Health & Fitness - Day 6 & 7

 

Food and Liquids :

Day 6 - Yesterday

1 liter Juice - celery, pear, cucumber, parsley, lime

1 liter water with green powder

1 big salad with a piece of poached salmon

a handful of cherries

1 glass coconut water

1 liter water with green powder

1 bowl of mixed veggies with quinoa

1 cup of Yogi detox tea

No time yesterday to take any pictures or even blog,

I was occupied with some other things.......

Day 7 - Today

1 liter water with lemon juice

1 pear with almond butter

A wrap with salad filling

a small bowl of quinoa porridge, 

with raisins and raspberries

1 glass coconut water

1 liter water with green powders

1 cup nettle and peppermint tea

I had to rush off this morning and had no time

for Juice!!! 

My first session with a personal trainer at a 

Fitness Studio here in Henley.....

It's been almost two years since I have done

any exercise or movement - so my body

was fast asleep, in deep deep slumber.....

Today it was awakened gently, but very firmly!!
It is wonderful to work with someone,
who perfectly understands where I am coming from,
where I want to go and also where I am at this present
moment - Richard, my personal trainer is a real find,
and I know I am going to enjoy working out with him......

I was starving by the time I got home and felt huge
pangs of hunger - all that physical effort on an
empty stomach probably has an effect like this?! ;-)

 

Now that I will be going to the gym and working out regularly,

I need to move a level higher with my cleansing and detox......

Breakfast - Liquids

Lunch - Balanced healthy solid meal

Snacks - Fruits, nuts, seeds etc

Dinner - Liquids

I have no desire to fix time frames at all,
this way of nourishing myself might last one week
or three weeks.....my body will know when to move on
to a Juice Fast for 3 to 5 to 10 days, who knows.....
right now I don't and I am very comfortable with that :-)

Health & Fitness - Day 5

 

Food and Liquids :

1 liter Juice - celery, romaine, carrot, lime

1 bowl of Raw Ice cream - bananas, blueberries, almond butter

1 liter water with lemon juice

1/2 liter Juice - apple, spinach, lemon

1 small bowl mixed vegetable in coconut curry

1 jowar and rajgiri roti - sorghum and amaranth flatbread

 1/2 liter water with green powder

 

This is seriously good stuff - easy to make and
sugar free, diary free, gluten free - simply fruit and
almond butter for a dollop of good fats and extra taste!

For the recipe, visit The Healthy Plate

 

Udo's choice is really the ultimate oil blend.

Perfect source of Omega fatty acids.....

I just bought a bottle today and will start

adding a spoon in my juice or salads or soups.......... 

I have not yet started seriously detoxing or cleansing

as I am gently transitioning.....I do not have the energy

for intense detox this time - so I'll take it slowly,

give myself a week or even two......and then I will

do a Juice feast :-)

Health & Fitness - Day 4

 

Food and Liquids :

1 liter Juice - apple, spinach, ginger, lemon

1/2 liter water with green powder

1 bowl of Tofu and black eyed beans masala

1 big bag of curly kale crisps

1/2 liter water with lemon juice

1 bowl of Salad - avocado, romaine, tomatoes

with olive oil and lime dressing, nuts and seeds

1 glass almond milk and blueberry smoothie

1/2 liter water with green powder

  

I made kale crisps for the first time two years ago.
in my Excalibur 9 tray Dehydrator.....They got over in less than an hour.....like any other
tasty crisps, once you start eating you can't stop!!!

Today I made the kale crisps in the oven as my dehydrator
is not yet set up in our new home.
And they got over pretty quickly too - I did manage to take
some pics and also put some aside in a box for my daughter :-)

Kale has the highest nutrient density of all greens.
I use it in smoothies but I have never really enjoyed cooked kale
or kale in salads either.......
So crisps are a wonderful way of getting all those green nutrients
inside you in a way that is totally pleasurable!

I'll post the recipe and all the variations on my other blog
The Healthy Plate in a day or two......

