2008 Spring Cleaning Issue

Lauren's Commentary

I think spring is the best time for change and renewal.

I always get the urge to start something fresh. For your body, it’s an ideal time to detox now that warmer weather is here and the raw foods most emphasized during a detox program are plentiful. It's also the perfect time to refresh your workout and clean the clutter out of your life. In this 'Spring Cleaning' issue, I aim to stop some of the common myths about detox, show you why and how its done...you can download some guidelines and recipes. Most of all I want to motivate you to welcome this beautiful new season with a new take on nutrition, fitness and your total life wellness.

Demystifying Detox

Many of my clients ask what is detox? Detox is something many ancient cultures practiced in the form of fasting and colon cleansing. Toxins are stored primarily in our fat cells and can damage our organs and contribute to premature aging, disease and decreased quality of life. We can help our bodies cope with this burden by cleaning up our diets and limiting our exposure to toxins as much as possible. One way to help our bodies is to detoxify or cleanse.

Detoxification is ultimately a whole body process as toxins are present throughout the body. For total body detoxification to be effective all the channels of elimination should be addressed: colon, kidneys, skin, lungs and liver. However the starting point is always a colon cleanse as this must be unclogged before deeper cleansing can be effective.

Detoxification is not a Diet

One of the myths I encounter about detoxification is its usefulness as a dieting technique. Detoxification to lose weight was never the intention. Yes, you will lose weight on a detox. That’s because of the reduced calorie intake and the elimination of high-sensitivity foods like wheat or dairy, etc. I advise my clients that the real purpose of detox is to allow your body time to cleanse, to eat healthier foods and change your taste preferences to a certain extent. Detox helps you become aware of your body’s response to the foods you choose. My goal with a detox program for clients is to help them start eating more natural whole foods and begin forming eating habits they will continue in the long run. See the PRODUCT REVIEW section for more about different types of detoxification and detox supplements I recommend...

Spring Clean your Workout and your Environment

A nutritional detox is not the only type of spring cleaning I recommend. I also work with personal training and life coaching clients to rejuvenate their programs. Incorporating out-door activities into a personal training program is one way to breathe fresh air into it. Changing your existing program is another way, and this should be done every two to three months

Likewise, spring is when I work with my life coaching clients on ways to de-clutter their minds, and personal spaces. The change of season is a powerful motivator I use to detox my clients’ environment as a key way to remove stress and renew energy. Are you ready for a change? Contact me to refresh your workout or revitalize your life. 

Does Detoxification Really Work?

Before you start on a detox, read the SUCCESS STORIES section and hear how a personal detox program I created helped Marta, a nutrition client make real progress on her eating habits. I also helped MDS Sciex pro-actively detox their corporate cafeteria to help their employees make better nutritional choices and cope with the daily stress in their work. I also helped employees at RBC Mortgage Division be more aware of what nutritional choices they should be making. Isn’t it time for you to start something new? I urge all my clients to ask me to help you start spring cleaning.

Product Review

Choosing a Detox Program

There are a number of approaches that can be used to facilitate cleansing and detoxification: I most commonly use diet modifications with nutrient supplementation and skin brushing and exercise. Herbal cleansing programs, colon hydrotherapy, etc are all also very beneficial. Not all detox programs are for everyone, that's why I review your goals and lifestyle before recommending a program that will be safe and effective for you.

First Cleanse™ CleanseSMART™ and Wild Rose™ Supplements

A simple detox is usually one to two weeks and involves eating mainly raw fruits and vegetables and whole grains, drinking plenty of water and herbal teas, dry skin brushing, resting and gentle exercise. This can be combined with pre-formulated supplements. I like the FirstCleanse™ and CleanseSMART products by Renew Life because they are formulated by a Certified Colon Hydrotherapist and Naturopathic Doctor who based her work on the philosophies of Bernard Jensen (a holistic nutritionist and pioneer in the health field).

FirstCleanse™ is designed for people who have never taken a cleansing supplement or have not cleansed in a few years. It's strong enough to work, but it won't cause cleansing reactions like mild headache, nausea and flu-like symptoms which can happen if you detox too quickly. I suggest this product which are capsules taken twice a day for 15 days because it is easy since there’s no mixing of powders and is quite affordable at about $21 for 15 days. CleanseSMART™ is a 2 part, 30 day advanced herbal cleansing program which works to cleanse and detoxify the entire body, but with a focus on the two main detoxification pathways: the liver and the colon. CleanseSMART™ is also an easy to take capsules with morning and evening formulas and costs about $30 for 30 days. Read the First Cleanse™ product specifications and CleanseSMART™ product specifications from the manufacturer.

