Water is the Secret!

Drinking a pint of warm water with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice first thing in the morning is the best way to kick-start your day. It makes you feel wide awake and really cleanses your system and gets you ready for another day of healthy living.

I have started to drink a pint of warm water about 15 minutes before lunch and dinner - drinking it quickly (not sipping it). It makes me feel full up and helps me stick to smaller portions. It has also worked wonders for my skin - it has never looked better.

This must be the cheapest and most effective detox aid ever - and one that I am going to stick with.

Gilly

Detox Continues!

From being somebody who checked only the calorie content of food in the past, I now find myself checking how many preservatives and nasty sounding ingredients are in the food I buy.

Why do I need to eat "disodium 5, ribonucleotides, acacia gum, alpha-tocopherol, clycerol and anticaking agent" in a simple bowl of soup - when I can chop up a few vegetables, cook them for 30 minutes and whiz them in a blender and have real, natural soup?

I can definitely feel the difference in just over three weeks - I know that I won't go back to my old convenience-food eating ways again. I can even think more clearly and feel so much less stressed.

It can be tough to get started but remember you have only one body and to get (and to give) the most out of life you need to keep it healthy. You are worth the effort - go on - give it a go for a few days and you'll see the difference.

Gilly

Progress!

I can't believe how good I feel now after my daily walk - I have even started to jog for a bit of it. My legs ached after the second day of the jogging bit - how unfit was I? But now - after just a week - there's not even a twinge.

Starting next week I am going to do a morning and an evening walking / jogging session - I really feel so energised.

If you are thinking about starting to exercise - just do what I did and you will feel great after a very short time - go on, you owe it to yourself!

Gilly

Week 3 and still going!

The gradual build up in the exercising is working! I comfortably do my 30 min. walk - at increasingly brisk speed - and am really starting to enjoy and look forward to it. I go out about 7:30 pm - just after my dinner. When the weather improves I plan to go out in the morning instead (or maybe as well!). It really gets the blood pumpin' and I think if I could get up early and go out about 6:30 am it would really get me ready for the day ahead. But for now I'll stick to evenings.

The sit ups are not easy - it must be 10 years since I did them. But again I am getting into them gradually.

Here's to week 4!

Gilly

The Exercise Program!

This will be a gradual build up but there will be a maximum of 1 hour a day.

Day 1 - gently does it. A ten minute walk at a brisk pace.
Day 2 - Increase to 20 minutes brisk walking.
Day 3 - 7 - 30 minutes walking at brisk pace plus 10 x 3 sit ups every other day.
Days 8 - 14 - As above plus additional 30 minute every other day - swimming / cycling or stepper machine.

Detox Plan - The Results Are Worth It!

The two week detox plan was a nightmare - but I stuck to it, for the first time in my life! I am bursting with pride and the results speak for themselves. My skin is clear, my eyes are brighter and I have even lost 10 lbs!

I had two small lapses during the two weeks but instead of giving up completely, as I would usually do, I told myself that I could forgive myself and carry on. Am I glad that I perservered? You bet!

Now I waken up in the morning feeling good and ready for anything - when I think how sluggish I was feeling around Christmas I can hardly believe it.

I am ready to get going on my exercise programme and will start off gently and build up slowly. - but I will definitely be sticking to my healthy eating regime - albeit with larger meals and a few treats built in to keep it interesting!

I have even got to like the taste of green tea and have discovered a great tasting green tea with lemon that really refreshes. I still miss my frequent fixes of strong coffee from time to time but I no longer "need" them to keep going - I call that progress.

Wish me luck - I will write up my plans and post them soon.

Detox - Plan of Action

Now for the detail!

The Detox plan will be tough but I am determined to get through the 14 days!

Day 1 - Ease in gradually - afterall it is New Year's Day
Day 2 - The real starting point. Drink only water and eat fruit and salad
Day 3 - Drink only water and eat fruit and salad.
Day 4 - Drink only water - eat fruit, salad and small portion of chicken or fish and two small portions of carbohydrates (wholemeal bread, rice or pasta)
Days 5 - 7 - As per day 4
Days 8 - 14 - As for day 4 - but add green tea x 4 each day

This is THE Year!

1st January 2007 - This is the year that I will achieve the body of my dreams. I solemly resolve to put all the theory that I know into practice - and by 1st July, I will be fit and weight 9 stone 7 pounds!

Does this sound familiar? I reckon if I look at my diary for 1 January 2006 and every year all the way back to 1979, I would have said more or less the same thing.

So with Christmas 2006 fast fading into history - along with all the excess food and drink, I have cleared my mind and am listing out my plan of action.

1 - 14 January - serious detox programme
15 - 29 January - new exercise regime

I will start to compile my To Do (or To Don'ts) lists and keep you posted!

Bye for now - Gilly