Could you stay the course of a 30-day purification ritual to turn your body into a temple?
I was feeling tired and sluggish, still carrying an extra kilo or so from Christmas and had lost the motivation to hit the gym. I was also conscious that I was having a glass of wine more often than was good for me – not hard when the recommended allowance is half a glass a day – and that I was piling on the concealer to disguise the shadows under my eyes even after I’d had an early night.
So I decided to detox. The month-long program combined a restricted diet with daily physical and relaxation therapies. The diet banned salt, sugar, dairy, meat, eggs and refined grain products and anything with wheat in it, substituting instead fruit, nuts, seeds, vegetables, sheep and goat milk products and some fish. The biggest challenge was not being able to drink tea – it’s my universal panacea for just about everything, although I do also drink the mandatory 1.5 litres of filtered water required by the detox program.
The physical therapies included skin brushing, hydrotherapy (cold water showers) and self massage twice a day, exfoliation twice a week and a professional therapeutic treatment every six days, as well as at least 20 minutes’ daily exercise.
Week 1
I eased myself into the program by gradually adopting my new regime in the week before. On the last day before the 1st of the month I booked a Gatineau facial with follow-up weekly peels and drank my last small glass of vino. Over the next week I missed my cuppas but didn’t find the diet difficult to follow. Dinner with a friend at a Japanese restaurant included sashimi and buckets of rice tea while we chatted and nibbled a seaweed salad.
To my surprise I didn’t miss alcohol at all. I tricked myself by having a Virgin Mary after work each day and it worked! Just goes to show how much of a habit drinking can be. I did experience some pretty savage headaches, though, apparently a typical early response to cutting out all the naughty things we’re so used to.
Week 2
At the end of my first week I was rewarded by noticing (in the mirrors at the gym) that the skin on my arms, legs and chest had developed the detox glow. At the same time one of my colleagues told me I was looking well. ‘Your face looks brighter,’ she said. This was all I needed to hear to ensure I ordered a healthy salad and mineral water during a business lunch with a client.
By now I was completely used to drinking herbal teas, juices and mineral water, having brown rice with everything and snacking on dried fruit and nuts whenever I had a sugar craving. I did feel a bit tired. Apparently what you need to do is eat more, but I struggled to eat everything on the daily list anyway. For my physical therapy I had an aromatherapy massage. Mmm… very relaxing.
Week 3
Even the skin on my hands was much softer and in spite of my usual slow circulation they looked smooth and even-toned, like the rest of my body. I also felt much calmer. On the negative side, I was still experiencing loose bowels from the drastic change in diet, but not to a serious extent.
Not only did I happily decline cake and a glass of wine at work, but my detox survived a meal with friends at a Filipino restaurant where I drank fresh coconut juice and had the most wonderful seafood broth, delicately flavoured with ginger, and a sticky black rice dessert. This week’s treat is a Formostar Far Infrared Body Wrap to encourage the elimination of toxins and breakdown of fat cells.
Week 4
Two people comment that I have lost weight and it’s true my clothes are looser. The main thing is my tummy is flatter, and the usual compression marks from wearing socks are much less apparent. And, I realise, I have lost that sluggish feeling. I’m swimming my 30 lengths at the pool more easily and going to the gym is no longer a big effort.
On the last day of my detox I indulge in a slice of double mud birthday cake at work. Delicious! That night I have a date, and consume three glasses of champagne and some Vietnamese caramelised chicken. It’s too much too soon and I pay the price over the next few days with a couple of pimples, which just goes to prove I am now a purified woman.
Post detox my skin has never looked better, my cellulite has diminished and I feel balanced and serene. I’ve broken a whole lot of bad habits and established some really good ones that I’m going to stick with. Was it difficult? To be honest, the last week was the hardest. You do have to be very disciplined in social situations but the weekly treats help to keep you going and the obvious visible results are a great incentive. In fact, I’m going to do it again… next year.
