Do You See Detoxing as a Punishment?

Admit it- when you think of doing a detox you think of deprivation, starvation, inconvenience, and just plain “too hard”. I used to look at detoxes as something that I needed to suffer through in order to be taken seriously as a health coach. And believe me, I have suffered and cheated my way through some pretty gross detoxes! But I’ve realized that in order to have a successful detox, there’s a better approach. Instead of looking at a detox as punishment, what if you looked at the experience as an opportunity for you to provide some high quality self-care for yourself? Women in particular often get so caught up in taking care of others that our own self-care falls to the wayside. And here’s the problem with that – when you don’t take care of yourself, you eventually run out of energy to take care of everyone else, too. As I often say to my clients and in my speaking engagements, you simply can’t pour from an empty pitcher. What that means is, when you’ve given all you have to give, that is NOT the time to dig deeper to find the last bit of reserves you have. Instead, when you’re running on empty, that’s when it’s time for you to switch gears and give some attention to yourself.

What to do instead: Use detoxes as a time for you to recharge and renew your body, mind and soul. Give yourself permission to try healthy new recipes, get a massage, try Reiki or reflexology, meditate, stretch, and take long walks. Go outside your box a bit. My detox clients have shared with me that they experience transformations in their life that revolve around more than just food! In fact, many of my detox clients choose to participate in a detox with me every single quarter because they know that a week of time focused on themselves helps them get healthier, and it also helps them get clarity on how to feel more balanced in their lives. The really cool thing about allowing yourself to look at a detox as a way of filling your empty pitcher is that when you’ve been renewed and rejuvenated, your capacity to show up for yourself and others grows exponentially. When you feel great and look great and have outrageous amounts of energy, as my 5-day detox clients tell me they do when they are done with the detox, they are able to live a higher quality of life. Now, isn’t that worth dedicating 5 days to?

To find out more about my Winter Rest & Renew detox program, click here.