Cleansing Can Boost Your Health & Longevity
When I talk about cleansing, I refer to a natural way in which your body removes waste and other harmful toxins. Many think of a cleanse as being rigorous, hard work, or intense. When in fact, the best cleanse uses whole-foods and detoxifying substances to enhance your body’s natural detoxification pathways.
Many also think of cleansing as numerous runs to the bathroom and sudden tummy cramps, this is a superficial cleanse, yes it does clean the bowel, but it does not get to the core of your cells. By cleansing slowly over a few days, you allow your body to run numerous chemical processes, which alter the toxin chemistry and allow your body to safely remove unwanted substances via skin, liver, kidneys, and bowel. By doing it this way, you won’t experience the horrendous symptoms of cramping, headaches, and severe fatigue. In a sense it is up-regulating your natural detox pathways, allowing your body to cleanse itself deeply. The idea is to get a deep cleanse, not just a superficial one.
Many people are aware of the most obvious reasons why they need to cleanse. You can find the usual reasons why here.
Cleansing can be done for different reasons, such as: sugar reliance, drinking alcohol, smoking, or a diet high in preservatives and chemicals. This will cause symptoms such as acne, bloating, constipation, mood swings, and insomnia. But I wanted to highlight some of the little known reasons why it is important to cleanse on a regular basis for your health and wellbeing.
Car Travel
Do you spend the majority of your time in your car, working or running errands for your family? If this is the case then you are being exposed to a toxic cocktail. Not only are you exposed to the myriad of toxins from the seats, steering wheel, and dashboard, but also the fumes from the cars itself are being trapped, creating a soup of noxious gases. Studies have suggested that those who are in their car the majority of the day could be getting “sick from car travel”
Some of the symptoms you might experience are:
Nausea in your car
Severe fatigue when driving or a passenger
Headaches when driving
Lack of concentration
Fogginess
That new car smell so many people like is really just the smell of chemicals leaching from the new materials, it’s not something to be “sniffed” at. Keep the windows open as much as possible, especially on hot days, and cleanse when you can.
Living Near a Golf Course, Public Gardens, or Agriculture
Talk about toxic minefields, even avid golfers should consider cleansing regularly to prevent “sick golfer syndrome”. What we know is that these areas are heavily sprayed with weed killer, fungicides, and pesticides. Glyphosate is one of the most commonly used herbicides and a very controversial one. Many attribute the use of this to various cancer cluster cases, however proof has yet to be established. so this is something to consider if you have a chronic illness and the cause cannot be determined.
Ensure you have a serving of brassica vegetables daily, along with some chlorella in your green smoothie. Taking activated charcoal will also help cleanse these substances from your bowels. It is extremely important to consume cleansing substances daily if you are being exposed to these chemicals your day to day activities.
Sick from Work
Most people are at work 8 hours per day, most of that time is spent inside, the environment can be pretty toxic. I have many clients who say they feel fine, up until the moment they enter their office. This is a huge red flag that something in the office is affecting their health, especially if the office has no windows, or if it is brand new construction or remodeling. Jobs around perfume counters are another risk factor for women, especially for hormonal health. The chemicals in fragrances can alter hormone balance in the body, increasing estrogen levels and even contributing to conditions such as PCOS. Other jobs that require exposure to chemicals include farmers, commercial cleaners and janitors.
Foods high in sulphur can help detox these xeno-estrogens. Enjoy a few servings of brassica vegetables, with garlic and onions. Also, ensure you are getting your 40 gm of fiber daily. For more on detoxing for hormonal health you can check out my blog post here.
I’m not saying don’t work in these areas, but for the reasons mentioned, it is a great idea to cleanse, you may even want to ensure you have a detox smoothie daily to give your system a helping hand in removing toxins.
The best cleanse is one that nourishes your body and provides it all the necessary nutrients to enable your body to cleanse.
I created a 28-day cleanse program with Health Coach Brenda Janschek it is a great way to get into good cleansing habits. This cleanse shows you how to eliminate foods that may be inhibiting cleansing, and advises you what foods to include, you will get a menu plan so it is perfect to keep you on track, and if you join up to the Facebook private community you’ll meet lots of likeminded people which can keep you accountable. JOIN now to get the EARLY BIRD price.
If you want to start the end of the year off right, don’t wait till new year resolution, get in now.
Happy Cleansing!