3 DAY COLD PRESSED JUICE CLEANSE

What is it actually like to do a 3 day juice cleanse, having only 6 juices and 2 litres of water each day? Read on for my cold press cleansing experience and tips!

So when I decided to do a cleanse, my first reaction was EEK. It's not really a big thing in the grand scale of things, but it was my first cleanse and being a food lover I was a bit nervous to be honest!

I decided to do the cleanse to help bring me a bit more vitality, leaving behind the winter lethargy and low energy. Also to cleanse any toxic waste that has been building up in my system, but also to flood my system with nutrients and minerals to revitalise and energise. What better time to do a little spring cleaning of the body than around Spring equinox too :-)

I was selected as a lucky guinea pig to sample the new Cold Pressed Juicery Cleanse, to make sure they are good and suitable for YOU to be able to do soon!

PREP FOR THE CLEANSE: 

Rather than cold turkey my body into shock on Day 1, I tried to ease my way into the cleanse starting three days before by cutting out:

Meat (no problemo)

Coffee (no problemo)

Alcohol 

Processed foods (pasta, bread, gluten, dairy, processed sugar, saturated fats) (slight problemo, I LOVE bread & pasta)

And at the same time gradually reducing my amount of meals per day and gently increasing my intake of juice. I ate a lot of raw food - raw courgette pasta with different pestos and lots of fruit and nuts were mainly on the menu!

 
LahLah Cold Pressed Juicery Cleanse PREP
 

CLEANSE DAY 1:

I survived Day 1!

It has actually been OK! Made sure to drink lots of water along with a juice approximately every two hours. The almond milk was delicious, super thick and was especially filling, almost wish the cleanse was 6 x almond milks a day. hehe

I've felt hungry, but not so hungry I wanted to eat all the yogis on the mat in front of me (watch out yogis tomorrow!!). Been to the loo quite a few times so I think it's working ;-), muscles and body slightly achey but no huge side effects so far. Fingers crossed tomorrow will be ok!

I removed all tempting food from the fridge and any naughty biscuits I had lying around have been hidden away from view which has helped not having food right in front of me! 

LahLah Yoga Cold Pressed Juicery Cleanse

CLEANSE DAY 2:

Today I feel the cleanse really kicked in. I had a slight headache and felt slightly nauseous during the morning and felt my energy was really lacking all day.. I'm assured this means the cleanse is working well :-) 

I have tried to have a juice every two hours but it was a bit harder to keep to it today, and of course lots of water and hot water with lemon and ginger. 

I am going to have a very very early night and tried to sleep it all off.

 
Cold Press Juicery Cleanse
 

CLEANSE DAY 3:

I slept for 10 beautiful hours, and I have woken up feeling wonderful! My energy feels restored and I feel very light in all senses of the word. The headache and nausea has passed and I would almost consider doing an extra few days if I will feel like this!  Although I did not start the cleanse for weight-loss reasons, I have definitely lost weight (unfortunately I don't own a scale so cannot tell you exactly how much I lost, but I can really feel a difference. I feel more stream-lined ;-) not a bad side effect).

Co-incidently I did wake up with no voice today all of a sudden, I am not sure if this is directly related to the cleanse or not!

Again, I found it hard to stick to a juice precisely every two hours, but I have been ok regardless. Lots of water. I'm starting to think about what my first real food should be tomorrow, although I am also planning to exit the cleanse gently maybe starting with fresh fruit in the morning and a raw salad for lunch...easy does it! 

 
 

Enjoying my "lunch"!

DAY 4

I have woken up feeling great, very light again, in all senses of the word. Lots of energy, and feeling quite focused. My sore throat is clearing (very odd!), I'd be very interested to hear if anyone else gets a sore throat too! 

