What does weight loss and a fit body mean to you?

Over the years, this definition has greatly changed for me. In my late teens through my late twenties, it was all about calorie counting, restriction, extreme willpower, lack of joy around food, control, and fear of being in social situations where there were a lot of food temptations. It was about being obsessive and it involved a lot of emotional pain. I often want to forget my relationship with food and my body during those years in my life. But it brought me to where I am today and my new definition of a healthy and fit body.

Today, I abhor diets, needless dietary restrictions, and calorie counting. For me, weight loss and achieving healthy body composition is NOT about going on a strict diet for a certain number of weeks or months, using all your willpower to stay on the diet, feeling deprived and like crap while on the diet, and feeling stressed about food.

Healthy weight loss IS about eating healthy and delicious foods that make you feel energetic, clear headed, and less bloated. It is about addressing underlying health issues such as nutrient deficiencies, hormone imbalances, and chemical toxins that slow down metabolism, fat burning, and affect appetite and even food preferences. It IS about experimenting with foods to see what foods give you the most energy and which foods actually slow you down by causing joint pain, brain fog, depression, and digestive distress. It IS about figuring out why you might be stuck in certain patterns and addressing those issues that are keeping you stuck, even if this creates some discomfort. It IS about finding joy when you eat, being comfortable in social situations involving foods, listening to your body, and trusting your body to give you signals when you are headed in the wrong direction. A healthy and fit body includes a healthy relationship with food.

My cleanse program “21 Day Cleanse and Revive” is the perfect opportunity to EXPERIMENT with new foods and figure out what foods make you feel good and what foods make you feel bogged down. My program addresses underlying health issues and support safe detoxification of chemicals and other toxins that slow down your metabolism and cause you to hold onto fat. Take 2 to 3 weeks to slow down a bit and really listen to your body. Discover a new way of eating that brings you long term health and a fit and energetic body that includes peace of mind.

I would love to hear what a fit body means to you!

Why Cleanse BEFORE you get pregnant!

Are you planning on getting pregnant and starting a family? This is surely an exciting time for you! And I am sure you want to do everything you can do to have a healthy pregnancy and baby. Which means that YOU need to be healthy FIRST before getting pregnant! It is not a question IF you have toxicant build up in your body, it is a question of how much. NOW is the time to “clean out”, not when you are pregnant!

beth=pregnant detox

Over the last ten years, many women have joined my cleanse programs to detoxify before they get pregnant. Perhaps these women felt that they were not eating so healthy or drinking too much alcohol. Or they had been on a round of antibiotics or taking NSAIDs like Advil on a regular basis. Regardless, they intuitively felt like they needed to cleanse.

Studies back up these women’s intuition to cleanse before getting pregnant. You see, certain chemicals that are found in a mother’s serum get into the placenta, fetal cord serum, and amniotic fluid. In fact, the placenta barrier is no barrier at all for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In a study of 200 women, PAHs were found in all placentas!. You can be exposed to PAHs in the environment, in your home, and in the workplace. Fumes from vehicle exhaust, coal, coal tar, asphalt, wildfires, agricultural burning and hazardous waste sites are all sources of exposure. You can also be exposed to PAHs by breathing cigarette and tobacco smoke, eating foods grown in contaminated soil, or by eating meat or other food that you grill. Grilling and charring food actually increases the amount of PAHs in the food. Although more human studies are needed on the impact of PAHs on a developing fetus, animal studies showed that mice exposed to 308 parts per million (ppm) of PAHs in food for 10 days (short term exposure) caused birth defects.

A Swedish mothers’ study in 2003 found PBDEs in all samples of maternal blood, cord blood, and breast milk. Environ Health Perspect. 2003 Jul;111(9):1235-41. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers or PBDEs, are organobromine compounds that are used as flame retardants. Like other brominated flame retardants, PBDEs have been used in a wide array of products, including building materials, electronics, furnishings, motor vehicles, airplanes, plastics, polyurethane foams, and textiles.

PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) were found in all samples as well. PCBs were banned decades ago, so why are they still around? PCBs are highly persistent, which means that they stick around for a long time in our air, water, and soil. PCBs can be carried long distances and have been found in snow and sea water in areas far away from where they were released into the environment. PCBs have been demonstrated to cause cancer, as well as a variety of other adverse health effects on the immune system, reproductive system, nervous system, and endocrine system. PCBs are found in high amounts in farmed raised salmon and non organic butter!

