Category: Juicing

This Spicy Watermelon & Grapefruit Juice Will Help Stave Off Those Winter Bugs!

img_1486This is such a refreshing and energising breakfast drink, the ginger gives it a little kick and you can feel it warming your insides as you drink it! It is a hydrating juice with electrolytes, antioxidants and it’s anti-inflammatory too. It’s such a vibrant colour, it makes you feel alive just looking at it!

Daily grapefruit is good for helping to prevent colds, so it’s important to add this amazing fruit to your diet at this time of year. See also  The Health Benefits of Grapefruit + Heart Healthy Wake-Up Juice Recipe for the full lowdown on why grapefruit is so good for you.

There’s also currently a lot of interest in the nutritional and health benefits of watermelon, which at 92% water you would be forgiven if you considered it merely a thirst-quencher on a warm, sunny day! However, they also contain among other things: Vitamins A, B1, B6, C, magnesium, potassium, copper, lycopene and amino acids.

According to recent research, watermelon may help prevent asthma, reduce blood pressure, prevent cancer, regulate digestion and reduce inflammation.

Children love it! If we put small chunks of watermelon on the table at mealtimes, it is always the first thing to disappear when children are around.

These ingredients make nearly 3 glasses of juice (depending on the size of the items used), so you can keep 1 or 2 in the fridge for later on if you don’t want to share!

All ingredients are organic. 

Ingredients

1/4 of a good-sized Mini Watermelon, peeled leaving as much pith as possible

Half to Whole Pink or Red Grapefruit, depending on size and how much you love grapefruit! Thinly peel leaving as much pith as possible

1.5″ Ginger Root

2 Medium Carrots, scrubbed, halved, peel left on

Juice the fruit and ginger between the carrots.

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Grip and Go Glass Bottles

Copyright: Chris McGowan

The Health Benefits of Grapefruit + Heart Healthy Wake-Up Juice Recipe

I love grapefruit, always have. As a teenager, it was always a bit hit and miss as to whether I had time for any breakfast before dashing for the last possible bus I could catch to get me to school on time, which usually meant a quick slurp of black coffee and a slice of toast and Marmite eaten on the way!

Weekends, however, I generally had time for fresh grapefruit. Even then, I preferred it raw and sugarless – and not just because I was aware of its metabolism-boosting properties and was trying to lose weight! No mucking about putting it under the grill with brown sugar as was the fad then. In those days, the only variety available was the white one.

It is only in recent years, with my penchant for home-made muesli and, later, juicing, that this juicy, tangy and beneficial fruit silently disappeared from my breakfast menu.

This all changed when a gorgeous ruby red grapefruit appeared in my organic veg box last year. (They are slightly stronger, the pink are a little sweeter) I waited and waited to have it. I wanted to savour it. It was so salivatingly juicy and well worth the anticipation.

Next time, I decided to juice it. Recipe below.

It has long been known that the nutritional content of grapefruit is good for a healthy heart and in lowering blood pressure. A diet that includes fresh red grapefruit has beneficial effects on blood lipid levels, especially triglycerides.

But grapefruit has many health benefits. The high Vitamin C content in fresh grapefruit helps with the absorption of iron and calcium and also aids in unblocking the lymphatic system. The salicylic acid in grapefruit helps to remove inorganic calcium deposits which form in joint cartilage.

Grapefruit helps curb hunger, prevent cancer and is good for the skin. It also helps prevent the build-up of fat in the liver.

A glass of grapefruit juice a day is particularly beneficial in the colder months to help prevent colds and viruses.

(Pink and Red Grapefruit have slightly higher antioxidant levels than the white).

Here is a tasty, healthy juice combining heart-healthy fruit and vegetables high in Vitamin A and C. The apple and celery in this juice help to improve kidney function. Beetroot helps with circulation and lowering blood pressure. Ginger is a great anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, anti-viral ingredient, which helps to prevent colds and can reduce symptoms of chronic degenerative conditions.

Heart-Healthy Wake-Up Juice

All ingredients are organic.