Although I can eat today, I am not dying to eat to be honest, I really thought I would be! I actually feel like I could keep going for a few more days quite easily, but alas I only have one juice left! I have had my morning hot water and lemon, and the last  juice and I have started slowly with half a banana. I will try to stick to raw foods today, tomorrow may be difficult as I am travelling long haul, but I'll do my best! Having done the cleanse and felt fine it has made me realise how much I generally eat un-necessarily. I will always have second helpings of something if it is delicious even when I am getting full, and this is so un necessary!! Hopefully I;ll manage to kick this habit!

All in all, I have surprisingly really enjoyed the cleanse, I was impressed by how easy it was once you get into the swing of it and would definitely like to continue doing regular, possibly seasonal cleanses now. 

CLEANSE TIPS

If you are planning to do a cleanse here are my recommendations (please note these are based on my personal experience and knowledge):

  • Make sure to prepare your body for the cleanse, not just diving head first into it on day 1. Start to gradually cut coffee, meat, alcohol, processed foods & sugars out and begin to up your juice intake while gently decreasing your food intake. This will really help to reduce any huge side effects and help you to get the best out of your cleanse.
  • Plan the cleanse over a few days where you will not be crazy busy and will have time to let your body rest too. My hardest day was day two and I definitely needed to rest and allow my body to replenish and regenerate. The body will have difficulty benefitting from the cleanse if you are stressed or hitting the gym hard daily.
  • Cleansing is not so much about what you are putting into your body, but more about what you are leaving out (processed, toxic foods we have become accustomed to such as white bread, pasta, biscuits, alcohol, caffeine, meats). While we are leaving out those nasties, we giving our digestive system a break to regenerate and the extra energy normally used to digest can be used to help heal the body (very simplified explanation, please forgive me!). At the same time, the juices we consume still provide our body with the protein, nutrients and minerals needed to keep us going. It is important to drink fresh, and 100% raw juices during a cleanse to give you body the maximum nutrients possible. 
  • Try to empty the fridge and hide anything that might tempt you to make the cleanse easier.
  • Try to cleanse with a friend or family member, it makes it much easier!
  • DRINK LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS OF WATER...and expect to be peeing A LOT! And also expect to poo quite a lot!
  • REST! Make sure you get to bed early while on the cleanse, those precious extra hours of rest work wonders for the body.
  • If you feel you really need food, then LISTEN TO YOUR BODY and have some, but try to stick to raw veg and maybe a handful of raw nuts if possible.
  • On exiting the cleanse, try to ease the body back in gently i.e. don't have a fry up for breakfast on day 4! Try to eat raw food for as long as possible post cleanse, and try not to rush back into your coffee habit, or that glass of wine straight away.  Maybe think about how good you are feeling now after the cleanse and think what you could maybe cut back on in your normal diet to help keep you feeling this way!

The body is a miraculous healing machine,and when we abstain from the foods that interfere with the natural healing Physiology of our bodies, cleansing & detoxing can begin!

 

Cold Pressed Juicery Cleanses will be available shortly, for more info please see their website.If you decide to do a cleanse, I hope you enjoy it and please leave me a comment to let me know how it goes for you!

xx

*Please note, this blog is based on my personal experience of a juice cleanse, and it does not mean that yours will be similar should you decide to do one. Each and every one of us are beautifully different and will respond to a cleanse in a different way. I am already a vegetarian and try to eat a balanced, nutritious diet on most days of the week so I may have had less to cleanse than someone who eats meat daily and drinks lots of coffee etc. Do not attempt a cleanse if you a pregnant. If you have any other medical condition, or are unsure about starting a cleanse,  please consult a Doctor or Nutritionist.*

Reflections of an Escapee

Ever since I left London to move to Malta and escaped the corporate world, people always ask me if I miss my London lifestyle. After having just spent a quick weekend there, I can happily say that I don't. And don't get me wrong, I spent 19 years of my life there and they were happy years, I had a very good education, I made some great friends, and I had some experiences which I'll never forget, but I guess I never felt truly at home there. 

Of course I miss all my wonderful friends there (but they get the added benefit of being able to come and visit me here and get some sunshine and yoga ;-) ). And I miss the abundance of yoga classes always available to go to at any time of the day and in any part of the city (even on Piccadilly Circus!), but this is a small price to pay for the great lifestyle I have in Malta.

