A healthy colon is a vital part of a healthy body. The colon, along with the small and large intestines, are a major area where the nutrients in food are absorbed. If the colon is not clean, it cannot fulfill this important task. Not only that, but the impacted fecal material also builds up in the colon and intestines releases toxins into the bloodstream. You are in effect getting toxins instead of nutrients - not a very good trade.
Symptoms that a colon detoxification might be in order include tiredness, PMS, headaches, and of course, constipation. There are a variety of ways colon cleansing can be done, including colonic irrigation, enemas, dietary fiber, and laxative herbs. These methods can help, but each has negative points.
Another natural option for colon health is to use an oxygen-based colon cleanser. This method uses magnesium oxide that has been treated with oxygen and ozone. This substance will react with the hydrochloric acid in the stomach to release oxygen. The oxygen gets into the bloodstream to nourish all parts of the body, but it does more than that. It also nourishes the favorable bacteria that live in the digestive tract.
Unfavorable bacteria in the digestive tract will cause you to you vomit, give you diarrhea, and cramps. Favorable bacteria compete with the unfavorable ones for living space. An oxygen-based colon detox will encourage those good microbes, for better all-around health. So how exactly does it work?
An oxygen-based colon health product creates a chemical reaction that releases oxygen and melts the impacted material in the intestines and colon into gas and liquid. It will make you need to stay close to a bathroom for a day or so while you eliminate the material from your colon, but you will feel much better afterwards.
Look for an oxygen-based colon detox product that is available in a capsule form. Make sure it does not include ascorbic acid among the ingredients because ascorbic acid is an antioxidant. An antioxidant will undo the good that could be done by the oxygen. A good ingredient to look for, however, is GE-132. This is the germanium-132, which is good for the health of the immune system. It also facilitates and adds oxygen. It is considered to be a nutrient that is helpful for many ailments.
Cleansing the colon can help with weight loss. Many people who have eaten an average diet for years have accumulated ten to twenty pounds of impacted fecal matter in their colons. An oxygen-based colon cleanse will help the body eliminate this material, resulting in a quick loss to jump start your weight loss plan. Follow up the cleanse with reasonable portions of healthy natural food. You should have enough energy after the cleanse to start an exercise program, too.
You can also try a dietary cleanse that allows you to eat, clean meals over 3 days. I highly recommend this approach because this allows you to get the nutrients you need from food while using supplementation and supports the development of healthy eating habits. You can reap the benefits of a cleanse AND develop healthier habits and have "gentler" experience while gaining insight on how not to get the point which caused the discomfort in the first place.
When you’re stressed out, the foods that you’re turning to are most likely going to be traditional ‘comfort’ foods – think big meals, take-out, fatty foods, sweet foods, and alcohol. Let’s face it – we’ve all found some comfort in a tasty meal and a bottle of beer or glass of wine when we’ve been stressed out or upset about something. However, this isn’t a good permanent solution.
When you’re turning to unhealthy foods you can feel better temporarily, but in the long run, you will feel worse. When your body isn’t getting the right nutrition, you can begin to feel less energetic, more lethargic, and in some cases less able to concentrate and focus. All of this can lead to even more stress.
Foods that Fight Stress
If you’ve been feeling more stressed out than usual lately, it’s important to know which foods are best to choose and which to avoid when it comes to combating stress and helping you to deal with feelings of stress and anxiety. The best way to fight stress is to have a healthy, balanced diet which includes a moderate amount of each of the different food groups.
Filling up on foods such as whole grains, leafy vegetables, and lean proteins as the basic staples of the diet is the best way to ensure that your body gets the optimum amounts of nutrients to fight both physical and mental health problems. When it comes to choosing the foods to eat, some have a range of great properties which help the body to combat stress. Choosing these stress-busting foods will help to heal and calm your mind permanently, rather than providing a temporary fix.
