A Lovely Weekend Away - Now onto the Cleanse!

This past weekend, my hubby and I stayed at a really quaint and romantic Inn in the wine region of Prince Edward County (www.devonshire-inn.com). We were given a gift certifcate from my in-laws for Christmas last year, and we decided to wait for the warmer weather before using it.

It was a beautiful location - overlooking the lake, with a private beach and muskoka chairs all about. We had a nice cozy room with our own bathroom and a view onto a little stream with trees and birds. The stay was great. Very relaxing and rejuvinating. The food at the Inn was really good too (we only had our breakfast there - which was served on a big deck overlooking the water). I was able to find tasty vegetarian options wherever we ate, which was great, as this was our first trip "away" since starting my new lifestyle.

And, while in the County, one must of course visit the wineries that are abundant and sprawling across the region! And we did! Two in fact - and one cider house as well. We ate, we drank, we slept, we ate and drank some more...and spent one of our days on a beautiful sand beach in the area. Just thinking about it now .... I want to go back!

But here I am - it's Tuesday - I'm back at work and back to reality! With the drinking and the pancakes and the blooming onions and the sunchips and the desserts, my body is wondering what the heck I did to it!

So, today I started a 7-day herbal detoxifying cleanse. A mix of supplements and specific foods to help clean me up and get me feeling good again. Truthfully - much of the permitted foods on this cleanse are what I eat daily anyway - but there are some foods (mushrooms, flour, bread for example) that are not allowed.

I've cleansed before - it's tough in the beginning, and usually I feel a little weak the first couple of days, but I'm hoping I'll get through it and feel better and begin the latter half of 2008 with a fresh start. The first half was the most wonderful year of my life! That's a lot to live up to! But I'm pretty sure I can do it!

As a post-script....I partook in an Ashtanga Yoga class last week. It was a level 2 (i.e. - not a beginner class) but I wanted to try it out and see how I liked it. Well...let's just say that everyone in the class looked like Madonna, and I had to keep taking breaks (and at one time thought I was going to be sick!) ... but I persevered and was actually able to do a lot of the moves, and felt soooooooo good when I was done! It was a 90 minute class in a heated room - so a little much for my first time - but at least I know that it's something I definately want to pursue and man oh man! What a workout!! I felt like an elastic when I was done and was so relaxed yet energized at the same time. Hard to explain - but I will definately be going back for more!