Dry Skin Brushing

 

Dry Skin Body Brushing is yet another thing I began to do

two years ago.....this was a time of raw foods, live nutrition,

juice feasting, colonics, enemas, intense cleaning, healing,

regular blogging, poems and scribbles, and transformation.......

This brush is from Body Shop and it is quite suitable....

Brushing eliminates dead skin cells, stimulates the lymphatic 

system, tones the muscles and tightens the skin......

but the best effect of all is that your skin becomes as smooth 

and soft as baby skin!!

Here is a link that explains this Technique very well......

Enjoy!!!!

Health & Fitness - Day 3

 

Food and Liquids :

1 liter Juice - cucumber, celery, carrots, kale, lemon, ginger

1/2 liter water with lemon juice

Salad - raw butternut squash, goats milk yogurt, cucumbers, 

tomatoes, olive oil, sea salt, mixed herbs and chili flakes

Sandwich - spicy chickpea flour pancakes (besan ka chilla)

with tofu, apple, tomatoes, fresh coriander and sea salt

1 liter water with lemon juice

1 glass almond milk and blueberry smoothie with stevia

 

Bright sunshine in Henley today,
with blue skies and not a cloud in sight.
I felt like reaching out and embracing
the warmth and colors of India.
I wanted oranges and golden yellows,
pure whites and reds and a touch of greens......
Something fresh and light and clean,
so I could pretend it was the end of May,
the heat was on, we were waiting for monsoons! :-)

 

I walked for about half an hour with Trevor,

along the river Thames....such a boon that we now live

just five minutes away.....

We moved into this house just a month ago and it is
a pleasure to wander around discovering this small town.
It still feels a bit strange and new, and yet a subtle sensation
of belonging, feeling - This is my town now - and I am going
to live here, work here, make new friends here, be part of
the community, make a new life here......
After years of moving around - different countries, town
and houses - maybe we have finally found our place?

 

In the evening, I had an intense craving for something sweet.

A healthy muffin or a cake, a Quinoa coconut bar, 

avocado chocolate mousse, a black eyed bean brownie?

Today is the third day without anything sweet, 

apart from the orange, carrot, berries, bananas 

in my juices or smoothies.....

Stevia is the only sweetener I will allow myself for a while,
it is a natural green leaf from the sunflower family,
that is zero calorie and has zero affect on blood sugar.
I use it in its crude green powder form, it is around
10- 15 times sweeter than sugar, but one has to use it
carefully, otherwise it leaves a slightly bitter aftertaste.....

Tomorrow I'll write about Dry skin brushing, three days
doing it and my skin feels soft and smooth and so clean,
I LOVE LOVE LOVE body brushing!!!!! :-)

Health & Fitness - Day 2

Food and Liquids :

1 glass coconut water

1 glass spinach and banana smoothie

1/2 liter water with lemon juice

steamed sea bass fillet with tomato salsa and green salad

a handful of cherries and blueberries

1 liter water with lemon juice

red lentils, tofu and vegetable curry soup

1 cup dandelion and mint tea

Green smoothies are a wonderful way to start the day.

They are easy to digest and easily assimilated.

A complete high nutrient food that keep you going

till lunch, and you won't even taste the spinach!!

Smoothie :

Blend together in a high speed blender -
1 ripe Banana
A big handful of fresh Spinach
1 glass of chilled water
a pinch of sea salt
1 teaspoon of almond butter (optional)
1 teaspoon hemp powder (optional)

Almond butter adds the good fats.
and hemp powder is the perfect protein.

I had lunch at a restaurant "Brasserie Gerard" today, 

their steamed sea bass was beautifully done, 

the tomato salsa added just the right touch and flavor,

and the dressing on the salad was light and lemony.....

I wish I'd taken my camera, it looked quite pretty too!

 

I am exhausted tonight, was on my feet for 3 hours shopping for furniture.....

So, even though it was rush rush this morning and I didn't have

the time to do Surya Namaskar, all the walking I did at Ikea

hopefully made up for it.....

Right now I am aiming to get some movement, any movement.....