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NB There should be a small piece of ginger root too.

Peel a small orange and half a grapefruit leaving as much pith as possible, this is where all the micronutrients live.

Scrub the carrots, cucumber, small slice of ginger root (no idea why it’s absent in the photo!) and 2 small chioggia beetroot but keep the skin on (you can substitute with ordinary beetroot which are a little stronger). Wash the apples and keep the peel on. Wash the celery, keep any leaves on.

Begin with an apple and end with an apple when juicing to get the most out of the softer fruit.

Add ice if liked and if it’s not going to chill you to your marrow! (Writing this on a chilly Autumn morning).

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NB Some medications interact with grapefruit so please check with your doctor or pharmacist. Grapefruit contains a compound which interferes with the breakdown of certain drugs which means there can be a build-up and possible reaction.

 Copyright: Chris McGowan

Purple Carrot Powerhouse Juice

Here’s the final juice recipe in my mini series on the health benefits of Purple Carrots.

Full of antioxidants, anthocyanins – the memory boosters that give blueberries their superfood status – soluble fibre, vitamins and minerals, this juice is a nutritional powerhouse.

The carrot greens contain protein, calcium, magnesium and potassium, the broccoli contains calcium and folate – a mood enhancer – while the sweet potato also has essential fatty acids, B vitamins and Vitamin A.

Purple carrot greens have 6 times more Vitamin C than orange ones!

See Ever Had Purple Carrots? (Juice Recipe Included) for a full nutritional breakdown and the health benefits of eating purple carrots and purple foods in general.

Perfect for an energy booster and pick-me-up!

Ingredients

4 Purple Carrots, scrubbed

1 Sweet Potato, scrubbed

1 Apple

1 Pear (the harder the better)

Small Handful Carrot Greens, washed thoroughly and chopped

1/2 Small Wax-free Lemon, scrubbed, peel left on

3″ Broccoli Stem

Begin with carrots and sweet potato, then the lemon and broccoli, lastly put the carrot greens through between pear and apple to get the most juice from them and help prevent the greens clogging the juicer.

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PS If you like the Grip and Go Glass Bottle, here’s the link (can’t help you with the flowers, though!):

http://www.gripandgo.co.uk/

Copyright: Chris McGowan

Hanna’s Simple Turmeric Breakfast Pot

img_6137After I published my post on the health benefits of Turmeric, the super-supplement and the accompanying juice recipe, I was asked by a couple of people how else to make this important ingredient more palatable?

Later that evening, I saw Hanna Sillitoe’s recipe for Simple Turmeric Breakfast Pot (it would also be a lovely pudding, it has chia seeds, cacao and fruit in it). This seemed the best answer for those who don’t juice, here’s the Link.

Hanna has a great blog. We have been internet friends for quite a while now, we began juicing around the same time, when she was covered in psoriasis. She now has clear skin from juicing, healthy eating and exercising and inspired me when I developed a nasty skin condition. (See my post How I Juiced My Skin Clear).

I’ve tested a few of her recipes, they are mostly vegan, always gluten- and dairy-free and always work out well, but haven’t had chance to do this one, I wanted to get it out to you as soon as possible after my turmeric post.

Hanna is about to publish her first cookbook of healthy recipes in early 2017, do look out for it and have a look at her blog.

Copyright: Chris McGowan

Refreshing & Hydrating Papaya, Watermelon & Cucumber Juice with a Kick!

imageI came up with this combination after my Raw Island One Day Juice Cleanse (see my Review).  It is recommended that you have watermelon and papaya as your first solid food afterwards,  to reintroduce fibre, I’ve never had papaya before and I wondered what it would be like juiced. I’d read that it could be difficult to juice and bitter but I found it was neither – just be sure to remove the seeds, they taste like peppercorns! Papaya juice tastes wonderful on its own but I decided to add the other ingredients to make a post cleanse hydrating juice.

Papaya is a delicious exotic fruit that is beneficial to good imagehealth, clear skin and aids digestion. It contains an enzyme called papain that aids regularity and helps maintain a healthy digestive tract. Papaya is also high in antioxidants and B vitamins making them a good anti-inflammatory food, and full of minerals and dietary fibre.

