Are you in a rut? Are you feeling like you’re losing your “touch”? Is complacency becoming the norm? Maybe what you need are some basic lifestyle changes. In the coming days we will review five suggestions for the New Year to help improve your health and overall wellbeing – helpful advice that may also initiate a sense of self-renewal and give you more energy, which in turn will give you a whole new outlook on life. Here’s part 1 of 5…

1.    Go on a cleanse or detox diet.

Cleansing can be compared to a knife that cuts away much superficiality, getting right to the heart of the matter. Effectively, a cleanse works on deeper levels than most of us realize because it is able to break up our daily patterns, those patterns upon which we have become so dependent (our comfort zones). When those patterns of pleasure or selfish indulgence are disrupted, we are left with our own internal resources. If those resources are bankrupt, then during a cleanse, you may come face to face with a vacuum that only your inner self (Self) can fill.

A proper detoxification program also applies pressure to the physical body and we may be appalled at how much the body will squirm and resist. But it is high time that the body be put in perspective with the role of our own inner (spiritual/essential) self. Cleansing dethrones and places the body under the jurisdiction of our will. It is this creativity of a freed will which lifts us above our animal instincts and releases us from the cages of our monotonous and empty routine.

Cleansing accomplishes two purposes. First, it will reveal how much the physical appetites have taken control of our emotions. And secondly, it will serve in breaking the body’s habitual cravings and the power they hold upon the will.

An extended cleanse (a week or longer) will invariably bring to the surface deep seated fears which affect thinking and decision-making. It does this by challenging that complex human instinct called self-preservation. This instinct has been created in every living thing on earth, including us. But we are able to choose to “recreate” ourselves, building a new life not to be controlled by old habits and base instincts. Because of our ability to make these life changing choices, we will have the power to recreate ourselves into a radiant being of a higher and grander design than that of our former life.

Cleansing compels us to face the chaos of our addictions, compulsive behaviors, depression and internal pain. It’s like pressing the pause button of life, and quietly observing how crazy and detached we have become to who we really are.

So, IMHO, a deep bodily cleanse will do much more than help us to detox our bodies and lose those extra pounds, it also clears our mind, purifies our soul and frees our spirit for a better reception of the healthy, spiritual life intended for us. This blessing is our birthright and all we have to do is remove the obstacles we have placed in our own way.

Set aside a day, a weekend, a week or even longer to recharge, rejuvenate, and renew yourself. Everyone can benefit from a good cleansing, especially following the holiday season and all its delightful indulgences. It’s a great way to jump-start your body for a more active life, a healthier life.

Keep in mind our bodies are continuously and naturally detoxifying every day. Detoxification is the normal process of eliminating and/or neutralizing toxins through the colon, liver, kidneys, lungs, lymph glands, and even the skin. All the days of our lives our hearts beat nonstop and our lungs breathe in and out continuously; just so our metabolic processes also work continuously, attempting to dispose of wastes and toxic matter as fast as we accumulate it.

Despite all its efforts, the environmental toxins of modern-day life; the pollutants, chemicals, other synthetic substances, are more than the average body can handle. Whenever the body becomes overburdened and doesn’t know what to do with all these foreign substances, it will store them somewhere inaccessible to these regular elimination systems, and to keep us from getting poisoned those toxins start building up in our body fat.

It is common, at this time of the year to feel “congested” or “out of sorts” from too much food or the wrong kinds of food and you may want to consider a good detox program. If your energy seems low, if you’re feeling sluggish or maybe you’ve been taking some medications that have not yet been eliminated from your system, a detoxification regime will probably help you feel better, restoring your health and your sense of wellbeing.

Stay tuned for part 2. – “Improve your dietary choices.”