I love Barleans because they carry both fish and flax seed oils that are flavored and taste great – I love both the Strawberry Banana and the Mango Peach.  The flavor is delicious — you can take it “straight up”, add to a smoothie or add to plain Greek yogurt for added health benefits.  I often will stir a tablespoon into a cup of Chobani plain yogurt, then add some fruit and nuts for a healthy breakfast or snack.

For me this is a vast improvement from the days when I first tried Barlean’s fish oil – I still remember adding fish oil to my smoothies and it had a distinctly fishy taste that I didn’t like – this is so much easier and tastes great.

Have you tried Barlean’s Omega Swirl before? What’s your favorite flavor?

What about you? On a scale of 1-10, 10 being “I consistently exercised and ate healthfully during the winter,” how would you rate yourself? Are you proud of your winter accomplishments or are you ready to start anew and re-establish some healthier practices?  Warmer, longer days, and lighter eating are a sure-fire way to help you kick the post-winter doldrums and help you feel better in your body.

I’m of the mind that no matter what you may have done yesterday, last week or over the last several months, there’s really no value in beating yourself up if you didn’t achieve your goals. Rather, why not start fresh with a renewed sense of vigor and energy by making a few small, but simple changes.

Here are three suggestions for healthy practices you can begin this week.  Try one or try them all as you transition to spring:

1.       Eat more greens! You may know that eating dark leafy greens is one of the best ways to cleanse your body during spring.  Greens are not only a natural energizer (no caffeine needed!) but they help clear lung congestion, boost the immune system,  detoxify your kidneys and liver, improve circulation and give your body a healthy rest from too many congesting foods such as meat, dairy and sugar. And with the plethora of delicious greens from which to choose (kale, collards, spinach, chard, bok choy, mustard greens, arugula, just to name a few), adding them to your diet doesn’t have to be hard.  Here’s a recipe idea for a simple and tasty side dish that’s chock full of immune boosting nutrients your body will love.

 2.       Build in daily exercise.  It’s so easy to put on weight during the winter when we’re usually less active and can fall off the wagon, yours truly included. But instead of vowing you’re going to exercise an hour a day, or something that might be unrealistic, why not consider what’s realistic for you?  What about 10 or 20 minutes of exercise every day and then work up from there? I like to start simple, find a consistent rhythm that fits in my schedule and build on my success.  Most days I do a 20-30 minute strength or cardio workout in the morning before work and then walk as much as I can during the day.  Soon I plan to start walking to work so I can be more consistent in my mileage.  What about you? What can you start doing this week to exercise that you would enjoy?  In my book, brief and steady exercise that increases over time trumps the overly ambitious plan that never comes to fruition.  

3.       Scrape your tongue.  In Ayurveda, the traditional medicine of India, one of the daily practices to stay healthy is tongue scraping (also known as tongue cleaning).  This simple metal tool (or even a teaspoon will do the trick), removes the layer of toxins, bacteria and dead cells that accumulate on the tongue and can lead to bad breath.   While brushing our teeth supports healthy gums and the prevention of plaque and tartar, brushing your tongue doesn’t adequately remove the toxins.   This is an especially helpful practice as you focus on detoxing from heavy winter foods.  I consistently scrape my tongue first thing when I get up in the morning before I do almost anything else. A tongue scraper is a simple tool to use and you can purchase one in your grocery store or local pharmacy.

Are you ready to embrace a lighter way to eat, more exercise and better health? Which of these three ideas can you start implementing this week?  How can you develop some consistent spring habits?

My friend Ruth organizes raw food cleanses that are a great way to give your body a break.  The beauty of it is that the cleanse isn’t so long that you feel like you’re depriving yourself or have to give up too much, yet it’s convenient because each day you pick up freshly made, organic green juices, smoothies and soup.  Even better, this living food tastes fresh and fantastic.  You wouldn’t think drinking liquid for a week could be so healing, but truly it is.

