Home > 4 Steps to Building A Healthy You-Step 2

As I stated in my November/December newsletter, the next few newsletters will be covering the techniques I have researched and used to attain greater health. If you are sick and tired of being sick and tired or you are looking to take it to the next level, put these four simple steps into action and you'll be a much healthier individual. Step 1 (November/December newsletter) taught you how to build your own dietary supplement program. This newsletter contains something extremely important too, instructions on how to cleanse and detoxify the body. Considering this is the beginning of a new year, I think it is a great time to get the inside of your body ready for a fresh start.

Please don't stop reading just because of the subject matter. When most people hear or see the word "Cleansing" they immediately think "Oh no, I don't want to be stuck in the bathroom all of the time." Or, my favorite comment is the concern for a bad case of diarrhea. Believe me – I don't want that either. That is the last thing I need to happen when I am in an airplane at 39,000 feet flying across the country. Cleansing and detoxification doesn't have to be brutal to your body. By choosing the correct cleanse and adhering to some minor rules, you can detoxify your body gently without discomfort.

WHY SHOULD YOU CLEANSE?

Your body is like a high performance automobile. When the car is new, it runs at its optimal ability. Over time, if you don't have the car serviced (filters changed, lines flushed) it will not operate efficiently like when you first bought it. It will begin to get poor gas mileage, hesitate or in some cases cease to run. With your body, you may begin to experience different health changes (see first list). Even though you are using the best fuel possible with your car, it won't run the way it should. Even though you are eating the best foods and using the best supplements, your body won't be able to maximize their benefits.

Effects when toxins are allowed to linger:

Specifically:

As I mentioned previously, your car has filters (fuel, oil, etc.) and lines (break, fuel, transmission etc.) and so does your body. Our filters (liver, kidneys, etc.) and lines (lymphatic system, cardiovascular system, etc.) need to be serviced regularly in order to get the best function possible. The problem is that we don't really have anywhere to take our body to have the lines flushed and filters changed. So we must cleanse and detoxify on a regular schedule.

WAYS YOU ARE EXPOSED TO TOXINS:

Please keep in mind that even if you eat organic, drink purified water and live in a bubble, your body also manufactures toxins. Just as with your car, the body burns fuel (food) and gets energy and exhaust. Just as with your car, if you don't vent or neutralize the exhaust, your body will become toxic and not function the way intended. Yes, GOD did create us to naturally detoxify ourselves, but we were originally created to live in a clean, pristine environment – not the environment of today.

SO,WHERE DO YOU REALLY BEGIN?

I recommend using a multi-system cleanse that will work on the majority of systems we need to cleanse. The systems usually included in cleansing kits are:

These multi-faceted cleansing systems work on more than just your bowels. They usually contain ingredients to assist your body in removing the waste (toxins) from your bowel, but in a kinder and gentler way than the old days of natural health (less chance of diarrhea). In addition, they will also work on cleansing the other major systems of the body. My favorite examples of multisystem cleanses are: CleanseSmart, Whole Body Cleanse, Perfect Cleanse, Ultimate Cleanse and Flor*Essence tea (Flor/Essence can also be used long-term for those who think they need extended cleansing). Except for the Flor*Essence tea, these multi-system cleanses are intended to be used for up to 4 weeks. They usually work quickly. I recommend you consult with your stores' health enthusiast to determine which cleanse is right for you.

Another way to cleanse/detoxify long-term (beside Flor*Essence tea) would be to utilize Green Superfood products on a daily basis. Not only do these Superfood products help remove toxins, they also provide added nutrients to support the body's repair and recovery. Green Vibrance, Perfect Food, Bio Greens, Greens Plus and Berry Green (my personal favorite) are great examples of "Green Superfood" products you can use to gently detoxify for extended periods of time (months/years).

