It seems Americans are obsessed these days with being clean (well the majority of them anyway). Many take more than one shower a day, wash with anti-bacterial soap, Clorox the house twice a day…you get the point. Ever thought about your body before and whether or not it’s really clean? Like, inside-out clean?

Nutrition has always been a real love of mine. Remember this post? Ever since I can remember, I ate my greens as a wee little girl just because I liked them. Ask my mom.  So I think it’s in my blood. I just love whole, nutritious eating (except for an occasional cheeseburger here and there, especially when I’m pregnant. no, I’m not pregnant) and I love reading books, articles, magazines…anything to do with health and nutrition.  Over the years as I get a little older, I’ve realized the importance of “cleaning” out my insides every once in a while. I’ve been on the search for a good cleanse and finally happened upon one that I LOVE and quickly became passionate about.  Before you stop reading because the word “cleanse” has you envisioning yourself camping out by the toilet or buying into some marketing scheme,  this isn’t rocket science nor am I trying to make money off of my friends and family.

That said, lend me an ear.  A cleanse is simply that, “cleaning” your body of waste and toxins (found in pesticides and hard-to-digest foods) and enabling your colon and other organs to function more freely. It’s almost as if, your body is “resting” from having to work so hard to rid itself of the bad stuff. I won’t go into all of the details as to why herbs aid in the cleansing process (because there are numerous cleanses out there without the herbs), but herbs are a natural source of health and wellness and were often used before medicine came into the picture to aid the body in self-healing. A cleanse also aids in maintaining a healthy weight and/or healthy weight loss for those that need it. And with ingredients such as butternut bark, black walnut hull, wheat grass leaf, milk thistle seed, and some good pro-biotics, you just can’t go wrong! We definitely don’t incorporate these gems into our body on a daily basis, unless you live in the Amazon or something.

I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the cleanse that I chose (which was recommended to me by a nutrition pro who happened to also be my maid-of-honor in my wedding) who has studied nutrition and supplements a good chunk of her life along with her mother.  So what’s the point in all of this? I mainly am just answering questions that many of you have had, and some whom even requested a blog entry about. There are thousands of details I’ve left out but to keep it simple, because of our poor food quality in our time and culture, nutrition is very important coupled with good supplements to help the body function at it’s best quality.

All of this is said, with a very fine balance of course. I don’t claim that if you do a cleanse or take supplements to aid in your health, that you will be happy and healthy. We serve a God who is ultimately in control of our health. At any point He could take that from us and so we as Christians don’t depend on products that are “good” to save us. Kevin and I believe that we are held responsible before the Lord to care for ourselves and for our family in the best possible way. And in particular, I as a wife and mom feel that this is one of the ways I can be faithful to the Lord. So no nutritionist wars here or battle of the opinions please We each do what we feel the Lord has called us to not pointing our fingers in judgment. This is just a very ,very small concern in light of eternity. I’m happy to answer any additional questions you might have about things I’ve implemented into our family or anything else concerning herbs, vitamins or cleanses. I’m here to help not because I think I’m “super nutritious woman” and have all the answers, but simply because I love nutrition and helping others to be more passionate about it as well.

And just to make this post a little more FUN, there’s a  huge prize involved! Just leave a comment (by Monday January 25th) and I’ll draw a name at random. The lucky winner will receive 2 packets of SPARK ( a wonderful, delicious and energizing vitamin/amino acid drink, also safe for children 4 and up), 2 bottles of SLAM (another incredibly healthy drink that especially helps when you are fatigued or need a boost for exercise), 20% off of one Advocare product of your choice ( a brochure of products will be included) , 1 Quart of FIT all natural fruit and Veggie wash as well as one 100% organic cotton kitchen towel with the monogram of your choice. And for local peeps, 2 FREE one-day passes to Health Central. A give-away hard to pass up. Comment away!

