Dear Friends
Feeling stressed and constantly tired? Pimples popping out on your face? Experiencing all kinds of skin allergy? Trying all kinds of weight loss diets but none seem to be working?

It may be time for a detox - kind of like a body overhaul! Detox, short for detoxification, is the removal of potentially toxic substances from the body. Why do we need to detox?

Like it or not, the environment today is toxic; so are the foods we eat, even the air we breathe and the water we drink! Everyday we are exposed to, and absorb toxins and chemicals that are potentially harmful to our well-being and our feeling of “wellness”. Whilst our bodies naturally detoxify, we need to lend a helping hand, not only by minding our lifestyle habits on a daily basis, but also, at least once in six months, go through a detox program to cleanse out our system. Kind of like clearing a clogged drain once in a while.

This will help get rid of those chemicals built up from years of pollution, which are making us feel tired, sluggish and endows us with a lack-lustre appearance.

There are various detox programs that you can explore - some work only with the bowels, others may cleanse the liver or the blood, and others may aid the kidneys or the skin in their functions. By combining these detox programs into a total health program, you can effectively restore your health to an optimal level and look younger in the process.

Besides following a short-term detox program, other factors to consider in detoxification are nutrition and water, exercise, adequate rest, sunshine, and fresh air. Not forgetting - your mind and spiritual dimension!

"The cure of the part should not be attempted without the treatment of the whole. No attempt should be made to cure the body without the soul, and if the head and body are to be healthy, you must begin by curing the mind." - Plato


THIS WEEK'S ACTION STEP
Get started on a detox program - not just for your body but your mind as well!

Some factors to be aware of in detoxifying your body:

1. Have enough rest.
During the detox period which can be for one or two days, give your body plenty of rest. If you do, your body will be able to recoup its energy. Cut out every non-critical activity and allow your body to rebuild as necessary to function at its optimum again after the detoxifying.

Try to refrain from exercising during this period so you can conserve energy.

2. Drink lots of pure, distilled water.
Pure water is the next important remedy to aid body detoxifying. As far as possible, drink only distilled water during this period as most of what we drink only adds toxins to our body.

3. Eat lightly.
Eating, which forces the body to digest food, requires a lot of energy. So, eat lightly, and if you are not hungry, listen to your body and don’t eat!

If you are sleeping or lying down, you are giving your body that much needed mental and physical rest. Drinking lots of water and eating only fresh fruit and vegetables will give you a physiological rest as well.

Word of Caution:
Make sure your liver - a major detoxifying organ - does not become overburdened, congested, and stagnant during detoxification. The liver may be unable to completely purify the system of toxins while those substances are still coming into the body on a regular basis; the liver's energy is spent processing and sorting the incoming toxins rather than eliminating them. In such a situation, by the time the liver is ready to begin flushing toxins out, another flood is introduced to the system and the liver must deal with the new load of incoming assailants rather than continuing the final phase of releasing toxins, leading to an overworked organ.

The Role of Glutathione in the Detox System

Glutathione, which is produced in our cells is known as the Master Detoxifier. It performs two tasks in the detox process. First, it quenches the free radicals created when the liver neutralizes toxins and secondly, it combines with toxic chemicals such as found in cigarette smoke, auto exhaust and the deadly PCB’s so they can be safely excreted.

Acetaminophen (Tylenol), Penicillin, Tetracycline and toxic metals like lead, mercury and cadmium are only a few of the substances detoxified by Glutathione. It also detoxifies the liver of aldehydes and ketones that build up from alcohol intake. It can help to reduce liver disease including cirrhosis and fatty liver disease, which is caused by alcohol consumption.

Glutathione in the foods that we eat detoxifies substances in the intestines before they can be absorbed into your blood stream.  It is also thought to protect your stomach lining from the free radical effects of the high amounts of acid it produces. High glutathione levels are good for the immune system enabling the body to produce more white blood cells which fight off infection and devour foreign substances.

