“Let food be thy medicine.” ~ Hippocrates

Fasting is one of the oldest means of spiritual and physical cleansing, but a more current approach to detoxing is to nourish the body thoroughly with whole foods, fueling its natural cleansing mechanism with the nutrients needed to achieve optimal cleansing activity. By choosing a diet rich in high-quality proteins, complex carbs and essential fats, you provide your body the nourishment it needs to prevent muscle and organ breakdown. Intelligent application of nutrition supports organ function directly involved in the cleansing process and may help in the following ways:

INTESTINE: The nutrients zinc and pantothenic acid, the amino acid L-glutamine, and microorganisms known as acidophilus and bifidus, are a few of the substances that provide support for the health and integrity of the intestinal function such as regular bowel movements, eliminating the build-up of unhealthful microorganisms and internal toxins, and providing a strong and intact barrier to prevent the leaking of toxic materials from the intestines into circulation.

LIVER: Antioxidants found in foods rich in vitamins A, C & E, beta-carotene, B vitamins (especially B3 and B6), minerals, the amino acids L-cysteine and L-glutamine, and components known as glutathione and phospholipids are some of the substances that support liver function. Diet additives for a healthy liver include: garlic, legumes (beans), onions, eggs, and sulfur-rich foods including broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, and other cruciferous vegetables. The sulfur in these vegetables may help the liver in its role of cleansing the body of toxins; additionally, these sulfur-rich foods contain nutrients called glucosinolates which may help prevent cancer by eradicating carcinogenic compounds in your body. The vitamins, antioxidants and fiber in cruciferous vegetables also make them well worth adding to your daily diet. Folic acid – a Vitamin B9 which is part of the B Complex, is also found in brussel sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, parsnips, eggs and even asparagus and most green leafy vegetables.

KIDNEY: The vitamins A, C, B6, and the minerals magnesium and potassium are just some of the substances that support effective kidney function.

However you decide to kick start your body’s natural cleansing process, keep in mind it is important to eliminate chemicals, drugs and stimulants. Also keep in mind that cooking veggies often destroys a nutrient altogether or reduces its effectiveness (i.e. there is less nutrient available to be absorbed by your body) thus eating a raw diet of these types of veggies either by chewing or drinking provides the total cleansing and nutrient absorption. Stay tuned for Part IV – TOP 10 Ways to Kick Start Your Detox…

ENDOTOXINS
The human body produces a number of toxins as byproducts of metabolism. Called endotoxins because they come from within the body itself, these substances can irritate or inflame tissues. Toxins also can inhibit normal functioning unless they are eliminated.

EXOTOXINS
Harmful substances from outside the body, or exotoxins, often interfere with digestive functions, irritating the digestive tract. When this happens, our body signals the immune system to rid the body of what it perceives to be foreign invaders.

ELIMINATING THE TOXINS
Natural removal of toxins and waste through the body’s cleansing process promotes healthy functioning and supports the immune system.

The Body Employs Seven Channels of Toxin Elimination

- Blood (Circulatory System)
- Lymphatic (Circulatory System)
- Bowel or Colon (Organ)
- Kidney (Organ)
- Lungs (Organ)
- Skin (Organ)
- Liver (Organ)

All play a unique role in the elimination process, and it is imperative that all channels function properly for effective total internal body cleansing.

The blood that flows through the vessels of the circulatory system carries both oxygen and nutrients to the cells. This is essential for burning or oxidizing off toxins as well as transporting toxins to organs of elimination. The digestive system is the starting point in the toxic stress cycle. When food is not properly digested, toxins are produced in the intestine. These toxins then travel within the blood from the intestine to the liver.The body’s cleansing mechanism involves two important steps at this point:

Phase I – Toxins from the digestive system are excreted in the form of bowel eliminations from the colon. During this process, the liver begins clearing out toxins, also helping to prevent fat storage in cells.

Phase II – The liver makes toxins water-soluble so that they can be excreted, completing the process begun in Phase I.
(The liver truly is remarkable and affected by nearly everything a person ingests and breathes. This is one organ that should never be taken for granted: if the liver is sluggish every organ in the body suffers.)

The process continues as such:

- Blood vessels enlarge, restricting flow
- Toxins get into the circulatory system
- The lining of the gastrointestinal track is weakened
- More toxins are released
- The cycle is repeated
- Stored toxins re-circulate in the blood and may contribute to long-term poor health.

Still more toxins may be eliminated through perspiration (out through pores in the skin.) And, sneezing cleans out our sinus tracts, while lungs automatically exhale carbon dioxide and other wastes, and kidneys filter waste from the bloodstream.