YOU AREN'T DONE YET

If you are planning to use this approach of targeting a specific system wait about 10-14 days between cleanses. Unless your cleanse is one of the gentle ones I mentioned above, it is not safe or beneficial to your body to start a new cleanse immediately after finishing another. You need to give your body a chance to recover and rebuild.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Often times when you begin a cleanse you may actually feel worse than you did before you began your program. When people hear this they often ask then why do I want to do this? You will have to trust me on this. You will feel much better after the completion of your cleanse. Cleansing is sort of like dusting your house. We not only clean the dust from the surface, but stir up dust in the process. If you could imagine your body is like a jar and the top half of the jar has crystal clear water and the bottom half has fine, black silt in it. This image is what your body is probably like prior to cleansing. It has a bunch of toxic "stuff" in it, but it has all settled somewhere in your body. When we begin a cleanse, it is like shaking the jar of water and silt. You now can't even see through the jar because the toxins are released from where they were resting. This release of toxins from our many systems can often make you feel tired, achy, and almost flu-like. For most who do cleansing the proper way, these symptoms may last for 3 to 7 days. As the symptoms disappear, you will begin to feel like "a million bucks". Increases in energy, weight loss, improved overall health are just some of the many changes that can present themselves to you when cleansing regularly. If you don't cleanse properly, these symptoms can last much longer and be more severe.

WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO TO HELP?

In order to help reduce the duration and severity of these types of symptoms, I ALWAYS recommend the addition of three critical components; Fiber, Water and Probiotics. I recommend these to be included with all cleanses, not just the multi-system cleanses.

Toxins leave your body in three ways; urine, sweat and stool. Water is a key player in all three of these elimination pathways. The old "eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day" just isn't going to cut it here. You need to make sure you are doing everything you can to eliminate these toxins as quickly as possible. The more you urinate, sweat and empty your bowels, the sooner you are on your way to feeling GREAT. I recommend a foundation of half your body weight in ounces of water per day. (If you weigh 200 pounds then you need AT LEAST 100 ounces of water per day. During cleansing the need usually increases. Drink purified water – either distilled with added trace minerals or R/O (Reverse Osmosis) water.

Fiber plays an important role too. As your body works to eliminate your toxins, it dumps many of them into your colon. Fiber helps to trap these toxins, keeping them from being able to be reabsorbed into the body. It also helps increase bowel movements and further assists in eliminating toxic material. Without enough fiber, you will probably suffer from diarrhea while cleansing. This extra fiber will absorb the extra water in your stool and help you feel much more comfortable while cleansing. I recommend using a fiber supplement that has both soluble and insoluble fiber components. I prefer the use of Flax fiber because it not only contains these forms of fiber, but also has other health benefits like essential fatty acids and lignans. You may as well get the biggest bang for your buck as possible if buying a supplement.

Probiotics might be the last mentioned, but are just as important as Fiber and Water. Probiotics (I prefer: Reuteri Pearls, Acidophilus Pearls, FloraSmart or M.D. Select Advanced Probiotic) are important in cleansing for two basic reasons. One, they help suppress the "bad guys" (parasites, bacteria, etc.) found in the lower digestive tract. Certain bad bacteria in the bowel can actually set free the toxins that were bound by your liver and dumped into your bowel. By having enough good bacteria from the probiotic we can suppress the "bad guys" and keep those toxins tied up for removal. The second reason I like to add probiotics is to put back the good bacteria that may be eliminated as you take your cleanse. As we have increased bowel movements, not only are the toxins being eliminated,but some of the good things like our friendly bacteria are being removed too. By restocking these good bacteria you are preparing the body for better digestion and overall improved health.

OTHER SUGGESTIONS:

Besides these dietary suggestions, I also recommend that you discontinue the supplements that aren't critical for your state of health. The supplements that I consider critical are those that are being used to address your "special need" i.e. diabetes, cholesterol, high blood pressure, etc. Why? Let's say you just bought a beautiful piece of property with a shack (old self before cleansing) located where you wanted to build your new home (new self after cleansing). You wouldn't start building (using nutritional supplements) your new home on that site until you removed (cleansed) the old one first. In some cases (more fragile states of health) it may be necessary to continue all supplements while cleansing. Consult with your health enthusiast for suggestions on what will be the best approach for your particular needs.

FINAL THOUGHT