Most children with autism are significantly deficient in glutathione and it is thought that mercury inhibits the production of glutathione and the toxins that are unable to be detoxified contribute to the brain and other symptoms associated with autism.
Sufferers of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia and Lyme Disease have been helped by increasing their glutathione levels.

For more information on glutathione, go to: Benefits of Glutathione.
For a free recipe on a detox juice that you can prepare at home, write to coach@health-coach-international.com.

Eating Mindlessly

Dear Friends

I had a tearful evening watching the tear-jerker, My Sister’s Keeper. I suppose it’s never easy watching your loved one die. It creates the eternal debate: Is it better to know when you are going to depart from this life, or simply go without knowing? Those who have watched the movie Bucket List (my favourite!) would probably say, “yes” to knowing; at least we can make our bucket list and do all the things we have always wanted to do before the final goodbye.

Anyway, what such movies do is to reinforce in me the passion to get more people to take full responsibility for their health. There is so much we can do to keep and stay healthy – all simple disciplines that we will even enjoy, once we make a decision to follow them. It’s just that most people are just too lazy to even think about them. They would rather remain ignorant, and as we know, if we had ever seen a sick person dying, or watched the movies I mentioned, ignorance is certainly not bliss.

Take good nutrition for example. As you see in my last two articles, the foods I listed as Top 5 Beauty Foods and Top 5 Energy Foods are all so delicious. Why not focus on taking more delicious foods that are good for us, and less (not total deprivation) foods that we know are not good for us?

The trouble is most of us are indulging in mindless eating and lifestyle habits; often we don’t even enjoy what we put into our mouths or know why we like to stuff ourselves with potato chips whenever we turn on the television. Or why we just automatically light up that cigarette that we know is poisoning our lungs? Or must drink that cup of coffee in the morning? If you really think about it, you will realize it was probably not about how you enjoyed the taste.

The first time you smoked, you probably choked. Similarly the first time you drank coffee, you probably didn’t really like it. This is our body reacting to what is really not good for it.

THIS WEEK'S LESSON:
Take time to reflect on lifestyle habits that you know are bad for your health: Describe in detail why it makes you feel good following them, and then explore if there are healthier alternatives.

But the road to success is not ruthlessly cutting out all your habits, although that has worked for many, once they found their motivation. My mother quit smoking “cold turkey” after she was hospitalized for a stomach ulcer. My husband also quit immediately after a speaker at a seminar pointed out how distasteful it was for non-smoking business associates to breathe in the foul breath of a smoker.

You don’t have to go that road where food is concerned. As Dr Brian Wansink suggested in his book Mindless Eating, the key to change lies in middle. You can turn the food in your life from being a temptation or a regret to something you guiltlessly enjoy. You can move from mindless overeating to mindless better eating, says Dr Wansink.

“It's so hard when I have to, and so easy when I want to.”  ~Annie Gottlier

THIS WEEK'S ACTION STEP

Better eating means different things to different people. It can mean eating less, eating without guilt, eating more nutritiously or eating with greater enjoyment.
As we often emphasise at Health Coach International, there is simply no one-size-fits-all solutions. Over the next few days, think of three (yes, only three!) food trade-offs or food policies that are specifically relevant and motivating for you.
Food trade-offs are statements which goes like this: “I can eat x if I do y.” Example of a food trade-offs is: “I can eat dessert if I have done my 20-minute morning exercise.”

Meanwhile a food policy is a personal rule that you stick to, without exception. Examples are: “I serve myself 80% of what I normally would.” “Eat only at the dining table.” “Only order dessert after I have finished my main course and if I still feel hungry.”

As Dr Wansink says, “We don’t have to commit to big sacrifices, we only have to pick the habits we can easily forego.
If you need help to work out a healthy diet plan that is suitable for you specifically, drop us an email at coach@health-coach-interntional.com or visit Health Coach, giving us your name, age, race and any health conditions.  

Talk to you soon!

Jessica See




For more information on MaxOne, go to: Max International.