Quote of the Month
“Re-set, Re-Align, Re-Start, Re-boot…As many times as you need to”
The holidays are over…
I drank more than I planned, ate more than I wanted, consumed more sugar and chocolate than I intended and my body’s feeling it! Are you feeling the same?
This is always the time of year when I plan a cleanse for myself.
Some people think a cleanse is when you don’t eat. Well for me, I eat – except I eat really clean and take some herbal remedies along the way.
Other people think that a cleanse means you spend a lot of time in the bathroom. Well, that’s wrong. There are many, so called, cleanses and detoxes out there, yet their ingredients are primarily ‘pushers’ or ‘laxatives’ to make you go. Some go so far as to say, that it’s a good sign to get cramps before going to the bathroom using their product(s). Just because you’re sending someone to the bathroom, it doesn’t mean it’s a cleanse…plus you’ve know disrupted your entire gut ecosystem…WTF! (sorry, just had to vent my frustration)
Others think cleansing is unnecessary because the body does it all on it’s own. Well, if you never change the oil in your car, it will get dirty and stop working. If you don’t ‘defragment’ your computer, it won’t run properly. If you never vacuum or dust your home, the dust accumulates. Plus, if you never clean your vacuum bag, nothing gets sucked up and the vacuum stops working. We are no different, we’re just more complex. In fact, many cultures have been practicing fasting and cleansing for thousands of years, but as generations have passed, many of us have forgotten about their importance.
I still remember my first one ever. It was 30 days and I didn’t know what to eat. I lost weight and felt pretty awesome. That was over 15 years ago. I eat pretty clean these days, and I’ve done so many types that it’s become pretty straight forward for me.
Some cleanses can be pretty strict, others are simple. The important thing is to at least do something. It could be a 30 day one, or even just a fasting day one day a week for a month. If you have a lot of symptoms, the 30 day may be the best choice. If you just need a little ‘tune-up’ from your last one, you can do the fasting or intermittent fasting. Every little bit helps.
When someone is detoxing/cleansing, I always recommend supporting the entire body rather than focusing on just one ‘organ’. Here’s a list of body areas and some ways to support them:
- liver – dandelion, milk thistle, lemon water, eat clean!
- blood – chlorophyll, burdock root, red clover,
- Small and Large intestine – probiotics, L-glutamine, aloe, marshmallow root, psyllium, magnesium, turkey rhubarb…there are many more herbal options here. It’s important to have a normal BM (bowel movement) at least twice daily; otherwise toxins will be reabsorbed.
- digestion – Enzymes to help with digestion and assimilation of food,
- lymphatic drainage – Very important as this system cannot move on it’s own. It needs help to gather and drain waste from the body. Plenty of filtered WATER; as well as, lymphatic massage, far infared sauna, movement via rebounding and dry brushing are recommended here.
- additional herbs to address candida and parasite issues, if necessary.
If you’ve never done a cleanse before, start with an intermittent fast. It’s the easiest to start with. You can have your dinner by 7pm and then do not eat anything until lunch the next day. This is something that you can do once a week. If you need some support, have some organic bone broth to drink. If you have blood sugar issues, it may be helpful to take ‘true cinnamon’ and chromium or consult with your natural practitioner for other options.
Let me know if you’re interested in joining me!
As Marilyn Dennis said last week on CHUM-FM “don’t make resolutions, just make a decision”