About this time of the year, people who have thrown in the towel with a New Years resolution are looking for another way to resolve (weight, medicines or attitude). Spring time junk mail usually brings on a flurry of products fictitiously endorsed by Dr Oz about detoxing. When asked, most of the diabetic, over weight, high cholesterol, hypertensive, low back pain, snoring, fatigued patients I run into say "I know what to do, I just cant do it". I disagree. If you knew what to do, it would have lasted a lifetime. The fact that it wasn't sustainable means it was too low in calories, too high in cardio, too many hours a day or too expensive. My idea of sustainability is to formulate a life change that resonates with the individual. This is the approach for Integrative Medicine, applying studied protocols in a personal individualized way that provides highest sustainable lifestyle change. (Like having an Uncle that owns a grocery to cherry pick the best items from each isle that he knows you would use and get the most out of.)
So how to start: my suggestion is to hire someone you will be accountable to every week. The money spent will be worth every penny once you realize what you save from an annual contract with Lifetime Fitness, the prescription co pays, the non paid sick days you accumulate or the meals ordered online from outsourcing your weekly food. If you do all this on your own and fall into the statistics that most people fail within 12 months-you just wasted a year of money, effort, exercise and morale. Dead set on doing it alone? At least do things to increase success of sustainability. Get an over sized calendar, magnetize it to the fridge, note the start and end of 12 weeks and keep track of the weeks and your wins. Start writing jotting down notes at the end of your day on 3 daily positives. I would plan on having others in the house and at work know you are going through 12 Weeks to Change. (You may find a family member and/or relative who was thinking the same thing!) Having a quit buddy/group increases problem solving solutions when you hit the wall. Everyone hits the wall. Being prepared with maximizing on 'neutralizing stress response'/nutritional strategizing/compressing exercise (DrRics Thinking/Eating/Activity) will get you to get back on target quick.
I think the initiation of change is a detoxing. Giving the body the break it needs from toxins, bad food, inflammatory thinking and sedentary life is refreshing. The first morning you feel good about not having a "comfort food" craving, or your first "great" bowel movement, or think with creativity that's been missing since younger years will be glorious! Yes the feeling and energy of youth is what most can relate to (in memory) but we've been swallowed up by this concept that you have to work like a slave, eat like a king, and move like a wounded animal in order to be "someone". All the while we are in denial about the impending damage to our DNA we inflict with each drink of alcohol, puff of smoke or bite of synthetic food. What's worse is the concept of epigenetics says the damage we inflict on our own DNA is also passed to our children with the messages of uncoded disease glazed onto sperm and egg.
The key is to make the detox effective; and plan ahead so it doesn't have to be so aggressive next time. The less disease you have, the less intense the detox. If you just have to stop buying candy at the check out - easy! If you have to lose 50 pounds for a wedding in 4 months - challenging! If you have to fight a diagnosis of metastatic cancer - probably should have started earlier but fight for your life!!! I believe most of use should be detoxing twice a year. Ayurveda (ancient healing from India) says before change of season, we detox the body to prepare for the new harvest. Different temperature requires different food, different harvest requires different digestion/preparation. Change requires a well grounded emotional state since most humans prefer stability and ritual. Especially now that we live in such a toxic environment, over dipping into food, inactivity, inflammatory relationships is such a daily activity we don't even notice how unhealthy we become; and accumulation is felt only when we are about to drown. Wiping the slate clean is what hunter gatherers are supposed to do with each change of season.
I feel 12 Weeks to Change is slow enough to be subtle, but short enough to impact confidence and morale. Just in time for rejoicing changes and launching into the next pilgrimage to life goals. If you can see a doctor-good to attain baseline tests and make sure your body doesn't need extra monitoring. If you can hire a registered dietitian- good to initiate a nutrition plan and reformulate it as you get past milestones in your journey. If you can hire an exercise physiologist/yoga teacher/coach to move and inspire you when at your lowest you can avoid injury. I divide the time into 3-week-blocks concentrating on
1-introducing walking breath work and supplement choices
2-food knowledge and exercise rethinking
3-detoxing, elimination, supplementation
4-intense work on Thinking/Eating/Activity and then planning for the next goal
If you cant hire the above, it's OK, keep your goals realistic, check off the days on the calendar, write your accomplishments in a bedside journal, add some form of meditation to the daily activity, try to avoid wasted time at the gym (shorten the rest times, speed up exercises, add walking to equal 130 minutes weekly) and try to follow my videos.
Set your intention for success every day/Set you attention for living clean every day!
