As a confidence & clarity coach, I write my blog to help others with their mindset. This month is a little different. I am going to focus on the physical and share my detox story with you. I am writing this month’s somewhat lengthy blog from Bodrum, Turkey where I travelled to embark on a 9-day detox program at The LifeCo.

 

“Nobody can deny that when we feel fabulous physically, it only enhances our self-confidence.”

 

I have been on detox programs in the past, but I have never felt the need so great as now. It’s been a tumultuous year both physically and emotionally and it’s time to get off the roller coaster ride. I feel the need to be grounded and heal my body and rest my weary mind. I am an over-thinking empath, the combination of which can be exhausting. Physically, I have been anguishing with an underactive thyroid for some time now. I need a good cleanse inside and out.

 

The good news is that about 6 weeks ago, my doctor finally prescribed thyroxin after I pleaded with her. I feel the difference already. For me, this has come a few years too late. Although deemed to be in the normal range of thyroid standards for the UK, I watched my weight increase bit-by-bit, month-by-month, over the past 5+ years. This, despite my maintaining a good diet. and exercise regime. It’s time to shed the unwanted pounds!

 

If you suffer from thyroid issues, you will want to read the following blog: https://stopthethyroidmadness.com.

 

Disappointingly, the first day I arrive, I am told that I will not start the Master Detox because I have hypertension. Instead, I have been placed on a green salad detox plan for two days that essentially prepares my body for the detox. I will be drinking green, alkalizing juices and eating two salads a day.

 

An analysis was done of my weight, body fat and muscle tone. Of course, I am overweight and have too much fat. My muscle tone is good though. I attribute that to all the exercise I do. My blood pressure (BP) is 140/80. Their detox typically results in a drop in blood pressure so I’m advised to go off my BP medicine. I am asked to monitor my BP twice a day.

 

I meet with the doctor and I explain that since suffering from a sluggish thyroid, that despite how much exercise I do, I still gain weight. He tells me that it doesn’t matter how much exercise I do because it is so easy to replace calories. The key to weight loss is calorie reduction short term fasting. (See: https://thefastdiet.co.uk, as an example).

 

He informs me that after 16 hours of fasting, the insulin secretion from our pancreas is minimized and after 18 hours, fat mobilization from our organs begins. We begin burning fat. Later, he sends me a number of studies about short term fasting that are impressive.

 

During our conversation, I tell him that I have been eating more meat the past 10 years after relocating to the UK than ever before, as my husband is a meat and potatoes man.   He simply says that I will need to adjust, reduce my meat and fish intake and increase plant-based foods. I learn that he eats fish about once a week and meat once a month.   I don’t mind because I love vegetables and eat a lot of them anyway. So, I’ll increase the vegetables and decrease the meat. That is pretty much how I ate before I got married. Easy peasy.

 

After meeting with the doctor, I find myself in need of a nap having done yoga and gone for a walk at the seaside in the morning.

 

The next day, I awake and my mind is hazy. Here there is no meat, sugar, alcohol or caffeine and participants are advised to cut these out of their diet for a minimum 3 days before the detox. I prepared myself somewhat the week before my arrival by eating hardly any meat, just a small amount of chicken. I don’t drink much caffeine these days. Coffee, save every once in a bloom moon, hasn’t been in my diet for 20 years. I’m not a big sweets person either so that has all helped.   And still my mind is in a fog.

 

After a day of yoga, walking, reading, and drinking a lot, I’ve been advised to sit in the infrared steam room for 30 minutes each day and so I do and follow it with a lovely massage; I’m now ready to relax for the evening. I watch a movie and go to sleep.

 

My sleep is fitful because I’m up and down to the toilet all night after consuming so much liquid. We are advised to drink at least 2 litres of water per day, drink herbal tea and drink their vegetable broth to keep up our electrolytes and curb the hunger. Luckily, the broth is yummy, chocked full of spices including sumac, mint and turmeric to name a few. My dreams are plentiful and abstract and I find myself tossing and turning in bed. I understand that nobody is sleeping well.

