Looking After Ourselves

When a Therapist sits in front of you and says; 'Your skin is dry and dehydrated; you should drink more water. Also, you are very stressed; you should relax more', I bet you would like to either say something very cutting, or just walk out the door.

The truth of the matter is that we are all probably wound up like springs and not looking after ourselves in the best manner and I know this is true for myself. Over the past few days I have realized that I am drinking too much alcohol, eating at odd times and skipping meals (when I do eat it's not the most wholesome food), water has turned into a rare beverage and my stress levels have been through the roof due to the house move. My skin is very dry and dehydrated and I'm generally feeling a little below par.

Now, I am totally against the idea that you should go on a five day detox and expel everything in your body by purging it in a very short space of time. Through 10 years of working with the body and seeing how it reacts and moves through life, I now believe that this approach is just too stressful on all the organs, especially the mind. Purging in this way doesn't help you change your habits as there isn't enough time to learn new ways of helping yourself in the long run, so the benefits, if there are any, are minimal.

I would much rather my clients make a 6 – 8 week life change and then go on a week long Pilates, Yoga or Thi-Chi retreat. The two months prior to the retreat allows the body and mind to prepare and learn that looking after yourself should be an every day pattern, rather than a one hit wonder.

'So', I hear you cry, 'what are you going to do with your self Jenny?'. The answer is that I am going to try taking my own medicine! On Friday I went to bed feeling really stuffed after eating too late and drinking too much and thought that it was about time that I got myself together. David and I moved 3 weeks ago now and all the boxes are unpacked and the house is starting to come together, so I have no reason to get worked up about that now. I am starting to get down to studying again after 5 weeks off, so I need my brain to function clearly from now on. To top it off I have not done a single hour of concentrated exercise since the move, so really now is the time to look at my life and just rejig a few things.

To kick start my two month re-start (I don't want to use the word de-tox), I have gone back to a book that has often helped me: 'Looking Good and Feeling Younger' by Susan Curtis , Alex Kirchin and Karen Sullivan. It's published by Neal's Yard Press and is a simple little book packed with great ideas, tips and information about how to keep yourself in tip-top condition. The back of the book is great as it has a 6 week 'plan', (a loose term as it is simply a list of prompts) of things you can do each day to keep yourself feeling great. I like the approach that they set out:

“There are no strict diets or set regimes; instead, you'll be making alterations to your normal routines and ways of doing things, to ensure that you are doing the best you can for your body and mind. If you slip it's not a problem. …. In a nutshell, if you get 80 percent of your lifestyle right, the other 20 percent can be relaxed. So a night in front of the TV with a couple of glasses of wine isn't going to ruin everything.......”

Fantastic!

One of the points made in the book is that you should try to get a 6 week window in your diary that isn't packed with holidays and shed loads of parties, so avoid trying to change things at busy times like Christmas.

So my re-start starts today. Week One is all about diet and today I am going to clear out the kitchen of all junk, write a meal plan and then go shopping. I have had my one coffee of the day and I am going to aim for 4 glasses of water to help hydrate my organs. I am making time for me and am going for a Pedicure and Wax with Emma, (my Dermalogica Skin Care Therapist over in Guildford), so I shall relax and feel a little more presentable to the world by the end of the day. The only other thing I shall do is sit down with my diary and work out where I can fit in a couple of trips to the gym this week. I'm not going to do anything too much all in one go, a simple Pilates for beginners and a twenty minute swim would be enough this week!

I'm going to up date you with how I go at the end of each blog over the next two months, so just scroll down to the 'What I'm loving in the treatment room today' part of the blogs to read all about it.

Remember, little steps every day allows you to walk up mountains and onwards through life. So, if you are thinking that this summer is the time for you to change a few things for the better, do it slowly so your mind and body can relax into a whole new world of better living.

What I'm loving in the Treatment Room today: Mondays are my day off, so I am going to enjoy someone else's treatment room and visit Emma Hobbs for a Pedicure and Wax. Bliss!

Music in the Treatment Room today: No doubt my day will be filled with the joys of Lifehouse :) .