Kick Start January with Rosemary Ferguson
START THE NEW YEAR WITH A TOUCH OF ROSEMARY & THYME
Christmas…New Year...the most indulgent times of the year which leave most of us with that ‘uggghhhhh’ feeling. Your body has been working extremely hard, especially your digestive system which has taken quite a hit from the all the rich and heavy foods. We all tend to drink a lot more than usual so no doubt your liver has been working exceptionally hard too. With your body trying to cope with so much when January comes we all tend to feel tired, sluggish, a lack of motivation and we most probably have gained some weight.
January is therefore the perfect time to do a little restart/detox; not only to begin the year well but also to give everything a helping hand to replace all the vital nutrients in your body, rest your digestive system and to get back to an alkaline state. From my experience, the best way to do this is a structured fast that can last anywhere from 1 – 30 days; the duration is completely up to you and dependent on how motivated you are feeling. Fasts come in all varieties and can be tailor-made to your needs. I always do a juice fast, they work really well for me and I feel great after them; my skin is glowing and I feel lighter mentally and physically. I tend to use one from my book ‘Juice’ - I have a 1 day, 2 day and a 3 day. Juicing is a wonderful way to get an array of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants back into your body addressing your digestion, liver, skin and more. I understand juicing isn’t for everyone so another idea that works well is 5 days of soups and smoothies. This way you still feel full but because the food is broken down your digestive system finds it easier to cope while you’re still getting a range of fruit, veg, herbs and spices. Another fast I would suggest for more mature individuals, would be mung bean or vegetable stew fasts; a more gentle fast where you’re eating food that is nice and simple for your body to digest. Fasting really is a great way to reboot your mind and body.
I know some people struggle to fast on their own because after all the festivities it’s hard to regain focus. I would therefore suggest convincing your partner or friends to join you as it’s really effective to offer support to one another. Retreats are another great idea because they help to keep you on the straight and narrow. I’m finding that they are trending more and more as people find it easier to focus and relax when they are away from their usual surroundings. I’m doing a retreat with Thyme in January which is the perfect time to join us and really detox and focus. We thought we would share the recipe for my 'On an Even Kale' Juice using Thyme's delicious kitchen garden kale.
Join Rosemary at Thyme this month for our 'Rosemary & Thyme Retreat' - three days of nutritional advice, cookery classes and yoga, that will help you start 2017 in a truly inspiring way.
Images from 'Juice' by Nassima Rothaker
