I’m often asked by clients and friends “Do I really need to cleanse?”
My response is simple. “No, of course not, but like anything tangible, if not taken care of, if not dusted, maintained, invested in, that thing begins to show wear and tear. That thing declines, loses vitality, resilience and the ability to do its job efficiently, productively, successfully.”
It’s easier to think about cleaning your dishes, the floors in your home, the clothes you wear every day, or servicing your car. These things are external to you and in your vision field, so you care about the dirt and grime in front of you. You rely on your car operating seamlessly so you maintain it. And if you operate a business? Successful business owners know that a regular review of its operations is paramount to its very survival.
Yet, few of us consider or give heed to the way our bodies are functioning.
It’s almost as if we’re in denial because our systems continue to run and operate. The heart pumps, the lungs expand, the brain thinks, and so on. Until of course, your body speaks to you [read: forces you] by expressing an inflammatory situation. And today, without truly recognizing it, we are victims to All Sorts of inflammatory instigators: stress, toxins [air, food and skin variety], lack of or over-exercise, a poor diet, refined and processed foods, artificial sweeteners. The list goes on.
Inflammation is sneaky. When it’s happening internally, it’s difficult to detect. By the time chronic inflammation is expressing, that process has been going on for some time, setting the stage for a more harmful health situation. That’s why inflammation is often referred to as the silent killer.
If you are experiencing any of the following signs or symptoms, such as — stress, fatigue, weight loss resistance, headaches, cravings, brain fog, joint pain, sleeplessness, skin issues, bloat, gas, constipation — then, a [simple, reasonable, effective] cleanse is the perfect tool to reducing inflammation, optimizing your liver function and reclaiming your health.
The what & how of cleansing…
The liver[1] is where detoxification and breakdown and purification happen so it’s the primary site for poison control in the body. The liver is essentially the body’s gatekeeper.
We want our liver to perform all of its many functions well. Really, we need it to. It is massively important in spreading the love to our cells, and a quality cleanse will support the regeneration of not only your liver, but your digestive tract as well. If you’re experiencing resistant weight loss, a gentle supportive cleanse that flushes out toxins will amp up the fat burning role of the liver. A liver that is overburdened by dealing with the influx of toxins, including chemical and heavy metals, will not perform its job well and will continue to store fat.
A cleanse should comprise a combination of action steps that allow your body the time it needs to adjust to the changes you’re delivering to it. It should contain, promote and ensure:
- a removal of inflammatory inputs, e.g. toxins, refined foods, bad fats, etc.
- an anti-inflammatory diet made up of quality, clean foods
- plenty of quality water intake
- detox pathway support aka sweating, pooping, breathing [toxins need an exit strategy]
- appropriate supporting nutrients [e.g. Vitamins B & C, Selenium & NAC]
- stress reducing activity such as meditation
- reasonable & moderate exercise [don’t do a cleanse if you’re training for a marathon]
- patience, acceptance & understanding. Some discomfort for a period of several days is normal
- rest. If you’re not a good sleeper, you’ll become one.
And since the underlying premise of a cleanse is to remove toxins from the body, it’s essential to understand that since toxins are stored in fat, any quality cleanse program must provide ample support for clearing those fat molecules from your body in an orderly fashion. So, supporting your elimination pathways [skin, elimination and lungs] is critical.
Our liver is a remarkable organ. I didn’t fully appreciate mine until I learned how much it does and what it’s responsible for.
I have been doing cleanses and detoxes for the past 25+ years and have tried them all. I designed one that is reasonable, delicious and effective and my clients and participants Love! I selfishly created it so that I would not have to cleanse alone. Trust me, it’s more fun and impactful in a community environment. I hope you’ll join me on my next one, which is slated to begin on May 16, 2016.
To learn more and register, go to wellnessgirlcleanse.com.
Have you ever done a cleanse? If so, let me know about your experience below. What did you love? What didn’t you love?
Cleanse Well!
Karen
[1] Just Some of the liver’s functions. It filters blood, disassembles chemical compounds for detoxification and synthesizes and secretes bile. It also filters waste, bacteria and toxins out of the blood and changes the toxic substance into safer ones, processes nutrients, and stores fuel such as vitamins, minerals and carbs, sends cholesterol, vitamins, fats and proteins into the blood stream to be used for energy and building health tissue, manufactures glycogen, which helps to stabilize the body’s blood sugar, neutralizes and destroys poisons, metabolizes alcohol, produces immune factors, maintains hormone balance, controls the production and secretion of cholesterol and regulates fat storage. Did you catch that? Let me repeat. It regulates fat storage. AND it regenerates its own tissue. How cool is that? If a part of your liver needs to get taken out, it can grow back! Crazy cool.
