New Years Resolutions

I have really been enjoying myself this holiday season.  I’ve been giving into any and every craving I have.  Dessert has been at the top of the list.  In the past couple of weeks I have had a delectable strawberry cupcake with strawberry cream cheese icing, a rich double chocolate mini-pie, a melt in your mouth banana caramel chocolate ice cream dessert, and numerous holiday cookies, candies, and treats!  Food!  Is this what the holidays are about?  Well, it is for me this year!

Needless to say, I’m going to join the masses this year with the New Year’s resolution to get healthy & lose weight!  We all know that eating less and exercising more is the key, but that doesn’t sound like any fun. How about trying something new?  Does that sound fun?

I find the best way to kick start any weight loss program or healthy lifestyle change is to do a cleanse.  What is a cleanse, you might ask?  A cleanse is when you eliminate toxins and hard to digest foods,  increase water & whole foods, and add detoxifying herbs & fiber to your diet for a least 10 days.  It takes 10 days the body systems to renew.  For a beginner (or even for me because I like to make it easy), a boxed cleanse from your health food store is a good start.  Most of these boxed cleanses are 2 week long programs that support the detoxification of the liver & colon.  Some of them will also include the kidneys and lymph system.  I really like the Michael’s Ultimate Detox & Cleanse.  It has easy to follow instructions and helpful tips.

When I do a cleanse I eliminate alcohol, refined sugar, wheat, dairy (except plain organic yogurt because of the beneficial probiotics), red meat, and all processed foods.  I promise, you are not eating less, in fact sometimes I feel like I am eating more.  You are just making different & better food choices.  You are increasing your water, fruit, vegetable, and whole grain intake.  I also try to eliminate caffeine.  This is the hardest for me, so I start cutting back and switching over to green tea a week before I start my cleanse.  I still get a little caffeine from the green tea, so I don’t get the headaches, but it is not as acidic as coffee.  I’ve also seen some cleanses that say green tea is recommended during cleansing.

So far, I know this cleansing stuff doesn’t sound much fun either.  I’ll admit that at first it’s not.  But, you will see that by the 3rd or 4th day you are into it!  By this time the cravings go away, you will have better energy, and I bet you’ll have already lost a pound or two.  I know that is enough to keep me going.  It is only 2 weeks!  If I can do it, you can do it!  It always helps to have a cleansing buddy.  Ask your partner or a friend to cleanse with you.  This is your support group and someone to make fun and new cleansing meals with.

One of the main reasons I love doing cleanses, besides the 5-10 pounds I always lose, is that it resets my eating habits.  When you cleanse you have to think about what you are eating, plan your meals, & it gives you the opportunity to try new foods.  I find that these improved eating habits stay with me for a while after the cleanse.  I will crave the healthier choice and refined foods will taste too salty or too sweet.

Exercise is so important for maintaining a healthy weight and for overall health.  I’ve never been a big exerciser, so I have to mix it up to keep my interest.  When cleansing, you want to keep your exercise light because your body is already working really hard at detoxification.  Heavy exercise could actually make you detoxify too quickly, or have “cleansing crisis.”  Walking and Yoga are 2 of my favorite activities when cleansing.  Making this time for yourself is another good habit that you will take away from the cleansing process.

So, my New Year’s Resolutions are to start a cleanse by the 2nd week of January, start an exercise program around this same time and stick to it!  I will start with walking or yoga everyday during the cleanse, then add cardio workouts 3 times a week after the cleanse is over.

Who’s gonna join me?  Be on the look out for more blogs and tweets on cleansing tips during in January.