Taking chances, making changes

How is everyone? I'm scared to admit but I'm feeling pretty good. The reason why I am scared to admit is because I haven't felt well in a long time. I have been eating clean since a week, and I notice the difference. I've had no artifical/added sugar, only from fruits, and it makes such a big difference. I have always been sensitive towards eating foods with sugar, as cookies, pie, cake, sweets and so many more things I love(d). But whenever I would eat such a thing I would feel on top of the world for 30 minutes, and afterwards I just wanted to lay in bed. This got me thinking..if that is the result, how healthy is it for my body and mind? I don't feel sluggish anymore..well thats a first! And you know, there are really nice recipes out there to eat clean and not feel hungry or like a rabbit. 

Healthy Living #4

Most of us probably eat if everyday…fruit. But why? And which fruit is beneficial for what health issue? Find out more…

All about vitamins

I don't know about you, but whenever commercials are playing on TV I start to feel unhealthy. Ads about everything, ranging from carbs making you fat to shoes that will help you to loose weight. But what seems to be a real booming business is the little bottle with pills that will make your life even better…called vitamins. Who has time to to cook a well balanced meal everyday to ensure they get everything they need to stay healthy. Well, these tiny things will help you out…or will they?

Healthy living #3 weightloss

As I wrote in my first post of 2014, this new year meant some changes for myself, including to lose weight. I can honestly say that on new years (eve) and the first of January I had no resolutions at all. I thought it was complete bull because if I wanted something to change I would do it already. However, two days later I was thinking about 2013. This was just an awful year for me, the hardest, disappointing year. I couldn't wait to leave that all behind. That morning I was standing in my room and looked at myself in the mirror. Not just for a second, but for minutes. Who was this girl that I was looking at. The sad eyes, the body that I didm't recognized. What had I done to my body? What crap did I feed it the past six months. I was embarrassed and ashamed.

I had a hard time recognizing the girl I used to be. I gained over 15 pounds in just 4 months, unfortunately not muscles, but fat. I didm't recognize my face, and my love handles were bigger than ever. Well, lets just say that this was a huge wake up call. From that day on, 17 days ago, I am eating clean. I have lost 5 pounds and am slowly starting to get some confidence. I will get back into sports, but don't want to start to soon. In the past I would stop eating and work out like crazy, but that never worked. So this time I am taking it slow.

Healthy living #2 - mental health

One of my most read posts is about healthy living, which can be found  here. This was mostly about eating the right foods and working out to stay healthy (and happy). However, those two things will not lead to the ultimate health that you want. Another big aspect, which might be even more important than physical health is your mental health. Diseases that have to do with your mind can impair your life in big ways and many people are not aware of this. You might be having a hard time, or someone at work is affected by depression. The big difference between most physical and mental disabilities is the visibility of them. Your mental health is often not seen from the outside; family or friends may not know you are suffering. Sometime you are not even aware of your own state of mind. It can be years before you are diagnosed with bipolar or anxiety. When we don't feel well we often don't think that this has to do with our own mental health. However, sometimes we have to look beyond the usual headache.

Post detox

This post is later than planned, but due to personal circumstances I was not able to update. 

So last week I did a 5 day detox, just to try it out. I did not make use of any professional guidance, but did my research on the internet and the library and found the right recipes and tips. 

Overall it was harder than I thought it would be. The most difficult day was definitely day 2, and maybe day 3. During day 2 I thought about quitting like a 1000 times. My body was craving carbs and peanutbutter. I was wondering why I was doing this and found about 100 excuses why I should just stop and have a big feast. I cannot even put into words how bad I wanted to stop and why on earth I thought this was a good idea. I decided to just go to bed, as this would take my mind of the thing that was on my mind: Fooood!

However, I did not stop, and as this day went by it became easier. I noticed that during the week I became less present, as my head was kind of empty. I didn't really interact and felt sleepy.  However, I could feel that my body was 'enjoying' it. And one positive outcome was my face. It started glowing and when I told my mom that I did a detox the past week she said she could tell by my face. It was more shining and looked healthy. 

After the detox I noticed that I my stomach was full much quicker, however after a week I have my before appetite again.  ( It was a nice feeling, I think I will try to eat smaller meals. I have the tendency to eat three big meals because I like that feeling. However, this can result in an addiction, and you can make those three big meals into 6 each day. Therefore eating smaller portions will be much better for me personally.)

I would recommend something like this after your work or school is over. Take a week off, have no meetings or gym appointments and treat yourself on raw spinach, lettuce and apples. I will do this again when I feel I had a busy period or had too much junk to eat. For next time I will plan something to do on day 2. Because I was by myself I had the temptation to go to the store and buy food. Being around people that are aware of your detox, they will be able to motivate you and stop you from taking decision you will regret later on.  

(And for the people wanting to loose weight by a detox, I lost like two pounds, but they are back again )

Detox - day 1

Today was the first day of my detox, and I was a bit worried what to expect. It was both better and worse than expected. I got 2 questions, one concerning making juices and another about prices.  At the moment I don't have a blender/mixer, so therefore I bought juices that consists of only fruits. And this goes together with the second question, whether or not it is expensive. It can cost as much as you allow yourself. 

For this weeks groceries I got lettuce, spinach, advocados, lemon juice (2x), lime juice, 3 limes, oranges, cilantro, celery, cervil, 5x pure fruit juice, watermelon, apples and a different kind of lettuce for 23 dollars. I think this is alright as that is just a little more on what I spend on groceries (usually 17). But again, it is up to what you think you want or need. Most expensive for me were the fruit juices. As I cannot blend anything I need to buy them..however it is always more expensive in the store, especially if you want the clean juice, without any sugar. The store needs more fruit for that, so it is going to cost some more.

