Spring Clean - Inside and Out

After a long winter of being inside sometimes even the warmest days of early spring are no match for the sluggish feelings you are experiencing. Your mind is drained, your body aches and your energy levels are depleted. Welcome to the after math of winter blues, living on comfort foods and/or the decreased levels of physical activity during the shortened light and cold days of winter. Detoxing is a great way to to give your body a little helping hand to get back on track.

Detoxification essentially means blood cleansing through eliminating impurities from the blood in the liver, through kidneys, lungs, intestines, lymph and skin. There are numerous ways to Detox your body ... juicing, fasting, over the counter cleanses ~ all promising a quick fix and some are quite aggressive and deprive your body of proper food and hydration. Causing more harm than good in the long term. It is always best to check with your doctor before starting any detoxification program.

Because of the damage to my internal organs along with the 54 plus units of blood I received right after my accident and medication, I have stayed away from anything that would add further trauma to my body. Instead I have opted for solutions which help my body to detox in a much gentler way.

Eating Habits:

With today's busy schedules fast, easy and ready seems to be the words used to describe tour food choices.Whenever possible I try to avoid processed, fast foods and sugar. Instead eat more whole grains, fresh vegetables and fruits

Exercise:

My post-accident physical limitations have meant that I can no longer practice kick-boxing, play volley ball, golf, and do various other activities which helped keep me fit in the past. Restorative Yoga has been a way to help keep my body moving without stressing my joints and lungs. The best part, on days that I can't get motivated to go out of the house I'm still able to do some yoga at home.

Natural Therapies:

In the past few years I have learned through experience, natural therapies such as lymphatic draining massage, hot stone massage, reflexology and  acupuncture are beneficial to opening the flow of energy through the body and aiding in the detoxification process. These natural therapies have also been beneficial in helping me get the most from traditional medical therapies.

Skin:

Your skin reveals what's going on inside of you. It is our largest organ and plays an important role in elimination and detoxification. Foot baths, infrared sauna, dry brushing and salt baths are simple ways to detox and keep your skin looking beautiful inside and out.

What do you do to help Your Body Detox?

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Who Will You Be?

We all know " life happens when you are busy making plans", sometimes it's a positive occurrence and sometimes it knocks you right out of your heels. When it's the latter and the dust settles, you look around and try to find the person you were, you want to find the life you had. This search can go on for years, until you accept the you who was, is no longer.

When you realize Life isn't about finding yourself - but about creating yourself it can become even more overwhelming.  Looking back I could barely make a decision on what I would eat, let alone try to create who I would be. What I did know- actually it was more of a feeling than an actual knowing, was that if I didn't keep moving forward I would shrivel up and remain in a constant state of survival.  Survival was better than victim ... But Thriving trumped both. And I just felt THRIVING was were I needed to get to.

The Journey to where I am today has been long, but I have learned so much along the way. One of the things for me that became monumental was realizing that I could still have a High Heeled Life - it was just going to look a little different, but I had the power to create it. And as my life continues to evolve I have to say, who knew simplicity and High Heels could co-exist? Accepting the place you are at in your life at this moment is the first step to creating yourself.

Next step for me was Who Will You Be? this is the question I have been asking myself since accepting that my life and me prior to my accident is no longer. It's taken me a while to realize the answer has been starring me in the face each time I read a comment to a post I have shared about my journey post-accident. I can use my voice and my abilities to make a positive difference in the world ~ by helping others to stay strong, not give up and encourage them create their life - despite being knocked out of their own heels.

Perhaps you are facing a disability that in your wildest thoughts you never imagined could happen to you. Perhaps you have been affected financially with all that is going on with the world economy. Perhaps you find yourself on your own or raising your children as a single parent. I know when something devastating happens it can leave you feeling powerless, I know - I have lived it. But I'm here to say - even when things seem to be the darkest in your life, there really is a silver lining, and being able to see it only depends on YOU - and how you choose to react to the situation. Will you let it deflate you or will you let strengthen you?

Now I ask you ...

Who Will You Be?

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Spring Clean ... Your Body!

Spring is perhaps the most important time of the year to ensure we give our bodies a little extra help in the cleansing department. After all we have spent the better part of autumn and winter celebrating the various joyous holidays consuming processed foods rich in sugar, perhaps a few extra glasses of bubbly and as the days became shorter and colder we turned to comfort foods. Though all of this self-comfort eating results in an invasion of toxins to our bodies, it is important to note: air pollution, cleaning products, stress, negative thoughts are also contributors of toxins to our body.

Keeping up with all the toxins we consume on a daily basis, forces our liver to function in over-drive. By giving our body a helping hand with cleansing, we are in essence giving our liver a "time out" so that it can renew itself and regenerate.

Like you I am human ~ and sometimes indulge   in comfort foods, sweets or an extra glass of bubbly. Having had my liver lacerated in my accident along with damage to my intestines has made me more determined about doing what I can to make it easy on my liver to process the foods (especially the indulging ones) I consume.

A long with ensuring we are giving our liver a helping hand it is also important to consider the other organs and areas in our body that could use a little help when it comes to detoxing.

Keeping my body healthy while needing to take medication (which is often a source of weight gain- but stopping medication is not an option) has not been easy. Since my accident (in 2006) I woke up from my coma around 90 lbs - then I watched my weight climb to my normal weight (pre-accident) of 115 lbs. - then reach an all time high of 153 lbs. by the end of 2011.

During the month of April I will be sharing with you how I lost 13 lbs. and have maintained 140 lbs. through this past year. And what I will be doing to loose an additional 10 lbs. this year.

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