Being in London last weekend was great, but I am glad it was only two days. The main thing that struck me this time is that almost every street you walk down in Central London is full of shops, and every shop is trying to grab your attention with their colourful, sometimes moving, attention grabbing displays. Each window shouting "BUY ME! BUY ME!". And not only the shops, but any bus or taxi that passes by is also advertising something in bright colours and sometimes flashing lights. And then if you descend into the underworld of the London tube, almost every surface of every wall is filled with adverts and information. I found it totally overwhelming, there was never a pause for my brain to be allowed to process any of the information properly, but just one after the other after the other. I was exhausted by just seeing adverts! It's hard to think clearly for yourself when the brain is constantly having to process all this different sensory information. It's stressful! And this was without having to deal with any of the added stress of a job I was rushing to, or a demanding social life. 

It's amazing how quickly you get used to a different life, when I lived in London I never even noticed the effect this had on my brain, and I think in a way when you are in that situation you become immune to all the adverts and constantly being sold something. You become numb to it. Just like you become numb to all the people walking down Oxford Street, you just march on through them. 

This may sound very negative towards London and city life, but I do feel very grateful for having spent that part of my life in London, it wasn't all bad, as I mentioned at the start of this post they were happy years - I actually had a LOT of fun, and it gave me life experience. Who knows if I would have found my way to this yoga path were I not in London in a demanding job, with an even more demanding social life which I needed to balance.

I like to think that using my experience of the hectic, demanding city life but creating the calm serene space that LahLah Yoga brings, that I can help people to find ways to deal with the stress of a pressured lifestyle. Whether that be a busy city life, a demanding job, screaming kids, too much partying or intense studies, I feel yoga can always help :-)

With Pause // Play, Cat and I are trying to create a space for city dwellers to escape this madness, at least for a few days, and to learn a few techniques to help deal with the pressure of city life once they return...all while having a bit of fun on the side too, and enjoying some sunshine, of course! The last few spaces are filling up, so do contact us if you're interested!

xx

Balance is Key

Balance is key. In everything we do. 

Over the past week, this message has kept appearing to me in various different ways, and this post from Cold Pressed Juicery Malta says it so perfectly. 

Cold Pressed Juicery Malta LahLah Yoga

Be it through diet, exercise, work, fun or relationships, balance is ALWAYS key!

This past week, I have also been exploring the balance in my yoga practice, not only trying to find ease in balance poses, but more specifically the balance between stillness in movement, and the movement in stillness. 

Finding the stillness & peace of the mind during movement on the mat helps me to physically focus & balance in many of the challenging balancing poses . Finding the movement within stillness: the movement of the breath through the body, the movement of your muscles in a stretch, your heartbeat, and the movement of heat & energy through the body all help me to become truly present with myself. When we actually slow down enough to really feel and listen to our bodies, it can be magical :-)

Next time you venture onto your mat, I invite you to notice this difference and try to find this balance of stillness in movement & movement in stillness.

Happy Thursday! xx

Cold Pressed, what's the difference?!

You may have noticed I have recently been posting rather a lot about juices! I'm super happy to finally be able to tell you ALL about it!

I am involved in establishing cold pressed juices on our sunny little island of Malta! The brand is called Cold Pressed Juicery, and will be available from TOMORROW at Holland & Barrett Malta at their Sliema branch.

Since starting my yoga journey, I have become much more aware about what I put into my body, realising that anything we consume either works with the body to replenish, and nourish or works against the body, aggravating us. The difference with cold pressed juices is that they are made by being pressed between 12 metric tonnes of hydraulic pressure that produces 0 degrees heat, creating the smoothest, freshest tasting and most importantly, the most nutritionally dense juice that you have ever sipped. In the production of blended juices there is heat produced, which can essentially kill many of the vitamins and nutrients of the juice, and they are often watered down and contain ice all reducing the nutritional value of the juice. 

