Detox week

Now that Tough Mudder is well and truly over I've decided to have a long over due detox week, not only for my body but my mind as well.

So here is the plan for the next 6 days.

Sunday

Eat a clean, fresh, vegetarian diet. (I'm going out for lunch for my grandmothers birthday so a vegan meal may not be possible)

Juggling for 30 mins
Mediation for 30 mins

Going to drink lemon water and peppermint tea for dinner to start to flush out the toxins

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday

Going on a juice fast, drinking only fresh vegetable juice and herbal tea. Maybe I will have some carrot sticks if the hunger pangs get to much!

Juggling for 30 mins
Meditation 30 mins

Thursday and Friday

 Eating a strictly raw vegan diet with plenty of veggies and tea.

Also continuing the meditation and juggling.


I will be posting my favorite juice recipes throughout the week and keep a log of how I am going!

Tough Mudder

My amazing team!

My Tough Mudder expirence was amazing. Everybody on course was so supportive and my team was amazing. For those of you that dont know Tough Mudder is a 20km British military special forces obstacle that is held in many countries around the world to raise money for charity.

If you have the opportunity to participate in this event it is definitely worth it! The pledge is correct in saying that it is not a race, it's a challenge. I faced my fear of heights and electricity on the course and I felt amazing that I completed it when I finished! 

It was tough both mentally and physically, but the atmosphere around you is amazing and I was surprised with what I could do. My team finished in under 3 hours, I never thought I could run 20km in a day, let alone in under 3 hours with obsticals.

It is a difficult course to do and I would recommend strapping anything that might give you some trouble (my knee is giving me a world of pain right now). I did not do any preparation for this event except walking and a little running, and I did not find it that physically demanding that I wanted to pull out at anytime.

I really appreciated the bananas being handed out on course! They made a world of difference.

So what am I taking away from this experience;

1. You can live a mostly vegan life and still do amazing physical activities
2. People are amazing, both mentally and physically.
3. People are amazingly supportive, and you need people to support you to get over obstacles. (I think this is a lovely metaphore for life, and I need to learn that it is ok to ask for help in other situations)

Good times! Thankyou to everyone who was there! You are all amazing!

Appreciating your partner

Thinking about why someone is special to you

Me and my man Brad

Often we overlook one of the most important people in our lives. If you are as lucky enough to have someone that cares for you and loves it, is easy to overlook how lucky you are unless you take time to reflect on why they are special to you.

Me and my partner have recently gone through a very rough time, with lots of changes in both of our lives. I admit that i was not the nicest of girlfriends and it is something i am not proud of.

Despite all of this (and a lot of love and affection from him) we have managed to get through and i feel that we are now very happy.

So why is it so important to look after the special person in our lives?
This is something that is different for every person and looking at what you appreciate about your partner can help with your happiness. These are some reasons that are important to me.

Affection 

Almost anyone would say that they enjoy someone being affectionate towards and them and being affectionate back. It is human nature to want people to love and care for you, and a partner can take this to the next level in the way that they treat you. I love my man because he makes me feel special and i can forget what ever issues are going on in my life when he hugs me. I am sure that he likes the same back and i would like to try and be more affectionate towards him.

Someone you can talk to

Not just talking, but being able to tell them anyone. Having a connection with someone that you can to anything to is very special. I can tell him anything, but i often feel that he is not comfortable to say the same to me. I would like to listen to him more and get cranky with so that he safe to tell me anything.

Someone to help you up

I have gone through a very difficult time in my life and he has stood by me no matter what. I wish i has his patience and caring as i feel that he deserves better from me. I would like to think that i have done well to stand by him in his difficult times, but i don't. This is something that i would love to work on.

Well these are some things i care about with my man (there are many more). Taking time out to think about your partner and what they do for you can be a good way to appreciate how much they mean to you. Thinking about this has helped me greatly and i hope it will help other.

Best energy 

Maddy

Being Happier Through Being Grateful

Closeup of a flower

Practicing gratitude is one of the easiest way to end negative thoughts or feeling and practice being less self focused. Focusing on the beauty in everything helps you find connection and appreciation with the world. However it can be difficult to practice gratitude in situations that are less than pleasant. I break up things to be grateful about into thee categories. Situations, the world and people.

Situations

Stars at night. the lines are caused by the movement of the earth. 

I faced a particular challenge in being grateful a few days ago when the fire alarm went off at 4am. I stumbled outside, half asleep, dazed and muttering about who would be cooking at 4 in the morning. Four hundred of us waited out side in the cold (yes i live in a big building), and were then informed that a hot water had burst and we wouldn't get any hot water.

So how can you be grateful in this situation? I went through and made a mental list of all the good things that have come from this situation.
1. The fire alarm could have stopped someone getting hurt by the hot water
2. I met heaps of new people whilst outside
3. The stars where beautiful
4. My hair was really soft after washing it in cold water, ect.




This made me feel me feel much happier about the situation and i no longer felt up set and angry. Thinking about what good might come out of a situation is a great way to let go of the anger you might be feeling about it.

The World

Close up of a dandelion 

Often we get so caught up in our own worlds we forget to look at the big picture. The world around us is amazing. Take sometime to walk and appreciate nature. It helps you relax and be able to step out of your current issues and a self centered world and see that there is beauty everywhere. 

Looking at the nature around you is a great way to relax and appreciate how special life is. I love looking at flowers and bugs close up. Ordinary things like dandelions are special if you take time to notice them. I have included some photos below from a walk to the shops and all the things i noticed.

People

A lotus seed pod, shown to me by pattsie (A hunter gatherer in the NT Australia)

I try and appreciate and accept all people. I find that the best way to appreciate someone is to let them talk and just sit and listen to what ever they have to say. This was very difficult for me to learn as i have very strong views and i enjoy challenging peoples views. I have had to learn to bite my tongue, and it has been very worth it. You make new friends and meet new people if you let your guard down and accept that people will have their own views and you can not change it. 

A good way to do this is ask questions about a new person you have met and see where it takes you. The hardest part about this is rejection, where people obviously don't want to talk to you. I have experienced this several times and it can hurt, but keep trying because creating a connection with new people is very rewarding.

Keep Looking

Bull ants on a light bulb 

Everyday look for situations that you are grateful for. You should feel happier and more relax almost straight away and begin to appreciate how special life is.

Here are some lemons my granddad grew. No particularity reason for them.