Papaya, watermelon, cucumber and celery are wonderfully hydrating, while ginger is anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, anti-viral and adds a nice kick to the juice. Carrot adds more antioxidants and lemon adds Vitamin C which aids absorption and helps slow down oxidation of the juice.

Ingredients

1 Papaya

1/4 Mini Watermelon

4″ Cucumber

Thick Slice of Wax-free Lemon

1″ or more of Ginger

1/2 Medium to Large Carrot

Small Celery Stalk

Scrub the skin of the Papaya, Cucumber, Lemon, Carrot and Celery. Discard the Papaya seeds as these can make the juice bitter and may block up your juicer. Peel the Watermelon and discard the seeds and peel.

Juice everything, add ice if liked – and if you’re not in the depths of winter!

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Copyright: Chris McGowan

Turmeric: The Super-Supplement (Spicy Anti-Inflammatory Juice Recipe Included).

Turmeric is a member of the same family as ginger root and has many of the same health benefits. It contains iron, calcium, copper, potassium, B6, manganese and dietary fibre. It’s the spice that makes curry (and your fingers!) yellow and has been used in Indian cooking and Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine for thousands of years.

It’s active ingredient is Curcumin, which has powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and many studies have shown it to be effective in natural treatments of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Crohn’s Disease, for example. (Such treatments tend to use Curcumin extracts rather than turmeric on its own).

IMG_8567Current thinking holds that chronic low-level inflammation is responsible for many of the conditions prevalent in Western society: heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s and many degenerative conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis.

Curcumin has been found to fight inflammation at a molecular level and to be as effective as some prescribed medications, without having the nasty side-effects.

It is also believed that Curcumin may be effective in slowing and repairing brain-related diseases, such as depression, and age-related conditions, and there is much excitement that Curcumin may one day be an active ingredient in treating Alzheimer’s.

Some research has shown Curcumin to be effective at preventing, slowing and reducing some cancers in labs and animals and in one study of men with colon lesions, they were reduced by 40%. It seems it is particularly effective in preventing cancers of the digestive system and in treating bloating, indigestion and liver problems.

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There is much research into the clinical benefits of Turmeric and Curcumin, several studies are at the trial stage.

When using Turmeric Root or Curcumin extract, it’s advisable to take black pepper at the same time to enable optimum absorption.

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Here is a great Anti-Inflammatory Juice Recipe I call Morning Glory, I have it every morning to help prevent and reduce the symptoms of colds and viruses, reduce mucus and joint inflammation.

If you feel the first signs of a cold, try drinking this juice 2 or 3 or more times a day.

I haven’t had any colds, coughs or asthma in the 3 (now 4) years I have been juicing.

Ingredients

Hot & Spicy Anti-Inflammatory Juice

(All ingredients are organic and therefore washed and the peel kept on. If using waxed non-organic lemon, thinly pare the peel, leaving as much pith as possible, this is where the micro-nutrients are).

1 Apple

Thick Slice of Lemon

1 Carrot

2 cms (at least) Chunk of Ginger Root (depending how hot you like your juice, more if you’re hardcore or it’s a particularly thin root)

2 cms Turmeric Root

 10 cms Celery

Juice the ginger, turmeric and lemon (and finally celery) between the apple and carrot.

Then add a Twist or Two of Black Pepper and stir.

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https://authoritynutrition.com/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-turmeric/

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/306981.php

Copyright: Chris McGowan

My Raw Island One Day Juice Cleanse Prize – Review

Recently, I was surprised and pleased to win a giveaway prize in a Nanabar* competition. They are the world’s first organic, gluten-free nicecream bar (ie vegan), which is opening in London. Justin, the owner, ran a fun campaign to raise awareness of the opening and put together this competition as the final push.

 imageMy prize couldn’t have been more apt: a Raw Island One Day Juice Cleanse.* I was so excited. I really needed to do this as part of my cleaning-up regime – I had let things slide in the ‘taking care of me’ department. I was stressed, overtired, not sleeping and had a lot more aches and pains than normal. My digestion was poor, I felt I had too much adrenaline and needed calming down.  (See Are You In Need of an E-Break? (I am). No-Phone Sundays, Anyone? and Taking a Break to Recharge Your Batteries Can Re-Energise & Re-Inspire (Slideshow Included))

A week-long juice cleanse usually sorts me out. This one was just for a day, so I prepared well in advance to gain the most benefit from it. I wanted to cleanse mind and soul as well as body.