As life is already hectic enough, my vision is to create a simple & easy way (that tastes great too ) for everyone to replenish, nourish the body and to make sure you get your greens and keep the doctor away the natural way! Packed with a multitude of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, enzymes and other plant nutrients, and produced only from local Maltese ingredients with no added water, ice, sugar or preservatives, Cold Pressed Juices is simply the best way of getting the ‘good stuff’.

Making small positive changes in your daily life is easy, drinking fresh Cold Pressed Juices will provide an instant nutrient and sustained energy hit. Give yourself 10 minutes a day to stretch and breathe (if you have more than 10 minutes you can even do one of my videos :-) ). Give your body the tools to heal and thrive, deal with stress or illness, sleep better, and feel more dynamic and energized with Cold Pressed Juices and LahLah Yoga.

I love seeing people transform their lives for the better, be it through nutrition, yoga or any other form of exercise and it makes me truly happy knowing that through Cold Pressed Juicery & LahLah Yoga I am helping people to create a healthier and active lifestyle. I encourage you to take health into your own hands, think about what you are putting into your body,  and experience what it feels like to be truly nourished and satiated.

This is all about Positively Life Changing and Feeeeeellllliing Goooooood! 

xx

P.S. If you have any questions about cold pressed, or would even like to place an order feel free to drop me a line (even if you just want to say hello)

Delicious Fennel, Orange & Quinoa Salad

When I was younger I used to think that fennel was dis-gus-ting, but thankfully my tastebuds have matured to appreciate this delicious vegetable! Yesterday I was even craving some fennel, and I had some beautiful home grown Maltese oranges (the best kind!) so I decided to experiment and make a salad. The result was surprising delicious so I am sharing the recipe here! 

Recipe serves two hungry people, or three dieters!

Ingredients:

1 Fennel bulb chopped

1 cup of cooked quinoa

2 oranges chopped in segments

1 handful of fresh basil, torn or chopped

1 small handful of pistachios

1 small handful of sunflower seeds

1 small handful of pumpkin seeds

1 small handful of pinenuts

For the dressing:

grated lemon rind of half a lemon

grated orange rind of half an orange

juice of half a lemon

juice of half an orange

good glug of olive oil

salt & pepper

a sprinkle of dried chilli if you like chilli!

Method:

Mix the cooked quinoa, chopped fennel, orange segments, fresh basil, pistachio and seeds together in a large bowl.

In a smaller bowl, mix all the ingredients for the dressing seasoning with salt, pepper & chilli to your tastes. Mix well and then pour this dressing over the whole salad, toss & enjoy!

EASY PEASY LEMON SQUEEZEY! Feel free to leave any comments as always :-)

LahLah xx

Merry Christmas and a happy always from LahLah!

The last day of the LahLah Advent Challenge, today your challenge is to give love and presenCe to not only your nearest and dearest, but to everyone you encounter. 

Lots of love xx 

#christmas #lahlahadventchallenge #lahlahyoga#advent #challenge #love #presence #happy#merrychristmas #yoga #travel #thailand #smile#awesome #goodvibes #positivity #lifestyle #malta#sea #sun #beach #sand

LahLah Advent Challenge Day 24:

Today take some time to reflect and set intentions for the coming year. 

Christmas Eve is a notoriously busy day of the year, but take a moment today to slow down, to reflect perhaps on what made you proud yesterday and set intentions on how to continue that wave of positivity into 2015. 

#lahlahadventchallenge #lahlahyoga #advent #challenge #yoga #meditation#reflection #halflotus #intention #goal #slowdown #relax #breathe#christmaseve #christmas #positivity #goodvibes #proud #happy #healthy#lifestyle #malta #thailand #kohsamui #travel #sea #sunset

LahLah Advent Challenge Day 23:

Be proud of yourself! What are you proud of this year? What have you achieved? Even if it's something really small, acknowledge it! 