I love the simplicity of a cleanse.  It’s a chance to eliminate congesting foods like meat and dairy as well as common allergens like gluten.  I loved that I don’t have to cook for a week. I loved that my cravings easily ceased and I wasn’t missing anything for those five days. And I loved how I felt energized and renewed when it was all over.  There’s something about organic, clean eating that really does put your body on a healthy track.

One of the things I noticed this summer after having my hysterectomy is that I did a lot of eating.  Let’s be real, I was spending copious amounts of time on the couch whether reading or watching movies. And there were lots of snacks around.  What started out as a little bit of eating seemed to morph into lots of treats. And without being able to exercise, I definitely gained some weight. 

But since doing the cleanse I’m happy to report that all my sugar cravings have happily fanished.  Lots of water during and after the cleanse helped with that too.  I easily navigated three office parties with cake last week and breezed through Halloween eating nothing more than half of a fun size Almond Joy! That’s when you know you’re on the right track — you’re surrounded by sweets yet you have no desire to eat them.

When was the last time you gave your body a break and did a cleanse whether for a day, week or longer? What have you noticed when you eliminate certain foods for awhile?

But the key to great health is always beginning with the end in mind.  It’s not enough to just do a cleanse or detox. While it’s helpful in the short term, the whole point is to have a vision and plan for the healthy eating you’ll do once you’re done with the cleanse, and then will maintain. By plan, here’s what I mean:

• Get  clear about what you’ll eat the day or two after the cleanse.If you happen to do a cleanse where you’re not doing any food prep, you don’t want to find yourself clueless about what to eat when you’re done. Keep it light and clean with a focus on fruit, vegetables and lots of water.
• Have an eating plan for the week after the cleanse. What will you eat? What will you avoid? How will you slowly build in more foods, in a healthy way? Before your start your cleanse, think about what you’d like to achieve when it comes to consistent, healthy eating so that you’ll have a clear target and planning will be easier. This week I’m focused on a mostly vegetarian diet, some raw (more juicing, of course!), some cooked but no sugar, dairy, wheat, packaged food or soy and the smallest amount of animal based protein (fish).
• Make healthy food shopping a priority. Whether you’re turning over a new leaf or just continuing with healthy eating post-cleanse, be sure to carve time into your schedule for a trip to the store to stock up on all the healthy items you’ll need.  When will you go and what will you need? A healthy shopping list is the key.

I’m in great shape this week because I was clear on what we’re eating and how to transition as easily as possible back into food prep.  And I took ample time this weekend to plan and shop.

How can you ready yourself for a cleanse and begin with the end in mind? What’s worked for you in the past?

Unsure how to get started? Let me know and I can guide you on creating a simple, super-healthy post cleanse plan that’s just right for you.

By doing I mean I’m consistently busy seeing clients, working on my business, writing, spending time with family and friends, and the many others tasks that make up life.  Needless to say I love it, but sometimes even I need a break from doing, doing and more doing.  And after the sprint of the holidays, visiting family, being away and trying to squeeze in all kinds of activities, I’ve been ready for more time to just be.

Part of doing a cleanse is to not only detox but also to give your mind and body a break. For me, part of that meant limiting my time at the gym. I went last Monday and then decided to take the week off and not over tax my body (that was a convenient ploy, wasn’t it? lol).  It was also about going with things and I decided that doing the dishes wasn’t mandatory – that’s such a far cry from my let’s-keep-everything-in-working-order mantra.  But just going with it can be enlightening. 

And when we came home Friday night and found out we didn’t have heat and the gas company couldn’t get here until Saturday morning to fix it, no problem (well okay, it wasn’t great), Bruce and I bundled up in the den, turned on the tiny space heater and watched movies. 

I’m convinced that lightening up by juicing and starting to detox really set the tone for how my week went.  I worried less, let things unfold and just went with it even if things didn’t go according to plan.  Just seems like I get better outcomes when I stay present and see how things unfold whether cleansing or  juggling multiple priorities as I often do.

What about you, when was the last time you let go and went with it, and what was the result?

But there are numerous ways to do a cleanse and reap the benefits of better health. Check out this week’s audio tip on how you can get started and learn more.

What’s worked for you in the past when doing a cleanse? And if you’re new to it, what inspires you about doing one?

