Detox time - your advice?

Life Health & Fitness
1

I got seven weeks vacation coming up, with the option of going to the Philippines or Thailand, and I’m quite keen on a week or two of detox.

I don’t eat well enough at the moment, I’m convinced most of the food is of poor nutritional value (even the fruit and veg), I exercise irregularly, drink plench beer, live in a polluted city. And I seem to have sniffles or a cough most of the time. I reckond my mind could do with some detoxing too - I feel like I’m thinking negatively too often, and I know that affects the body too.

I recall HGC saying he did a detox week at a Thailand resort, and it did him wonders. Now, I’ll PM him and ask him the cost of that, but should it be too pricey what do you suggest? Say I didn’t make it to an idyllic island in SEA, but stuck it out in Xiamen ('cross the pond).

I reckon yoga/tai chi does wonders for the body and mind. The other basics would be less late nights, less “phuza makhulu” - drinking, more fresh fruit and veg, less additives.

What else? Some people say the body self-detoxes, but I believe a week or three of intense clean-out does work a treat.

Your thoughts please…

2

I went to The Sanctuary. It was good, but there’s no electricity after midnight which freaked me out because I was on my own. Kept hearing snakes and rats, etc.

The yoga classes were great, but the whole thing came to an abrupt end after a second ‘peanut in my food’ incident due to the fact that they messed up my order. I was already histamining my brains out because of a heat rash, and it was a bit far away from an adrenaline shot for my liking …

‘Detox’ is generally bollocks, but a period of vegan food, yoga, and swimming in the sea is going to make most people feel good. They have massage and all sorts of hippieness that I didn’t really check out. No sugar, no white carbs, no dairy or meat, loads of raw veggies and nuts and seeds and fruit will sort you out.

The accommodation is designed so you feel like you are living in the trees. You can’t see any of the other huts, so it’s really tranquil. Hammocks on the balcony, looking over the treetops and out to the sea!

Very jealous!

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I did a 2 week detox at home last year. I ate food, but no dairy, sugar and nothing that came packaged and ofcourse vegetarian fare. Just that much and it was hard. I dunno if it had any benefits but I’ll tell you how I felt…hungry!

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Looks nice. Samui has some nice, secluded resorts/spas too. Depends on the budget I guess.

I tried Tai chi once, and I was stiff for a week, but I enjoyed it. I would feel somewhat self-conscious doing yoga though. There need to be more man-yoga classes. I don’t want to be taken for the perv with his head half an inch from the next gal’s bits and bobs…

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Yeah, it’s a pain in th hole to get to. Travelling sucks.And The Sanctuary ain’t cheap, for what it offers. The yoga there isn’t like that. Obviously, a place like that will always be wimmin-heavy, but you won’t feel weird or out of place, doing the yoga classes.

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My budget is pretty tight. Of the seven weeks I have off I’d rather spend all in SEA, near a beach, mountain or trail, than in Xiamen. I busted quite a bit in two weeks on Samui last year, but I was pickpocketed to the tune of 5000 baht. Didn’t go mad like the early 20-something days though.

I could find a cheap beach bungalo, and swim plenty, eat fruit and veggies dishes, and read plenty - that’s soothing too. Away from the Chinese mayhem…

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[quote=“Baas Babelaas”]

I could find a cheap beach bungalo, and swim plenty, eat fruit and veggies dishes, and read plenty - that’s soothing too. Away from the Chinese mayhem…[/quote]
Now you’re thinking. Stay away from the booze, do a lot of walking. Not much else needed. Vasbyt!
Impossible for me, but you sound like a man with INTENSHAHN!

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[quote=“Baas Babelaas”]My budget is pretty tight. Of the seven weeks I have off I’d rather spend all in SEA, near a beach, mountain or trail, than in Xiamen. I busted quite a bit in two weeks on Samui last year, but I was pickpocketed to the tune of 5000 baht. Didn’t go mad like the early 20-something days though.

