The Grand Detox Plan
With my other half away at a conference, I decided a package stay at Brookdale Health Hydro would be a refreshing experience. I enjoy fruit and vegetables and exercise a fair bit, so the detox would not pose too much of a problem. It would be just another day. Just another organic, yoghurt coated, multigrain rice cake.
Brookdale offers yoga and pilates, health talks, daily walks and healthy organic food plus several other wellness related activities and treatments. All of this appealed to me.
Yes, I have a few drinks from time to time, take a tablet when something aches and breathe in passing bus fumes, so I have a fair amount of toxins in need of some attention.
I arrived slightly later than anticipated on the first day, so I was ushered in, my bags taken to my room and I was straight into a tour of the facilities. I had to fill in a medical questionnaire, hand over my doctors name and telephone number and was given a blood pressure test. Fair warning, one might say.
Working Hard On Relaxing
The establishment is exactly that.. established. It's a smooth running operation with several staff members, all of whom greet you with the warmest smile. Walking along the passages, I couldn't remember the last time I'd heard leaves rustle and looking over the property, I felt refreshed. It was not clinical, not hotel like, nor overly homely. It was the perfect balance of rustic opulence.
I was there as a single, so my room suited me perfectly. For couples and those staying longer, a slightly larger room would be more comfortable. Especially considering the servings of beans, green tea and sprout like ingredients.
Yes. It's like that.
The meals are wholesome and filling, with a starter served at lunch before the main and a dessert served after dinner. There was no coffee, tea or alcohol of any kind. Trust me, I looked. Only water, lemons, fresh ginger, mint and a selection of herbal tea. Meals are plentiful and not restrictive. From roasted chicken and balsamic glazed tomatoes to poached eggs on corn cakes and sweet touches at appropriate times. There are also snacks like smoothies, nuts and fruit made available at tea times.
There is plenty to occupy time, it's understandable why people stay there for a week or two. Treatments are varied and specialist appointments with medical or fitness consultants can be made if requested before time. Apart from a library, two swimming pools, a jacuzzi and steam room, there are also rooms to knit and contribute to blankets made for the community. There are magazines and adult colouring in books. Not 'adult' colouring in books, just, you know.. books to colour in.
Anyway..
You can opt for a room with a television if you prefer. I did. I don't have television at home, so it was my treat.
Now if you're going to wake me up at 6.30am by knocking on my door, it best not be for Rooibos tea of all things. But there you have it, so it was. I should have put the ‘shhh’ bag outside the door. After all, it had been a wild evening prior, listening to a DVD on gut health in the presentation room.
As I was up, I decided to hit the gym. I was not in the mood for a group walk (what if everyone walked in their dressing gowns?). After breakfast at 7am sharp, I had a swim in the beautifully heated indoor pool, then a reflexology treatment, followed by a yoga class. The yoga was different to any of my previous experiences over the years. It was a moody, slow, yin session which included approximately five poses in total, each held for a borderline uncomfortable amount of time. The yoga instructor talked us through the process in detail, resulting in not only a physical practice, but an enlightening one.
Finally, I had my full body Swedish massage in the afternoon (included in the two night package). The deep muscle massage really sorted out the knots in my neck and shoulders; the ones I had just put there with gym, swimming, reflexology and yoga.
I arrived slightly later than anticipated on the first day, so I was ushered in, my bags taken to my room and I was straight into a tour of the facilities. I had to fill in a medical questionnaire, hand over my doctors name and telephone number and was given a blood pressure test. Fair warning, one might say.
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| The Courtyard and Rooms at Brookdale |
Working Hard On Relaxing
The establishment is exactly that.. established. It's a smooth running operation with several staff members, all of whom greet you with the warmest smile. Walking along the passages, I couldn't remember the last time I'd heard leaves rustle and looking over the property, I felt refreshed. It was not clinical, not hotel like, nor overly homely. It was the perfect balance of rustic opulence.
I was there as a single, so my room suited me perfectly. For couples and those staying longer, a slightly larger room would be more comfortable. Especially considering the servings of beans, green tea and sprout like ingredients.
Yes. It's like that.
The meals are wholesome and filling, with a starter served at lunch before the main and a dessert served after dinner. There was no coffee, tea or alcohol of any kind. Trust me, I looked. Only water, lemons, fresh ginger, mint and a selection of herbal tea. Meals are plentiful and not restrictive. From roasted chicken and balsamic glazed tomatoes to poached eggs on corn cakes and sweet touches at appropriate times. There are also snacks like smoothies, nuts and fruit made available at tea times.
There is plenty to occupy time, it's understandable why people stay there for a week or two. Treatments are varied and specialist appointments with medical or fitness consultants can be made if requested before time. Apart from a library, two swimming pools, a jacuzzi and steam room, there are also rooms to knit and contribute to blankets made for the community. There are magazines and adult colouring in books. Not 'adult' colouring in books, just, you know.. books to colour in.