In the 10 days before I received the juices, I was a woman on a mission. I took extra special care over what I ate and drank. I decluttered everything in sight, sorted out desk drawers, got up-to-date with paperwork. Even the garden was cleared of dead and dying flora (courtesy of my husband) and generally tidied up. I relaxed, meditated, contemplated, while my iPad and iPhone stayed off. image

Raw Island is owned and run by sisters Sarah and Fiona Lewis. They are qualified nutritionists based in London and are only just beginning to extend their juice delivery nationwide. All my contact was with Sarah who is friendly, supportive and responded quickly to any questions I had.

Their website explains that they work on the principle that tropical fruits are better than predominantly green juices when doing a juice detoxification and their juices contain no fats or nut milks.

I was interested to see how the juices would be packed and how fresh they were; how long they would last; whether they would be large enough and substantial enough to keep hunger at bay. Would I like the taste or would they be too sweet?

The night before delivery, I made sure I went to bed early to get a good night’s rest. Of course, this didn’t happen! I felt like I was going to drop off but never quite made it – until a couple of hours before my husband got up. Not the start I hoped for.

imageBut it was a glorious morning! Clear blue skies and sun, I couldn’t have ordered a more perfect start to the day. I began my day with gratitude, then had a drink of warm water with ginger and lemon and began my preparation. I did some skin brushing with a dry loofah to improve circulation, remove dead skin cells and encourage the excretion of toxins before having a long hot shower with Dead Sea Spa Magik Shower Gel and used Dead Sea Spa Magik Mild Exfoliant on my face* (no microbeads, see my post Ditch the Plastic: Microbeads – What Are They Good For…?)

By the time I was dried and dressed, they had arrived. image

The five 500ml bottles were packed with frozen gel packs, wrapped in bubble wrap inside polystyrene and a cardboard box. They came by courier and the box was intact.

The juices come in reusable, recyclable, BPA-free plastic bottles, all numbered in the order in which they should be consumed. They needed to be used by next day as they are cold-pressed and despatched the day before delivery.

There are 2 Raw Island One Day Cleanses to choose from named 1 and 2. I chose 2, which is formulated to aid digestion, boost metabolism and support the immune system. I liked the sound of the exotic fruits and the spices.

Kick and Conquer, the first juice, and Some Like It Hot, the fourth one, were aptly named! Wow! I have ginger and turmeric every morning but Kick and Conquer was very spicy and lemony. I loved it. Some Like It Hot nearly took my head off! It has jalapeno chilli in it, which I’ve never had. When I took the first sip, I could hardly swallow it. I thought I wasn’t going to manage it. But I really wanted to complete the cleanse and I took my time, sipped slowly and gradually became used to it. I loved it.

imageIn between, there was Black Lemonade made with Red Grapes, lemon and activated charcoal – used to remove ingested poisons and chemicals in hospitals but in this instance to remove toxins. It binds to the chemicals etc and flushes them out of the system.

Take Me To The Tropics includes tropical fruit like pineapple, mango and passionfruit as well as cucumber and spinach. Again, it was very tasty and refreshing.image

All the juices were extremely flavourful, zesty and zingy – except the Vanilla Mylk which was made with medjool dates, sweet and a lovely contrast to finish with – especially after the chilli! Tart and spicy are my favourite tastes, so these were perfect for me.

The juices were more than ample, in fact I had trouble fitting them all in – I started quite late in the morning and had to stay up later than planned to fit in the fourth. I saved the Vanilla Mylk for next day. I wasn’t hungry for a second.

