So Just What Is a Cleanse? And Why Should I?

You

ou might be wondering what the difference is between a detox and a cleanse. By definition, detoxification is the metabolic process by which toxins are changed into less toxic or more readily excretable substances. You also might know of detoxes happening when people are getting off of addictive substances.
 
Cleansing is defined in the dictionary as making something clean, but when thinking in terms of bodily function, the term cleanse is used more often when a program is specifically targeted toward cleaning out and toning certain organs in the body, and most often the digestive system. Many cleanses and detoxes use properties from both in their programs.

Why Should I Cleanse?

​The reality is that we live in an increasingly toxic world. Now, we have a choice to bury our heads in the sand and pretend it isn’t happening or we have a choice to pay attention and do what we can to keep ourselves as healthy as possible.
 
We’re exposed to toxins on a daily basis, and our bodies are built to process a certain toxic load each day. It does this by flushing out chemicals and toxic substances through our colon, our lungs, our kidneys and even our skin.
 
We run into problems when we’re over-exposed to toxins and our bodies can’t keep up. Our livers are responsible for organizing the toxins that enter our system and then distributing them to one of the four channels of detoxification. In fact, if you notice that you have dull skin or breakouts, you’re likely in need of a detox because the skin is the body’s last-resort, and least efficient, detox organ. When things start coming out through the skin it’s because the body is starting to get desperate.

What about Stubborn Weight loss?
 
When the liver gets overloaded, its primary job is to keep you safe from the overflow of toxins because those, as you likely know, cause all kinds of damage to our bodies. The way the liver KEEPS you safe, however, is not so awesome: it actually wraps up those toxins in a ball of mucus and stores it in a fat cell. YUCK! The reason so many people have trouble getting rid of fat in certain places is because the fat cells can’t be burned while they are holding a toxin inside.
 
A detox or cleanse program helps by letting your liver activate those toxins that are stuck in your belly fat and other fat cells throughout your body. Once those toxins are re-activated they move into the blood stream to be dumped out of the body. This is great because the toxin’s been removed from your system, AND your body is now able to burn up the fat cell that’s been storing the toxin. It’s a double win.

Trying to Eat Clean in the New Year?
 
Finally, and this is actually the reason that I think is the most important, and that is that a detox or a cleanse can re-set your eating habits. Have you ever noticed how once you start eating junk it’s really easy to let yourself keep eating junk? It’s like when you have something not so great at breakfast, then at lunch you think, well, I’ve already ruined the day so I might as well keep going.

If you’ve EVER caught yourself doing something like that, then a simple detox could be a really good idea for you to get back on track with your eating habits. It’s something I do on a fairly regular basis – half-yearly to quarterly – to help me up my game when it comes to what I’m putting in my body. And it’s something I’m extra sure to be aware of as I’m heading into the long holiday season and cold and dark winter when sweet treats and fatty foods are more tempting than ever.

To learn about the 3 mistakes most people make when Detoxing......go to my facebook page, and watch the videos.

To check out my 5 Day Whole Foods Cleanse, go here
 
And to learn more about Clean eating programs, and coaching, contact me here

Yours in Health and Wellness
​Theresa Chabot
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