Introducing This and That's Highway to Health

TASH: Don't you all just love Glee? If not... Really? Watch more and you will! That aside, getting physical is something that's been on our minds a lot over at This and That. Not just getting physical, but getting healthy. So as a tribute to this Glee and Olivia Newton-John mash up (not really) we've created what we like to call our Highway to Health. Tacky puns you ask? Why yes of course! Basically we're going to be spending out time eating better, exercising more and trying all that we can to keep ourselves glowing inside and out!

ROXY: So, what does the 'Highway to Health' Challenge (H2H Challenge) entail exactly? In short, Urban Remedy has inspired us to get healthier than we've ever been before. In an effort to do so, we are going to explore the healthy side of Adelaide. We want to find out where the best yoga studios are, which gym classes are awesome and why, if personal trainers are better to help you reach your peak fitness, where the yummiest and healthiest food is at and what beauty therapists can do to help us feel great. And of course, we'll be blogging about these experiences along the way - reviews about all the places we have visited, updates on all things Urban Remedy as well as some extra goodies (don't want to spoil the surprise but I'm talking video demonstrations...but shhhh, don't tell anyone!) will be uploaded every few days.

TASH: So why do this you ask? Well it sort of all leads back to some blogs we did a while back reviewing the Urban Remedy Juice Cleanses, they got us thinking a lot about what we do to keep ourselves healthy and what it is we're putting in our bodies. Sometimes it's not the best stuff (i.e. the other night I decided it would be a good idea to try ice cream mixed with peanut butter! good golly!) but in our defense, it's been a busy time for us lately, so we've slipped a little. We've both been glued to our computer screens (turning square eyed and what not) writing out our final university assignments for the semester. Fun? Think again. But now that we are finished up, we are determined to get back to (and even surpass) the sparkling balls of health that we were when we finished our Urban Remedy Juice Cleanses a few months ago.

ROXY: What does this mean for you? Well, what doesn't it mean for you would be the better question, methinks! Watch this space and you'll be given hot tips on where's best to eat and exercise. But wait, there's more. We can offer you 15% off Urban Remedy Juice Cleanses. 'WHHHHHAT?' I hear you ask. 'Pipe down please and let me finish,' I reply. The lovely Emma from Urban Remedy contacted us about helping her increase Urban Remedy's exposure around RAD-elaide and we were totes excited to help her out. So, as part of our H2H Challenge, we will be handing out 15% of brochures to all the venues we visit. Now, if you happen to desperately want a voucher (I would, if I were you), but you're not going to be visiting any of the venues that we've blogged about, just forward, erm, 28,485 schmackers to my account and we can sort something out..ha! I'm kidding, silly. Just comment us on our blog and we'll get you sorted.

So get involved! Let us know where we should go and what we should do! Challenge us! The more support we get the more we're going to be able to do and you never know it could mean more perks for you! ;)

Health - Urban Remedy Juice Cleanse

Where the hell have I been all of your life? Not sitting at my laptop writing my review of the Urban Remedy Juice Cleanse, that's for sure. Yes, I know that this blog is way overdue, and yup, I do understand that the fact that I've just survived (with minor battle wounds) a hectic week signed, sealed and delivered from Satan himself, is not a good enough excuse for my blogging absence... Actually, while it is true that I've been really busy this week, it may be melodramatic, drama queenish even, to suggest that it was hellish. I've actually done tonnes of fun stuff, like interview the marketing coordinator, Ashleigh, from Colour Cosmetica and gone to my BF's (Rowan) nephews modelling grad (so cute), but more on that later. Let's talk about Juice, baby.

So, early last Thursday morning, Rowan and I were woken up by a telephone call from my mum. She called to inform me that two Urban Remedy deliveries had just arrived. Awesome. Both Rowan and I were totes excited. So the cleaning began...

Just to make things easy (and because it was a totally rad idea worth borrowing) I'm going to use the same format that Tash did for her Cleanse review.

So...what were the juices like?
Okay, what attracted me to the cleanse was the fact that recently, I'd been finding myself lacking energy. You know, feeling very tired early in the evening (I usually run most days but that 'most day' was morphing into an ugly 'once a week, if ya lucky') and, well, just not my usual zesty self. Unlike my lovely co-blogger, I am not a juice person. I'm a water person who prefers her fruit and vegetables whole, thanks. So to say that I was a little bit nervous about the fact that I was about to consume only juice, water and herbal tea for three whole days is a bit of an understatement. But, I was so keen to give this cleanse a go, especially after all the amazing reviews I've read from Yaz, PRIMPED editor. I refused to let my nerves get the better of me. I told them were to go and shove it, and I couldn't be more pleased.