A review article notes that the main focus of studies of neurological effects of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in humans has been on the effects in neonates and young children . “A great deal of concern exists that even low levels of PCBs transferred to the fetus across the placenta may induce long-lasting neurological damage. Because PCBs are lipophilic substances, there is also concern that significant amounts might be transferred to nursing infants via breast milk. Studies in humans who consumed large amounts of Great Lakes fish contaminated with environmentally persistent chemicals, including PCBs, have provided evidence that PCB s are important contributors to subtle neurobehavioral alterations observed in newborn children and that some of these alterations persist during childhood. Some consistent observations at birth have been motor immaturity and hyporeflexia and lower psychomotor scores between 6 months and 2 years old.” Effects of PCB’s  **Hyporeflexia is the condition of below normal or absent reflexes (areflexia).

Chemicals like organophosphate pesticides have been found in the cord blood of newborns and in the breast milk. A study of preschool children in Mexico suggests that this exposure may affect neurodevelopment of the children, such as eye-hand coordination, 30-minute memory, and the ability to draw a person. Choosing to eat organic produce, dairy, and meats can greatly decrease your exposure to pesticides!

We do not know exactly what causes autism. But we do know that the rate of autism has dramatically increased and that environmental factors play a role in autism. A great review article on this topic that included studies looking at exposure measures pertaining to pregnancy or the 1st year of life, found that “some environmental exposures showed associations with autism, especially traffic-related air pollutants, some metals, and several pesticides, with suggestive trends for some volatile organic compounds (e.g., methylene chloride, trichloroethylene, and styrene) and phthalates.” Many of these environmental exposures can be minimized! For example, phthalates, a group of chemicals used to make plastics more flexible and harder to break, are used in hundreds of products, such as vinyl flooring, adhesives, detergents, lubricating oils, automotive plastics, plastic clothes (raincoats), and personal-care products (soaps, shampoos, hair sprays, and nail polishes). Just by switching our your personal care products you can decrease your exposure to phthalates!

Getting educated on how to minimize your exposure to harmful chemicals and how to get these toxins out of your body through dietary and lifestyle changes is key to a healthy pregnancy and baby!

My Beef With Fatty, Hormone Filled Red Meat

Before you take your next bite of that big juicy burger or thick prime steak, you might want to “beef up” your knowledge about the findings in a recent British Study reporting that the average person, eating large amounts of corn- and soy-fed red meat had increased risk for heart disease, diabetes, and colorectal cancer. Another recent study by the U.S. National Cancer Institute claims that consuming red meat contributes to a host of health risks, including cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and stomach ulcers.

No wonder so many people (including me) have a beef with red meat from corn- and soy-fed cows filled with hormones and antibiotics, instead of leaner cuts from grass-fed, drug-free cows or buffalo. Today’s modern lifestyle and tastes have taken a toll on everyone’s health. That has me concerned…and it should have you thinking carefully about eating all that dangerous, fat-laden red meat loaded with antibiotics and hormones.

Here’s why you should care about what goes into the beef you consume. Grass-fed cows are leaner and have less saturated fat. They also have higher amounts of the Omega 3 fatty acids, which are protective when it comes to heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, because Omega 3 fatty acids help decrease inflammation. On the other hand, corn and soy (the kind of feed for the majority of cows) are high in the Omega 6 fatty acids, which are pro-inflammatory in excess. And, as I’ve mentioned in many of my posts, inflammation is at the core of many chronic degenerative diseases and can lead to all types of imbalances.

I think it would be interesting to do a study of people eating only pasture-raised, grass-fed animals. I believe eating leaner, antibiotic- and hormone-free beef could help ward off all those chronic, degenerative diseases, and a medical study is needed to substantiate.

For an easy solution to rid your system of toxins and reduce inflammation, I’ve found that a cleansing and detoxification program is an ideal place to start. Why? Because a cleanse program immediately addresses the bad or potentially harmful foods you’ve been ingesting. To learn more about how a cleanse can help you, CLICK HERE for free information.

The Energy Cycle: How to Get Back Your Get-Up-And-Go Part 7—Endocrine Imbalance

To this point, I’ve posted six blogs on the ways your get-up-and-go is being sapped. I’ve covered food sensitivities and allergies, caffeine, stress, toxins and preservatives, fat storage and exercise. Now this is the seventh, and final, post, which is on the effect of endocrine imbalances.

When it comes to energy levels, you can’t ignore endocrine imbalances, either. These include low thyroid function or tired adrenals.

However, addressing endocrine imbalances is a separate topic that requires a lot of attention. But just to put it out there, toxins and allergenic foods can contribute to low thyroid function. And chronic stress and blood sugar imbalances can make your adrenals gland tired.