Some of the best stress-fighting foods include:
Avocado - Avocados are a creamy and versatile fruit
which can be eaten in a range of different ways whether you enjoy it raw, made
into sauces, dressings and dips, or in a smoothie. These nutrient-dense fruits
have the properties to stress-proof your body, thanks to their high glutathione
content which specifically blocks the intestinal absorption of certain fats
which cause oxidative damage. Avocados also contain higher levels of vitamin E,
folate, and beta-carotene than any other fruit, which boosts their
stress-busting properties. However, be careful with portion control when eating
avocado, as it is high in fat.
Blueberries – If you’re
feeling stressed out and reaching for the snacks, swapping chocolate or chips
for one of the best superfoods is a great way to help you deal with your stress
levels and achieve a higher level of calm. Blueberries have some of the highest
levels of antioxidants, especially antho-cyanin, which means that this berry
has been linked to a wide range of health benefits including sharper cognition,
better focus, and a clearer mind – all of which can help you to better
deal with stress.
Chamomile Tea – Of course, it’s
not all about what you’re eating when it comes to managing stress; what you’re
drinking can also alleviate or worsen the stress you're feeling. Drinking
liquids which are high in sugars and caffeine, such as coffee, energy drinks or
soda, can actually increase your stress levels if consumed regularly. Chamomile
tea has long been used as a natural bedtime soother, and it has also been used
in clinical trials, which determined that chamomile tea is effective in
reducing the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder.
Chocolate – Although it’s usually seen as an
unhealthy treat, there is an undeniable link between chocolate and our mood.
Studies have shown that eating chocolate can actually make you happier.
However, that doesn’t mean that you can start munching on chocolate bars every
time you're stressed out – chocolate works best as a de-stressor when eaten in
moderation and as part of a healthy and balanced diet. Dark chocolate in
particular is best for you, as it contains more flavonols and polyphenols, two
hugely important antioxidants which can help combat stress, more than many
fruit juices.
Beef – Grass-fed beef is not only kinder to
the planet and to animals, it’s also good for people too. Grass-fed beef has a
huge range of antioxidants, including beta-carotene and Vitamins C and E,
which can help your body to fight stress and anxiety. If you’re looking for
more reasons to spend a little more money on organic, grass-fed beef, it’s also
lower in fat than grain-fed beef while being higher in omega-3.
Oatmeal – Oatmeal is great in that it can be a
filling comfort food, but also has a large number of healthy properties to
actually make you feel better from the inside out. A complex carbohydrate,
eating oatmeal causes your brain to produce higher levels of the feel-good
chemical serotonin, helping you to feel calmer and less stressed. Studies have
shown that kids who choose oatmeal for breakfast tend to be much sharper
throughout the morning in school compared to kids who had alternative morning
meals.
Walnuts – If you’re looking for a healthy
snacking option which will help you to stay better in control of your stress
levels, walnuts are a great choice. There is no denying the sweet, pleasant
flavor of walnuts and they can be a tasty snack for in-between meals or as part
of a desert. A versatile nut, walnuts are great for salads, or add them to a
sweet treat such as coffee and walnut cake.
Pistachios – another food
which is great for snacking on and can also help to combat stress and anxiety
in the long term is pistachios. Studies have found that simply eating two
small, snack-size portions of pistachios per day can lower vascular
constriction when you are stressed, putting less pressure on your heart by
further dilating your arteries. Along with this, the rhythmic, repetitive act
of shelling pistachios can actually be quite therapeutic!
Green Leafy Vegetables – leafy, green
vegetables should be a pivotal part of anyone’s diet. Along with helping to
combat stress, leafy greens are full of nutrients and antioxidants which help
to fight off disease and leave your body feeling healthier and more energized.
Dark leafy greens, for example spinach, are especially good for you since they
are rich in folate, which helps your body to produce more mood-regulating
neurotransmitters such as serotonin, which is a ‘feel-good’ chemical. Making
leafy greens a part of your diet will help you to feel happier and less
stressed out overall.
Fermented foods – last but not
least, eating fermented foods such as yogurt can help to keep your gut healthy,
which actually in turn will help to improve your mental health and reduce stress
levels. The beneficial bacteria which are found in fermented foods such as
yogurt actually have a direct effect on your brain chemistry and transmit
positive mood and behavior regulating signals to your brain via the vagus
nerve.