Juice #1 did test my will power. At first it made me feel all vomity inside mainly because the celery was crazy strong and I didn't love that. BUT, by day two, I did enjoy it actually. True story. It's kinda the same for all juices, at first I was a bit like woe man, this liquid vege thing is not my cuppa tea, but by the end of the cleanse, I was sad to give them up. I do miss them now even. Especially juice #6 (pictured in the photo above along with the adorable esky that is included with every Urban Remedy purchase. Sweet!). #6 is an amazing blend of coconut milk, raw cashews, cinnamon and vanilla bean. It is so yummy and really helped to fill me up before bed time. I'd drink that juice everyday if possible.

Before I move on, I just want to give a special mention juice #4, the purple juice. If you haven't guessed already the main ingredient in this juice is beetroot. Now, #4 is hard-core proof that these juices contain only what is written on the label. It literally tasted like I'd taken my shovel out into the garden, dug myself up a big, juicy beetroot, washed it off (obviously) and taken a huge bite out of it. So raw, but great.

So...were you ready to eat your hand off by the end of it?
I can honestly tell you that I was never hungry while on the cleanse. The juices kept my hunger police off duty and I made sure that I kept myself very busy during the day so that I didn't have time to sit around daydreaming about food. Glorious food. That's not to say that I didn't miss food at all. Oh boy, I did miss food. I missed the texture in my mouth, I missed chewing, I missed the prettiness of food, but most of all, I missed the taste sensations. However, what this cleanse did teach me that I do not need to eat nearly as much as I do. This experience made it shockingly clear how accustomed to eating I have become. I've learned that eating muesli with fruit and yogurt for brekky, followed by more fruit and a big salad sandwich for lunch, a tasty treat and a hefty sized dinner is not necessary, not necessary at all. Thank you Urban Remedy for helping me see the light at the end of the food obsessed tunnel. I haven't reached the end yet, but I'm getting closer!

So...how did it make you feel?
Day two was hard. I was grumpy because I missed food and I had a gnarly headache. Why did I have this headache? Well, I rarely drink alcohol, I only indulge in sweets when I'm catching up with the girls (or if Tashy bakes me something delish) and I eat plenty of fruit and vege. However, I probably eat too much red meat and I drink about 3 to 4 cups of coffee a week, which is very naughty. Caffeine is bad news people. If you are not addicted now, stay away. Not only is it crappy for your insides, it is expensive to buy at a cafe (and I always do because I work at a Gloria Jeans Coffee shop which makes me a snobby coffee tart..none of this instant stuff for me, gross). Anyway, I'm certain that the headache was a result of my coffee drinking.

Day three comes along and it's pretty much gone and by the afternoon I'm feeling awesome. I'd had two amazing sleeps the nights before and I felt empty. But not empty in a bad way, empty in a good way..I didn't feel bloated. Ever. Huzzah!

Sunday was my first day after the cleanse and I had so much energy. I was motivated to go for a long bike ride along the beachfront with Rowan (he felt awesome too). Monday comes along and I'm up early and running a quick 5Km before Uni. I've found my zesty self again! Where was she? Stuck way under all the dirty toxins that were busily hating my insides. Not anymore toxins, not.any.more.

Like Tashy said, this detox was not a diet and we did not starve ourselves for three days. It was simply a great way to give our digestive system a break from dealing with all the solids we usually consume. What a great opportunity to do a damn good cleaning! Would I do it again? Yes, when I can afford it. Unfortunately Urban Remedy don't deliver one day cleanses to Adelaide and I can't really afford to do the three day again (uni budget is somewhat restricted...), but I'll be doing it again after Christmas (which is also around the time of my 21st), at the very latest.

Thank you Urban Remedy for the detox and all of the supportive and informative emails you sent me during my cleanse. It was totally worth it.

Have you done a cleanse before?
Would you consider the Urban Remedy Juice Cleanse after our happy reviews?

Health - Urban Remedy Cleanse

So the last post I did was about me starting the Urban Remedy Cleanse. I didn't die, I didn't fall off the face of the Earth. It's just the last day of the cleanse was one of my best friend's birthdays, so since then I've been a bit busy. As Roxy has just finished her cleanse I thought I better jump in quick and write up my cleanse experience so she can get her two cents in now.