So I had a much needed appointment with Mary, a hydrotherapist, this afternoon after work. This, has made all the difference in the world. If you’re not so up on the terminology, simply put, it’s a colonic. And contrary to what you might be thinking, it’s a gentle, immensely helpful way to get things moving.  Just like other parts of the body, the colon needs to be properly hydrated to work optimally.  When we’re dehydrated (and most of us are, yours truly included!), eating poorly and not taking good care of ourselves, things can get, well, a bit backed up.

How am I feeling post treatment?  Much, much lighter and all that bloating has gone way (and let’s face it, we are what we eat — keep up poor eating year and year and you can only imagine what that can lead to). Quite frankly, it’s amazing. And the cleanse has contributed greatly to this.  Easily digestible raw juices are a little catalyst to make your digestive system much more clean and efficient. I know it might sound kind of gross, but hey, I want you to be totally informed and understand the power of a cleanse, especially when it’s all natural.

Ever been for a hydrotherapy treatment? In what way, if any, did it help you?

I’ve definitely been surprised to find out that not having everything hot, especially in the middle of winter, in one of the coldest weeks we’ve had, is actually tolerable. I might even say doable.

Every morning I’ve been picking up my allotment of freshly made organic juices, smoothies and soup at my friend Glen’s cafe.  And I’ve been surprised by how great soup can taste at room temperature. Each day we’ve been treated to a delicious concoction of healing and cleansing ingredients. To give you an idea, yesterday’s soup was asparagus, tomato, avocado, parsley, sun dried tomato, yellow pepper, lemon, lime, green onion, Braggs amino acids and Italian seasoning. Delicious. Today’s soup was even better and it was seriously green – dandelion greens, spirulina, sunflower seeds and a host of other super healthy ingredients.  But the taste was simply divine. I could definitely eat this every day.

I’ve also noticed that I’m not nearly as hungry as I anticipated I’d be considering I’m eating all liquids for a week. It’s interesting how our body can adapt.  And eating lighter and really tasting the food has increased my mindfulness. It’s a nice and welcome shift from my overeating during the holidays when I was away from home visiting family and gave myself a little license to eat more than usual. Last month my mindfulness went out the window so I’m pleased to be getting back on track.

I like this journey – it’s helping me slow down and tune into my body in interesting ways.

I’ll be the first to admit that I ate more during the holidays than I planned to despite my best intentions.  Something about being away from home, outside of the normal routine and in different facilities that made it especially tough this year.  We were visiting relatives in Florida and somehow I seemed to take that as license to eat A LOT.  So my friend Glen’s timing was perfect.

I’ve done cleanses before but never one that’s totally raw and is only juices and smoothies. Honestly, doing this at home would take me a huge amount of time and since I don’t have some of the tools that make it handy, like a Vitamix blender, it was a long shot for me. This however, is the perfect arrangement.

Today is the second day of the cleanse and I’m doing pretty well though I’m waiting for the “you’ll feel worse before you feel better syndrome.”  So far not too bad — I did have some strange tooth pain this morning and I’ll admit now I’m tuckered out.  But doing the cleanse is helpful for me in multiple ways:

• I’m allowing my body to slow down and get some much needed rest
• I’m going to bed earlier because I’m so tired
• I’m eating beautiful, healthy food that I don’t have to prepare but I have total appreciation for those who did
• I’m investing in myself and making my healthy a priority (a mantra I’m always repeating with my clients)
• I’m starting off the year on a healthy foot, feeling inspired and motivated

How have you used cleanses to help you feel your best? Ever done a raw cleanse? I’d love to hear your thoughts about it. And check back for more updates on my progress this week. 

Check out this week’s audio tip on three things you can do to support yourself in detoxing your system. Believe it or not, this isn’t very complicated. In fact, I find doing a detox incredibly simple, because there are so many things I’m not eating during that period of time.  I actually spend less time in the kitchen and can prepare things in a snap. Tune in and you’ll hear my personal approach to detoxing and what works for me. It might give you some insights and inspiration about your own health.

Have some thoughts about doing a detox? Share them here.