This time every year, that fabulous resolution made when the energy of the new year was fresh and vibrant, seems like such a distant memory.
Yet, destructive magazines make it impossible to forget.
Lose 5 lbs by Dinner! Look Leaner Dress Tips! The headlines never cease to amaze me.
I do hope your views on health have shifted your attention from the number on the scale to how you feel.
My philosophy when it comes to health and wellness is that true health is more than a number on a digital demon...
something so fickle should NOT dictate your life.
Your weight changes more often than you change underwear...
so please, do not give it any power.
However, from a holistic perspective, if one IS overweight, that can be a sign that something is not right on the inside.
(Again, the emphasis is not on the weight, but on the fact that internally something may not be in full working order.
) With so many weight-related resolutions, I felt compelled to include this article in my "Year Of The Butt" discussion.
*Disclaimer: I do not believe that cleanses should be used as a weight-loss tool.
You will most likely lose weight while cleansing, but to develop an addiction to cleansing for the weight-loss is simply another version of disordered eating.
Hence why the celebs swear by it...
If you have yet to cleanse, Spring is a fantastic time! The winter can leave us feeling sluggish with the heavier foods we eat in order to prepare for hibernation.
Naturally, many people experience weight loss on a cleanse.
(*Warning...
here is where I get a little graphic.
) If you include some type of colon cleansing in your spring cleaning regimen (such as a colonic), you may experience a large amount of weight loss due to the amount of feces that was cleansed from your colon.
I know...
I said feces.
Better yet, I implied that you had feces stored in your colon.
So yes...
I just said you were full of pooh.
Sorry the truth is not always pretty.
Your colon is like a winding, weaving river with rippled walls.
When our diets are full of fiber and our bowels move regularly, we can keep the colon squeaky clean, needing only an occasional 'hose down'.
Yet, when our diets are filled with fried, chemicalized, processed junk 'food' void of anything at all that would even place it in the food category, that gunk gets caught on the walls of the colon.
Pair that with the lack of tone in the bowel, and the lack of movement and exercise that promotes digestion, and you have a bowel that is holding 3 or more meals...
now that is a load of crud.
If feces stays in your colon longer than it is supposed to, it continues to digest and liquid continues to get absorbed, making the feces harder and harder.
Eventually, the feces near the lining of the colon can become rubber-like.
Once that happens, a regular bowel movement is not going to get that out, no matter what you do.
It is at this point that a series of colonics may be necessary.
To put this in perspective, if you have not had at least two bowel movements every day of your life, and more preferably one after every meal, then you most likely have feces stored in your colon.
Now, I want to be completely honest and transparent here.
Colonics have saved lives.
They are a necessary part of treatment for some people and they are completely safe...
for most people.
Before you go and ask for the Roto-Rooter program, I suggest you have a consultation.
Get to know your colon hydrotherapist and make sure you feel comfortable.
Discuss any conditions that might put you in a risk category.
Something like ulcerative colitis would be one of those such conditions.
My first experience was not the best.
I was not comfortable with my colon hydrotherapist and I was not instructed properly on the preparation for the procedure.
I am building my confidence to try it again.
After all, this IS the "Year Of The Butt!" So the good and not-so-good news.
(I always like to give the not-so-good news first.
) Americans are all pretty much full of crap.
(Ah! So many jokes I could put here ::Fill in the blank::) With that amount of feces stored in our colons, toxic waste leaches back into our bodies because it is not eliminated properly.
This can have so many side effects, it is hard to name them all.
In addition, the added weight from the feces is often the weight we are continually trying to lose as we age! Which leads to the good news.
A simple colon cleansing program can improve all of this! Blemished skin and acne clearing up is a very common benefit, but eliminating back pain, relief from depression, curing skin rashes, lessening body odor and improving nourishment are also possible outcomes, and much, much more! As if that were not enough, for you New Year's Resolution-ers, the few pounds that you can lose once you release all your crud just might leave you with an extra bounce in your step.
Be sure to choose a cleanse that is right for you.
There are a multitude of choices out there...
some I recommend, some I avoid.
Go into the cleanse with a different perspective.
Instead of focusing on the weight, focus on the cleansing of the tissues and organs of your body.
If the goal is weight loss, it is very easy to starve yourself during a cleanse.
This can set you up to gain more weight back when you stop the cleanse.
Rather, when you focus on the cleansing of the body, you naturally provide your body with the nourishment it needs, while simultaneously eliminating the things in your diet that can prevent optimal function of the organs, therefore providing a wonderful cleansing effect on the organs of the body.
The name of the game is education...
either educate yourself, or find someone to educate you! Just to reiterate, cleansing is NOT a weight management program.
This is NOT your excuse to eat whatever you want and then flush out every week.
In fact, that will leave you feeling worse than having a colon shalacked with pooh.
This is a therapy to be used in conjunction with a healthy diet and exercise program.
In my opinion, unless you have an issue that needs extra lovin', I would think that a colon cleansing could accompany your annual Spring Cleaning routine...
why not clean from the inside out! I feel like Spring brings on the great cleansing foods that naturally help our bodies shed the extra heaviness of winter, so it seems an appropriate time to cleanse overall.
This is just the tip of the iceberg folks! I could not possibly cover everything about cleanses in one article (or else I would have you reading FOREVER!).
PLEASE educate yourself further if colon cleansing is something in which you are interested.
Stay tuned for another article detailing some of the choices you have when it comes to cleansing.
Of course, I welcome any questions at all.
As your very own butt-expert, I will be happy to answer questions and do some more research to help point you in the right direction.
Happy Spring Cleaning!