Would I do it again? Most definitely. I felt fantastic afterwards. No headaches – I kept well-hydrated – I slept better, felt re-energised, my eyes and skin regained their shine, I was calm and positive. Best of all, the main aspect for me when I do a juice cleanse is that the pressure and pain in my lower spine is reduced, and I found that happened even with one day of juice only.

I wanted to prolong the benefits, so next day I continued to juice but in between, as recommended, I had some watermelon to reintroduce fibre and keep hydrated, and made a smoothie with papaya – recipe coming soon. This is the end of my third day after juicing and I have had juices, a salad and home-made hummus, and some live coconut yogurt. Tomorrow I will have my first cooked meal, probably a stir-fry or maybe some soup.

Doing a juice cleanse resets your hormones, your taste buds and your desire for high carb fatty processed or sweet foods. It gives your digestion a break, nourishes your body on a cellular level and enables it to rest and repair. This is my experience, if you have never done a juice-only program before, please check with your doctor first.

Thank you to Sarah and Fiona for giving me this opportunity to try their One Day Juice Cleanse and to Justin for organising the competition. I enjoyed it immensely, it was just what I needed!

At the time of writing, the company are offering a 10% discount off your first order when you subscribe to their newletter.

*http://nana.bar/

*http://rawislandcleanse.com/

*http://www.deadseacosmetics.co.uk/dead-sea-magik-2-c.asp

Copyright: Chris McGowan

I Was On A Break, But I’m Back! I Feel Great! Here’s What I Did On My Holiday…

I’ve been on an Ebreak. No iPad or iPhone for 8 days. No blogging or blog-reading for 9 days. No Social Media for 10 days. I didn’t take one photo. No texts.

I needed the break because I was exhausted. I wasn’t sleeping, my mind was racing all the time, coming up with ideas for posts, getting up in the night to write them up.

Blogging was beginning to feel like a full-time job. I was constantly taking photos for the blog, for Instagram etc. Every mealtime, my husband would have to wait to eat while I took photos, ususally asking him to move something that was in the background, even the furniture!

My family and friends needed support, which I’m always happy to give. But the phone was always ringing. Messages kept pinging. I felt stressed, my digestion was shot and I felt on edge. My back, neck and shoulders were so painful, I felt permanently hunched over, all my muscles were in a spasm.

Action was needed. So I had osteopathy and my Ebreak.

The first two days were easy. I regularly have osteopathy and always take the opportunity to have a break from electronic devices and to rest afterwards. For one reason or another, I hadn’t been able to fit in an appointment for some time and that’s why everything had built up.

After treatment, I naturally don’t want to start typing and scrolling – I don’t want to undo all the benefits by immediately returning to behaviour that had got me to that state. But after a couple of days, I get bored and twitchy. I want to know what’s going on.

Fortunately, this time the weather was mostly good and I was able to spend time outside, just relaxing, contemplating, watching the birds etc. My husband did a tidy-up of the garden while I supervised as he has a tendency to dig up the plants and leave the weeds!

I began to unwind.

I found I was going to bed earlier. I listened to relaxation tapes and audiobooks.

imageSoon, I got out my craft box and began making cards. I hadn’t made any since the start of the year and I’d missed it, but I could never tear myself away from the iPad long enough to change focus and concentrate on something else. It felt good to do something creative again. I became engrossed and time passed more constructively.

I really began to feel calmer. I could feel myself slowing down, my muscles relaxing. I was giving full attention to everything and everyone instead of reluctantly giving half an ear to what was being said while I continued to write a blogpost. I was more patient. I was taking note.

So much more was attended to. All those little things you keep meaning to do but never get around to. I sorted out the drawers of my desk. Decluttered my wardrobe. My bookshelves. The (grown-up) kids’ books. Dvds. I sent a lot of things to the charity shop, others went on Ebay (I had to rely on my husband for that, I was on a break!). I sorted through the dreaded paperwork.

Most importantly, healthwise, I also did a Raw Island One Day Juice Cleanse – more on that next time.

