Day 6 Detox:

7am wake up

Warm water with lots of lemon

(this is to flush your body)

10 minute Morning meditation 

30 minute yoga session 

Multi Vitamin Tablet

Milk thistle

Banana 

Breakfast: Spoonful of greek yoghurt, one banana, strawberries, pumpkin seeds, sultanas and sun flower seeds

    Water with apple cider vinegar

Fresh dates. 

Lunch: Boiled artichoke, spinach and white beans.

Snack: Apple, carrot, almonds or pumpkin seeds

Dinner: cauliflower, onion, carrot and tomatoes cooked together.

Fennel Tea, ginger tea and peppermint tea can be consumed throughout the day.

QUOTE

True happiness is not caused by the thing or an event.

Our breakfast today... Loved it! 

Cinque Terre

One of my favourite Italian holiday spots is the world heritage listed Cinque Terre. 

The five fishing towns are full of magic, peace and beauty. 

I was devastated to hear that due to bad weather, mud slides and torrential rain, Cinque Terre has been almost wiped out. 

One town Monterosso, they are saying does not exist anymore and the other four have lots of damage and problems. 

My thoughts are with the people who lost their lives, homes, businesses and towns.

Here are some beautiful photos my father took just 2 weeks ago when he visited. 

Detox Day 5:

7am wake up

Warm water with lots of lemon

(this is to flush your body)

10 minute Morning meditation 

30 minute yoga session 

Multi Vitamin Tablet

Milk thistle

Banana 

Breakfast: Organic Oats no milk

    Water with apple cider vinegar

Lunch: Boiled artichoke and spinach.

Snack: Apple, carrot, almonds or pumpkin seeds

Dinner: Green capsicum stuffed with brown rice, peas, chick peas, chilli and herbs 

Fennel Tea, ginger tea and peppermint tea can be consumed throughout the day.

QUOTE:

Nonresidence, Nonjudgement and nonattachment are the three aspects of true freedom and enlightened living.

Detox Day 4:

7am wake up

Warm water with lots of lemon

(this is to flush your body)

10 minute Morning meditation 

30 minute yoga session 

Multi Vitamin Tablet

Milk thistle

Banana 

Breakfast: Organic Oats no milk

    Water with apple cider vinegar

Lunch: White beans cooked with tomato and onion.

Snack: Apple, carrot, almonds or pumpkin seeds

Dinner: Tomato and cucumber salad, white bean mixture from lunch cooked with spinach and lightly roasted vegetables 

Fennel Tea, ginger tea and peppermint tea can be consumed throughout the day.

Quote: 

This, too, will pass 

Parisian Style

Today i started making a list of the books i want to buy because 

I have been seeing things and thinking 'oh i have to remember' to write that book down and lately i have not been remembering. 

I was watching the movie 'Midnight in Paris' and the French girls in the movie reminded me i wanted to buy two books on Parisian Style i had seen and another photograph book on celebrating French women. 

This then got me thinking about Parisian style, i started reading blogs, tips, lists etc on Parisian style. 

I remember in my Audrey Hepburn book 'Audrey Style' it speaks about how Audrey had a very parisian wardrobe and style. 

Parisian style is chic, simple, effortless, feminine and beautiful and it revolves a lot around confidence. 

Since living in Italy i have had an obsession with the way European women dress, especially in the colder months. Summer is so easy throw on a dress and sandals and everyone looks amazing. 

I have decided i am going to start my parisian wardrobe, it is going to be all about mixing affordable basics to achieve a look of effortless glamour. 

After half a days research i believe these are the top 'must have's' for a french wardrobe. 

Now depending on where in the world you live some of these may be unnecessary. 

The Magnificent 10  

1. White Shirt 

2. Beige Trench Coat 

3. Black Coat 

4. Ballerina flats 

5. Grey, black, navy, cream and khaki round neck sweaters 

6. Little Black Dress

7. Leather boots and black heels 

8. Blazer 

9. Black or navy pants 

10. Good pair of straight leg jeans

Here are some of my favourite 'parisian looks'

Day 3 Detox

7am wake up

Warm water with lots of lemon

(this is to flush your body)

10 minute Morning meditation 

30 minute yoga session 

Multi Vitamin Tablet

Milk thistle

Banana 

Breakfast: Organic Oats no milk

    Water with apple cider vinegar

Lunch: Brown rice with steamed broccoli, chilli, garlic & ginger.

