Do you ever wake up in your life and just feel OFF kilter? Your body feels off, which makes your mind feel off? And when both those are off you can bet your behind that your Spirit is affected too!

Well, continuing on what I call my #blessedlifetour2015, I have just returned from a 13-day trip traveling from where we live in Northern California down to San Diego, up to Los Angeles, back to San Diego, out to Munich, Germany, on to Paris, France and finally back home just last night!

I woke-up today feeling ALL KINDS OF OFF!

I want to first acknowledge some areas where I did really well this trip. As many of you may have read, I recently made some pretty deep changes to my WINE consumption and l am very proud to report that in the last 2 weeks, I only consumed 1.5 total glasses of wine which included only about 3 sips of wine the entire time I was in Europe! #ProgressisProgress

Now mind you, had I chosen to drink wine in Munich or Paris, it would have been great and probably worth it. But before I went on the trip, I made a deal with myself and my usual “vices” (which are sweets and alcohol). I decided I was going to give in to the sweets and desserts and just say no to the wine-o. These are just strategies I implement to help myself from going completely off the tracks!

But, what I didn’t have in wine, I definitely made up for in FOOD!

How about this….

Or maybe even this….

Annnnnd let’s not forget these happened too…..

If I’m being really honest, some of my desserts didn’t even make it to “picture” status because I had already dove in head first before I had a chance to snap a photo!

Yeah…..I’d say sugar is my “drug of choice!”

I woke up every day with a sugar headache that I would attempt to nurse, along with my jet lag, with copious amounts of caffeine in coffee and tea. I was fully aware of this lose, lose situation I was putting myself in.

This combined with sleep being off, extra rich German and French foods, and 100% of my meals being either packaged goods I brought from home or delicious restaurant richness, I clearly overdid it over the last 2 weeks and my usually clean-eating body feels it!

So, as I do whenever I feel this OFF in my body, I engage in an intentional eating plan for a set amount of time to help myself DETOX some of the chemical addictions wrecking havoc on my bod. In this case I am going to do a 10-Day DETOX.

If you have never tried to rid yourself of your vices, I highly encourage you to give this a shot for 10-days! For most of my clients that do some form of body detox, they often don’t know how bad they feel until they rid themselves of some of the “crud” in their system and feel so amazing!

When you hear the word, DETOX, you might be thinking “Juice Fast” or some sort of extreme starvation strategy out of guilt I have for indulging while away. I know there are a lot of green juice mixes on the market, and my friends live for the ones made in Australia.

But that’s not at all what I mean when I say DETOX.

In fact, what I mean when I say DETOX is actually not only just about food or drink choices. No, no. I make my DETOX about ridding myself of things much more than just food and drinks. Yes, there are some people who find that having a detox can help them with a much needed cleanse. Some even take that extra step further and get a detox machine to help give them that much needed support. Doing research online could help you find the best detox for you, but for me it’s a little different.

Why? Because I know that the reason why my body feels so off is NOT just about the foods that I was putting into it. I know that so much of what I experience as I travel is related to much more than just my BODY, but it is also resorting the old bad habits from my MIND and my SOUL too.

So where many health professionals and holistic practitioners might only focus on what foods to eat and not eat, I am going to make it a 10-DAY SPIRITUAL DETOX to help ALL of those things that I lost as I was away-BODY, MIND and SOUL.

WHAT MAKES MY SPIRITUAL DETOX DIFFERENT THAN OTHER’S?

EASY = EFFECTIVE– I’m not about juicing your own juices or buying all the detox supplements in the world. Eat real food and become more body and mind aware through this 10-days and you’ll feel truly healthy!

BALANCED = BEAUTY-By detoxing out some of the unhealthy body, mind and spiritual habits I will unveil the true beauty within. Those detoxes that advocate just those food/drink/chemical (i.e BODY) related aspects might put a nice bandaid on the wound, but eventually when the 10-days are up, you’re back to bleeding just as you were before. By focusing on the mindset behind those bad habits and the depth of spiritual need beneath it all, you will find true beauty from wounds healing themselves.

FOOD = FUELED-I don’t do the all-liquid type of detoxes for a variety of reasons.
I believe in eating real food, not drastically changing your diet into an all liquid trend. I believe this will make it doable, more rewarding and less punishable all while being just as effective! To maintain your metabolism, you’re going to need to get right amount of protein, carbs and fats in an appropriate amount of calories. Cutting out entire food groups (and textures) will have an adverse consequence on your metabolism!

SPIRITUAL DETOX GUIDE!

BODY DON’TS:

1. Chemical Stimulants: Caffeine
   Caffeine is the worlds largest chemical stimulant addiction we have. So many of us over consume the recommended amounts (which is 300mg of caffeine a day). Also, metabolically speaking, Caffeine can be a major hormone disruptor that can affect our ability to lose weight. It stimulates a release of Adrenalin and Cortisol (what’s referred to as our Fight or Flight responses) that cause our fat metabolism to slow way down. (Source: Dr. Jade and Keoni Teta, Metabolic Effect). Now, I promise I won’t make you give up Caffeine forever! Once you rid your body of the intense addiction, adding it back in before a workout will be helpful for your metabolism! Green tea is the best!
2. Chemical Sedative: Alcohol
   Alcohol is high calorie sugar that has a whopping 7 calories per gram which are considered “empty” because of the lack of nutrients. In fact, it actually has “negative” nutrients because it steals Calcium and Magnesium and others from our bodies in order to digest it. Alcohol is another example of a metabolic shut down substance. According to Prevention Magazine, just 2 drinks will shut down our fat metabolism by 73% for the following 4 hours!
   