I would have managed a longer holiday, but on the eighth day I had to contact a company and the only way was by email. Unfortunately, this meant that I also saw I had 125 emails waiting in my inbox and I began to panic about how I was going to cope if they kept on coming. So I started to scroll through, deleting those that were just notifications, telling myself I would only do so many and then stop. But you know how it goes, one or two were from people who really needed the support of a full reply and before you know it, you’re back! But I’m trying to be more disciplined.

All in all, I thoroughly recommend taking a break from all the electronic chatter. Everything and everyone will still be there when you come back. I feel refreshed. I feel like I can be a little more disciplined about my iPad use and not quite so obsessive about checking up on everything and everyone.

I was a little anxious that people might have moved on, that out of sight might mean out of mind, but not at all. I had some lovely messages and comments awaiting my return which are much-appreciated, thank you.

Oh, and if you see me here after midnight, tell me to go to bed! (I now have 10 minutes to log off and make tracks!)

Enjoy the Friends Clip! (You’ll need to click onto the blog if you’re reading this via email).

Copyright: Chris McGowan

 

Hot, Hot, Hot Anti-Inflammatory Beetroot & Ginger Juice!

This is one of my favourites. I love ginger and have become so used to it I can stand quite a lot of it in juicies. It is anti-inflammatory, antiviral and anti-fungal and when used regularly it’s great for helping ward off colds and viruses, treating Candida, nausea and relieving inflammatory pain.

Inflammation has been linked to heart disease, diabetes and other chronic conditions.

If you’re not used to it, begin with a thin slice of ginger root and gradually increase it.

Beetroot is well-known for its beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system, it dilates blood vessels which improves circulation – athletes, professional cyclists and gym enthusiasts are known to employ fresh beetroot juice in their training and preparation. It’s a good source of potassium.

Freshly extracted beetroot juice has also been shown to lower blood pressure and cholesterol when drunk regularly.

Celery, apple and lemon provide electrolytes, so altogether this is a good juice to have when exercising.

All ingredients are organic and therefore they are just washed and the peel left on. If using waxed lemon, thinly pare the peel leaving plenty of pith, it’s where the healthy micro-nutrients are.

Ingredients

Small Beetroot

2 Carrots

2 Apples

1 Stick of Celery, chopped into 3″ pieces

Thick Slice of Lemon with peel on

Thick knob of Ginger – about 2cms x 2 cms

Juice all the items, placing the lemon and ginger between the apples and putting the celery in last to avoid it clogging up the juicer.

(The picture in the background is entitled Moths and Butterflies by Sophie Whiting).

Copyright: Chris McGowan

Are You In Need of an E-Break? (I am). No-Phone Sundays, Anyone?

imageToday, there was a 7 hour storm. With the first crack of thunder, off went the internet. I was in the middle of writing a post and we also wanted to list some items on ebay. Even the cable tv channels went off. What to do? It was frustrating and I was a little annoyed as I am on a deadline to finish things before an important appointment.

I was tired and in pain from tight neck and back muscles. I soon saw that this storm was a gift, a chance for a much-needed time-out. I took the opportunity to catch up on a film I’d recorded but never seemed to find time to watch. It was totally absorbing and incredibly relaxing. (Hint: George Clooney was in it!)

I am writing this post because lately I feel really stressed, fatigued, and sometimes that my online life has taken over my real life. If you can make it to the end, there’s an important PSA from me. I wish there was some kind of reward there waiting for you, but please accept my undying gratitude instead!

Now don’t get me wrong, I love writing, I love connecting with like-minded people I would never otherwise ‘meet’ and especially enjoy learning about other cultures and countries. I love passing on information about health and nutrition and I especially love the kind comments when I’ve actually helped someone.

However, I now realise I need an E-break, for my own health’s sake. How about you?

We could all probably benefit from an occasional E-Break: a break from all our electronic devices, all the beeps, alerts, notifications, which constantly divert our attention from ourselves and those close to us, which often invade our precious moments of family time, contemplation and relaxation. How many of us text or use tablets/laptops in bed and then wonder why we’re not having good-quality sleep?

