5 tips to clean out the old and prepare for the new.
We all have times when we don’t feel like we’re living up to our greatest potential. Many of us fall into a routine of wake up, have coffee, eat, work, eat, work, have some family time, eat, maybe workout, snack, sleep and repeat. Ok, maybe that’s exaggerating a bit, but it’s not far from the truth. It’s a miserable existence that none of us signed on for and it’s time to change. You can start feeling great and living life with enthusiasm, energy, passion, love and plain old fun! It’s completely up to you.
There are a million different cleanses on the market, from a colon cleanse, to a liver cleanse, to a juice cleanse, a smoothie cleanse, to the Master Cleanse, the 21 Day Fix, the 5 Day Detox and oh so many more. Apparently everyone is trying to clean something out their system and for good reason! We’re being sold products that jack us up, make us feel horrible and dump us back into our lives with low energy, high stress not to mention high cholesterol and lack of motivation. One of my teachers once said that if you really want to live a great, healthy life, you’re going to have to swim upstream. It’s sad to say, but our culture is not the healthiest and big business does not have our health at the top of their priority list. If we follow the Redbull, Monster, McDonald’s and Burger Kings of the world, we’re hitting the grave early.
Our culture of mingling, drinking and socializing, whether it’s around your kids with tons of sugar or around you with a big barbecue, junk food, wine and great tequila, it’s all taking us down. The parties for us just might not be as clear and shameful as overloading on sugar…yet. There is no way that this destructive behavior pays off in the long run. Thanks to companies like Theranos, we will eventually know our blood levels, we’ll begin to understand the physical path we’re on, catch symptoms earlier and take action to change. We’ll be able to make the lifestyle choices necessary to help move us into healthier, happier and stronger life.
The physical body is incredibly resilient, but it’s only going to last so long if you continue to pump it full of chemicals, processed foods and crap. I’m not saying it’s time to become super rigid and give up everything, but some time to reset is incredibly important. Deepak Chopra recommends once a week with no solid food in order to allow your digestive enzymes time to recover. Once a week you can puree your meals or just live on smoothies and juices. Dr. Mark Hyman, in his book The Ultra Simple Diet, recommends 7 days on vegetables and fruit to clean out your system. Then begin adding things, one at a time, back into your diet. See how you feel. See if the juice, bread, meat, etc. work for your body, then decide to keep them in your diet or not.
We’re all individuals and our lifestyle choices therefore, must be individualized. What works for me, most likely will not work for you. It’s important to start looking at your life and your body as a science experiment. Doing a cleanse if the perfect reboot.
Start with these 5 tips and begin to clean out the old and prepare for the new, fresh and the clean!
1. Make sure you set yourself up for success. Don’t plan your cleanse during Christmas week. Make sure you don’t have client dinners where you know you’ll be drinking and eating sushi.
2. Elicit support from your spouse, friends and family. If you meet yourself half way and gain help from those around you, you’re much more likely to optimize the cleanse.
3. You would never run your car without having an oil change or tune up, why do we think our bodies deserve something less? The first step is to take away the chemicals. Start with alcohol, sugar and caffeine. If you can, avoid gluten, meats, dairy and soy products.
4. Stop the bad habits. We all have them, whether it’s a late night snack, too much food at the buffet, or that extra glass of wine. Do what you can to be disciplined enough to say no for a week.
5. Increase the good habits. Now is the time to replace your old negative habits with some reinforcing. Make your choices healthy and life affirming. Add exercise, meditation, yoga, etc.
Remember, it’s important to give your organs a break from processing all the bad stuff. It’s also an amazing experience to feel your body as it was meant to be felt, not influenced or dependent on outside sources. If you’re having a hard time getting started check out this 14 day Nutrition Reset. It will kick start your way to a better life!
Photo Credit: DelectableYou.com