Three Day Clean Eating Cleanse!

Long time no blog!

I feel like it's been such a long time since I've had the time to write anything!

There's been quite a bit going on for me at the moment, and I'm finding it all a bit hard to keep up with.

Last week, I had three major assessments due. One 3000 word essay, one 3500 word essay, and one two hour exam, which kept me incredibly busy with studying for all of them and trying to do a good job. Thankfully, it's all done now, and I'm one step closer to getting my degree! A conjoint Bachelor of Teaching (Early Childhood Education) and Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies, in case you were wondering :p

Following all of this, I thought I would have five weeks off university to chill out, work on my fitness, and get ready for the stage production which I'm taking part in. Turns out the universe had other plans for me!

The Thursday afternoon after my exam, I got a call from an office where I've done some temp work before. They were offering me a full time contract for four weeks! Talk about perfect timing!

So I signed my contract pretty quickly and started work on Monday. The rest of this week has just passed in a blur!

I've also been keeping up my hours at the shop where I usually work, so that's meant I've worked the last 10 days in a row. Talk about tiring!

While I really wanted to spend my time off focusing on my health and fitness, I'm really happy to have the chance to earn a little (well actually, a lot. A whole lot!) extra money. But being so busy so suddenly has kind of caught me off guard, and has led me to make some pretty poor food choices, and left me with little time to hit the gym.

You know the kind of choices I mean- buying a chocolate bar for a snack because it's quick energy; grabbing takeaways on the way home because you're too tired to cook; getting energy drinks most days to help you stay alert; hitting the snooze button instead of jumping our of bed for some early morning exercise.

Making these kinds of choices has meant that my clean eating has fallen by the wayside, and I'm starting to feel really sorry for myself!

But it's time to get my act together now. Right now!

So to start with, I'm going to treat myself to a three-day clean eating cleanse!

For me, this cleanse will be all about re-setting my body and my metabolism to a comfortable level, and also about de-bloating and ridding my body of the junk that I've been putting into it! It's all about getting back into my great habits, and starting to feel great about myself again.

To help me do this, I'm going to keep to a simple kind of format.

Each morning, I'm going to start with a liver cleansing drink made from 2 tsp of apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp honey, and a large glass of water. To make it, dissolve the honey in a little hot water, add the vinegar, and top up with cold or lukewarm water.

This drink helps your liver to process any toxins which are floating around your body, and helps to get rid of any bloating too :) It can be kind of icky if you're not used to it, but the honey really helps!

Following this drink, I'll be having a coconut chia smoothie! Yum!

To make this smoothie, you'll need:

• 1 medium banana, chopped.
• 3/4 cup mixed berries
• 1 cup spinach
• 1 tbs chia seeds soaked in water
• 1 tbs coconut oil
• 1.5 cups of coconut milk

Throw everything in a blender, and blend until smooth :)

This tasty smoothie is full of healthy fats, electrolytes, protein, fibre, and antioxidants. Plus, it will keep you feeling full for ages!

For the next three days, I've made myself a batch of pumpkin, tomato, and quinoa soup for lunch!

I'll be posting that recipe up tomorrow :)

My snacks will be fruit- apples and mandarins, and carrot sticks with hummus, maybe with a babybel thrown in if I need a little extra protein.

This lunch and my snacks should keep me going right the way through until dinner, which I've planned to be high protein, low carb, low fat, and super yummy!

With all of this great eating, all I need is to get a little more exercise in, which I'll be doing in my lunch break! Just a little walk every day will be enough to make a real difference to how I feel :) I plan to also do 15 minutes of yoga each day, and 20 minutes of free weights and core work. So easy to keep up with!

So that's my three day clean eating cleanse in a nutshell! Keep an eye out over the next three days, when I'll be sharing more recipes and going into more detail about the cleanse and the foods that I'm using to heal my body.

I've taken my measurements and weight, and I can't wait to see a great improvement over the next three days.

Just so you know, my weight was at 72.9kg this morning, and my waist measured 83cm. Not ideal, but I can sure change that!

Thanks for listening in guys, I would love to hear what you think about this cleanse or if you have any ideas of your own for me!

Working Weekend!

My weekend has been incredibly busy so far!

On Friday, it was an early start. I was heading over to my bestie's new house to help her move in :)

I knew I would be in for a few hours of hard work, so I made sure I had a really filling and healthy breakfast which would keep my tummy happy until lunchtime.

Yesterday's choice was a piece of gluten free toast spread with Ceres Organics almond butter (fast becoming a favorite!), and a green 'Hulk' smoothie on the side! I'll post up the recipe for this smoothie soon. Peanut butter lovers, you'll be keen on this! Also anyone who's just starting out with green smoothies :)

After a few hours scrubbing and cleaning (the last tenants left the house in a right state!), we went out for lunch. My lovely bestie shouted lunch for myself and another friend who was helping out :)

I chose a small pack of chicken teriyaki and avocado sushi, and then a mango-ey, citrus-ey smoothie (dairy free! Yay!). The smoothie was absolutely to die for, and I could have drunk much more!

After another half hour or so of cleaning, I had to head off and get ready for work.

I have a love/hate relationship with my Friday night shift. I work from 3.30 until 9.15pm, and it's usually really quiet! Not to mention, it's work on a FRIDAY night. And there's usually a list a mile long of things that my manager wants me to get done! Not all of them are straightforward, either (like last night, I had to pull things down from the ceiling using a massive ladder, but I still nearly fell off once or twice!) However, I do get to work with one of my favorite co-workers, which is always nice :) 

The other reason Fridays are a bit awkward is that I never know what to do about food! Last night, I decided to keep it simple and take a few snacks with me!

Carrot sticks and salsa, and a packet of Sunsweet prunes for a clean sweet treat :) 

I absolutely love those snack packs, they're only 70 calories, and are really sweet and tasty!

This kept me going until I got home after 9.30 and had a sort of 'supper' :) A piece of gluten free toast, with a scraping of peanut butter and a suggestion of strawberry jam, a mandarin, and a Lindt lindor ball- so delicious! I always have a treat on Friday nights, but I'm trying to keep                                                               it portion controlled. Good start, huh? :)

Best of all, last night I came home to a roaring fire, courtesy of the manbeast!

Lucky me :D

It was so cosy, and the best way to warm up after a long day of hard work!

Today has been full-on too! Work from 8.30 until 4.00, a little birthday present shopping, and home again :)

It's the manbeast's Grandad's 80th birthday bash tonight! And I mean bash! He's hired out a local theatre, and has invited around 120 people! He's a musician and a musical director by trade, so he's hosting a concert filled with piano pieces, and a range of singers joining him! Yours truly will be one of them!

I'll be singing 'Yesterday Once More' by the Carpenters, and I'm seriously nervous! It should be really great though! It's such a good song, and the night will be really awesome anyway :)

So I'm off to get ready now! We have to be there in an hour! 

Now, all I need to worry about is whether my dress shows too much cleavage for an 80th birthday party....

Hmm...

Can't ask the manbeast what he thinks ;)