3. Sugar (all forms including honey, raw forms, agave nectar , etc so check every label!)
   Another negative nutrient that steals from our bodies without giving back. Studies have shown that rats became addicted to Sugar much more than even Crack Cocaine! The main affect on sugar, besides the addictiveness, is the insulin surge that comes running in to our systems and then crashes a short time later. Research has shown that much slower forms of carbohydrates have a much more body friendly reaction.
4. Artificial Sweeteners and Flavors
   These artificial sweeteners are just as addictive as the real stuff but have some horrible consequences if abused. Even if you don’t consume enough to cause the cancer that studies had shown it to cause, your body still may have a negative reaction by triggering an increase in hunger and cravings according to some studies. Also, according to other studies, it might also cause an inflammation response in your lower GI tract which can cause glucose intolerance and digestive issues.
5. All Dairy:
   Dairy one of those foods that many people actually have a adverse reaction to and some form of intolerance of which they don’t know until they’ve gone without it! Some opinion indicates that adult bodies were not made to need milk like infants do, but it might more commonly be just from a gradual decline in the enzyme lactase that breaks down dairy sugar, lactose, that is the real issue. Give your GI tract a rest in dairy can see some very big changes. (TIP: Add in fortified almond mil or dairy free yogurt to make sure you are still getting your Calcium! )
6. All Gluten (wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, kamut):
   While a true allergy to gluten is rare (called Celiac Disease) it seems as though gluten intolerance is much more common. While it might be due to the way that the grains are manufactured in America, it is often worth giving up gluten for a while to see if you start to feel less inflamed in the GI tract or joints. Since there are a variety of gluten free grain options out there, this should not be too hard to plan.

BODY DO’S:

• Eat as many Veggies and Fruits as you want! Shoot for 10+ servings a day.
• Eat whole, unprocessed foods when you’re hungry and stopping at about 80% full (usually about every 3-5 hours).
• Eat protein, green vegetables, and colored vegetables at every meal. Add in healthy fats and whole carb sources for most meals too.
• If you buy something from the store, check the label to make sure it has only real food ingredients and all things you can pronounce.
• Drink lots of water, herbal tea (not green/white tea or even decaf coffee as they still have some caffeine), coconut water, kombucha (without sugar added), sparkling water (without artificial ingredients added).
• Eat healthy carb sources like sweet potatoes, gluten free rolled oats, squash, carrots, corn, quinoa, brown/wild rice, beans, beets etc.
• Eat healthy fat sources like avocado, coconut, olive oil, nuts, fresh nut butters, seeds, etc.

MIND & BODY:

Detox Out the Idolatry of Food: Food becomes an easy idol for us because it’s delicious and gives us immediate gratification senses to our brain. But even though it triggers a “reward” sensation in our brain, does not mean that we should always use it as a reward. In fact, the purpose of detoxing our overly food obsessed parts of ourselves is to rewire our brains to remind us of what a REAL REWARD HEALTH IS! There is no reward like having a healthy body, mind and Spiritual connection to God.

“Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Luke 4:4, Deuteronomy 8:3)

ADD IN: Give this idol (along with all others) to God. Seek God first and you will have no choice but to place all things, including food, after Him. Using prayer, mindful eating and journaling about your meals is a great way to keep it all in perspective.

Detox Out the Busy-ness: So often we run around like chickens with our heads cut off just for the sake of feeling more “worthy” because we think “busy” equates to needed and in high-demand. Well not during this 10-days. We are going to slow it down and stop running so fast. Slowing down allows us to catch onto God’s timing…which is slow, patient and PERFECT.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Mathew 11:28-30 ESV

ADD IN: Cut down your TO-DO list. Pick only those top 3-5 things you have to get done in that day and do them first. Take breaks regularly, rest, go for walks, make time for God, make time for others, and SLOW DOWN. You’ll be pleasantly surprised that your life doesn’t fall apart and your stress levels will fall down too!

Detox Out the People Pleasing: Often times we worry so much about making health changes for ourselves because we don’t want to offend others or are afraid they won’t accept it. Well for 10-days we are going to be intentional about our actions and the motivation behind them. We won’t do things without first examining if this is what God is asking you to do. Are you doing things from a place of love and empowerment? Or are you just saying what others want too hear?

“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10 ESV

ADD IN: Filling yourself up with the love of God will give you His peace and power. Asking God with every step along the way to guide you and help you in your strength. From that space you will no longer seek ways of your insecurity and people pleasing, but you will seek ways to serve God. It will involve loving others, but respecting yourself first.

Detox Out Self-Serving tendencies: Even though this will be about getting our health in check, we know that a truly Spiritually healthy person is here not just to serve oneself, but to serve God and to serve others. This could also cover our sexual relations. There are many reasons that people have sex, but those who are healthy spiritually don’t have sex just for their own satisfaction.

“Don’t be concerned for your own good but for he good of others.” 1 Corinthians 10:24 NLT

ADD IN: Write a note to someone every day, do random acts of kindness, plan to help a friend or coworker who is in need, do whatever you can do to make your life less self involved. You’ll find when you focus on serving and loving others, you won’t be focusing on your idols and food! As for the sex, add in Tantric sex; this is all about connection and reaching for a type of spiritual enlightenment which will help you to develop a deeper connection with your partner, enhancing your relationship no end.

SO, ARE YOU IN?

You might think this sounds too hard or painful, but I assure you, it is NOT as hard as continuing to live the high-stress, unhealthy, body-inflammed, soul-dampened, manner we are living now. Just 10-Days is all it takes to wake your body, mind and soul UP to a higher level! YOU WILL FEEL AMAZING! And, it’s only 10-Days. Give up your excuses and give UP your HEALTH. With God, all things are possible.

Here’ a cheat sheet that will break it all down for you! For a printable PDF, click HERE.
(Emails are taken just as a measure of counting downloads)