Putting Together Your Diet Plan
Planning your meals wisely is key to not only staying
physically fit and healthy, but also to staying mentally strong and being able
to best manage your levels of stress. Knowing which foods to avoid and which
are the best to reach for to snack on when you’re feeling worried and anxious
is important to helping you get control over your emotions and fears.
When you’re feeling stressed, you may be tempted to reach for
classic ‘comfort foods’ – usually foods which are laden with sugar, very starchy, or
greasy. However, although these foods can make you feel momentarily better,
they will actually make you feel worse in the long run.
Having stress-busting snacks such as fresh berries, dark
chocolate, yogurt, walnuts or pistachios, or even a fruit smoothie with avocado
and leafy greens in it can help you to feel better in both the short and long
term when it comes to stress. When it comes to combating and dealing with stress
in the long run, it’s important to make sure that for the most part, you are
eating a diet which is healthy and balanced.
In order to stay on track, it’s a good idea to make a meal
plan for your week and plan ahead to make sure that you have a good selection
of these stress-busting foods in your kitchen to make meals and snacks from
when you’re feeling like stress-eating. Making sure that the majority of your
meals include foods such as lean proteins and leafy green vegetables will not
only make you feel healthier overall, but can improve your mental health and
stress levels, too.
A good example of a healthy, stress-busting menu would be:
Breakfast: Oatmeal with berries or a fruit smoothie with avocado and
berries
Mid-morning snack: Natural yogurt with fruit or a handful of pistachio nuts
Lunch: A whole-grain pasta salad filled with plenty of leafy
greens
Afternoon snack: Dark chocolate
Dinner: Grass-fed beef with vegetables
Before bed: Chamomile tea
Of course, you don’t need to stick to this menu – but it gives you
a good idea! Remember to exercise good portion control when eating foods such
as nuts, chocolate, yogurt or avocado! As the saying goes, you are what you eat
– so make sure that first and foremost, you’re filling yourself up with foods
which are good for your mental health.
For many of us, gaining back full range of motion and strength after a health scare (stroke, multiple sclerosis or other illness that compromises mobility) is a goal that requires daily movement and practice. You can’t give in to despair. You can’t give up on yourself. You have to give yourself some grace when you have a bad day. You must remain relentless in your quest to be whole.
I do this through functional movement and retraining my brain to move in the way that most people take for granted. Like walking, talking, running, getting down to the floor from a standing position and getting up from the floor.
A huge part of my training is flexibility training. A muscle that is flexible has more capacity to become stronger and move as it was designed to move. I have found a program that I have done before and will be starting again and I am excited to see how far I’ve
come since doing my first round.
I’m getting stronger every day so I know I will do well this time around🤩
Recovery comes in many forms. We all struggle with something. The goal should always be to give your best every day you are blessed to wake up❣️ Through prayer and supplication I found the courage to embark on this journey. May whatever you struggle with today not overwhelm you. Make it your runway for you to take off towards your new beginning🤗
Would you like to get started on a new program to strengthen not just your body but also your mind too? Check out some options here.
You got good grades in school. You were a good girl and didn’t make any trouble.You did your best to be the perfect girlfriend. You had a moment of rebellion just to try to fit in. You met the man of your dreams and vowed to be everything he ever needed. You became a mother and swore to be the best mother God gave you the strength and power to be. You went college and earned an advanced degree. You went out to work in a world that demanded more than your best time and time again and you always and consistently delivered. You didn’t need anybody’s help. You got this!
For all your hard work 😓 you:
Still got rejected by your parents.
Still wasn’t what he wanted.
Still was the last to be invited to the party.
Still got bamboozled by the husband.
Still fell short as a parent.
Still got taken advantage of in exchange for your good will at work.
Still wasn’t smart enough.
Still wasn’t good enough.
For all your effort, you realize you ain’t got this!
Don’t you deserve better?