Another cleansing supplement I recommend for clients who have done detoxifications before is Wild Rose Herbal D-Tox. It is a simple 12 day cleansing program that follows a meal plan (enclosed with the kit) which recommends 20% of the diet to be taken from acid-forming foods (meat, eggs and legumes) and 80% from alkaline or neutral foods (fresh vegetables, millet, rice). The program is designed to enhance all aspects of metabolism with emphasis on supporting the function of the liver, the small intestine and the bowel (large intestine) to promote proper digestion and elimination of toxins and wastes. Along with the meal plan, the kit includes 4 herbal formulas: Biliherb, Laxaherb, CL Herbal Extract and Cleansaherb. This product costs about $35 and is also easy and convenient to take with fantastic cleansing and energising results. It also creates the start of better eating habits which should be continued even once detox is complete.

Get Assessed Before you Start

I always assess each client’s needs before starting them on a suitable detox program. Detoxification is not suitable for children or pregnant women. Also, if you have any medical conditions it is essential to consult with a health care practitioner before starting any type of cleanse. 

Remember that cleansing is not a one time affair but should be done at least twice a year while trying to incorporate many of the principals of a detox consistently throughout the year. When first doing a cleanse it is important to keep it simple and start with cleaning the digestive system and supporting the organs of elimination before going onto more advanced cleanses. 

Contact me to make an appointment to set up a detox program customized to you, or download a sample of one of my detox guidelines and protocols. 

Some Toxic Facts

• Indoor air pollution can be worse than outdoor pollution

• Roughly 400 hundred million chemicals are used or produced worldwide each year

• A study done as far back as 1976 by the US Environmental Protection Agency found that 100% of the people studied had toxic chemicals stored in their bodies and at least 76% had more than 20 different chemicals in their bodies; can you imagine the stats today? (Source: Fighting body pollution by Paul Kramer RNC)

• 83% of workers show up to their jobs while sick or exhausted (Source: Desjardins Financial Services; Dr. Taylor Alexander, 2008 survey of 1,594 Canadian adults)

Life Coach

Besides the visual boost, there are more personal benefits to spring cleaning your home and environment. Cleaning out your environment is like yoga to the A-type personality. Detox your environment and you will find at the same time it’s a physical and emotional cleansing because de-cluttering helps to move energy around. And stagnant energy is what will block positive energy from coming to you. When you get rid of the clutter in and out of your body you will see how much physically lighter and mentally clearer you can feel. It can help you become 'unstuck". This spring spend time sorting and organizing the things in your home/office – clothes, books, papers, make-up etc. Start with that cup holder of pens and pencils you never use on your desk, or go through your make-up bag and purge any cosmetics that are old and dried out or you never wear. Remember that your environment is a reflection of what you believe about yourself and what you care about.

A great exercise is to consider what you would not tolerate about your environment if you were living the life you wish for. Then get rid of those things and see how positively that affects you and the changes it creates in your behaviors - you will see the difference between where you are and where you want to be. So get rid of the clutter - not by re-packing into boxes and containers but by throwing away what you have no use for, and by so doing, throwing away the emotions attached to those objects. So the clear your vision is of how you want your life to be, the easier it will be to start this process. So clear the clutter and improve your mood and energy and get you out of any ruts you may be in. Clearing out the clutter creates space for possibility as you release things from your environment and life that are no longer useful to you.

Success Stories

Detox Debut

"It is an experience I would recommend to anyone. It felt like you just gave your body a break." Feeling unwell and discouraged about her long struggle wih weight control and constant tiredness, Marta was open to Lauren's recommendation to try a new approach. Marta had never done a detox before, considering it to be rather extreme for few benefits, but her new more 'radical' approach pushed her to try it on the long July weekend.

Marta found it very easy to follow with each day laid out in terms of what you could eat and what was limited. A little reluctant to give up coffee and that glass of wine (it was the long weekend after all), but other than a mild 'caffeine headache' on the first day, the feeling of tireness was gone and she had not felt so well and energized in years. Surprised and motivated by the detox results, Marta no longer crashed on the couch after dinner, but was able to tackle her long workdays and actually do her workouts. She lost 8 lbs in the detox process and gained motivation to continue on her new program.  

Cafeteria Detox

Many of my corporate clients are also realizing the importance of nutrition for workers is not just a health issue, but a bottom line issue. As part of their employee benefits, I gave a series of seminars at MDS Sciex in Markham, Ontario on what healthy nutrition was and how it impacts their lives. Well, it made a big impact: They realized that their cafeteria did not provide much of what was recommended and they then requested the improvement of the food in the cafeteria. I provided recommendations and guidelines to help improve the nutritional options at the cafeteria.

RBC's Mortgage Division in Toronto recognized the stress that would be on employees going into the busy spring season. They asked me to provide both physical and nutritional recommendations to employees that they could simply implement at work to keep them well and healthy at their busiest time. So as you can see, the initiative of one person can create company-wide improvements that are measurable in productivity gains, lower stress and fewer sick days.  How does your company measure up?

Don't miss any future iMPACT! issues, contact me to receive new issues by email. Your comments and suggestions are most welcome.