For an easy solution to getting back your get-up-and-go, I’ve found I’ve found that a three week cleanse program is an ideal place to start. Why? Because a cleanse program immediately addresses the toxins and blood sugar imbalances that affect your thyroid and adrenal gland functions.

To learn more about how the 3-week cleanse can help you, CLICK HERE!

And please, be sure to read (and re-read)all seven blog posts in this series on getting back your get-up-and-go.

The Energy Cycle: How to Get Back Your Get-Up-And-Go Part 6—Exercise

This previous five posts in this educational 7-part blog post series have told you about the effects of food sensitivities and allergies, caffeine, stress, toxins and preservatives, and fat storage. Exercise and its effect on your energy is the topic I’m discussing in this post.
Exercise and just moving the body, in general, help you sleep better. And better sleep, in turn, gives you more energy.

But what do you do if you’re simply too tired to exercise? It’s not easy to muster up the willpower to go to the gym or go for a run if you feel completely, utterly exhausted.
Lack of good sleep makes you too tired to exercise. Not exercising makes you feel tired, exhausted, sapped of energy. What do you do?

Over the past several years, I’ve found that a three week cleanse program is an ideal way to start. The reason? A cleanse program immediately promotes deeper sleep. And better sleep helps rid you of that sluggishness. Once you have more energy, you’ll wake up refreshed and ready to exercise.

To learn more about how the 3-week cleanse can help restore your get-up-and-go, CLICK HERE!

Don’t stop now. For still more information, please read the seventh and final blog post in this series, which covers endocrine imbalances.

The Energy Cycle: How to Get Back Your Get-Up-And-Go Part 5— Body Fat

So far in this 7-part blog series, I have told you about a number of ways you’re losing your energy, including the effects of food sensitivities and allergies, caffeine, stress, and toxins and preservatives. This fifth post in the series talks about the how extra body fat storage is robbing you of your get-up-and-go.

Blubber. Lard. Flab. No matter what you call that extra body fat, it’s another energy enemy.

Fat around the belly is not just a place to store extra calories. Fat around the belly is very active, secreting all kinds of inflammatory chemicals. In fact, fat around the belly, also called “visceral fat,” has even been labeled as another endocrine organ by some folks.

Inflammation resulting from belly fat leads to all types of imbalances…including abnormal insulin responses. Yes, again, inflammation and imbalanced blood sugar affect your energy levels.

So how do you deal with extra body fat and to help get back your get-up-and-go?
You can start with a three week cleanse program. It can immediately help rid you body of the harmful fat it’s storing.

To learn more about how the 3-week cleanse can help you, CLICK HERE!

Plus, be sure to watch for the rest of this 7-part blog post series to find out how lack of exercise and endocrine imbalances can affect your energy.

The Energy Cycle: How to Get Back Your Get-Up-And-Go: Part 4— Toxins and Preservatives

In part one of this 7-part blog series, you read about “Processed Foods, Food Sensitivities and Food Allergies.” In part two, it was “Caffeine and Sleep Quality.” Part three covered “Stress and Fatigue.” Now this post discusses how your get-up-and-go is being stolen from under you every day by “Toxins and Preservatives.”

Certainly, you just can’t ignore common toxins, such as preservatives in foods, chemicals, industrial pollutants, and heavy metals like mercury. These all take a toll on your energy levels, especially if you are not doing a good job of getting rid of these toxins from your body.

One of the primary organs of detoxification, is the liver. But, if the liver becomes overburdened from years of toxin overload, it is less efficient at doing its job.  This can cause a buildup of toxins in your body, especially in your fat stores. An issue that I will discuss in the next blog post in this 7-part series, which will also cover exercise and endocrine imbalance.

The immediate question is how do you detoxify and help the liver do its job more efficiently?

To help get back your get-up-and-go, a three week cleanse program is an ideal place to start. It can immediately help detoxify your body and get back your get-up-and-go.

To learn more about how a 3-week cleanse can help you, CLICK HERE.

The Energy Cycle: How to Get Back Your Get-Up-And-Go: Part 3—Stress and Fatigue

In part 1 and 2 of this blog series, I’ve dealt with “Processed Foods, Food Sensitivities and Food Allergies” and “Caffeine and Sleep Quality.” While these are important considerations when it comes to what causes you to lose your get-up-and-go, you can’t forget how stress is sapping your energy every day.

Chronic stress, like dealing with commute traffic and being over-scheduled, certainly rob you of your vital energy day-in and day-out. You’re just not designed to be in a chronic stress state24/7.

Additionally, chronic stress taxes your little adrenal glands over time. The reason? Those are the glands that secrete your stress hormones, certain sex hormones and help manage blood sugar.

