For most people a holiday means lots of reckless self-indulgence, eating rich food and drinking lots of alcohol – but my most recent holiday didn’t involve any of that at all.
Yes, my family and friends think I’m a bit strange (!), but my partner William (who is as health conscious as I am) and I had a week’s break recently, and decided to do a cleanse – just for fun!
We tucked our juicer into the backseat of the car like it was our child, and off we went to a gorgeous boutique hotel (pictured) on the Sunshine Coast of QLD. Once we arrived, we visited the local produce market and stocked up on a car load of fresh fruit and veggies.
Our goal was to really rest and rejuvenate, so our routine didn’t differ much each day.
First thing of a morning was a veggie juice – mainly celery and zucchini, with a small amount of carrot, apple and beetroot, and the herbs parsley and coriander. We followed that with an hours brisk walk along the beach and then we were back for another juice. Our second juice of the day was a fruit one, and we used watermelon, lemon (peel and all), and ginger which is a fantastic combination.
The morning passed with reading, watching DVD’s, laying in the sun or having a nap – pure relaxation. We had another green juice for morning tea, and another for lunch.
As part of the cleansing program we also included herbal remedies for bowel and liver detoxification, daily skin brushing, plenty of water between juices, meditation and very hot Epsom salts baths (unfortunately the resort didn’t have a sauna).
Our afternoon continued in much the same manner as the morning and we had our second and last fruit juice for the day which was my absolute favourite – orange, pineapple and coconut, it’s just divine! In the evening we finished off our juicing with more greens and often added some very hot chili’s in with it for a different flavour altogether :-).
All in all we did five full days of this routine, and then gently broke the fast with some fresh fruit and a small amount of soaked nuts and dates. It was a terrific cleanse and we felt absolutely fantastic afterwards. I often do 3-4 of these juice fasts every year, for a length of between five days and two weeks depending on my schedule. I don’t always get the opportunity to cleanse and rest quite like this though, as I often just work right through – but this was definitely the way to get the most out of it.
So, now you know all the gory details of what dedicated Naturopaths get up to on their holidays! (Just in case you think I am totally health obsessed and completely boring, keep posted because in a few days I might just share with you what happens when a Naturopath goes a little crazy!)
Leisa
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