Well actually, for me, it is just the start of making some longer lasting changes; they say it takes 45 days to break a bad habit or form a new one and so I still have 30 days of work to do! First of all, I have to admit that I did have a coffee on Saturday – I know there’s no excuse but I was in the Trafford Centre, where you are never more than a few metres from a coffee bar, and it was just a single shot.
Anyway, afterwards I went to the Nespresso store, where I was urged to try their new range of super-intense coffees by a totally hyper sales assistant but I opted for a decaf – so I felt that kind of redeemed me! (I stocked up on supplies though!)
So my detox experience is over but now I am thinking that was the easy bit. During the last 2 weeks my focus has been on following the rules. However, today, when this self-imposed structure was removed I was faced with choice. This morning I knew I could keep my coffee machine on all day long but after my one delicious coffee I switched the machine off and it has not been on again. I don’t want to take coffee out of my life completely but I do want to manage my habit a lot better.
In addition to caffeine, I’ve omitted sugar, gluten, dairy, soya, alcohol and nightshades from my diet. More than 10 years ago I discovered I am intolerant of cow’s milk products but this has led me to consuming a lot more soya (mainly milk alternative). In these last 2 weeks I have been enjoying almond and rice milk and so will probably not revert to soya. As for the rest, these are all things I instinctively take out of my diet if I feel run-down or lacking in energy. Two weeks without these foods/drinks has left me feeling good; I have clear skin, a flat stomach and I feel more energetic and less anxious. So, I’m going to be watching carefully to see what happens when I re-introduce each one and I will let this guide my future decisions as to what should stay and what should go forever.
The process has also made me much more mindful about where toxins might be coming from. I already avoid harsh chemical cleaners and bleach but as products run out I am going to carefully consider what to replace them with. I have been using bicarbonate of soda on my work surfaces and sinks and it works really well so why use anything stronger.
As for shampoo, shower gel skincare and make-up – I definitely can do better so this is a more long-term project and one that I’m sure I will be blogging about in the future. Meanwhile, I’ll keep the pressure on to turn the lessons of the last 2 weeks into my new good habits.
Finally, thank you all so much all for supporting me with this – it really has made the difference.
