The Daily Cleanse

You  hear about cleanses all time the time.

Maybe you’ve done them, maybe you shun them.

Maybe you think it’s a good idea, and that “one of these days you’ll get around to it”.

I’ve seen people get great results from cleanses, and I’ve felt the difference they can make in my own body and mind.

I’ve seen pounds come off, mental fog clear, and skin and eyes radiate an inner glow. You may be at a place where you need to do something dramatic.

I’m a huge advocate of daily habits.  I know that what we do in our daily lives makes the biggest difference in how we feel.

I’m not against cleanses. I think they are especially helpful when done with a very clear intention and a proven protocol that supports all aspects of cleansing, including healthy elimination.

What I want to share here is the idea of doing a daily cleanse.

Our bodies are designed to cleanse all by themselves.  We get in the way of this cleansing all the time by ingesting toxins through our skin, through the food we eat, the water we drink; you name it…

So how can you help your body cleanse every single day?

There are lots of ways, and in future posts, I’ll share more, but here’s a great place to start:

Stop clogging up the pipes for a period of time every day.

The easiest time to do this is while you are sleeping.  Sleep is a very natural time for our body to cleanse and process whatever has happened during the day, physically, psychologically, and emotionally.  The beauty of giving yourself this time to cleanse is that you are simply working with the natural rhythms of your body, rather than fighting against it.

No supplements are necessary. You don’t need to buy anything.

Yes, you can drink special teas and take special tonics.

But at a very basic level, all you need to do is just STOP eating and drinking anything other than water.

12 hours before you normally eat breakfast, stop ingesting anything but water.

This might be hard for you initially.

Maybe nighttime is when you tend to snack or have your wine- maybe you “treat” yourself for all the hard work of the day and the many stressors you have in your life.

See this as a different kind of treat.  Try it for a couple of days, and you’ll notice that you wake up with a lot more energy.  You’ll notice that you are actually hungry for breakfast.  You’ll notice that you sleep deeper because your body does not have to spend energy digesting food or metabolizing alcohol or sugar.

Do the math for yourself.

What time do you wake up?

Subtract 12 hours from that, and you’ll have your “kitchen is closed” time.

I wake up at 6:15 to get my kids fed and ready for school. If I want to eat something before I leave the house, my kitchen closes at 7:30 pm.

Period. End of story.

I can tell you, it is so worth it to wake up in the morning with a clear mind and tons of energy.

I’m happier, my kids are happier, my hubby is happier.

You may need to use distraction at first to stop eating at night.  Be sure the lights are off in the kitchen. Then, run a bath, grab your journal, start a good novel.  Do something different in your routine so that you are not just mindlessly stuck in the same rut, and you really miss eating.

It can also take some time for your body and your mind to adjust. Just practice noticing the difference between late-night eating that is habitual and late-night eating that is truly due to hunger.