To Boost or Not to Boost? - Day Five

I've hit the halfway mark folks. From this point onwards I am officially closing in on the day when all this detox madness ends. And perhaps by then I will be convinced that it is not madness after all.

Breakfast: Courgette & pepper omelette & strawberries, Lunch: Mackerel with quinoa & salad, Dinner: Butternut squash soup with salad & sweet potato wedges

But, to be fair, I did have a hell of an energy surge today. Those of you who follow my blog regularly might remember one of my most popular posts, 'The Avoidance of Proper Cleaning' in which I use my well-worn housewife experience to give tips on how to meander around any real household cleaning. But this morning something strange happened.

I actually wanted to clean.

And not only that. I wanted to rearrange, declutter, reorganise. I actually moved all of the furniture in my living room to brand spanking new spaces, much to Little Tot's onlooking bemusement. If I hadn't known better (and I certainly do) I might have even called it 'nesting'.

Can all of this be put down to the detox? Possibly.

But after that bout of energy came lunchtime and I was faced with yet another protein-rich meal devoid of carbs and fun. Well, that's not entirely fair, the meal itself was fine. Delicious, even. It's just that it bears a striking resemblance to many other meals I've eaten over the last four days.

That's when I started to feel a little despondent. What am I even doing this for? The halfway mark seems to be a good time to ponder over that very point. What, exactly, do I want out of this? Is it going to be worth it? Wouldn't a little cup of tea and a Snickers bar make me feel better and set me back on the right track?

Look at it, the lovely thing

Well we all know the answer to that, don't we? You don't have to be a health expert to know that the average detox does not allow for chocolate breaks. Boo.

I decided to be honest on the Facebook forum tonight and let Helen know about my wobbly faith in the whole thing. As always, she came back with the perfect words of advice:

"This is when your body is saying"just have it" because it is so used to having the roller coaster ride. But now your education and determination will carry you through for another day or two. Once you hit that high you will realise that you cannot bottle it. Be patient. Everyone is unique, not everyone suffers. Some sail through it whilst others struggle. Just support your body. Give it what it needs not what you think it needs or wants."

How can I argue with that?

So let's get to grips with why the flip I'm doing this in the first place . . .

• In a bid to ward off my regular gloomy energy dips
• To get clued up on the health benefits of certain foods
• To get out of some bad, reactive eating habits (cue Snickers)
• To somewhat reduce the jelly belly my Tots have left me with

If I can hit even one of these targets during these ten days, I'll be one very chuffed lady. So with that in mind, I shall soldier on in this Snicker-less world for another five days. Just watch me.

Go well,

Abi

Sort discipline for your toddler the fun way by visiting www.thecoolrulecompany.co.uk

Find out about Helen McCrea's detox plans at www.femalefitness.co

To Boost or Not To Boost?

Recently, the morning school run has become something of an anticipated event for me. Not just because Big Tot is still, thank the lord, young enough to give me goodbye smooches before he skips off to join his class queue. And not just because I get to palm him off on somebody else for the day either. I am loving the morning school run at the moment because I get to pick the brains of a very clever lady, a health and fitness guru no less.

Helen McCrea is a busy full-time mum (just like me) running her own business (just like me) and is an expert in women's health, nutrition and fitness (ok, not like me at all). We've been at a few of the same local business courses so I was kind of aware of what she was up to, but it wasn't until we got chatting at the school gates that I realised her guru-like status. This woman really knows her stuff. Forget your faddy diets and health-fuelled media frenzies . . . Helen helps women really understand what's going on in their bodies and change their thinking about nutrition forever.

The lady herself

Now I know I'm not really overweight, and I'm genuinely grateful for a fully functioning, healthy body. But we've all got our hang-ups, right? And it is widely known that I am more than partial to a custard cream. And that my best mates (who take up permanent residence in the freezer) are named Ben and Jerry.

And, like the rest of us, I am guilty of choosing the 'low-fat', 'fat-free' or 'no added sugar' options at the supermarket without really knowing what, exactly, they've replaced the fat or sugar with. Lord knows what I'm putting my body through under the guise of a 'healthy' option.

So with the intention of learning more about what my body really needs, and maybe having a crack at losing some of the jelly belly, I've gone and signed up to Helen's online ten day body boost programme. It's educational. It's physical, It's communal. It's got 100% success rates. Get in.

Helen's successful business

I figure, it's only ten days. Ten days of eating nothing but 'clean' food. Of learning why oh why I get insane sugar cravings. Of giving Ben and Jerry the silent treatment. I can do it, can't I? (Insert your own cooing, encouraging phrase here please . . . )

There may be a couple of complications along the way in the form of my undeniable faddiness (vegetarian, allergic to cheese, will eat fish but not seafood) and my medically-certified dodgy knees with complicated baby-related ligament damage. Factor in my daily commitments as super-mummy to demanding Tots, full-on housewife and crazed Mumpreneur and Helen McCrea just may have her work cut out for her.

Goodbye faithful friend

So tonight, the night before my ten day Body Boost programme commences, I am raising a spoon of Cookie Dough in a pledge to write a daily blog about my experiences. Now are you in or are you out?

Let's see . . .

Go well,

Abi


Find out all about what Helen offers at www.femalefitness.co

Transform the life you share with your toddler and start happy living today with www.thecoolrulecompany.co.uk