Snack: Apple, carrot, almonds or pumpkin seeds

Dinner: Home made vegan & gluten free lentil patties with low fat greek yoghurt

 with tomato salad, fennel and cannelloni beans 

Fennel Tea, ginger tea and peppermint tea can be consumed throughout the day.

QUOTE: 

Today I will commit myself to detachment. I will allow myself and those around me the freedom to be as they are. I will not rigidly impose my idea of how things should be. I will not force solutions on problems, thereby creating new problems. I will participate in everything with detached involvement.

Detox Day 2:

DAY 2:

7am wake up

Warm water with lots of lemon

(this is to flush your body)

10 minute Morning meditation 

30 minute yoga session 

Multi Vitamin Tablet

Milk thistle

Banana 

Breakfast: Organic Oats no milk

    Water with apple cider vinegar

Lunch: Brown rice with steamed broccoli, chilli and garlic.

Snack: Apple, carrot, almonds or pumpkin seeds

Dinner: Soup with beans, carrots, broccoli, spinach, garlic with no stock cube and little salt. 

Fennel Tea, ginger tea and peppermint tea can be consumed throughout the day.

Today's Quote: 

A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts.

 A noble and Godlike character is not a thing of favor or chance, but is the natural result of continued effort in right thinking

Man is made or unmade by himself; 

that man is the master of thought, the molder of character, and maker and shaper of condition, environment, and destiny.

Only by much searching and mining are gold an diamonds obtained, and man can find every truth connected with his being if he will dig deep into the mine of his soul.

And that he is the maker of his character, the molder of his life, and the builder of his destiny, he may unerringly prove: if he will watch, control, and alter his thoughts, tracing their effects upon himself, upon others, and upon his life and circumstances

Today's aim is to control all my thought! 

Overview of Day 1 Detox

The first day of the detox is nearly over, i am currently typing this as i am having my very bland vegetable soup, thankfully we can still have garlic and chilli. 

The first day has been great, the morning was very relaxing and quiet. 

I decided early on today that i was going to be very present in the moment, (i always try to be like this, especially this year in Italy,) but i really wanted to feel the emotion instead of focusing on thinking about appreciating the moment.

My lunches this year have been very big and 90% of the time after lunch i have to have a 30 minute nap to let the food digest, so after lunch today i was feeling totally light and full of energy so i made a brown sugar, lemon and olive oil face scrub and then had a mud mask followed by a nice shower. 

It was such a beautiful evening and i didn't have to work so Matt and i decided to go to our new favourite spot, on top of the spanish steps and watch the sun set.   

From the moment i stepped outside i was totally feeling my feelings of happiness, appreciation and excitement for my present moment.  

The first thing that got me really excited was when i opened our front door and looked down to our terrace and saw leaves covering the whole area, i was so happy and excited that Autumn had been with us already for nearly one month. 

The air was cool and the sky was calm and Matt and i sat at the lookout for over half an hour talking and just enjoying and taking in our present moment and the beauty that was around us.

After the sun set we wandered around the cobblestones and explored some new little streets and i kept feeling so much lightness and happiness for all the small things i see often. 

The street lights, the windows and doors, the buildings and even the tourists made me happy tonight. 

I will admit it was not easy to see gelati, pasta, cheese and wine everywhere around us, i tried very hard to just feel the appreciation of being able to eat all our favourite foods again next week and be happy for the break i am giving my body. 

I am looking forward to a nice nights sleep and another early morning tomorrow for day 2. 

NOT MY MOST FAVOURITE THINGS ABOUT THE DETOX. 

Trying to drink at least 3 litres of water a day. 

I have the worst bladder so i was continuously running to the bathroom. 

Matt made me think when he said everyone should always drink at least 3 litres of water a day, and i obviously have never so for the past 24 years my body has been dehydrated. 