I could find a cheap beach bungalo, and swim plenty, eat fruit and veggies dishes, and read plenty - that’s soothing too. Away from the Chinese mayhem…[/quote]

Yeah, the place above is really cheap compared to those posh spas, but it’s still a LOT more than average accomodation. I think it was about 1500 a night for the hut. I scarpered to Samui, to an aircon place with a pool and hot showers because I can’t deal with heat at all. Lots of nam manao and snorkelling and ‘meditating’ (I’ve never really had a problem sitting motionless, with an empty mind, to be honest. ).

The thing is, though, if you aren’t isolated, will you really pass up all the curries with white rice? :laughing:

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[quote=“Buttercup”]

The thing is, though, if you aren’t isolated, will you really pass up all the curries with white rice? :laughing:[/quote]
Therein lies the rub…

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The place I stayed in on Samui had the best burgers I’ve had in Asia in the seven years I’ve been here. 250 baht/burger and chips - my oh my. Their rooms were only 500 baht/night (next to the beach, two pools, poolside bars).

Need to be at least 20-30 minutes from a ‘junk food’ joint.

Good way to save money is to not rent a scooter for the duration of your stay. Use the pick-up taxis that move around regularly.

DAMN, already talking about food, and I’m planning a detox holiday.

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[quote=“Baas Babelaas”]I don’t eat well enough at the moment, I’m convinced most of the food is of poor nutritional value (even the fruit and veg), I exercise irregularly, drink plench beer, live in a polluted city. And I seem to have sniffles or a cough most of the time. I reckond my mind could do with some detoxing too - I feel like I’m thinking negatively too often, and I know that affects the body too…
Your thoughts please…[/quote]

I’m obviously biased in this area but IMO, “detox” isn’t going to cure what is ailing you. It sounds to me like you need to get in shape and that means changing your mental and physical diet, and adding exercise to your regular schedule.

People who feel like this don’t need detox nor are their bodies full of poisons. What’s happened is that they’ve made poor choices that have resulted in a low energy state. If you eat crap food and get little to no exercise, then your body adapts to that input and output. You wind up with little mental or physical energy because you’re not supplying it (food) nor do you need to produce it (exercise). So you’re losing out in both the areas of supply and demand.

Instead of an expensive detox vacation, I’d recommend that the money be spent on buying higher quality, natural foods. High quality fruits, veggies, nuts, meat, milk, whole wheat products, etc. are a good start and if you still want some cheat foods, get high quality ice cream or something comparable. Quality is key. Processed food is out.

Second, either start an exercise program on your own or find a class to join (and yes, I offer them. Shameless plug.) The main thing is MOVE. Make movement part of your lifestyle by exercising 30 every day. Some forms of movement are better than others but you have to start somewhere.

Finally, you mentioned mental negativity and I see a lot of that. I recommend that people stop watching the news, period. News tends to extremely negative and a steady diet of it will depress you. Instead, spend your time with positive media and people that you find uplifting and encouraging. I use books on MP3 a lot for this. Seriously, negative media is one of the biggest mental outlook killers I can think of.

Good luck.

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[quote]Finally, you mentioned mental negativity and I see a lot of that. I recommend that people stop watching the news, period. News tends to extremely negative and a steady diet of it will depress you. Instead, spend your time with positive media and people that you find uplifting and encouraging. I use books on MP3 a lot for this. Seriously, negative media is one of the biggest mental outlook killers I can think of.[/quote].

:thumbsup: Ignorance is bliss.

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Baas -
Good thing to do on a yearly basis or so.
I highly recommend you start your ‘cleansing’ with a handy little Ayurvedic product named - Triphala.
Its a mild laxative that is also very high in nutritional value. The amla berry, one of its 3 ingredients, is very high in usable Vit C.

If you are around any Indian stores or markets ask for it. Its usually available as its very well known in the Indian/Ayurvedic world.

Massages are also good for the lymph system. Stomach massages and stomach exercises also help to move things around in the colon and help them ‘work their way out’ the lower passage.

Drink lots of clean water. Keep things lubricated. Eat fresh fruit. Apples are especially good - high in pectin and fiber.

No real need for anything drastic. Just an increased awareness will slowly start to show dividends and results.

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Daily warm coffee enema.

leaves you buzzing AND clean as a whistle.

Once you get the hang of it, you can do it during office hours, and make real use of the time you’d otherwise just waste sitting at your desk…