Next week I have an appointment for a session at a fitness studio

with a personal trainer - now that will take it to another level for sure :-)

Health & Fitness - Day 1

Food and Liquids :

1 glass coconut water

1 liter juice - cucumber, celery, carrot, romaine, lemon

1/2 liter water with lemon juice

1 romaine lettuce wrap, with tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes,

avocado, walnuts and tahini, honey, orange juice dressing

A handful of lychees

1/2 glass coconut water

1/2 liter water with lemon juice

1 bowl steamed broccoli and sweet Potatoes with Quinoa

1 cup nettle and peppermint tea (nettle is high in iron)

I get organic coconut water from the health food store here,

it is a bit expensive but it tastes like fresh coconut water from India,

and I am addicted, what to do? :-)

Sometimes I make my juice in the Green Star juicer - other times,

I use the Vitamix Blender with a nut milk bag for straining.

Cucumber and celery form the base of almost all my juices,

cucumber is hydrating and celery has natural organic sodium.

Romaine lettuce has fast become one of my favorite greens,

and I discovered that like kale and spinach, it is also very nutrient dense.

There is a farmers market in Henley on certain Thursdays and Sundays.

I bought lychees and cherries, red cabbage, broccoli,

two beautiful bunches of curly kale and some goats cheese for Trevor.

I love buying fresh and local (it is not always local though)
produce from farmersmarkets......everyone is quite friendly
and chatty and they take their time
to talk about their products - no rush, no hurry!!!

 

Supplements :

For now I am taking Iron, Probiotics, Vitamin B12 and two herbal remedies,

for healing......

I will be adding more supplements as days go by....

My Daily Ritual :

1) Dry skin body brushing and contrast showers.

Oh I really can't understand why I stopped dry brushing for a while,

it is pure pleasure and feels so good!!!

2) Surya namaskar - yoga

I haven't done yoga for almost 25 years now, so I am starting with

just surya namaskars for now.....and I only managed to do 2 today!!

Its a beginning.....

I put on music and danced while doing stuff in the kitchen,

it counts as movement too and it was such fun, I'm going to do it everyday :-)

Health & Fitness Journey - To Bloom Again.....

Two years ago, January 2008 - I began a 40 day Juice Feast.
I wrote about it everyday on this blog.
A journey of discovery, self knowledge and transformation.
One of the most incredible adventures of my life......
(Look up the blog archives - Jan/Feb 2008)

I made many new friends, partners and companions on this path.....
sharing together our experiences, our healing, our love and our learnings.
This was the true blessing......the coming together in a common circle.

My long list of physical problems, my health challenges
began to slowly fade away and I felt fit and healthy.
It lasted a few months, it was such a grace......

Then life caught up with me, turned my world upside down,
so many changes, instability, insecurity.....
Lots to deal with......
Movement is good, but constant movement is sickening......
It makes you lose your ground and your center,
unbalances your body and the past dis-eases creep back into your life.......
And such is life, life is such......stuff happens :-)
The journey back to my center, to my core
and to a place of health and fitness has been slow and long.
I am unwell now and really need to turn this over -it is Priority!!!!
I've done it once, nothing stops me from doing it again!

Time to begin once more......

My goals for this journey are :

1) To Cleanse and to Heal - migraines, fibromyalgia,
asthma, fibroids, thyroid imbalance etc......

2) To get Fit and feel Strong - get rid of my severe anemia,
I am so tired of feeling tired all the time!!!!

3) To Lose Weight - that I have put on in this past year,
mainly because - first, I have been recuperating from a surgical
intervention - secondly, my severe anemia
has prevented me from doing any exercise and third,
because of thyroid imbalance that slows down the metabolism!

4) To be Truly Healthy -
which is not simply an absence of pain or fatigue,
but of feeling energetic, vibrant, dynamic and joyful
in every cell and pore of the body......
I know what it feels like, I've tasted it before.....

I will be posting everyday on this blog -
my daily routine and all that I do,
what I feel and experience too.
The supplements I take, the cleansing and exercises I do,
the food I eat and the changes I go through.....

Sharing it all with you.......

I will also post the recipes of the food I eat,
on my other blog The Healthy Plate.

I am so excited - tomorrow it begins :-))))