So... What were the juices like?
The first thing that attracted me to the cleanse was not that I wanted to cleanse my insides and feel new again, it was that I wanted to spend three days drinking juice! I'm a bit of a juice nut, and I'm always on the look out for new tasty juices to try. Juice #1 was perhaps a little strong for me, but I still enjoyed it. It was probably the celery but it was a bit of a vegetable overload. But at the same time I felt so clean and healthy drinking it that it always managed to make me smile inside and out. Juice #2 was my absolute favourite. Pineapple, mint and apple. I wish I could find this one on my supermarket shelves, but instead I think I'm going to have to invent my own substitute. I didn't have too many opinions about juice #3 and juice#4, their main components were carrot and beetroot respectively.  I love beetroot, but at times it could become a bit too sweet, and the carrot one just reminded me of normal V8 juice so that was tasty enough. Juice #5 scared me a bit. Lemon, water and cayenne pepper. I loved it. I was worried it would be too watered down, but the amount of lemon was just right and the cayenne pepper added a bonus oomph to it that gave it a bit more of a kick but also helped warm you up a bit (which was something I desperately needed!). Lastly finishing off with juice #6 was a great way to end the day. It was thicker than the other juices, with blended cashews and coconut it was almost like eating a meal! It was delicious and I would happily sip away at it while my housemate munched away at her dinner.

So... Were you ready to eat your own hand by the end of it?
NOT AT ALL! Surprisingly I wasn't hungry at all throughout the cleanse! The juices are all fairly thick and you almost feel like you're eating when you gulp them down. Obviously there isn't any chewing involved but you swish it around and it's a bit like having a meal. I was satisfied the whole time, but that's not to say I wasn't craving things! Suddenly food felt like this holy grail, I didn't need it but I wanted it. If I can give one tip for anyone doing the cleanse, don't watch Masterchef! I didn't miss any other restrictions like no coffee or no alcohol. I recently cut back the amount of alcohol I drink by a lot, and so I can't say I was reaching for the bottle by the end of it, and I also don't drink coffee so I had no problems with that. I felt satisfied the whole time, but I can tell you having a picnic with friends while they pass around birthday cake and you sip on your juice is a real test of willpower.

So... How did you feel?
Even before I started the cleanse I was pumped full of energy! I made sure I got a good nights' sleep the night before and I jumped out of bed full of excitement to crack open my first juice. I was feeling pretty flash through the whole day, buzzing with energy. By about 8:00 I was always a bit sleepy so I made sure I got to bed early and always woke up with a buzz. I also felt empty, not in that horrible soul wrenching longing way, but like if I jumped into the air I would float down like a feather. I felt like I could do anything because I was just so clean and healthy! It was a great feeling! I loved being on the cleanse and I love giving it a try. At the end of it the hardest thing wasn't the not eating or trying to get to bed early, it was dealing with other people's reactions. By the end of it I was sick of people giving me that look saying "oh you know this is just one of those fad diets?"

It isn't a fad diet. It's not a diet. I probably got more nutrients through those juices than I would get on any normal day even if I tried to eat super healthily. I felt great and I wasn't just starving myself for three days. Roxy asked me if I would do the cleanse again and my answer was: maybe.

If you've seen my other blog at all you'd know that I'm planning a massive trip in 2012, and a smaller one in 2011. As I am shocking at saving money I really need to put all of my efforts into that so forking out almost $200 for three days of not eating heavinly juice drinking, is very unlikely. I'm glad I gave it a go though because it made me feel fantastic and it made me feel like finally I was giving my body a much deserved break.

Over to you Roxy!

Food - Urban Remedy Clense

I wasn't sure what to call this post. After all, food isn't really the right word considering I wont actually be eating anything for the next three days. In fact, this is what my fridge looks like:

I'm doing the Urban Remedy cleanse after reading about Yas' experience with it on Primped. Basically I'll be spending 3 days drinking a lot of juice and giving my body a break from all of the other stuff it's eating all the time. I've tried a detox before. In fact me and Roxy did one together one. It Summer and it was before either of us had jobs and we were bored so we went on one of those 10 day detoxes where you drink something that tastes like mud, take foul smelling tablets and cook food that consists mainly of steamed fish and cabbage (okay I must admit that fish and cabbage are two of my favourite foods!) You can imagine that we weren't impressed with it. We lasted about 6 days (if that) and half way through that we even stopped taking the tablets. 

I like that Urban Remedy is different from that. For starters the juices look amazing! The cleanses last either 1, 3 or 5 days (although I think we can only get the 3 day cleanse in Adelaide). They aren't ridiculous expecting you to fast or change your eating habits to something ridiculous for 10 or 14 days like some detoxes do. Urban Remedy also isn't about weight loss and it doesn't pretend to be. They give no promises about losing weight, even though it is a possibility, it's just about getting some good healthy stuff running through your body. 

I shouldn't talk too much about it now as I haven't even started, but expect some updates once the juices begin!