Anyway..
You can opt for a room with a television if you prefer. I did. I don't have television at home, so it was my treat.
Now if you're going to wake me up at 6.30am by knocking on my door, it best not be for Rooibos tea of all things. But there you have it, so it was. I should have put the ‘shhh’ bag outside the door. After all, it had been a wild evening prior, listening to a DVD on gut health in the presentation room.
As I was up, I decided to hit the gym. I was not in the mood for a group walk (what if everyone walked in their dressing gowns?). After breakfast at 7am sharp, I had a swim in the beautifully heated indoor pool, then a reflexology treatment, followed by a yoga class. The yoga was different to any of my previous experiences over the years. It was a moody, slow, yin session which included approximately five poses in total, each held for a borderline uncomfortable amount of time. The yoga instructor talked us through the process in detail, resulting in not only a physical practice, but an enlightening one.
Finally, I had my full body Swedish massage in the afternoon (included in the two night package). The deep muscle massage really sorted out the knots in my neck and shoulders; the ones I had just put there with gym, swimming, reflexology and yoga.
After a shower and phone check, the dull pain in my head turned into a full on headache, and it was only at this point that a dinner companion who regularly visits the health hydro mentioned that she usually brings her own tea for a touch of caffeine, otherwise the detox renders her feeling quite terrible.
If. Only. I. Had. Thought. Of. That.
The Results
I figured going in cold turkey would be great, would be easy. It was only two nights, not a problem. But my word I had a cracker of a headache that night, and the next morning. Thank goodness I had bought the headache tablets along which I was going to leave behind as part of my whole 'wholesome experience'. I was now double dropping and searching the bottom of my handbag for a loose mint or something.
My headache rendered me unable to do the walk the next morning (which actually was an excuse, I could totally have done it) but opted for the ‘shhh’ bag this time just to prove I was in control.
If. Only. I. Had. Thought. Of. That.
The Results
I figured going in cold turkey would be great, would be easy. It was only two nights, not a problem. But my word I had a cracker of a headache that night, and the next morning. Thank goodness I had bought the headache tablets along which I was going to leave behind as part of my whole 'wholesome experience'. I was now double dropping and searching the bottom of my handbag for a loose mint or something.
My headache rendered me unable to do the walk the next morning (which actually was an excuse, I could totally have done it) but opted for the ‘shhh’ bag this time just to prove I was in control.
I skipped breakfast as the shakes were creeping in and I couldn’t turn my head further than 15 degrees in any direction. I hightailed it out of there to get to the nearest Cappuccino station I could find. I sped into Piggly Wiggly and had, quite possibly, the best coffee ever created.
This was after basically 48 hours of no caffeine or sugar. Healthy right? Maybe not so much.
The bottom line
So I'll tell you what I've learned from this experience: Unless you're treating something more serious, don't go totally cold turkey. Maybe a tea bag of your own, a salty cracker or a little treat smuggled into your overnight bag. Just incase you need to taper down.
Don't try to do everything in one day. Yoga, reflexology and massage can be quite intense if they're done properly and Brookdale does things properly, so beware the after effects of trying to "fix" everything in one go, especially if you're not used to it.
Just because I'm not eating doughnuts for dinner every night, doesn't necessarily mean I'm eating well. There's plenty of room for improvement in my diet and energy levels. The wonderful, organic meals served at Brookdale were testimony to many of the natural nutrients I'm usually depriving my body of to save time.
It was a nice experience to do this solo, it put me in touch with me again. Here I am, writing a blog post after quite some time. My aim was to go up there and catch up on some work because I felt guilty and thought it was an opportunity to use the peace and quiet to get more organised.
Catching up on work is not always the answer. Turns out catching up on myself was.
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| Cappuccino Retox |
The bottom line
So I'll tell you what I've learned from this experience: Unless you're treating something more serious, don't go totally cold turkey. Maybe a tea bag of your own, a salty cracker or a little treat smuggled into your overnight bag. Just incase you need to taper down.
Don't try to do everything in one day. Yoga, reflexology and massage can be quite intense if they're done properly and Brookdale does things properly, so beware the after effects of trying to "fix" everything in one go, especially if you're not used to it.
Just because I'm not eating doughnuts for dinner every night, doesn't necessarily mean I'm eating well. There's plenty of room for improvement in my diet and energy levels. The wonderful, organic meals served at Brookdale were testimony to many of the natural nutrients I'm usually depriving my body of to save time.
It was a nice experience to do this solo, it put me in touch with me again. Here I am, writing a blog post after quite some time. My aim was to go up there and catch up on some work because I felt guilty and thought it was an opportunity to use the peace and quiet to get more organised.
Catching up on work is not always the answer. Turns out catching up on myself was.
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