So, how did my 45-day retreat go?
Did I do good? Did I win?
Sometime in March I set out to complete a 45-day retreat where I would be more mindful about what I was consuming and how I was showing up in the world. It included getting back onto my supplement game, reducing noise and increasing activity. My mindset and health needed a shift and I needed a way to kick that into gear.
I often need some sort of challenge, a goal, to move me forward otherwise like most people I just drift. Setting forth a 45-day retreat meant it gave me something bigger than myself to focus on and some guidelines to follow.
To recap what it included:
The 45 Day Retreat
Body
Fixing my gut health and soothing my hormones (stress)
Daily supplements to support my hormonal and gut health:
Probiotics
B Complex
Magnesium
Milk Thistle with Turmeric and Dandelion
Vitamin C
Omega 3s
Removing refined sugar and other inflammatory foods
Eating whole foods that nourish
More fermented foods
Lots of high protein, high fat and organic veg
Daily yoga
Sleep - If I need sleep in the first 30 days, I will do it. After the last few years working shift work, my body is in a deep need to reset and find balance again. Our sleep health is integral to our overall health.
Attend to my physical health: go to physio, chiro and acupuncture to ease stress, fix my plantar fasciitis and finally be in shape to get back into running again (good news, yesterday I went to physio and have a plan for my feet!).
From day 15 on, begin to get back into a regular weight training and cardio program
Snowboard, as much as I can
Mind
Finish reading a physical book
Meditate at least 3x per week to start, with the ultimate goal being daily by day 45
Develop a sustainable morning practice/ritual
Develop an evening wind-down practice: Screen-free before bed
One social media-free day a week
Soul (heart/emotional)
Go back to therapy
Journal at least 2x per week, with the ultimate goal being daily by day 45
Say no and enforce boundaries where needed
Snowboard, as much as I can
At least 2x week, a forest walk
Try something new that feels enriching (pottery? painting class? floristry workshop?)
Rediscover my inner child by introducing play back into my life
Write a list of ways I can nourish my emotional health and do those things (“what would I do if I loved myself?”)
Act of kindness challenge: do something for the greater good at least 3x per week (donate to a local charity, volunteer, pay for someone’s coffee)
It is important to note that most of the time, goals that you set won’t all be achieved. Sometimes they take longer and sometimes you realise it wasn’t the right fit. So, how did I do?
I can say with confidence I achieved most things on my rather large list. Especially when it came to my physical health. I’m still taking my supplements every day, although I have swapped out a few, and soon I will take a break from them (when I was practicing as a nutritionist I would cycle people through supplements, based on their needs). My plantar fasciitis has greatly improved thanks to chiro, physio, rest and supplementation. I am craving sugar way less and eating to nourish more than I have the last few years. I also made a bit of a home gym for the days I work from home or can’t be bothered driving into town.
The things that I didn’t nail ‘perfectly’ (daily yoga, heh) are still being done though. I will take the daily yoga as an example. Yoga and I have had a love/hate relationship for many years. Despite years of playing competitive soccer, rugby, running long distances and other extreme sports, nothing has been harder for me than fucking yoga. I hate it and yet I love how much better I feel and my body feels after. I even completed my yoga teacher training in 2021 in an effort to get better at it. So, while I haven’t hit the daily yoga goal… I can say that I have been doing it consistently at least twice a week. This is a win for me so we’ll take it.
I did, in fact, snowboard as much as I could and walked in the forest as often as I was able. I am journaling but inconsistently (Substack counts FYI). The finishing a physical book didn’t happen but I have started two and I am using them as part of habit stacking. In a continued effort to no screens after 9pm, I am instead swapping the phone for a book. The one social media free day has also been inconsistent but it’s because I am in the throes of starting a company and being on TikTok is a part of that. But I am finding better balance with it.
So, by the end, how am I feeling?
Overall, I am feeling better but I know this will be a long process. Coming out of years of shift work means it can take 1-2 years of recovery afterwards. Some days that recovery feels slow going but the good news is I will soon have better routine, allowing for more opportunity to continue that recovery. I am certainly doing better at letting go of things and redirecting the focus back onto myself and my health, which is showing a good positive trend in the right direction.
So, now what?
This was a perfect foundation to get back into the swing of setting good, positive habits and reminding myself of what I need. I am 40 in just over 2.5 years and I have spent the last seven years looking after my brother before his passing and my dad through his injuries, ailments and grief and now that everyone is largely okay health-wise (those who are still here with us, that is), it is time to really double down and look after myself and my health because it hasn’t felt good for awhile (hence doing the 45-day retreat). I want to hit 40 feeling better than I ever have before, looking better than I ever have before and feeling really grounded.
If you know me then you’ll know that I love ChatGPT and all things AI, so I turned to my buddy ChatGPT to help me formulate my Glow Up before 40 Plan. It has given me three phases:
Phase One - Reset and Rebuild (months 1-6)
Focus: Recovery, clarity and continued foundation-building.
Key goals:
Physical (heal my feet, restore energy and reintroduce movement)
Mental (declutter my mind, establish routines and address lingering effects of shift work)
Professional (get ultra clear on my business vision and begin building systems)
Phase Two - Elevate and Energise (months 6-18)
Focus: Body composition, brand presence and personal joy
Key goals:
Physical (build strength, return to running, dial in nutrition)
Mental (get bolder with boundaries, invest in self care, increase joy)
Professional (Launch and grow business, start earning consistently)
Phase Three - Thrive and Expand (18 months to 40th Bday)
Focus: Living my dream rhythm
Key goals:
Physical (feel vibrant, strong and confident in my skin)
Mental (embody my values, feel grounded in my purpose)
Professional (full business independence and majority self-sustaining income)
Phase One begins this weekend with a trip to Tasmania to kick off. Tasmania is one of my soul-happy places and no better place to get grounded and feel inspired.
When I was 27 I did a Ragnar Trail Ultra with friends/work colleagues in Zion National Park in Utah. It was a bit of a bust because the weather turned and turned nasty so most teams couldn’t complete it. We rounded out our trip with a few days in Las Vegas. Now before this trip, I hated Vegas. I’m not a gambler and big fake glitzy shit just feels tacky to me. But, we actually stayed in the ‘burbs and instead spent a day running in the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area and WOW. It completely changed my perspective on Vegas. It was hot and dirty and desert and I loved every minute. We ran and ran and ran and laughed and just had the best time. THAT carefree happiness and fitness I felt is what I am aiming to return to.
I’m excited to embark on a multi-years along project and I will update monthly on the progress. Stay tuned.