Being chronically stressed also sets you up for too much time in the “sympathetic” state, and not enough time in the “parasympathetic” state.  When it comes to the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems, it’s all about balance. The sympathetic nervous system activates what is often termed the fight-or-flight response, increases heart rate, makes pupils dilate, and inhibits digestion.  The parasympathetic state slows down the heart rate, stimulates digestion, and stimulates good liver and kidney function, among other things.

So you can see that if you are in the sympathetic state way too often, your ability to digest and absorb nutrients from your foods, your liver’s ability to detoxify harmful substances, and restoration in general will be greatly affected.

But these are only some of the concerns robbing you of your energy. To discover how toxins and preservatives, fat storage, exercise, and endocrine imbalances affect energy, continue reading this 7-part blog post series, “The Energy Cycle: How to Get Back Your Get-Up-And-Go.”

And to help get back your get-up-and-go, you can start with a three week cleanse program. It can immediately help detoxify harmful substances from your body and help stimulate good liver and kidney function.

To learn more about how the 3-week cleanse can help you, CLICK HERE!

The Energy Cycle: How to Get Back Your Get-Up-And-Go: Part 2—Caffeine and Sleep Quality

I started this 7-part blog post series on decreased energy levels, with information on the energy-sapping foods that you take into your body. This post will discuss another culprit: caffeine…and how it can affect the quality of your sleep, leading to low energy levels, as well.

When looking at your sleep patterns, you should not only look at how many hours of shut-eye you get per night, but also how deeply you sleep.

  • Are you having a hard time falling asleep or waking up several times during the night?
  • Do you wake up feeling refreshed in the morning or do you feel like you need a tow truck to drag you out of bed?
  • How restorative is your sleep?

You can sleep for 7 to 8 hours, but if you are not sleeping well, then you will feel tired in the morning. In some people, even one cup of coffee in the morning can affect sleep quality and result in day-time fatigue…and drive the desire even for more caffeine.
It’s a vicious energy cycle. But, you can take control…NOW!

There are so many more energy-robbers, including stress, toxins and preservatives, fat storage, exercise, and endocrine imbalances. So, be sure to read the rest of this blog post series, “The Energy Cycle: How to Get Back Your Get-Up-And-Go.”

And to help get back your get-up-and-go, I’ve found I’ve found that a three week cleanse program is an ideal place to start. It can immediately help flush the caffeine from your body and help you get more restful sleep.

To learn more about how the 3-week cleanse can help you, CLICK HERE!

The Energy Cycle: How to Get Back Your Get-Up-And-Go: Part 1—Processed Foods, Food Sensitivities and Food Allergies

Today’s modern lifestyle has certainly taken a toll on everyone’s energy levels, with no get-up-and-go to keep them going. That’s why I’ve decided to do this 7-part blog series dealing with the major fatigue-causing culprits people face these days. Over the span of these seven blog posts, I will be dealing with caffeine, processed foods, food sensitivities, stress, toxins and preservatives, fat storage, exercise, and endocrine imbalances.

But, I won’t just be delivering a litany of causes. I will be providing ideas to help you jump-start your energy levels and get them back up again. So, I urge you to read every one of the revealing posts in this informative blog series.

First, I want to tell you about the energy-sapping foods that you take into your body.

Processed foods certainly are high on the list. These foods provide calories (usually more than you need), but they don’t provide the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to drive your energy pathways and help you sustain steady blood sugar levels.

As you certainly have felt more than once in your lifetime, processed foods often make you feel very sleepy, especially one to two hours after eating them. They’re the foods that actually rob you of the very nutrients you must have sustained energy.

Also sapping energy and making you tired are foods that you’ve become intolerant or sensitive to, because they can cause inflammation. For example, gluten protein, present in grains such as wheat, rye, barley, and oats, is potentially a concern for people that are “gluten sensitive” or “gluten intolerant.” On top of gluten sensitivity, soy, corn, and dairy are common food allergens that can also drain your energy by causing inflammation.

Often food intolerances and sensitivities can be traced backed to poor gut health, which is often the result of poor food and lifestyle choices, lack of stomach acid and enzymes to help digest foods, OTC drugs, certain medications, and stress.

But these foods are only some of the concerns robbing you of your energy. For more, please be sure to read the rest of this blog post series, “The Energy Cycle: How to Get Back Your Get-Up-And-Go.”

For an easy solution to get back your get-up-and-go, I’ve found that a three week cleanse program is an ideal place to start. Why? Because a cleanse program immediately addresses the processed foods and the highly allergenic foods. To learn more about how the 3-week cleanse can help you, CLICK HERE!