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.