April 5, 2016

“Only do it because you WANT to do it, not because you SHOULD!”

As spring continues on, another great way to clean up internally is to pay close attention to the choices we make about what we put into our bodies and how we choose to move our bodies.

As far as diet goes, when you think of detoxing it doesn’t have to include starving yourself, fasting for days, taking a bunch of pills and gagging on a powdery drink everyday for a week.  Although, here is an interesting article about how intermittent fasting can help regenerate the immune system.

Instead, you can continually detox throughout the year, even daily, by including whole foods that naturally cleanse your body.  Spring and Fall are the best times to reboot and remember what you want as far as living a healthy lifestyle and making healthy choices.

Use this mantra “In Spring, Think Green.” A gentle reminder to guide you on your internal spring cleaning travels.  Simply, put green foods into your body and then get outside and enjoy the green around you!  Nothing fancy necessary, it really can be that easy.

Knowing a variety of healthy options is important, but choosing the ones you like can be equally important.  If you’re not a fan of green juices, and are only choking them down in order to detox, I don’t think it’s going to be of maximal benefit.  Remember, the mind and body are intimately connected.  Ask yourself what you want and listen to the answers YOU get.  With that in mind, here are some of my favorite options to consider.

1.  Get going on organic green juices and green leafy vegetables including kale, spinach, parsley and chard.  Add them to a smoothie, include them in a salad or saute them with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.
2.  Veggies that love to detox include gold beets, red beets, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, and cabbage.
3.  Reduce inflammation in the body by choosing wild caught salmon, garlic, walnuts, flax seed, and turmeric.
4.  Want to clear the body of heavy metals including lead, aluminum, and mercury?  Cilantro, seaweed, turmeric, onions, and garlic are natural chelators that will bind to heavy metals and help excrete them from the body.
5.  Add fermented foods like sauerkraut, pickled vegetables, and kimchi to heal, aide, and cleanse the digestive system.
6. Do your best to limit, if not avoid, processed foods, sugar, and dairy.

If thinking about all this and applying it is totally overwhelming, just pick one or two things and add it to your daily or weekly routine.  It’s a process and a journey, that may not always stay on course, but it does not have to be a race to the finish line. Similarly, with exercise, the most important thing is finding something you like to do.  If you haven’t found it yet, keep trying new things until you do.  If you’re bored with your current exercise routine, change it up!  The only way to maintain a healthy relationship with exercise is by moving your body in a way that you enjoy.  Doing something that feels good (not always during, but definitely afterwards) will keep you wanting more.

With warmer weather upon us, it’s a great time to get outside and exercise.  Do what suits you – running, jogging, hiking, biking, and even walking is a great way to get the body moving and functioning optimally.  If those activities sound uninteresting, do something more fun like joining a soccer, baseball, tennis or basketball league in your community.  If you’re not big on getting outside to break a sweat, find a class that you LOVE – pilates, yoga, kickboxing, weights, cardio, or cross-fit.

Whatever it is……

Get your sweat on, and get your green in!  Your body, mind, and spirit will thank you!

In Health and Healing,

*Image courtesy of Praisaeng at FreeDigtalPhotos.net