Day 5

Only day 5! It feels like day 100.

I am detoxing. Deeeeeeeeeeeetox. Detox detox detox detox detox. Detox. Aaaarghh!

Well, ok, it's not terrible but it's certainly uncomfortable. Headache - my whole head feels as though it's filled with way too much stuff, and the stuff is trying to explode my head and burst forth! My glands are swollen and I feel exhausted.

The detox process has brought with it cravings - significant cravings, for the first time since the cleanse began. I'm, craving all the food that's bad for me and would calm my head and 'blug' me down. But... I didn't eat any of it! I prepared it for my family and didn't have a single taste, and it wasn't torture. I snacked on fruit instead, and sun tea. The sun teas really helped, and I'm lucky that it's Summer and delicious peaches annd grapes are in season. Mmmmmmm!

Once again today's recipes were delicious. Because I am feeling blerky and lethargic I wanted to eat more than usual. I suspect that my body's thinking 'ooh, I'm tired, I'd better eat more to gain more energy'. So I ate all of each meal where in the past few days I haven't been hungry enough to finish them all.

Exercise? Yoga. I haven't done it yet today but as soon as this post is done and the dishes are washed I'll stretch and bend myself into feeling a bit better.

The happiness exercise for the day has to do with positive thinking! Very timely! I haven't done it yet - I'll do it when the kids are in bed.

Out journal exercise is to reflect on our favourite forms of movement. I love to move! I can't think of a physical sport or recreation that I don't enjoy. As a teenager and in my early 20's I did a lot of hiking, rock climbing, canyoning and caving. I still love all of those activities and look forward to doing them all again when the kids are old enough to take with me. Rock climbing, particularly, is a meditative activity and one that is wonderful for both my mind and body. It seems to really connect me with the earth in both a physical and metaphoric sense.

When I met my husband he taught me to wind surf, and I wish I could do it every day! It's such a rush and so much fun. Exhilarating. I'd love to learn to surf waves - my reward to myself when I finish this cleanse and the 28-day cleanse with no cheating will be a surfing lesson! I figure I'll have saved enough money for a lesson by not buying takeaway coffees and other unhealthy fast foods.

1o years ago my husband and I bought push bikes and cycled along Tasmania's East coast. We loved cycling  - so much so that we eventually joined a local club and began racing. We both love it! My husband has raced for nearly 7 years now, while I've had a couple of breaks when I was pregnant and had newborns. This year I'll start racing again. I love riding in a bunch - the way it moves like a school of fish, the way you need to 'read' a race and use smart tactics to do well. I've challenged myself physically racing the bike more than in any other sporting endeavour I've done.

These days running is my primary sport. It's fun, invigorating, and I can take the kids wtih me. My son rides his bike and I take my daughter in the pram. I'm still getting back into it after having a break when my daughter was born, but I'm running a few times a week now and starting to feel like the 'old me' again.

This cleanse has been the best thing for me so far. I'd never before eaten raw food for 5 days straight (actually 6, because I started a day early!). I already feel so much more confident in my abilities to suck it up and do what I want to do to achieve my goals. I'm not worried any mroe that I'll cheat - I just won't. This confidence boost is great and I'm looking forward to applying it to the rest of the cleanse and also to other aspects of my life.