body odor
5. Mental clarity
6. Increase in energy
7. Better understanding of my body

If you want to experience any of the above then I suggest you do this cleanse and transition to a raw food lifestyle.

For more information just ask me. I shall post an update at the end of my juicing and let you know the results.

Jennifer x

Soulful Sunday

This week was the first of many being unemployed and this is what I did.

Started the week with a spring clean. My aim is to declutter and get rid of most of my things. By the end of it I want only 2 cardboard boxes of possessions and the bag I take with me travelling.

Cleansed my colon. I did a 3 day juice cleans that involved prune juice, distilled water, fresh apple juice and olive oil. Plus a lot of rest! I basically read and watched tv/films for 3 days on the sofa. I consumed 96 juiced apples, 18 tsp olive oil, 2 litres of prune juice and lots of distilled water.

Check it out here.

Cut my hair. I made a post about it yesterday.

Sunbathed. For the first time this year! It was such a beautiful day today and I made the most of it by putting my picnic blanket on the grass and laying in the rays.

I made friends with a cat, spider, ant and lady-bird today!

Nourished my cells with lush raw food. Lots of ripe bananas, berries, dates, spinach and salad. Yum.

My plans for the coming week are to go food shopping and get stuck into TEFL, complete the 7 projects I have left and then revise for the final test. Then I can truly get my teeth stuck into prepping for Thailand/Australia/NZ!!

I really hope that the weather is good this week so I can spend time outdoors whilst on my breaks from studying!

I also want to keep having early nights, getting plenty of sleep and making sure I feel my best.

Jennifer x