Deodorant, shampoo, make up, face creams etc must be avoided. 

I use all mineral make up, my body creams, soaps, face cream and shampoo are all natural so i was not worried about that, however my deodorant is dove, so i decided to use my natural oils from Morocco as my perfume and deodorant and i sprayed lots of rose water on me. All day i felt sticky under my arms and i have decided that after one day of sticky arm pits i am going to the health food store tomorrow to buy an organic deodorant. 

Our Terrace that made me smile....

Spanish Steps 

All the tourists still in Rome. Today i appreciated them instead of avoiding them. 

Mind, Body and Spirit Detox

Matt and i are doing a 7 day Mind & Body Detox.
Autumn has just started and we have already both had colds.
So we have decided to put our minds and bodies through a strict 7 day detox.

Our bodies naturally rid of all bad toxins, however today with not knowing what is in the foods we consume daily it has become harder for our bodies to naturally rid of all those bad toxins.

A detox followed properly will give the mind, body and spirit amazing results,
 feelings of lightness, energy, clearer mind and peace will fill your life.


DAY 1:

7am wake up

Warm water with lots of lemon
(this is to flush your body)

10 minute Morning meditation 

30 minute yoga session 

Multi Vitamin Tablet
Milk thistle
Banana

Breakfast: Organic Oats no milk
    Water with apple cider vinegar

Lunch: Brown rice with steamed broccoli, chilli and garlic.

Snack: Apple, carrot, almonds or pumpkin seeds

Dinner: Green only vegetable soup, with no stock cube and little salt.

Fennel Tea, ginger tea and peppermint tea can be consumed throughout the day.

QUOTE: 
You are the beginning of the transformed world.

Eckart Tolle

A  friend of mine reminded me of a great author Eckart Tolle. 

Years ago i read his book ' The Power of Now' and i remember i was blown away. 

My friend introduced me to another one of his books 'A New Earth' which i have become 

totally absorbed into. 

This author opens our eyes up to some very real and hard truths about ourselves, our lives and our ego's. 

QUOTES I LOVE!

“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.” 


“The past has no power over the present moment.” 


“The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it.” 


“Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having at the moment.” 


“Sometimes letting things go is an act of far greater power than defending or hanging on.” 


“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have. Make the NOW the primary focus of your life.” 


“Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it.


“A genuine relationship is one that is not dominated by the ego with its image-making and self-seeking. In a genuine relationship, there is an outward flow of open, alert attention toward the other person in which there is no wanting whatsoever.” 


“This, too, will pass.” 


“The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but thought about it. Be aware of the thoughts you are thinking. Separate them from the situation, which is always neutral. It is as it is.” 


“All the things that truly matter, beauty, love, creativity, joy and inner peace arise from beyond the mind.” 


“You do not become good by trying to be good, but by finding the goodness that is already within you, and allowing that goodness to emerge. But it can only emerge if something fundamental changes in your state of consciousness.” 

A touch of Autumn in Toscana

Visiting Tuscany any time of year in my opinion is the 'perfect time,' however i have been waiting for a cool change as i love Autumn and especially in the country side Autumn is such a special time. 

It doesn't matter how many times i go to Tuscany there is always a new town or village waiting to surprise and excite me around every corner. 

The small towns are filled with a peaceful living life to the fullest feeling... 

If you find a town and enter to explore any time between 1pm - 3pm and there is not one person to be seen, they are all in their houses sleeping. 

If you start to explore in the morning hours you see everyone out in the bars and streets speaking, smoking and drinking coffee while the shop doors stay closed when they should be open... 

If you stumble upon a town at night as the sun has set, you will not be disappointed, wine bars, restaurants and piazza's are full of locals just letting the time pass with no worries about the next day... 

The feelings in Tuscany make you remember to live each day to the fullest! 

Work, bills, gym, study and day to day activities will still be there tomorrow, however the time to relax and sit quietly by yourself or with the company of loved ones may not...  

CHERISH EACH DAY,

MAKE THE MINUTES COUNT!!!!