I am proud of myself for taking a leap of faith. From doing something that was very comfortable but didn't make me happy, to taking a risk and starting something completely different, but which I really wanted to do. You can read more about this leap of faith here!

Thank you to everyone who has made it possible! High five!

#lahlahadventchallenge #lahlahyoga #advent#challenge #yoga #proud #highfive #goodvibes#positivity #achievement #awesome #lifestyle#gratitude #malta

LahLah Advent Challenge Day 22:

Today I challenge you to let go of something which no longer serves you. 

For me I shall be letting go of darkness in my life and embracing the light and longer days which the universe will be sharing with us after the Winter Solstice which was yesterday. 

This picture is one of my favourites and was taken at one of my Rivera sunrise yoga classes this summer.

What are you letting go of?

#lahlahadventchallenge #lahlahyoga #advent#challenge #yoga #letgo #light #darkness#wintersolstice #sunrise #riviera #malta #travel#balance #fun #goodvibes #positivity #sea #sun

LahLah Advent Challenge Day 19:

Start a happy jar for the coming year (you can have a head start and start early!). 

Every time something good, or something that makes you smile happens, no matter how small, write it down and put it in the happy jar. Then at the end of the year you will have a whole jar of pure happiness to read! 

#lahlahadventchallenge #lahlahyoga #advent #challenge #yoga #happyjar#happy #happiness #goodvibes #positivity #malta #challengeyourself#dailypractice #fun

Dynamic flow-ers, don't stop moving!

Even though I'm away, that's no reason to halt your yoga practice over this Christmas season as I have created a few videos to keep you flowing. As this is the season to be jolly, eat, drink and be merry, it can be even more important to keep up your practice! 

This flow is intended for anybody who already attends my classes or practices regular yoga, it is not for beginners. Please do not practice with any injuries, and as always, keep breathing, keep smiling (especially if it gets challenging!). So without further ado....

Happy flowing xx

 

LahLah Advent Challenge Day 18:

Do something you've never done before! 

If you want something you've never had, then you've got to do something you've never done. It can be as simple as taking a different route to work, maybe it's trying yoga, but whatever you do, don't cheat and do something you've actually done before! 

I'm currently travelling to a place I've never been to before...I'll send you a photo once I arrive  xx 

#lahlahadventchallenge #lahlahyoga #advent #challenge #yoga #different#challengeyourself #quotes #goodvibes #positivity #fun #malta #travel #happy#lifestyle

LahLah Advent Challenge Day 16:

Show gratitude today for the things and people you have in your life. 

While we can (and probably will) always dream of more, we must never forget what we already have. Today I am showing gratitude to everyone who has supported me and believed in me over the last year in this new stage in my life. 

THANK YOU for making it possible. Xx 

#lahlahadventchallenge #lahlahyoga #advent #challenge #gratitude #thanks#dream #support #belief #yoga #goodvibes #positivity #happy #healthy#malta

LahLah Advent Challenge Day 15:

Focus! 

Today I challenge you to turn your phone off for one hour, close Facebook, Instagram and anything thing else which may distract you and focus on that thing that you've been putting off doing for ages - I'm pretty sure we can all find something we keep making excuses not to do, just do it! 

#lahlahadventchallenge #lahlahyoga #advent #challenge #focus #effort #yoga#justdoit #happy #goodvibes #positivity #monday #malta

LahLah Advent Challenge Day 13:

Get Creative! 

Get creative in the kitchen, make some homemade Christmas cards, make a homemade gift, make some mulled wine (mmmmm mulled wine!), get arty. You can do anything, just be creative  

As it is the 13th of December Santa Lucia, I decided to make the Swedish tradition of Lussebullar (Saffron buns) with some friends, we got a little bit creative with the shapes - see if you can spot the turtle and dog shaped buns . 

If you'd like to please share your creations please tag me! 

Happy creating! Xx

#lahlahadventchallenge #lahlahyoga #yoga #creative #baking #making#creating #homemade #arty #lussebullar #happy #goodvibes #positivity#weekend #advent #challenge #christmas #malta