When toxins are not eliminated through our body’s natural processes, eventually they are stored in bones, hair, muscles, and lymphatic tissue and fatty tissue. Cleansing your body of these toxins helps strengthen your internal immune system. Stay tuned for Part III – Using the Whole Food to Detox the Body…

Every New Year seems to trigger a natural urge to kick-start our initiatives to improve and empower our life/ relationships/weight loss/job search/financial planning/etc. For each of us, the initiative and urgency may differ, but we nonetheless share a similar focus to start or reboot a part of ourselves. Not surprisingly, detoxification – effectively our body’s natural internal cleansing mechanism – becomes a popular buzz word this time of year. Even the most disciplined of us have indulged in one too many glasses of eggnog or Christmas cookies, setting ourselves up for unwanted weight gain, a sluggish metabolism, and sugar cravings that last well beyond the holiday celebrations. So what’s a girl to do? Detoxing really is a natural and beneficial process and allows our body’s natural internal cleansing mechanism to do its thing. After all, we regularly clean our homes and our cars, reboot our phones and computers. Why would our body be any different? We have nothing to lose but our toxins – not to mention gaining a more efficient metabolism, increased energy, glowing skin and a clear mind to start the New Year right! In Part II of our New Year – New You – Detox, we’ll focus on the toxins behind the Detox…

Occupation: CPA, SEC Compliance, HR Administration
Age: 31
Hometown: Albany, NY
Currently Lives In: New York, NY

Her Story:

You may recognize her as the advanced modifier in our Fluidity instructional videos, but Erikka was actually one of our very first testimonials. A lifelong athlete and avid gym-goer, Erikka was still searching for the one workout that would make her 5’2” muscular frame look longer and leaner. During our Fluidity Challenge at Bally’s, Erikka dropped 24 pounds and 8 inches off her thighs and in her after photo, she absolutely glowed! See her before-and-after photos.

In Her Own Words:

My body just flows. I have a dancer’s body and it’s the body I’ve always wanted. For years, I had tried every workout available and saw no changes in my body. Within weeks of meeting Michelle and practicing Fluidity, my body completely transformed – I looked longer, leaner, my muscles were sculpted and I felt proportionate. Michelle, through Fluidity, gave me the key to transform my body!

Fun Facts:

Favorite indulgence? A spa day
You’re currently reading? The Shack by William P. Young
Favorite U.S. city? New Orleans, LA

The back of a woman’s body has long been considered a symbol of feminine beauty. As far back as the 1930’s, movie stars pushed the fashion envelope with backless dresses that while far more conservative than today’s standards, nonetheless hinted at this undeniably sexy part of a woman’s body. As it turns out, having a beautiful back goes hand in hand with having a strong, healthy back; in fact, 90% of dysfunction in the human body results from weakness in the back line of the body. A strong and healthy back also has a profound impact on the way a woman looks and feels. What makes a dancer, for example, look so gorgeous and move so effortlessly is the strength of the back of her body; this strength is what accounts for that gorgeous fluidity in her body – the way her back flows into her seat flows into her legs.

Unfortunately, our modern day lifestyle wreaks havoc on the back of our body. Very often, we sit down in our car and drive to our desk where we sit for hours on end. When we sit down, we literally disengage hundreds of muscles along the back line of our body rendering them overstretched and weakened. We then head off to our workout focused on what we see in the mirror – doing bicep curls, abdominal crunches, lunges and squats, etc. further strengthening the front of our body and creating greater imbalance. Other workouts such as Pilates often bends us forward at the waist; this type of movement extends (or lengthens) our back line and contracts (or strengthens) the front line, again resulting in a weak back line. For this reason, you’ll often see a seemingly fit person look decades older from the back. Women, in particular, have traditionally neglected the back of their body when it comes to working out.

Neglecting the back of the body introduces issues that go well beyond looking fabulous on the red carpet. In fact, back pain – often attributable to a lack of strength or muscularity in the back, is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. It’s estimated that 1 in 4 of us currently suffer from lower back pain. According to physiologist Jim Warren, when a woman doesn’t properly strengthen the back of her body, “gravity takes over, the body falls out of alignment, and as a result, back pain sets in, you can no longer work out, and you then become prone to osteoporosis and other ailments that decrease your longevity.” According to Warren, in order to have a fully functioning back, we need the right balance between our anterior (or front) and posterior (or back) sides of our body. It’s actually this balance of strength that creates the lumbar curve – that undeniably sexy curve in the lower back that symbolizes function and beauty.

The key to strengthening the back line of the body and creating balance is to stand up and extend back to get into all of the large and small muscles in the back, seat and legs. The Fluidity Bar allows you to do just that. Fluidity’s integrated movement, performed in a neutral pelvis position, forces your body to recruit the muscles it functionally needs rather than those you choose to engage (think sitting down on a weight machine and choosing a weight.) This type of whole-body movement forces your weakest muscles – most often those in the back of the body – to become stronger, and your dominant muscles – typically the bullies like the quadriceps in the front of the body – more proportionate. The result is whole body muscle balance and fluidity – from head to toe, front AND back.

With greater awareness of just how important our back is to our health and wellness, not to mention designers’ ever more daring attempts to reveal this beauty asset, there’s no better time to get your back in shape. If the red carpet is any indication, the back is here to stay.