Even when we’re doing other things – working, reading, talking to friends, playing with our children, watching tv and even exercising – the draw of the text alert or call tone is often too strong to ignore.

For those of us who are on social media, how many hours go by while looking at and posting on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest? I am the worst for this! For those of us who blog too, well, forget the rest of the day! If we’re not typing, we’re reading and commenting or devising new recipes, taking photos or creating posts.

I haven’t even mentioned eBay!

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It’s all very enjoyable, but physically and mentally it can wear you out, create stresses you’re hardly aware of and do untold damage to your bodies – think repetitive strain injuries, back, neck and shoulder pain, eye strain, digestive problems from poor posture and typing while eating.

(It’s very important to keep getting up, stretching and moving around -and don’t forget to breathe!).

This graphic shows the stress on your neck and spine when texting.

(Uncredited as I came across it on Twitter)

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All this electronic communication can also interfere with our relationships. Children can feel we’re not giving them our full attention and will often start misbehaving to get it back or give up and withdraw. Time and again I see parents taking their children to school and they’re texting or calling while walking and the child is trying to say something.  I often resent my husband’s phone constantly alerting him to texts or missed calls about bike repairs, generally in the evening during quiet-time conversations or reading.

It is practically impossible these days to ignore electronic communication, but if we try hard enough we can schedule breaks and return to the real world, invest our attention and energy in real communication and physical activity.

My daughter and her family have initiated No-Phone Sundays to gently guide their tweens and teen away from the pull of iPad, phone, iPod and games. Instead, they go for walks with their lab, cycling in the woods or swimming. If they stay at home, they cook and bake, sew or garden together, play table tennis, football or chess, or build log piles! My son cooks with his toddlers, they all go out on bikes or for walks as a family and he, his dad and older son go on more challenging bike rides. Phones are never acceptable during mealtimes or when spending time together as a family. We try to be completely present and focused.

No-phone days (or even specified hours) are excellent opportunities to observe, talk and listen to our children and partners with our full attention, and really hear what’s being hinted at, what you may not have noticed during a busy week of work and domestic tasks.

I normally find I am on constant alert, my body awash with adrenaline, always listening out in case I miss an important message from my family. But I do have social media notifications firmly switched off and always leave the phone downstairs at night. All our electronic devices are kept downstairs.

However, my sleep has been taken over by blogging ideas! Everything has become a foundation for a new post and I need to switch off and calm down for a while. It would also be remiss of me – given the theme of this blog – not to pass on this information and pay attention to my own advice!

I need to have some down time, to do some meditation and fully relax, to let go of all the tension and pain caused by sitting hunched over the iPad. I am an all or nothing person, I can’t do a little and leave it, or post it in any old fashion, it has to be the best I can do and I have to finish it.

So, from Tuesday next week I shall be taking a break.

As many of you will know, I have a long-term back injury and my body is begging me to get some treatment. I shall be having some intensive cranio-sacral osteopathy (the very gentle manipulative kind, not the bone-crunching kind!) and I need to rest, relax and recuperate and try to have some proper sleep. The only electrical equipment will be my stereo so that I can listen to relaxation and meditation cds and occasionally an audiobook.

I’m also going to do a one-day juice cleanse. I was lucky enough to win a Raw Island Juice Cleanse* recently in the Nanabar Crowdfunding Campaign Giveaway* and I am looking forward to doing that next week.

Please continue to visit – I’ve installed CCTV so I will know who calls and who doesn’t 😉 I’ve also scheduled some posts for while I’m away, but please forgive me for not responding to any comments straightaway – I don’t think the loud-hailer will work and the carrier-pigeons have got too fat from lack of employment, but I will acknowledge them as soon as I am back. I will miss you, but I need to do this.

Take care of yourselves – I may be out of sight but you will not be out of mind, I shall be asking questions when I return!

http://rawislandcleanse.com/

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/nanabar-vegan#/

Copyright: Chris McGowan