As a certified hypnotherapist and master fitness trainer, I have the ability and the responsibility of helping everyone I can with my knowledge and expertise. It is my gift and why I am here. If I recommend a product or service you can be sure that I have tried it on myself, family members, friends, and then the general public. I am about to share with you a system that I have used for at least two years to cleanse, lose weight, and at times maintain my weight. You should know that I have helped hundreds of others with this system with amazing results. Even though Isagenix is a network marketing company and business opportunity, I am not making any money from their compensation plan. Until something better comes along, this is the product that I use and recommend (and I don’t recommend many) because it just flat-out works….if you follow the plan.

In this issue:
1. The system I use or Isagenix
2. Results from day 1

Let’s go!

If you read my last blog you know I believe there are about six components to weight loss (these will vary from trainer to trainer). If you work hard and hit the mark on all six of these then you will win the battle of the bulge. I mention diet or nutrition as the first ingredient because I believe your weight loss efforts is about 90% of the game. Let me explain.

We know you can go days and even weeks without food. We can’t go many without water but food we can. Many of you have been on this diet before due to the loss of a loved one, a break up, illness, or any other issue. It’s definitely not the healthy way to lose weight but it works and believe me when I say you don’t even need exercise. This is why I believe you can achieve 90% of your weight loss by nutrition and diet alone. Of course exercise is very important and will only get you to your results faster but you don’t HAVE to workout. I am in no way condoning a weight loss plan that excludes exercise, both cardio and strength training.

This brings me to Isagenix. This company has developed the technology of nutritional cleansing. There are tons of toxins in our environment and you can’t even run from them because they’re in your water, food supply, and air you breath. These toxins aid in helping you get and stay fat but it’s not the only reason. So what can you do to help your weight loss efforts along with watching what you eat and exercising? CLEANSE! It’s the new buzz word and there are many ways and concoctions to help you do it.

The Isagenix cleanse is not a colon cleanse (although I do recommend that at least once a year). This type of cleanse will help you to cleanse the other main filters of the body like the liver, lungs, bladder, and lymphatic system. I generally like to do this type of cleansing once every quarter or with the seasons. One of the nice side benefits of cleansing is weight loss because of the minimal calories you take in and the amount of water you drink. Remember the ways we release waste in our bodies (bowels, urine, and sweat)? If you follow me and this system you will be getting rid of a lot of unneeded waste and toxins. At the end of this posting I will have a few good links for you to check out regarding Isagenix so you can do your due diligence. There are many cleanses out there so for now just research cleansing in general and see why it’s so important to you and your weight loss efforts.

Isagenix offers a 9 day cleanse and a 30 day cleanse. I have done several 9 day cleanses. The most I lost in 9 days was 14lbs. but I once helped a woman lose 20lbs. and my own mother lost 18lbs. in the 9 days. I should mention that my mother is a type II diabetic also so it is safe but always consult with your doctor before starting this or any other program if you take medication (there I don’t think anyone can sue me now..smile). I am currently doing a 30 day cleanse where I cleanse once a week (Mondays for me) and then follow a shake/meal/shake routine for the remaining six days. The meal replacement shakes come with your system along with everything you need except the optional all natural almonds.

On cleanse days it is not recommended that you do any exercise due to the minimal calories you take in. Although you won’t eat any food, you will an herbal liquid four times a day with some snack wafers in between to help with your blood sugar. Your body will actually be getting more nutrients, vitamins, and antioxidants than you’ve ever had. On the shake/meal/shake days this is where you go and burn lots of calories by doing your favorite activity for 30-60 minutes. Make sure you sweat. Want to lose more just burn more calories. The one meal you will eat on the program will consist of a 400-600 calorie meal. You know what you should eat and shouldn’t eat but I may cover that as well in a future post. So that’s the basic premise behind the cleanse and it flat-out works. There are so many benefits you’ll see and feel right from day one but I won’t mention them now. Now that you know what Isagenix is and a little about the system I use, I will give you daily updates regarding my progress.

Day 1:

Yesterday was my cleanse day and this morning after getting on the scale I was down six pounds. If I lost six pounds by cleansing every Monday that would be 24lbs. and that’s not bad. Of course I control this by making sure I burn calories on the shake/meal/shake days and by making sure that meal is the healthiest it can be.