Don’t you deserve to live a life full of wellbeing and purpose?
Don’t you deserve to know love and peace in a way that surpasses all understanding?
Don’t you deserve to have more, do more, be more?
Don’t you deserve to enjoy good health, be financially fit and renew your mind to the highest esteem?
You can! Starting today! In order to have more you have to be more so you can do more. You have that power. It all starts with a desire and a decision to create change that creates focus and determination to go where you want to go and be who you want to be.
I know it’s a big decision. Bigger than the decision to get married, have kids, go back to school or even accept an offer for a job. Keep in mind, all those decisions were made in fear. Fear of your biological clock. Fear of being rejected. Fear of failure. Fear he wouldn’t love me. Fear she wouldn’t respect me. Fear of being alone. Fear of (fill in the blank) How about we change the narrative? How about we start stepping out on FAITH!?!
Why not change the thoughts in our mind to know and accept that anything is possible with God? How about we write some crazy, awesome dreams down on paper and take them to God in prayer? How about having some hope for something more than just checking the boxes of what the world expects of you?
What if you did that and changed your life in such an amazing way that you won’t even recognize the life you left behind? If fear was no object and faith took its place, what could your life look like in 5 years?
Have you ever needed to have a gut wrenching, crying out to God SOB?
Today was one of those days for me. I had just fallen AGAIN and I got up quick enough to get the rest of the groceries back in the house and then....I let it all hang out. I didn’t even know I needed to get that soul breaking cry out but before I knew it, it was happening! It was one of those cries where you can't even make the sounds you just...your soul is crying out to your Creator. Crying out for your body to function like it should. Crying out so you can do and execute like you know you should but you can't make your mind and skill work for you. You’re stuck! Crying out for the faith to overcome the fear that builds inside you daily and rears its ugly head when your heart wants to execute like your life depends on it. Crying, sobbing, begging for God to take over because YOU CAN’T anymore...not without HIM.
Sometimes in our lives the shift that you desperately want to happen doesn’t because your pride or toxic positivity (yeah, I said that!) doesn’t allow you the cleansing cry you need to achieve clarity. Be real when you get on your knees. He knows your heart anyway. That will make you bawl, for real!
Let’s be very clear. Your pride will have you thinking that crying is punking out and a distraction from what you need to be doing. But if you’re stuck and not making any progress toward your goals, it is likely that your fear is taking over and you don’t truly believe that what you have to offer the world really makes a difference. Toxic positivity is telling you that the little you are doing is baby steps in the right direction and you might be listening to other people telling you the same thing. But you and I both know its not nearly enough to make significant progress on your goals. When this happens, you might need a cleansing cry...one that I like to call a soul cry.
My soul cry today gave me clarity and frankly, the willingness to surrender my goals and dreams to God. I know He is going to let me know exactly where I am coming up short and where I need to lean in. I know that I have to choose faith, put my trust in Him and trust the process.
I have a renewed passion now. I know that I have to do the work to do the work. What does that mean? I have to create a plan and reverse engineer how to get there. This is something that needs to be done every day. With the help of my Creator, I know that I have the strength, courage and discipline to get the job done.
What area of your life do you need to have a soul cry about?
I used to be so overwhelmed with self-doubt that
often I wondered if I could do anything right. Whether it was struggling with
my weight, my relationships, at work or business, I never felt good enough and
so I often struggled with meeting my goals.
I became so frustrated I said to myself,
“something’s gotta give”. I started to pray. I started looking for ways that I
could overcome these problem areas in my life. I started researching these
different areas and see if there was any insight into how I could turn these
things around.
Eventually what I found was that I needed to conduct
a self audit.It looked a little
something like this:
🤔Was I doing the work necessary to get results in these different areas
of my life where I was having the most difficulty?
🤔Was I following a meal plan and exercising to reach my health goals?
🤔Was I trying to find common ground with people I work with so that we
can have a more collaborative relationship rather than a combative relationship?
🤔Was I talking about and promoting my ideas for new business ventures
in a way that made people want to invest in new products or services?
