Getting back to good health

The last year has been a difficult one for many, due to worldwide events. The reason I've been so quiet is that I've been unwell with long Covid, I won’t go into all the details, as I don’t want to bring up things that are now in the past. I'm now thankfully slowly starting to turn a corner, but I'm not 100% yet. We all need support in life, especially when serious illness hits. That support can come from many places. Family and friends are incredibly important, so are doctors and hospitals. There are also people out there who run small businesses specialising in helping others and I've been lucky to have help from such a business whilst unwell.

Zante Zest is a family owned and run business, based in Greece, specialising in health, well-being, nutrition and physical wellness. Their exercise and health professionals are experienced in real life, fun to work with and dedicated in their fields, and believe that taking care of yourself and your health doesn’t mean you have to live like a monk, you can still have fun in life too.

I owe a big debt of gratitude to Zante Zest. They've been hugely instrumental in getting me back on my feet when I was so unwell. Julie kindly spent time talking with me to understand everything I was going through. I didn’t need a quick fix, I needed something that would help me get well, in a way that I could continue looking after my health for the future. I needed a heath overhaul!

In August 2020 Julie listened patiently, talked though my situation with me and suggested a few things, one of which was juicing. I've tried it before, and even though I enjoyed it, I always found it a bit of a faff, trying to organise and prepare everything, and eventually I’d stop and go back to old habits. 

Now, in April 2021, I juice every day. I've done this every day for eight months and I’m really feeling the benefit of it. My system gets a good mix of eight fruit and veg, with a little greek strained yogurt, every day. The mix of fruit and veg I use all help specific things and it’s become my favourite lunch ever! I buy all the contents fresh, and cut them up, put them into sealable plastic containers and freeze straightaway. This means I just have to take it out of the freezer on the day I need it. This also helps with my energy levels which can still be low sometimes.

Zante Zest also helped me understand more about the body, how it works and things to avoid that do more harm to us physically and mentally. I cut out sugar, which has helped so much. I also changed certain foods I was eating, mainly processed foods (not that I ate a lot of them, but they were making me feel very sluggish).

I also realised that I wasn’t drinking enough liquids. Did you know that tea, coffee, alcohol, fizzy drinks etc., DON’T count as the 2,000L of water a day that we’re supposed to drink? Julie explained in great detail how the body works and how it survives on water intake and how beneficial it is to the body and certain organs. Looking back I realised that as well as being horrendously dehydrated at the start of my illness, due to the symptoms, I was still drinking at least four large MUGS of tea a day and only about 500ml of water! I cut out tea (I don’t drink coffee or alcohol so they weren’t an issue). I bought myself a 500ml water bottle and a Brita water filter and started drinking water and monitoring how much I was drinking each day on my Fitbit. It’s amazing how much this change has helped me too. 

I found that Zante Zest's meditation really helped me with my low moods and the problems I was having with insomnia, gradually the mood settled and the insomnia lessened until it disappeared altogether. Exercise however, was a big issue as I was floor bound for a few months other than being able to get up for the bathroom, food and bed. I felt as though every ounce of energy had been sucked from me. I desperately wanted to join Zante Zest's online Qidong classes but was unable to. I have now got some physical and cognitive rehab which is helping to rebuild my stamina, so hopefully I may be able to finally join in the future!

Life can be really cruel sometimes, we can be thrown situations or periods of time, where we get low, become seriously ill or have life changing things happen to us. Learning how to deal with them and finding support really is the key. I will never be able to thank Julie and Zante Zest enough for all the support they have given me this last year. You have helped me get my life back, and that deserves the biggest thank you possible. ​

Zante Zest ~ detox, revitalize nad rejuvenate as nature intended...