When I left The LifeCo, the last things I wanted to see were juices and salads. After 5 days of salads and juices, I was done. We ordered a raw bag to go, which consisted of breakfast- Chia pudding with crackers or vegan Turkish breakfast, lunch- Raw wrap or sushi, dinner- hummus wrap or vegetable platter, dessert- brownie, and supplements. This way we could post-detox appropriately. To detox correctly, you first must pre-detox, then detox of course, post-detox and then eat mindfully and healthier. You have to post-detox to wean yourself back into your regular diet to avoid an upset stomach. You don’t start feeding a baby chicken right away, so treat your body like a baby afterwards and slowly introduce things back into your diet and life.
Day 1 and day 2 after detox should include raw meals. On day 3, you can re-introduce starches back into your diet- wheat bread, pasta, but no fried food. You can begin to incorporate protein back in by day 4 and fish and other things by day 5. You can still eat your guilty pleasure items but in moderation, once or twice a week. Alcohol, should be minimized to 1-2 glasses of wine or 1 glass of liquor. It is good to drink 2 glasses of water when you first wake up and drink plenty of water throughout the day. Your water should contain a pH8 or higher. Probiotics are a good supplement to take to help with digestion which in turn will increase your energy.
After detox, I felt weak but I knew that eventually it would be time to return to work, and with work comes stress. Stress does not only come with work, it comes with life. I know that yoga helps me with stress and so does exercise. I’ve learned that I need to incorporate more strengthening exercise into my regiment. My plan is to get back to the gym, regularly, find a good yoga class or find a good routine online, lift weights, and continue to run. Last year, I focused on self-care a lot and I plan to continue my monthly massages, waxes, trips to the nailery and weekly dry brush. I also want to fast at least once a month, even if just for a day. I plan to continue to eat healthy and try not to eat within 3 hours of bedtime. I had 9 days before the school year started, which gave me time to relax a little, prepare and move to my new flat.
My new flat has a gym right downstairs and it’s unisex, so hubby and I can work out together. Who needs a personal trainer, when you have a husband. Our living and dining rooms are bigger, so we can practice yoga here. It’s also surrounded by grass and trees. Darryl is specifically happy about this and the supermarket which is a 3 minute walk away. We are thinking about purchasing bikes since there is a running and biking trail.
Work started a week ago. The first week is always filled with Professional Development and time to prepare for your new students. This year, in my new role, I didn’t have all the stresses that come with setting up a new classroom. I feel blessed and extremely positive about the school year. I set up my new smaller room with an atmosphere of Zen including plants, comfy seating, aromatherapy, inspiring pictures and a minimalist attitude. And to connect the many new faces, I threw a welcoming social at my new place. Week 1 is over and we have a one week break for the Islamic holiday of Eid. I am not traveling; I am relaxing and preparing for a fresh new start.
Teaching Abroad- American Teacher Overseas 