When I realized that I was coming up short, it was
time to start soul searching. It was time to start crafting a plan for every
area of my life where I wanted to see significant improvement. It was time to
start crafting a plan for success.
I began to take control of my life. I began putting
things in action. Then I started to get the results I wanted. I recognized that
I had the power to manifest my dreams into reality. I took ownership and things
started to turn around.
This process is simple but never easy. It is a
renewed commitment you have to make every day to move the needle forward in
your life. If I could do it I know that you can. You have that power. Never
surrender it to someone or something else. 🤗
👉🏽I’m really thinking a lot about the way I lived my life in the past and how I intend to live now to prepare for my future
👉🏽I can’t sleep at night and feel lethargic during the day
👉🏽 I would do about anything for just a little more energy
👉🏽I wanna focus on my health but who has the time?
I hear you. It’s been a crazy few months but you can find some calm in the anxiety and rejuvenation from the fatigue. Let’s focus on our health as the foundation for all other things we want to do. I have an idea that might help.
For starters, I’m joining my team’s 11 day glow up challenge starting July 6th. For 11 days, we are going to nourish our bodies in a way the reduces the stress, gives us a good night’s sleep (I know right, what is that😳), giving us the energy to get through the day!
Many good, God-fearing people have been asking questions like, “How can I help”, Where can I donate? What can I do? I’m only one person!”
Well, I have
answers! You can help your child learn RIGHT from WRONG just like you teach them
manners. You can DONATE time to your child’s upbringing and be in control of
what they are exposed to including but not limited to what they watch on TV,
what they are seeing on the internet and the company they keep. Guide h/her thinking
to not judge people by the color of their skin but the content of their
character. You have to be a living breathing example of what you claim you want
to help, donate and do in the world and pass that down to your kids. This is how
you can help. This is how you can donate. This what you do!
We won’t end
centuries of nurtured and cultivated racism overnight and we shouldn’t expect
widespread forgiveness overnight.
Depression is such a broad phenomenon. It covers so many things. Some people think it is just clinical depression that you should be looking out for when thinking about depression generally, but in fact clinical depression varies and is exhibited in all kinds of forms. Anxiety, loss of appetite, lack of desire to do something that you once loved, even lack of a sexual drive are all signs of depression. I'm not an expert or clinical psychologist but I've lived a little life and I’ve learned throughout my many different stages of life how you can fall in depression over things and you can really have a hard time coping with situations. Situational depression is one thing but if you’re not paying attention, it could also lead to a lifestyle of depression where you're in a funk for two and three years and it's the reason why I'm bringing this up today.
In our empowerment zone group, we use fitness as a foundation to improve other areas of our lives. We support each other not just in our fitness journey but also in our daily struggles with work and family and kids and friends and all that other kind of stuff. We have a mother and daughter team that's in the group and we found ourselves talking about a breakthrough that they made in their relationship with regard to the depression that the daughter was suffering at the same time that the mom was suffering from depression but they were dealing with it in different ways. The daughter revealed was that she had come to the mom on several occasions as a teenager to discuss feelings she was having and these dark places that she found herself in. The mom was always so preoccupied with something else.
During that perilous time in both the mom and the daughter’s life, the mom was just doing everything in her power and working around the clock just to ensure that her daughter is safe, getting three squares, has clothes on her back but with very little support. Even though the mom was married to her daughter’s father, the dad was not really doing all that he could he to support the family so the burden was on the mom. To hear the mom explain it, he had a weird job that some weeks he'd work he'd work ten hours a week other weeks he'd work 80 hours and it made it difficult for them financially never knowing what their what their situation would look like.
The mom shared with us that she was working two-three jobs at any given while going to school to try and just keep everything together because at the end of the day, she wants to take care of the daughter.
Unfortunately, while her mom is there sometimes and not there a lot, the daughter tried to confront this and tried to explain her depression to her mom. Since the daughter couldn't get her mom's attention, the daughter found other ways to cope.
