This week I tried dry brushing. Dry brushing is a gentle circulatory and lymphatic stimulant which helps your body eliminate toxins through the skin. It has the same effect as a gentle massage, which is ideal for me as I have very tense muscles!

To get into dry brushing, you need a brush with natural fibre bristles that are firm but not too scratchy. Dry brushes are available in health food stores and stores with an environmentally friendly bent. Instructions for dry brushing can be found here.

What was my experience like? Well, it was not unlike being drunk. Fortunately I’d been told to expect a bit of oddness. When a lecturer at uni started dry brushing, his urine went black (he had been living an incredibly unhealthy lifestyle, he says). A friend from uni who adopted daily dry brushing, found it brought on her migraines (she dropped back to once a week, which fixed the problem).

Directly after dry brushing, I felt nauseated. I took a long drink of water as I’ve been instructed to do after a massage, and almost threw it up. After getting in the shower and washing off anything that might have seeped through my pores, I went downstairs to cook breakfast. And I couldn’t stop laughing. I was just standing there, boiling an egg, laughing. I was laughing so hard I couldn’t even drink my morning supplement-loaded juice. The high lasted for an hour or so, and then things went back to normal. We’ll see what happens next Friday. I don’t think I’m game to start daily dry brushing just yet.

In other news…

Exercise

Exercise is still my friend. In fact, it’s my best friend. Nothing new to report, except that next week I’ll be measuring myself to see if anything has changed in the past three weeks. I’m wondering if three weeks is too early, and whether I should wait until six weeks before I measure. If I measure too early, I risk feeling disappointed if there is no change. Should I wait? Am I overthinking this? Thoughts?

This week I did weights three or four times, and cardio four or five times. I’d like to be doing cardio every morning, even when I don’t do weights, but my schedule doesn’t always allow it. Or, rather, I press snooze so many times that my schedule no longer allows it. Something to work on this week.

Food

Since uni has kicked itself up a notch, my junk food intake has followed suit. I am eating absurd amounts of rubbish, and I’m not even loving it! I’ve even started eating chips in bed again, a habit I thought I’d left behind. This week I’ll try and drop the habit again.

I need your advice, though. The reason I eat chips in bed, or eat junk in general, is because it’s a very quick reward. When I’m putting in 6-8 hour study days, there isn’t a lot of time for a pick-me-up, so I use junk food. Can you think of any other quick rewards I can give myself, that only last for five to ten minutes? My eternal gratitude if you can.

Oh PS, I made quinoa again this week and realised I forgot to mention that you must rinse it a few times before cooking it. This is because it is coated with natural saponins which are bitter to the taste. If you followed my recipe and it tasted like feet, this could be why. Sorry!