Taking Responsibility For Your Health

When I speak with people on the topic of health the subject of ‘responsibility’ inevitably comes up. So I put some thought into why this might be, and a key point kept coming to mind. First, I noticed that most people that do not accept responsibility for their own health usually if not always are blaming others and things outside of themselves for their ill bodily conditions.

Saying for example, ‘oh I always get sick this time of year, or that person made me sick’ etc. What I am saying is if you can change your lifestyle gradually to a healthier one as well as having a healthier mindset, you don’t have to get sick every year if you really do not want to. Most of us program ourselves to get sick and we don’t even realize we are doing it.

We see a person sneezing and coughing, our first thought is ‘uh oh, I hope I don’t catch what he has’, or we see ads on television that the flu season is upon us and we think, ‘well I’ll probably catch the flu this year sooner or later’. So in addition to acting healthier – exercising, eating healthier – eliminating junk food and fast food, we can be thinking healthier, and a good place to start is taking responsibility for our health, whether we are sick or feeling great.

When was the last time you felt great and you said to yourself something along the lines of ‘gee I feel so good because of me, because of who I am and what I do.’ Well if you do say things like this to yourself then congratulations because most people do not give themselves enough credit for feeling good and doing their best to lead a healthier lifestyle. So what I am saying in effect is that it works both ways, you can create your own health circumstances in life or you can act as a victim and be a slave to them.

Once we begin to actively and consciously take credit for the good, as well as the bad health circumstances we encounter in our lives, we will begin to notice that it’s up to us to how well we would like to feel and not so much on the outside world we thought that controls us. A great question to ask yourself everyday is: how did I bring this into my life? You correct examine your thought processes, correct your thinking and move on.

This is much more powerful than you may think, but of course prove it to yourself. We can consciously choose to enhance our well-being and health through adding a healthy exercise regimen to our daily routine for example. This will give both your body and mind a boost and you can easily thank yourself and praise yourself from the high, glowing feeling you get after a great workout, whether it be with weights, calisthenics, yoga, pilates, martial arts, etc., you get my point.

Doing healthier activities compound over time and become cumulative. In the case that you do get sick even though you are taking supplements to enhance your immune system, exercising regularly and eating healthy… don’t beat yourself up. Accept that you allowed yourself to be sick and no else. Then make up your mind to get healthier and become better faster than ever before. Don’t get negative, and you will see that overtime you will stay healthier for longer and longer periods until you do not get sick anymore.

Yes it is possible to be healthy all year around, you just need to accept that it is possible. I personally do not remember the last time I got sick or went to see a doctor for that matter. By accepting responsibility for my health and everything that happens to me in my life, I am able to stay healthy and feel great. Of course my daily activities, internal exercises, food and vitamin/supplement intake and mindset have everything to do with this.

Colon Cleansing and Fasting: Is It Safe?

So you are looking to do a colon cleanse, good for you. But did you know that there are ways to improve the strength of your cleanse? Since you are reading this you have probably heard or read that you can. One powerful way to strengthen your colon cleanse and flush out that very old accumulated waste that’s been seething in your colon is by combining fasting with your colon cleanse.

Most likely you are taking an herbal supplement to do your colon cleanse. Hopefully you have chosen an effective colon cleansing product made by a reputable company. If you have, the colon cleansing product you have purchased should come with detailed instructions as to what foods are optimal to consume during your cleanse if you are going that route.

Diet is super important to having a better colon cleanse. So let’s talk about what foods are recommended to eat during your colon cleanse first. Raw fruits and vegetables are ideal to consume while doing a colon cleanse because they are super high energy, natural foods that are easily digested by the body. They also help and assist the herbs you are taking to flush out the toxins and waste out of your system.

The corollary to this is avoiding heavier foods like meats, dairy, fried foods and processed foods while cleansing. You also want to avoid any kind of artificial ingredients like candy, as well as common table salt. Basically you want to avoid anything that does not have intrinsic nutritional value. The reasoning behind this is that all of the above are difficult for the body to digest and process. This will obviously have a detrimental effect to having a successful colon cleanse.

Okay so going beyond eating a proper diet during your colon cleanse, you can go a step further and do a liquids only fast. There are people who say that fasting is dangerous and not good for you. Most people who say this have never done a fast in their lives and therefore have not experienced the benefits first hand. Personal experience is key to being able to give informed advice.

I only speak from personal experience myself and therefore endorse the opposite view. That view is that fasting once in a while is healthy for you because it gives your digestive system a break, especially if you are not the healthiest eater. Doing a raw juice fast with a colon cleanse is one of the best things I have done for myself. Harming yourself through food deprivation and doing a controlled fast for enhancing one’s health are world’s apart so comparing the two makes no sense.

Combining fasting while doing a colon cleanse is an even more powerful combination. It allows your digestive system / colon to flush out the old toxic waste even more because it is not working to digest and break down foods that you just ate. Doing a liquids only fast combined with colon cleansing herbs will give you a much deeper, stronger cleanse because of the extra energy provided from less digestion.

