The first day of spring has arrived, and the weather alternates between cold blusters of winter remnants and the tantalizing teasings of spring- with the hopefulness of warmth and new life to come. It’s time for SPRING CLEANING! This is when we go through the closets to get rid of junk, and wash the winter grime off the windows to let in sunlight and fresh air. Soon it will be time to get outside and rake the thatch from the lawn, clean the dead leaves from the garden and prepare the yard for a season of growth. Just as we need to get rid of the debris from our gardens to make them thrive, the same is true for our bodies. Spring is a great time to do it!
Why cleanse? Our bodies are bombarded by toxins. They are in our food, the air we breathe, everywhere in our environment! Toxins take a terrible toll on our health. The liver is a major organ that is responsible for getting rid of the toxins from the body. Unfortunately it cannot properly do its’ job for a number of reasons:
1. Stress: When an individual is under stress, their body automatically diverts resources from normal digestion to focus on dealing with the stress. This is called “Fight or Flight”. It can happen with a physical stress – like being chased by a wild animal, but it can also happen with a mental stress- like a deadline at work. The body cannot tell the difference between the two types of stressors! When stress physiology takes over, a number of normal bodily functions don’t proceed as they should. One of these is the digestion of food and the normal elimination of toxins from the body.
2. Toxins: The liver also will not perform well if it is inundated by too many toxins. Have you looked at a list of chemicals in the ingredient labels of the foods we consume? In order to maximize shelf life and keep foods from spoiling in our urban environment, producers add large quantities of preservatives. Also, in order to get an abundant and healthy looking crop, farmers use vast amounts of chemicals to protect from bugs and fertilize the depleted soil. These pesticides end up in food we eat, and they are toxic to us!!!
3. Weak Nutrition: Finally, the liver will not function well if it is not receiving sufficient nutrition from the diet to have the necessary enzymes needed in processing the toxins. The soil with which we now farm is nutritionally deficient. Farmers specialize in crops and do not “rotate crops” or risk losing income by leaving fields fallow to replenish the soil’s micro nutrients. Specific fertilizers are used to supplement the soil and force optimal growing for the specific crop farmed, but these fertilizers do not provide the person consuming that produce with the same spectrum of nutrients that humans require. A carrot grown today is not the same carrot that grew 100 years ago!
Do you want your toxins stored or eliminated?
If we cannot properly eliminate toxins from the body, guess where we store them? In FAT!!! We innately protect ourselves from the effects of toxins on our body by storing them, wrapping them in fat to reduce the negative impact on our body. This is a safety feature built in to our body. This visceral fat is stored around the organs, so it may not be too obvious, or it may be very obvious- that paunch that you’ve been working so hard to reduce!
The amazing thing is that all the sit-ups in the world will not reduce that belly fat! Our body is protecting the toxins that are stored there. Without proper nutritional support, our body does not want to release those toxins back into the blood stream. It is important that we allow the body an opportunity to cleanse or detoxify, while still providing the appropriate nutrition for the liver to function optimally during this process.
Specific cleansing with intermittent fasting will do even more than help us eliminate stored toxins from our bodies! It will improve our insulin sensitivity. Glucose will be absorbed more easily by the cells to be used as energy, allowing an individual better control of their blood sugar levels and reducing those sluggish/sleepy periods in the afternoon.
Join us for a workshop on April 19, 2017 as we discuss SPRING CLEANSING. Learn about how easy it can be to do your own cellular cleansing, what to expect from your body, and how to make it work for you. This is not a bowel cleanse I’m talking about- where you develop your own special relationship with your toilet! 😉 We will talk about things you can do at home to minimize your toxin exposure- when is it worth the extra money to buy organic and when can you save and not buy organic? It’s spring time- learn how easy it is to detox, you’ve got nothing to lose- except maybe some belly fat!