Cleansing!

This is the time of year when everyone is coming up with their New Year's Resolutions.  The standard and typical resolution is losing weight.  I have always hated that resolution!!!  It's always vague and most people never end up losing any weight.  I have always avoided that resolution just because it's the norm.  My resolution this year was to spend more time with my kids and take the time to relax more often.  I find myself running around like a chicken with its head cut off all the time.  I am happy to say that I have been doing better with both my goals this year.  I'm almost embarrassed to admit it though, but I have a secret resolution as well.  Yes, you guessed it, I want to lose 15 lbs. 

Weight is something I have struggled with my whole life.  I have reached my ideal weight three times in my life, but have never been able to keep the weight off permanently.  My first time I was in highschool, playing sports and working out like crazy.  Of course at that time I  had no idea how to go about it in a healthy way.  Fortunately, I didn't resort to an eating disorder but I know I did damage to my body with as crazy as I was working out.  Not to mention, not knowing how to lift weights properly.  Alas, the freshman 20 crept up on me in college and I was back to being overweight.  It wasn't until my third year in college when I was playing on the softball team that I really started trying to get the weight off again.  It also helped that I was engaged and wanted to look great for my wedding!  Since then it has been a constant battle of ups and downs with weight.  Ever since having my son Christian I have struggled to even get close to my goal weight.  I have tried fad diets, eating right, working out, all to no avail.  Luckily, I have a fantastic chiropractor for a husband and through his help and some of his colleagues I have started to get a handle on my body's health issues.  So, I have decided the time is right to again try and get my weight down. 

Now, a lot of people look at me and don't think I'm that overweight.  However, I do have about 15 lbs. that needs to come off.  I can't imagine how much better my body will feel once I lose some of that weight.  I am not referring at all to the BMI when I talk about weight.  I do not believe that it is very accurate because it lumps everyone into the same categories and does not take into account all the differences among people, such as bigger bones, etc.  According to the BMI, the maximum I should weigh before being overweight is 159 lbs.  Now that's all well and good, but the lightest I have ever been is 148 lbs. and I was in peak condition.  There is no possible way that I could have gone lower than that without some repercussions along the way.    What is my goal weight this time you ask?  Well, I am shooting for 155 lbs.  As I type that I wonder how overly optimistic I'm being.  It's easy to say that I would be happy at 160-165lbs, but I want to push for something more. 

I have kick started my weight loss goal with the Nulean cleanse.  What is a cleanse?  Well, it's a program that most natural healthcare doctors carry.  There are many different protocols and products out there, but the main idea of a cleanse is to clean the body out of toxins that have built up from chemicals we've been exposed to in our food, environment, hair products, and so on.  It helps clean out toxins from smoking and drinking as well.  These toxins can make it hard for our body to process food properly which in turn makes it hard for our body to be able to move and flush out fats in our body resulting in us not being able to lose weight.  I also love cleanses because they help with food addiction.  I think one of the biggest obstacles to losing weight is the cravings we have.  Now, I'm not saying you won't have cravings while on the cleanse, the opposite in fact, but if you can push through, it helps get you on the right track to eating properly minus the food addictions.  It takes 21 days to break an addiction which is why I recommend cleanses that last at least that long.   There are some things to be prepared for when on a cleanse.  The toxic headaches are horrible.  I have to admit that for the last two days I have had a horrible headache!!  At the same time though I know that toxins are getting out!  (Keep in mind that these headaches don't happen to everyone.  For instance, Derek is also doing the cleanse and he hasn't had any headaches.) Today I am feeling much better.  I haven't had a headache at all, which for me is rare.  I typically have headaches everyday.  I have also lost 4 lbs. in two days of being on the cleanse! 

I think it's really important to analyze why we want to lose weight before we just jump into it.  I think people get into trouble with their goals when their purpose is vague or superficial.  It's easy to say I want to lose weight so I can be skinny.  Well, I hate to tell you but there are a lot of skinny people in this world that are not healthy.  Now, don't get me wrong, I don't know any woman out there that doesn't want to be skinny and beautiful, myself included.  I just think that if that's the only reason you're trying to lose weight it will be hard to achieve.  My personal goal is to be healthy.  Am I healthy now?  Absolutely!  I eat right, I exercise, but I have this pesky extra weight that hurts my joints.  I notice this more now that I'm getting older.  Notice I didn't say I'm old, but as I have gotten older I notice that my joints ache more and I don't recover as quickly from injuries, sickness, etc. 

So to those of you looking to lose weight this year, I wish you the best.  Set achievable goals and remember that being healthy is the most important thing.   There are no quick fixes for being overweight.  Just commitment to eating healthy and exercising.