Breakfast
This morning I had a mash up of two fruit juice drinks. They were natural, so nothing added but the pure fruit, like a smoothie. I had a mix of red fruit and orange juice. The first one contained strawberries, blackberries and cherries. Together with the orange juice it was actually quite tasty... this accounted for around 13 ounces. 

Lunch

For lunch I had a salad consisting of :
- ice berg lettuce
- raw spinach leaves
- three slices of lime
- half of an avocado
- cilantro
- celery
- chervil
- +/- 12 cherry tomatoes
- squeezed lemon juice as dressing

I am not a fan of the cilantro, celery and chervil (C^3), but have read several times that they are good to use when detoxing. Too bad that I cannot mix anything, otherwise I didn't have to taste them. (This took me like 30 minutes to eat...not sure why)

Snack

About 1.5 hrs after I had lunch my stomach was asking for food. Therefore I ate half an orange and some slices of watermelon. (Watermelon was not that yummy yet, we need more sun). A little after this I had a glass of juice consisting of apple, pear and raspberry, which was very yummy but not that filling. 

Dinner

I had the same salad as I had for lunch, expect not the 3 C's...I am trying to open up to their taste but it might take some time before we are friends. I also had a glass of warm water and lemon. 

Feelings

About 30 minutes after lunch my stomach started to irritate. After that it settled, but it didn't take long before it was hungry again. What I don't like is that you cannot really control  your blood sugar levels. Fruit is high in (natural) sugar, which gives you a high. But a little while after, you land back down and it really hits you. You start feeling sleep, lazy and don't feel like doing anything. So I have to find a good balance between what I can eat and avoid getting such a high. Apart from feeling drowsy I am actually alright...Although I can tell my body is already craving a peanutbutter sandwich. Oh man...this is going to be a loooong week.

Detox

I actually wanted to do a detox over Christmas break because during the fall semester it was hard to take care of myself. I had lots of energydrinks, coffee, salty foods and products with artifical sugars (diet coke etc.) As the spring semester is ending, I have three weeks left with no exams..I thought it be a good idea to try it out. I have read a lot about it, searched for recipes and decided to try as hard as I can. 

I know a lot of companies and people are out there offering and selling detox plans, supplements etc. But honestly, I think that is BS. You can figure it out on your own, so much information is available on the internet. Not only do I hope to clean my body, but my mind as well. So many negative thoughts and feeling; perhaps if I feel better physically, my mind will also feel better. Besides that, I think it will have great benefits for my liver, kidney and other organs that need to be taken care of.

Food and Exercise

For the past four days I have consumed less products as coffee (only drinking water) and eating fruits and veggies. I don't want my body to go in total shock, and normally I already eat healthy so I think it will be alright. As far for my energy levels I cannot do my regular exercise routines. I will do yoga and less intense pilates, so just to keep up and stay in shape. In one way this detox is a perfect excuse not having intense workouts, although I will miss them. 

I will post everyday as I am doing this detox, for atleast 5 days. Posting pictures and blogging about what I have or will eat(en). As though I want to encourage everyone to take care of their bodies, I am not telling you to do this. I am just curious and want to try it out. I will talk about my experience, how I feel and whether I would recommend it. If you feel like joining, feel free to do so. We can encourage and motivate each other. But please do read into it..and prepare yourself and your body. If you are a hardcore drinker of coffee, energydrinks, alchohol or soda's you probably want to take it slow. And plan it in a week where you don't have (too many) appointments, exams or phyiscal activities taking place. 

But...

Also, I am not doing this to loose weight, but to cleanse my body. Just wanted to point that out. If you want to loose weight you should probably change your lifestyle rather than crashing it. Also, I kind of invented my own diet; I took 'approperiate' foods and play with it. There is no existing meal plan I am following as they are pretty costly. 

So in this picture I want to point out that this isn't a diet. You can have a look at the differences and decided for yourself. In the end it is about taking  care of yourself and fueling your body with the right nutrients. 

Body image

I was talking with one of my friends the other day about how our view on what we perceive as ''beautiful'' has changed over the years. In the early days people were rich and fertile when they carried some extra pounds, and now it is exactly the opposite. I have to admit I let it affect myself more than I would like to admit. 

Looking at this picture, I absolutely love it. Girls in different sizes, with an smile on their face. Isn't that whats important in life? But then how did we get such different expectations on our looks. Why do we advertise that people with a size 0 are happier and more successful in life, let alone healthier. In the end it is about taking care of your own body and fueling it with the energy and nutrients it needs to grow strong. It is such a shame that the media is telling all of us to loose some pounds. Maybe for health reasons yes, not for someone else. But when we are healthy and happy, there is no need to change anything about our looks! Why do magazines and celebrities show us so many unhealthy choices? Our body is a temple, we only have one and need to care for it. 

I found this picture on the internet and wish I'd found it when I was younger. Read it, and perhaps save it onto your computer. Have a look at it every once in a while. I made a list of the things I like about my body, and some things I am insecure about. I focus on the things I like, even though that is harder than point out your 'negative' sides. 

At last I want to say that every person is beautiful, unfortunately the media has created this 'perfect' human being that does not exist but we should all strive for. This is sad and it takes a lot for a person to feel comfortable in their own skin. When I notice an insecure person, I like to give them a compliment about something. A genuine one. It can literally save a person from throwing up, or not eating their dinner that night. Tell a random stranger or a distant friend this week a positive compliment. This might be the only positive thing they will hear that week. 

With love,

a not size 0 -Jessica