 

The next day, I awake feeling much better. I decide to start the day with a walk, followed by a session in the gym. The gym isn’t great but there’s enough equipment to get a half decent work out in. In the afternoon, I go for a swim in the sea. Given it’s October the water temperature is a bit brisk at 20 degrees but I don’t mind as the air temperature is 27. I’m so happy that I find myself in this sunshine after a WET summer in the UK.

 

Later I read my book by the swimming pool. Unfortunately it’s not heated and the water is very cold. Nobody swims. Later, I have a steam and experiment with contraptions I’ve never seen before. One device helps to reduce pain (and it actually works) and the other machine is to break up fat.   Why not! My BP pressure is down to 120/80 with no medication.

 

When I awaken on Day 3 I am feeling mellow and my mind is clear. I’m noticing things around me that I didn’t see before. During other detoxes I have suffered big headaches on the third day, but not this time thankfully. I think it’s because I don’t have caffeine withdrawal. I used to consume a lot of black tea.

 

As I’m ‘bathrooming’ a lot in the morning I decide not to walk and to write some emails and then go to yoga mid morning. Today’s instructor taught gentle, tantric yoga and it suits my mood perfectly.   My blood pressure is 120/70 and the nurse tells me it’s perfect.

 

I have started the Master Detox and that means no solid food whatsoever. The concept of liquid only provides our digestive system with a much-needed rest.

 

I have 5 shakes a day and in between I take herbs and shots of wheatgrass, lemon and Himalayan salt. The shakes contain bentonite clay to remove toxins from the system and deposit them in the bowel, as well as psyllium husk to keep one feeling full.  I start my daily sessions with the Angel of Water, which is a nice way of saying, a self-administered colonic. Yes, really.

 

The Master Detox Schedule:

 

• Shake
• Herbs & Wheat Grass
• Shake
• Herbs & Himalayan Salt
• Shake
• Herbs & Wheat Grass
• Shake
• Herbs
• Shake
• Herbs & Probiotics

 

Water and vegetable broth often.

 

“Our aim is to help you to get rid of toxic accumulation which will also let you regain your health and energy and allow your body to renew and rejuvenate.” – The LifeCo Detox

 

Must do’s are the daily colonic, 30 minutes in the infrared steam room and 30 minutes on the shake-the-fat machine. Yoga, walking, boot camp, etc. are all optional. I choose to exercise every day, as it’s intrinsically a part of me.

 

On Day 4, I double my walking circuit, down to seaside, and back up to high hills. The LifeCo is located in a high-end neighborhood. So I feel safe. The gardens of the homes are replete with bougainvillea and other flowers for which I don’t know with apples and pomegranate trees. The Turks must be a proud people as I discover their flag flying in many gardens.

 

And so the days roll on. I exercise less and rest more. Here and there, I participate in some of the other therapies they offer. I have 3 shots of glutathione, known as a super antioxidant. It’s a powerful detoxification agent and has powerful anti-aging ability. I have a Vitamin C IV drip, another powerful antioxidant known to support the immune system and prevent some types of cancers. I partake in oxygen and salt therapy.

 

Interestingly I find myself hungrier on the 6^th and 7^th day of the detox than I have been before. It’s probably because I’ve been thinking of food that I will enjoy post detox. I am craving hummus because I see it being consumed at the beachside restaurants. However, I feel great. My mind is clear, my blood pressure remains in check and I have lost 5 kilograms or 11 pounds.

 

Coming to The Life Co was a wise choice and just the re-set I needed. The staff are fabulous and although I know a lot about nutrition and food, I have learned new gems that I shall takeaway to keep me healthy and well into my future.  If you want to feel better about you, I highly recommend a proper detox program. They say one week of detox adds years to one’s life.

 

Mission Accomplished!