Update On 7 Days of Juicing, How I'm feeling plus I Had A Rest Day

It has been quite a tough week.  Here's me thinking I'm going to be feeling amazing as I quite radically transform my eating (ok, not necessarily radically, but to me it's quite a big thing) and I feel awful.

I have been juicing for a week now and this means having a sumptuous fruit/veg juice in the morning with added Udo's oil and 'Beyond Greens' for all the good superfoods and essential fatty acids.  For lunch I have a homemade smoothie, with soya milk.   For evening meal we've been cooking rice, stir fry veg and beans/pulses or tofu.  In between, veg/fruit to munch and home made Hummous. 

As I wrote in my last post, all week I have had a constant headache and felt quite yuk really - you get the gist of it here.

I woke this morning with another headache and I just felt quite crap really as I have made some BIG changes and thought I'd feel AMAZING.  

I have now not had dairy or eggs, for 7 days and have been having soya milk or coconut milk instead. This is the main thing for me as I'm considering going Vegan after being Vegetarian for quite a few years now.  I have had no wheat this week either and no sugar (apart from fruit sugar).  Lots of other things I haven't had, but I'll not list them here!

I'm so Chuffed that I haven't had dairy and I do feel better not having it.   

Irrespective of the headaches.  I have persevered and today as we walked Lucy, I could feel it lifting, which is great and for the first time a big relief.  

Today has actually been a great day.  I posted my proof read edits and index for my second book to the editor, hopefully being published end of July (27th) I think.  

Hubby and I went out for a mooch which we haven't done for a long time and we ended up in the ONLY vegetarian cafe/restaurant ONE of only TWO in Liverpool. Can you believe it???  Just one place.  It has been there for years and is called The Egg Cafe - it's a really quirky, cute, veggie space in Liverpool and it was the first time me and hubs had been there together.  We had a lovely lunch - so nice to sit down and just be somewhere where you know everything is made without harming anything that has eyes.

We need more veggie cafes in Liverpool.

Photo in the Rain of my new bag. 

In our mooch around, we visited Sacred Earth and I treated myself to a new bag - as well as a lovely necklace which was in a half price sale.  It's the kind of beaded jewellery I used to make 20 years ago, it's just one long necklace which can be work in many ways and has a little buddha on the bottom.  Love it!

Sorry for the photos, stormy weather approaching.

I got home and felt a burst of energy after our lovely trip out, to tidy up our garden and rearrange some pots, deadhead plants and enjoy the sunshine whilst doing it, which was so welcome seeing as it has pretty much non stop rained.

Have you ever seen a Foxglove so tall - it's over 6ft

This photo was taken after the downpour, but honestly it was just lovely for a few hours!

This was my own little spiritual day of rest as I did nothing that related to work.  You see,  I work 7 days a week, I have days that I do for others in employed work (2) and then I am freelance for the rest and developing my writing, art and healing.  Everything in my life pretty much merges into itself, which does need some extra guiding from me (which I'm working on) and I'm having Inner Wisdom business coaching with Srimati which is proving really insightful.  My purpose is feeling more aligned and I'm clearer.  Contemplating on some really big questions. So to completely switch off today and leave the laptop behind and get out into other stimulating environments has been a great tonic.  

I love BEES, (thanks hubs for helping me to get over the fear of BEES.)
 I took heaps of photos of bees buzzing around our beautiful flowers

Caught this little one just leaving!

Note to self, must take a 'Rest Day' every week.   

Much Love 

Happy Saturday.

Jules xxxx

I have umm'ed and arr'hed over whether to remove the 'art' from jules dolly art and just right now I decided to rename my blog 'Jules Dolly', just Jules Dolly.  I feel that this reflects everything I'm doing in this life.  Writing, Art and Healing plus lots of other things in between.

Is Julia feeling juicy? No, Not yet

 

These past few weeks I have been really wanting a shift in my food.  I don't know exactly what's been going on but I just feel like my body needed a break from milk, wheat, eggs, dairy.

'As if by magic', I then see a link to a film called Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead by Joe Cross (well I only saw the trailer as it's not available over in the UK, but the trailer sold it to me).

We both looked at it, hubby and me and decided to go for it.

Not exactly like Joe Cross who did a 60 day Juice diet while he went across American (he's an Aussie) Something similar: juicing/smoothing through the day and then having an evening meal which is minimally cooked and with beans/pulses.  Nothing with eyes.

In between if there were any pangs, we'd munch on some carrots/brocolli spears, cucumber etc, or a piece of fruit.  We'd continue to make our own Hummous and use that too as a dip.

This was not about dieting (although it is cutting calories) but about wholesome nurturing and allowing our bodies to rest and make some changes, then we can reintroduce some items and notice any reaction.

We're committed to doing this as a twosome, so after purchasing a juicer, we then bought our stock of fruit and vegetables which, let me tell you, cost aplenty.  We spent around £45 just on fruits and vegetables, nothing else (oh and soya milk for adding to smoothies).  That's our shopping.

It has been 4 days and I have to write that I haven't felt great. On the one hand, I'm not feeling as hungry but I have had a permanent throbbing headache which is making me take the bobble out of my hair (you know that feeling, don't you?)  Hubby has headache too.  Although his is not as bad or persistent.

Now not sure why this is... maybe:

1) My body is ridding itself of toxins that have been causing intollerances
2) I'm eating too much natural fruit sugars which aren't agreeing with me.
3) I'm due for my period.

I really am hoping that it's Number 1 and that after a few more days, the throbbing headaches will go and I'll feel like "I'm on top of the world".

Tomorrow I'm off to a conference so I'm planning to take my stash of stuff for the day and hope I can resist the curly sarnies and tons of biscuits, plus the countless teas and coffees to keep me going through the day.

It's all very well doing this when it's just me and 'him indoors', indoors, but when I have to venture out into the big wide world and meet with other people, this juicing malarky turns into a whole new game.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Much love
Jules xxx

Present but Absent

I have been quite absent from blog land - it is not that I don't have anything to write about (since when do I not have anything to write about).  I have just felt introverted, reflective and quiet.

You know that feeling, don't you?

When you just want to shut out the noise.  The technology, the interruptions and Be Still.

To listen to the tiny whispers inside.

This is what I have been doing.

Whilst in these moments of stillness, I have been lovingly creating my Wisdom Oracle Card Canvases.  I have now completed 4 and have a new set of 4 on the go.

The words are flowing from me as I'm painting, I stop, I write the messages and the wisdom.

It's a really healing process.

Remembering the relationships, the people, the memories, the connections.

I have also been delving into my writing too and am beginning the research around my Healing ME book.

I want to share my Canvases because, hey that's just what I do.  I took them outside to let them absorb some beautiful sunlight and took some snaps in the garden.  Isn't that giant Poppy GREAT?!

It is still early days and I am letting this unfold.

But I'm really delighted at how they're turning out.

All is Well

By Your Side, Always

Ground Yourself

Love Always

If you want to read a little more about my 44 Wisdom Card Project, then click here.  Each of these canvases are inspired by people and their meanings/messages very healing and poignant.

So onward with the next four.  I doubt I'll get all 44 finished by my 44th birthday in July but I hope to have them all done in my 44th year.

Much Love
Jules xxx