The good news is that when the mom and the daughter finally had the conversation years later, the mom finally got clarity. She understood that as much as she wanted to provide for her daughter and make sure everything stayed afloat and even though she was going through her own thing, if she had a chance to do it all over again, she would most definitely be paying attention to her daughter. She started listening to her and they both were talking through the issues that the daughter was feeling and get her into therapy.
I share this because I think it is an amazing story. First of all, these groups are really great when we have the opportunity to help each other in a profound way. We can talk about these issues in private we don't share them with anybody and we end up empowering people to live happy, fulfilling lives. I'm bringing this your attention because depression is a real thing. Depression is something that you really have to address as parents, especially when you profess that everything that you are doing is for your kids. This is what I heard often during our conversations in the group. “Everything that I did and every day I got up was guided by how can I make this easier for her? I just don't want her to suffer like I suffered. I don't want her to go through what I'm going through.” What the mom in our group learned is, at the end of the day when your child is in front of you and needs to talk to you need to pay attention. I’m a parent too so clearly, I empathized with her. I know our kids don’t come with manuals. I do think there is a lesson to be learned here for parents of teenagers that are going through a lot of different things. Teenagers by virtue of the fact that they're teenagers are just going through a lot as they discover who they are. Their hormones are all over the place and sometimes they don't have somewhere to channel all this energy. They're just trying to learn about all that’s going on with them. So as parents, we sometimes have to drop everything. We might have a presentation for the CEO that's due tomorrow morning. At the end of the day, whatever you are doing, you're doing that for your kid. I just feel like when your kid tells you that they're depressed, when their kid when your kid tells you that they're feeling sad, when your kid tells you that something is bothering them, don't say ‘not now’. Do yourself a favor. You don't have to listen to me. Listen to your kids. I think it'll be good for you to understand them. So when they are in crisis, you will be the first to know. It’s critical!
At the end of the day, we want to provide our kids with the best life possible but let me tell you one of the things that your kids treasure the most as they're growing up and when they become an adult. They're going to remember the time they spent with you. They're going to remember that time you said ‘not now’ and it's going to impact them in a very negative way and it's going to contribute to years of depression and wondering why they're not enough and why they were never enough. I lived it as a kid growing up. God bless my parents. I didn’t come with a manual either. I think that they did the best that they could. However, during my adult life, I was dealing with a lot of issues of abandonment as a result of hearing ‘not now’ one too many dang times. So, I could so relate to this young lady who was sharing her story. The mother and daughter are in a better place. Thank God for His mercy that they went through what they went through together and separately and still ended up being the best of friends. Now that's a blessing and God's grace in an abundant way. I'm so happy for them and I'm so happy that they're doing this group together because it's going to help them continue to heal in ways that maybe they haven't explored yet. The daughter feels validated now and the mom is learning to forgive herself. It's a beautiful thing to watch. I'm blessed to be able to witness that and just kind of guide that process. It really is them they're doing this together and it's a beautiful thing so I'm glad that I could be part of it.
At the end of the day, if you're a mom or a dad with teenage kids or young kids and they come to you anytime and talk about feeling sad or feeling a certain kind of way just stop what you're doing for a second, look them in the eyes and say ‘baby girl, (baby boy) tell me what's going on’. That is going to mean the absolute world to them. Just remember as busy as we are as parents remember who you're doing it for. It's not an easy job raising kids and having to work outside the home, building a business and finishing your education. Trust me, been there, done that. Remember, what your kids want the most is your time to hear them tell their silly story, to hear them tell you what's wrong, okay?
So if this article was helpful, please share it. Please talk about it. Please let me know if you know a busy parent that's dealing with depression and relationship issues with their kids. Share this article with them and hopefully it'll help. Hopefully it'll give them some perspective. Hopefully this article gave you some perspective because I know I learned a lot of lessons raising my own baby girl and listening to this dynamic between this mom and daughter in my group and being a kid raised with a disconnect from my parents. So I know how incredibly valuable this can be to those who think there is no hope for their relationships with their kids. Please share and comment below let me know what you think. I'll talk to you soon.
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