A Wedding in a Hurry: Part Seven - The Cleanse

So it has been two months since I walked down the aisle (more about that day here) and I can't say that life has been any less busy than before, however, nothing can compare to the fortnight leading up to the wedding which was quite possibly the most hectic of my life. Seeing we only had eight weeks in total to plan the wedding, this meant that a lot of the important wedmin occurred frighteningly close to the wedding day - the last two weeks were spent running between beauty appointments and dress fittings, confirming all the finer details of the wedding with all those involved, selecting our wedding music, finalising and approving the stationery and writing runsheets for all and sundry - all whilst juggling my baby's rather demanding 'eat, play, sleep, repeat' schedule (any Mum will know how little time that leaves spare!) and of course, we were also in the middle of an incredibly busy wedding season at Mildred&Co.

So with stress levels being at an all time high, it was with much glee that I embarked on a Greenleaf Organic Smoothie cleanse as it not only meant that I didn't have to think about what to eat for a day (one less task!), but it also helped counteract the busy days and late nights by helping reset and detoxify my digestive system, ensuring that I would have glowing skin and brighter eyes come my wedding day. Greenleaf Organics founder, Sarah Tanner assured me that I could also expect "more mental clarity, hydrated and radiant skin, a sense of calm due to giving your adrenals a break, a flatter tummy, more regular bowel motions, reduced cravings and higher and more even energy levels." That sounded pretty damn good to me.

The cleanse I chose was the 'Naked Cleanse' - a stripped back cleanse for those that want a clean, lean experience. The naked blends are all free of banana, nuts and nut milks, low in fruit, and no dates. They are also free of dairy, refined sugar, wheat, soy, and gluten and instead jam packed with organic produce and a sprinkling of organic superfoods like matcha, spirulina, bee pollen and turmeric root to help you feel your best. Greenleaf Organics are big on 'blending' not 'juicing' so that you get the benefits of the whole food as opposed to stripping much of the goodness. Luckily my 'shredding for the wedding' diet meant I had already been doing my pre-cleanse homework by cutting out all processed foods, refined sugar, wheat, dairy and 'unnecessary' glasses of wine.

The day was kick-started with a power shot of organic cold-pressed lemon juice, organic apple cider vinegar and organic cayenne pepper. This was followed by a spinach and parsley based juice and for morning tea was a carrot and apricot blend which was so thick in consistency that it almost tricked you into thinking that you were eating something more substantial. It is recommended to chew your smoothie (ie, rolling it around in your mouth a little before swallowing so that a message is sent to your brain to release precious digestive enzymes) but this was easier said than done. Especially for someone who tends to inhale rather than chew their food, even on a good day. By the time 1pm rolled around it was fair to say that I was pretty hungry and while delicious, the lunchtime juice made with kale, spirulina and coriander didn't do much to quell the rumbling noises in my stomach nor the dizziness I was starting to feel. Seeing that I am prone to low blood-sugar and I had my baby to care for, I thought I better do the responsible thing, so rather guiltily ate a banana and a handful of almonds and instantly felt much better. Or maybe it was just had a placebo effect? I also was doing everything that Greenleaf Organics recommend you not to do when you are cleansing - as opposed to having a quiet and relaxing day, I was instead rushing around like a maniac so probably burning more energy than I had coming in.

The afternoon smoothie went down a treat as I still felt hungry, but strangely by the time it was dinnertime I didn't feel at all like eating food - almost as if I had gone past the point of hunger. Instead I happily sipped on my warmed COCOmilk smoothie, hopped into bed early and fell into a blissfully deep slumber the whole night long. In fact, it was the best sleep I had had in forever. The next day I woke expecting to be absolutely ravenous but surprisingly I wasn't at all and I even managed to do a sunrise yoga class and felt incredible - light on my feet and full of energy. It was as if I had a spring in my step. Once home I broke the spell with my usual breakfast of a two-egg omelette with spinach and a quarter of an avocado expecting for it to taste better than ever before, but there was no euphoric moment at all!  The rest of the day I ate lightly and cleanly, relishing in how good and energised I felt. My stomach felt flatter, my eyes were clear and bright and overall I just felt better. And so it was with that feeling that I was able to tackle the never-ending 'wedmin' list with much more ease and clarity.

Despite the gnawing hunger I felt at times during the cleanse (although lets face it, it was only one day to endure after all), I would highly recommend this cleanse to anyone that needs to step back from their busy lives and reset their internal clock again. You will literally glow from the inside out and bounce from wall to wall with renewed energy.

Milly. x

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