Recently Paul and I spent a couple of nights at a lovely retreat in The Cotswolds. Since becoming a mum I’ve definitely struggled a lot with my image. Do I want to be cool, trendy mum? Active, gym mum? Glam mum? Fit in with Joules stripy tops and Converse mum (I tried this one, but Converse hurts my toes!) It’s easy to lose your identity, as you are no longer who you used to be.
I look at myself in pictures and sometimes don’t recognise the girl staring back. The bigger tummy that was once home to two babies, bigger thighs that ahem, no one has lived in yet, but I reckon the twice daily creme egg cravings helped to sculpt, the massive bags under my eyes and the hair that I still try and put up even though its far too short to look good in any kind of up do. FML. There’s no point pretending I suit pregnancy or am one of those ‘glowing’ women, but I would like to feel a bit better about myself.
I found a wonderful place called ‘The Milestone Detox’ in The Cotswolds and Paul and I went for a 3 day Juice cleanse. The Cotswolds have the best memories for me, as my grandparents lived there before they passed away, so when I spend time there now I feel close to them.
Driving there we passed lots of quaint pubs and village tea rooms, and we both agreed that it felt odd to be going away for a weekend and it not revolving around food or drink. We realised we hardly actually ever spend time together doing other stuff, so this was out of the norm for us.
It turned out to be really nice and relaxing. Milestone is not a big day spa or anything like that, its a lovely, former family home and the owners are on hand to nurture, coach and educate you, so that you leave feeling whole again. Our days loosely looked like this:
- 7.30am – Hot water and lemon bought to us in bed
- 8am – Pilates
- 9am- Juice and workshop
- 10am – Sauna and PEMF mat / epsom salt bath.
- Afternoon – Treatments / local walk
- Evening – You’d get a broth, chat to some of the other guests, watch an educational dvd,
I felt completely looked after here, and returned home refreshed, refocused and restored and 4lbs lighter. We’ve been continuing juicing since our return and I’ve lost a further 5lbs and inches from all over my body. So that’s 9lbs in under 2 weeks. It also felt really good to bond with Paul and talk about the kids, the future, our lives etc without any distractions, or the influence of alcohol. If you’re interested in finding out more check out their website themilestonedetox.com or watch Reboot with Joe or Juicing with Jason Vale to get the lowdown on all the health benefits of juicing and raw food.
I also learnt during my stay here that I need to redefine ‘me time’ Sure, I love going out for dinner and drinks with my friends, but when I’m being completely honest, thats all I ever done in my spare time and I’d quite like to do other things with my friends and family than simply eat and drink all the time.
I’d also like to take this opportunity to big up all the grandparents out there. When I was little (and not-so-little) I loved nothing more than spending time and being spoiled by my nan and granddad. We’re really lucky that my mum and Paul’s parents are so hands-on and adore having the boys for us. It’s lovely seeing the bond between them, and while it makes me feel older and a bit sad that I am no longer a granddaughter, it’s nice seeing life come full circle. It’s really easy to take a pic and be all ‘hashtag blessed’ (I couldn’t do an actual hashtag on my mac, it kept doing a £ instead 😦 ) but this break really made me realise how lucky I am to be married to someone who knows me inside and out, doesn’t mind forgoing a couple of nights down the lake fishing to drink juice with me (when he doesn’t even need to loose weight, and lost more than me the git!) and someone who doesn’t mind me writing this all online instead of getting a real job!
I may not be the exact same size 10 girl you picked up with a blue WKD in Lloyds, and sometimes wear gym clothes even though I haven’t been to the gym and you may no longer have the super fast sports car, or your youthful looks but we’ve both realised that’s ok.
This mum loves holidays 