Getting started

Last time I had you think about and rate yourself in the four areas that need balancing - sleep, exercise, diet/nutrition and hormones. Keep those numbers handy. Today we will begin by working on the foundational steps for regulating all of these areas.

First is detoxification. For most people detox equals poop. That is not detox, it's spending way too much time in the bathroom and using harsh substances that irritate your bowels. Detox is the process of clearing out the substances that work against your health. That means cleaning out both what goes in and what goes out. Back to my analogy of the car. When you go to the car wash you have to clean out the trash that has accumulated first. Then to keep it clean you have to stop putting more trash in! Got it? Good! So, the easiest way to clean out the body is by stimulating the functions of the major filters namely, your liver, kidneys and bowels. Then keeping them in order by not consuming more trash. A cup of warm lemon water first thing in the morning will begin the process. I like to add a teaspoon of ground flax seeds to mine which adds fiber, soothes the colon and provides much needed omega oils. If you have issues with constipation the flax seeds will help or eat a apple with you warm lemon water. Unsweetened cranberry juice (1 oz to 8 oz of water) is another great natural detoxifier. Put 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in your water and drink with your meals. This improves digestion and helps breakdown of fats. Other than these cleansing drinks stick to water. If you need flavor add a squeeze of lemon or lime to it. Drop a slice of ginger into it or a wedge of grapefruit or orange. If you need to sweeten it use one teaspoon of maple syrup, stevia, agave or xylitol. These are natural sugars that your body will use for energy. If you use green tea do it Chinese style, use the same bag or leaves all day just keep adding water to it. The main point is to keep the water as dilute as possible and drink as much as 50% of you weight in ounces. Do not over do it. Too much is as bad as not enough. At first you will be going to the bathroom a lot but if you keep it up after 2-3 days your body will accommodate and the trips will reduce and you will feel better. You will be amazed by the number of issues brought on by chronic dehydration. I'll let you tell me how increasing your water intake affects how you feel.

On the other end stop consuming toxic things like artificial sweeteners, foods with added colors, MSG, artificial butter and foods that contain a lot of preservatives. Look at your peanut butter jar. What is all that stuff and why is it in there? All you need are peanuts and maybe a little salt. Start reading labels and stop eating unnecessary junk. Stay away from anything labeled low-fat or non-fat. It's the fat that gives food flavor. When it is taken out they have to improve the taste and guess what they use to do that? Sugar! Go read the ingredient list, I promise some form of sugar is in the top five, usually high fructose corn syrup. Very toxic and very fattening. We will talk about why sugar is fattening another time but let me give you some food for thought. The low-fat craze started about 30 years ago and our obesity and diabetes epidemic followed closely behind. Hummm! Isn't that curious?!?! So here is the rule - consume foods and beverages that are in their natural state. That means clear water with real lemon not lemon flavored anything, olive oil and vinegar not bottled Italian dressing, butter not "I can't believe it's not" because it ain't, natural or raw sugar not stuff that used to be sugar but isn't any more. Our bodies know what to do with natural substances, artificial ones simply become toxins that lead to disease.

Until next time, let me know how it goes and feel free to ask questions. B.