It is recommended that you drink fresh, raw organic juices only. Fresh, organic juices are packed with high nutritional value that give you energy and are much easier for your body to digest. A juicer will be needed to accomplish this, so hopefully you have one. If you don’t you should invest in one as drinking fresh organic juices regularly will do wonders for your health generally speaking. Mixing juices like carrot, apple, cucumber, celery and beets for example work great together.

Juice fasting while doing your colon cleanse does take more discipline than just eating whatever you want while popping your colon cleansing supplement. But if you go this route you will see a dramatic difference in the results you get in what you flush out of your body and how it affects your health. You will get hunger pangs throughout your cleanse no doubt but your body will thank you for giving it the break and internal cleanse it so deserves.

Also I guarantee you will be so surprised by how awesome you feel, the surges of energy you will get, related health benefits and of course what comes out of you (that parts a bit gross). Give yourself some credit because you deserve it. Being able to stick to a juice fast only during your cleansing program takes some self-discipline. Greater results come from greater effort and you will feel not only physically empowered but mentally as well for taking the high road to greater health in your life.

What to Expect When Doing a Colon Cleanse

Knowing what to expect when doing a colon cleanse is vital so that you can prepare yourself as much as possible before you actually go ahead and do your colon cleanse. For the most part doing a colon cleanse will not be the most pleasant experience and you will have to have some self-discipline as well. The good part about this is that it is well worth it and if you do it right you will reap the benefits.

Okay so what should you expect? Well before I get into that, I am assuming that you are using or will be using a colon cleansing product that uses only all-natural ingredients, and not one that uses harsh artificial ingredients and chemicals. Please note that just because a product claims that it uses ‘all-natural’ or ‘natural’ ingredients, this may not exactly be the case. Make sure to check the product label for ingredients and that the product does indeed use all-natural ingredients. It would be even better if the colon cleansing product ingredients are organic if possible.

Most common side effects associated with doing a colon cleanse are occasional discomforts that stem from cleansing reactions. Now each person is different and some people will feel more energetic during their cleanse than others. Some people will not feel their energy levels change until after the cleanse is over. Alternating between feeling great, good and not so good is common as well. It is important to understand that the body is releasing toxins, which is after all the goal of the colon cleanse and what cleansing reactions actually stem from.

Sometimes these cleansing reactions may manifest as temporary gas and stomach bloating. Also passing strange or odd looking stools is common as the body is ridding itself of plaque, parasites and possibly tapeworms. I like to say is that it will get bad before it gets better. A good analogy is cleaning out your bathroom sink pipe which you have not done in years. There is going to be a lot nasty, grimy gook you will encounter. Eventually though, it will be nice and clean and the water will once again flow through and drain quickly.

So in the end you need to trust the colon cleansing program you are on and trust your own body’s wisdom. You will see that your colon and your body as a whole is an amazing organism that really does go through a lot to rid itself of toxins and pollutants. Sometimes though, it needs a little help from us in the form of a temporary diet change, an infusion of special herbs and possibly even fasting to get back on track.

So don’t be too hard on yourself and understand that just as we need to stay on top of keeping our outsides nice and clean (most of us shower at least once a day), we need to do so also for our insides. Reaching optimal health is what our body is striving for and the reactions you will go through when doing a colon cleanse are only temporary. So have patience and eventually you will have greater health, energy and vitality from doing a proper colon cleanse and detoxification.

Antioxidants for Better Skin

Antioxidants are important to keep your skin in the best condition possible. A sufficient supply of antioxidants will help to moisturize your skin and stop it from becoming dry and flaky. Antioxidants will also help to repair damaged skin and prevent damage to skin cells that are caused by free radicals.

Free radicals are molecules that cause damage to the cells by the depleting them from getting a sufficient supply of oxygen. The production of free radicals is stimulated by many different sources including cigarette smoke, alcohol, UV light, pollution and so on.

The collagen that helps us maintain the youthful appearance gets broken down as these free radicals damage the skin cells. The vitamins A, C and E, and beta-carotene are the most powerful antioxidants and these are regularly added to quality body care products and in particular moisturizers to help improve the condition of the skin.

The best antioxidants however are those that you get through maintaining a good diet. Your nutrition has a lot more affect on the condition of your skin due to the necessity of antioxidants to counter the free radicals that are constantly damaging the skin cells.

Antioxidants stimulate the production of collagen and this helps prevent wrinkles. Antioxidants also help to protect the skin against sun damage so getting a good supply of antioxidants in your diet will reduce the chance of you getting sunburned but it is certainly not a reason to refrain from using a good sunscreen to protect your skin.

As manufacturers look to improve the quality of their products by adding antioxidants and other skincare ingredients, Coenzyme-Q10  has proven very popular due to the fact that it is believed it can stimulate the growth of new cells and in doing so create smoother, firmer and more toned skin.

Whether there is any real benefit from having Q10 in these products has yet to be scientifically proven but there are enough people who believe that it works to warrant its inclusion in skin care products.