Detoxes, Are Not Just For The Ladies: A Man’s Guide To Detoxes

Detoxes are not just for the ladies – A Man’s Guide to Detoxes – everything you need to know to help you feel better and have more energy!

Last time you checked you were a man.

To put it mildly, you have a few bad eating habits, you have to admit you’ve had your fair share of indulgences. Whether you are on the 3 cans of Coke a day plan, or the 2-pound pork platter for lunch, or struggling with which is easier, to put away the last 4 slices of the thick crust everything on it pizza or… eat them, or finishing off the 8 bowls of half-eaten white frosting cake with rainbow sprinkles and ice cream from your daughter’s birthday party.

Let’s face it the “indulgences” have become a regular occurrence, not a special occasion.

Sadly, you know you look and feel like crap. (Oh, and you ain’t fooling the wife, at all)  After weeks and weeks of using the BS excuse, “it’s only once in awhile”, your fitness goals are so far off, your fit bit has turned into a fat tracker. As a problem-solving man, part of your brain knows this is a situation that means going from bad to worse ie. grinding the weight off in a gym. Part of the brain thinks there has got to be a better way. The good news you are right (again)- there is!

The solution, Detox. NO, this does not mean starving in a sauna while sipping weak green tea in a soggy sweaty towel. Detox has gotten a bad rap because people are prone to screwing up a good thing. Yes, Detox means there are some changes to your diet, but they do not have to be extreme changes to get the benefit of your mind thinking sharp and your man bod looking and feeling great! Let’s consider how and why a detox serves your body. Then let’s get into the details of a simple detox plan and get you back to being your best.

Every man knows there are many factors that determine overall health. Seriously only fools argue that there is only one absolute way to promote and maintain good health. We have lived long enough on this planet watching people live long or die miserably, to know there are good habits and basic health care practices that INCREASE the PROBABILITY of significantly increasing the good health of the body and mind. Consistently applying good nutrition, sleep, exercise, and stress relief habits are no-brainers for maximizing your health. Good men get this. The truth a lot of men skip over is, that our health manifests from the inside out.

As men, we are often tricked into thinking that the size of our biceps determines our overall health. When in reality it is the health of our organs that determine how well we look and feel. Sadly, too many guys find this out too late, after pounding their bodies into a hulk, they find their organs shutting down from all the shitty supplements and fast food they “reward” themselves with. They may ‘look’ good but they are far from healthy, and unless they encourage the proper functioning of their organs they will find that the toxic load is way too heavy for their bodies, no matter how much they bench press.

The goal of detox is not to lose weight, though that is a nice benefit, the goal of detox is to decrease toxic load on your vital organs. Remember a “toxin” is ANY SUBSTANCE (not just beer and pork rinds) that causes excessive stress on the body. Take this one step further, a toxic load is the overall AMOUNT or VOLUME of toxins that are accumulating in the body over time. Again “toxins” are any harmful substance, including chemicals from hair and body products, pesticides, plastics, household cleaning products, car exhaust, artificial colorings, and sweeteners. The list of toxins we are exposed to every day is staggering.

Good men getting better, don’t hear this, throw their hands in the air and say “what the hell we’re all going to die anyway”. NO! We say, ‘ok somethings maybe unavoidable, so how can I minimize exposure and take steps in my control to maximize my health, so I can be my best, caring for my family at the highest level. There are lots of plans out there on the world wide web. Pick one and do the program to the tee, ‘half-assing’ the program only shortchanges your health, it doesn’t disprove the benefits of detox. Bottom line there are ways to minimize the effect of toxins and maximize our health, pick one and get to work.

Here is a simple 30-day starter plan to take the trash out of that magnificent body of yours and make room for more energy, clearer thinking, great skin, improved immune system, weight loss and an overall sense of wellbeing.

Overview:

Step 1 – Stop Putting Crap in my Body.

Step 2 –  Get Rid of the Trash in my Body.

Step 3 – Increase the Good things I put in my Body.

Step 1 – Stop Putting Crap in my body. Yes, the foods that really stress the organs and prematurely age the body, are addicting and therefore initially hard to give up. But get real, when you eat crap you are being tricked into eating something that “tastes yummy” but in the long run leaves you feeling sick, tired and fat, are you really ok with that? I don’t know any men that say that they are, especially when standing in the light of the truth, as men, we have women and children to provide for and protect. Bottom line, setting down foods that decrease our ability to go to war for our families is not a problem.

Men cut the crap, by cutting portions in half. You really don’t need a scale at this stage, keep it simple, choose to eat off a smaller plate. You choose to do this to decrease the work the organs are doing processing food and toxins at the same time. The body then spends less energy processing and eliminating and more time healing and restoring.

Choosing to cut the crap is decreasing the amounts of “junk foods” you eat. Start cutting back and eventually cutting out processed foods, anything in a box or bag with ingredients you can’t pronounce, also white potatoes, white rice, white sugar and other artificial sweeteners. No fast foods. No alcohol. No dairy. No coffee for the next 30 days. The idea here is to cut out the biggest offenders to good health. If you sense that other foods are slowing you down, stop eating them too!

Step 2 – Get rid of the crap already in your body. An easy way to begin the process of flushing and alkalizing your body is to begin your day by drinking a glass of water with few drops of a grapefruit or lemon* essential oil in it. (Doterra products are great) The idea is to drink a minimum of one gallon of water daily. I also highly recommend using a digestive food enzyme with each meal. (Doterra makes a good one called Terrazyme)*

• You can also check out all the Detox Recipes on Maybe I Will!! 

Step 2 is easy to do and easy not to do. Out of the three steps, this one is the most crucial.

Step 3 –  Increase the Good things I put in my Body. When desiring a fullness of health, Choose to eat organic whole foods whenever possible like; lean meats, fish, eggs, fruits, vegetables and nuts and seeds for the next 30 days. To reap enormous benefits mindfully choose to eat more foods like coconut oil, butter, grass-fed beef, chia seeds, salmon, blueberries, spinach, sweet potatoes, garlic, and ginger.

Remember, this is a simple starter plan. Give this your best efforts for 30 days and note the differences in your health. Yes, track what you eat, don’t depend on your mind alone, keeping a food journal is a great way to record and then accurately report your progress. Check in with yourself after 30 days. Detoxing at least twice a year is a great way to determine where improvements can be made.

The choice to enjoy better health is before you, set aside the pathetic excuses and the fake “men only eat meat and potatoes” traditions. Rise Up! Your family needs you to be your best

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.