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Last week, I spent 5 days in the glorious countryside of Northamptonshire for a 5-day detox at Homefield Grange Retreat. After the excesses of the past few weeks, I decided it would be a great opportunity to start the year afresh, and this detox was the perfect way to kickstart a healthier lifestyle, so I headed to the rural retreat with my mom.
Homefield Grange is a small, dedicated facility based in the village of Rushton, just 1 hour from Central London, where the owner Suzanne and her staff spend 51 weeks a year doing exactly this. The detox programme is a holistic approach, combining a strictly controlled diet, treatments and exercise. Now before you think I just spent the last week being pampered, let me tell you – it was hard. The detox consists of 3 ‘meals’ a day: a juice for breakfast and lunch, and a bowl of soup in the evening. That all adds up to about 500 calories a day, and every day would include a long Nordic walk in the fields in the morning, and a yoga session in the evening.
We had a small group – around 6 detoxers, with a few more coming later in the week for a shorter stay – which made the experience more personable and friendly. Although it was mostly women, there was also a guy, and it’s a friendly environment where you can just hang out together in the living room in front of the fire, or hang out in your room, watching one of the many DVD’s to choose from. At Homefield Grange, everything can, not should. You make it whatever you choose to make it.
I’d been told the second day would be the hardest, and indeed, by Tuesday, my body felt like it was just shutting down. I was exhausted, had horrendous caffeine-headaches, and quite frankly, I was starving! I spent most of the day asleep apart from my treatments (including a colonic… let’s not go into detail, but actually a very interesting experience).
On Wednesday I woke up like a new person. The detoxing process was well and truly happening, I felt good in my skin and even did a gruelling 1 hour session with a personal trainer. I also opted for the intolerance and live blood test, which revealed some interesting things as to why I’ve probably not be feeling as good as I could in recent months (intolerances to wheat, dairy and… champagne!!!) In the evening there were talks, educating us about our bodies and digestive system, giving us the skills to continue living healthy after the detox. The good news is that, after a while, the hunger just disappears…
In the end, I lost over 5 pounds in under 5 days and since getting back, another 1.5 pounds. I feel great and ready for a fresh start, which includes a whole new way of eating. It feels like someone has pressed my reset button! This initial weightloss is a great starting point and motivator, and I really hope I can continue to embrace some of the vital lessons I learned whilst staying there.
Homefield Grange offers a range of programmes – a 3-day, 5-day and 7-day juice detox, but you can also opt for healthy food if things get a bit too hard. The food and juices are 100% fresh and personally tailored to your needs – so if you just can’t stand the thought of drinking things like beetroot, celery or cucumber, they’ll make sure there’s an alternative for you. Although in theory you could be doing the juicing at home, I think getting away from temptation and sharing the experience with other people who are going through the same thing makes this gruelling process a little nicer. It’s a perfect opportunity to leave stress and work behind, mobile phones are not permitted in the communal areas (although there is wifi, thank god! This girl would have gone crazy otherwise… :)
Although 5 days was more than enough for me (don’t think I could handle 7 days!), I highly recommend it, even if you just go for the weekend, as it’s a great way to give your body a chance to recover from its daily stresses. I can definitely see myself going back – something lots of people seem to do, as a few of my fellow detoxers had been there several times. It’s a homely and welcoming place with a lovely professional and kind staff.
I hope that I can turn my stay there into a real long-term success. I’ve already bought my juicer…
www.homefieldgrangeretreat.co.uk
Homefield Grange in the distance… 
Every meal comes with a full explanation of what ingredients were used, and why.
My home for the week (a deluxe room with ensuite, other options are available too).
On one of our early morning Nordic walks.
Teddy the dog. A legend.
***Alex was a paying guest at Homefield Grange Retreat.***
I’ve been a bad blogger.
I took a (much-needed) break from the internet over the Christmas break and left my beloved blog alone for almost 3 weeks. By the end of 2011 I was feeling so drained and uninspired, was so busy and hectic, I just needed to get away from it all. I spent some time in Belgium, then had a wonderful 10 days sailing around the Caribbean with my boyfriend and parents. There were highs (Sunshine! Snorkling with turtles! Rum Punch! Pina Coladas!) and lows (getting robbed, boyfriend stepping on a sea urchin, chopping off a chunk of my big toe), but all in all it was the best of times.
Well, they say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and this counts for me and my blog too. I feel re-energised, have lots of plans and ideas, and am hoping to make 2012 an even better year than 2011. But, before I get started, I wanted to have a little look at some of my personal favourite posts of the past year.
Happy New Year to all of you, may all your wishes come true this year!
Alex
xxx
June
Style Post: SpiritHoods
Middlesex University Graduate Show
Rainy Festival Style at Get Loaded in the Park
July
http://alexloves.com/2011/07/bruce-oldfield-launches-first-fragrance/
HP TouchPad Launch… Vintage Style
Afternoon Tea With Elizabeth Lau
Hotel Review: Malmaison Liverpool
Erdem Love, Actually 
United Nude Opens London Flagship Store
Meeting Miss America!
August
My very McQueen Birthday
In The Studio With Corrie Nielsen
Colour Me Filofax
Mary Portas At House of Fraser
September
A Day With JCDC and Kipling in Paris
The World Of Chanel At Harrods
Doing it Aussie Style
This has to be my favourite post of the year, so fun to do and loved everyone’s reactions:
My Fashionable Friends
October
Meadham Kirchhoff SS12
October
Fashion Fringe 2011: The Show
People Watching at Frieze Art Fair
Alex Loves… Sophie Hulme
Hotel Bloom Brussels
November
Modo Brussels Part 1: La Cambre x SADI Seoul Exhibition
Rabeanco Launches in London
Make Me Up, Topshop
December
Ralph Lauren Rugby Tweed Run
Hermès Pop-Up Scarf Boutique at Harrods
My Crafty Christmas Ornaments for the V&A…
I am not a crafty person. Sewing a button back on gives me panic attacks, so you can imagine my reaction when I got an email from the V&A asking if I wanted to participate in a crafty blogger christmas project, creating a tree ornament… I’m still not sure why, but I said yes. A day later, 4 bits of beautiful Liberty for V&A fabric and a sewing kit arrived.
Now, when I tell you I’m not good at this stuff, I’m not lying. I considered lots of different things, failed at several attempts and then when the deadline came frighteningly close, I went to a local art shop hoping for inspiration. There I found some great 3D cardboard letters, so I got some fabric glue and set about glueing the fabric to the letters. Simple enough, right? WRONG. In the process I managed to glue about everything other than the fabric (my sunglasses! my kitchen table! my chairs! my iron!), screamed out of pure frustration more than once, but eventually got something slightly presentable. In fact, I even started enjoying the idea making something pretty myself (well, ish), so I made another “A” which now proudly hangs in my office.
I sent my pieces off with a note saying “please don’t take closeups” and now they’re proudly adorning the V&A shop’s virtual christmas tree, alongside Style Slicker‘s incredible patchwork and bells creation, Coco’s Tea Party‘s gifts and Belle About Town‘s mini christmas tree, with 8 more to come.
I’m not sure I’m a craft-convert yet, but somewhere between the frustration and sticky fingers, I did make something slightly presentable, so perhaps this is the start of something new for me. Until then, I’ll just stick to writing about those who actually can.
Check out the V&A’s blogger christmas tree here.