Because I did go upstairs and burned 260 calories on the treadmill by walking for 30 minutes, I did have a can of chicken noodle soup to help me get over a cold. This system is very forgiving as you can see.

Today is my shake/meal/shake day so tomorrow I will report what I ate, what exercise I did, and how I feel.

Here are some links with useful information to help you on your weight loss journey no matter what program you use.

1. Why water is so important

2. The Isagenix system

3. Emotional Freedom Techniques

Tune in tomorrow for my day 2 results and what and where the problem really is when it comes to weight loss.

Thanks for reading and I wish you a day filled with passion and purpose!

Peace and blessings,
Cedric

There is a simple way to beat the flu and avoid getting the flu shot: Let nature run its course. Here is a simple regime I use that works.

• Drink lots of fluid. That means don’t drown yourself or flush out your potassium, causing spasms. Water is a primary choice. But orange juice is good anytime, if you don’t have diabetes, which is to say that too much fruit drinks could raise blood sugar levels too high and too quickly. You know you need fluid when your mouth or lips are dry and probably is usually from breathing through the mouth when nasal passages get congested. You know you need fluid when you’ve got hard poop, too. So when the lower left side of your abdomen hurts, that means also to drink more fluids.
• Take medicine. I know some people advocate `going natural`. But taking two tablets of regular Tylenol and Benadryl helps to alleviate some of the triggered allergies, along with flu-like symptoms. So taking anti-histamines helps, especially if you hear wheezing in your chest. I try not to take decongestants or expectorant: My body can take care of that by the normal coughing, sneezing and runny eyes and nose.
• Get lots of sleep. For the past two weeks, I had to complete my temporary job assignment while sick with flu-like symptoms! In order for my body to get enough rest and knowing that my DNA requires long hours of cat-naps in order to function properly and avoid being a crab-apple in the morning, I had to go bed early. This meant sleeping at 8:00pm or 9:00pm; so that I could wake up refreshed at 6:00am to 6:30am. Plus, my body was trying to heat up, killing the cooties within, and it was tired.
• Eat healthy food. I’m mostly a carnivore. And since Maw was hospitalized during Christmas, we changed our diet to include LOTS of leafy, green RAW vegetables in our diet. It tasted like dirt or molds. And no amount of soaking or shaking could take out some of that nasty taste. I found myself taking one whole banana and eight small chunks of mangoes to work. During break times, I’d take half of each type of fruit to sustain my blood sugar. This helps reduces irritability. So if someone or a co-worker you know is irritable, they could be low on sugar. Offer them an apple or slices of apples as moral boosters, if you will.
• Shower after work. I believe in cleansing the body and colon, which I’ve done once. After work, I believe that any left over cooties (bad karma, like sneezing and coughing co-workers and rotten energy from computers, monitors and over head fluorescent bulbs) from work would be washed away from a simple shower. I’ve done this rather quickly, now that my hair-do has been BUTCHED! So any guy with short hair shouldn’t take no more than a few minutes to get clean and go about their business later on.
• Learn to snork. For the past few months, I’ve discovered how to irrigate my sinuses and snork out the cooties from within. First, the shower head allows for water to flow up the nose and down the throat. Second, anyone with access to a sink in the bathroom at work should use that facility frequently. Instead of wasting time blowing your boogers on tissue papers or napkins and contributing to the destruction of trees, try blowing out your cooties at the sink with running faucet water. This is a good time to gurgle out the gunk from the back of your throats and flush out the runny and sometimes crusty eyes, too.
• Use disinfectants. There are anti-bacterial lotions, soaps and wipes. Use the wipes on your phones, keyboards and mouse. Use the lotions anytime to feel moisturized. Use soaps for your hands, wrists and even forearms BEFORE putting anything, like food, in your damn mouth. The back of the throat contains adenoids and tonsils. If those lines of defenses flair up, that’s it.
• Avoid people and pets. Seriously, if you don’t want to get too sick and if your immune system is compromised, just take heart and go hug a tree. Nature and fresh air is good for the soul, too.