It’s that time of year again – Spring! The snow has melted, the sun is growing stronger each day, and the rain is moving in to wash away all the rubbish that has been hiding under the snow for months.

We’re all familiar with the idea of “spring cleaning” as it relates to our homes, closets, and garages, but how about spring cleaning our bodies? The change of seasons is the BEST time to cleanse our bodies and get ride of the toxins that have accumulated over the winter.

You know how good you feel after your home has gone through a spring cleanse; now imagine how good your body will feel it if you did the same for it!

Everyone is in need of a full body spring cleanse. It doesn’t matter how well behaved we were this winter we are all exposed to hundreds of toxins everyday, and it’s important that we aid our bodies in an annual cleanse to help rid these toxins.

While the body is normally an efficient detoxification machine on its own, the world we live in can put a strain on even the healthiest of us. The build-up of these toxins in the body can lead to a variety of seemingly unrelated symptoms, such as, fatigue, headaches, malaise, irritability, mood swings, bloating, insomnia, and muscle and joint aches or pains.

While we may have limited control over our environment, we have a great deal of control over our bodies. There is enormous value for your body in a spring cleaning.

In recognition of this important practice Vibrant Living has paired up with two other health conscious organizations from the community - Moksha Yoga Waterloo and Seven Shores Urban Market and Café – to deliver a well- planned and organized two week 3nd Annual Community Wide Spring Cleanse in the K-W area.

You know you need it!

We know this isn’t the first time you’re heard about cleansing or detoxifying. So, if it’s your first cleanse or if it’s a part of your regular lifestyle, please join us in the exciting event.

Everyone is welcome, and you do not have to be a patient of ours to participate in this free event so invite your family and friends along!   Please visit our web site, at:

http://waterloocleanse.com

to learn more about and to register for KW’s 3nd Annual Community Wide Cleanse.

We look forward to having you participate in this exciting event!

Dear Community Member;

After the outstanding success of the 1st Annual Community Wide Spring Cleanse we did last May, we’ve decided to keep the tradition going and help member of the community improve their health with another cleanse this year!

Beginning Monday May 3, 2010 you are invited to participate in a 14-day spring cleanse, involving a two week commitment to guided healthy eating and movement designed to detoxify the body.

Vibrant Living co-founders, Robin Walsh N.D. and Kristijana Rakic N.D., Moksha Yoga, and Seven Shores Urban Market & Café are bringing together their collective expertise to host the 2nd Annual Community Wide Spring Cleanse charity event.  The Annual Community Wide Spring Cleanse is designed to promote healthy eating, the importance of environmentally conscious living, the benefits of low impact exercise, and the value of community involvement.

Vibrant Living:

Prior to the kick-off date for the Annual Community Wide Spring Cleanse participants are encouraged to attend an hour-long information session.  Topics such as, the benefits of cleansing, how to best aid the body during the cleansing process, how to assist the body in daily detoxification, and how to limit exposure to both dietary and environmental toxins will be discussed.  Please join us for one of the following information sessions:

• Sunday April 25, 2010 at 4:30 pm at Moksha Yoga, 55 Erb Street East Waterloo, Ontario, N2J 4K8
• Thursday April 29, 2010 at 7:00 pm Seven Shores Café, 8 Regina St. N Unit 5. Waterloo, ON. N2J 2Z8

Upon registering by clicking here, participants will be provided with an information package, prepared by Robin Walsh N.D. and Kristijana Rakic N.D, which will explain the benefits of a dietary cleanse, and include a comprehensive meal plan, a list of health promoting foods to add to your diet, and a list of foods to avoid, as well as, a shopping list to help guide your choices.

Moksha Yoga:

To add the detoxification benefits of hot yoga to the Annual Spring Cleanse participants receive a complimentary hot yoga class designed to enhance the cleansing process.

The facilities at Moksha Yoga Waterloo have been built and are maintained with a commitment to ethical, compassionate, and environmentally conscious living. Visit http://wwww.mokshayogawaterloo.com to learn more about the health benefits of hot yoga and their commitment to environmentally conscious living.

Seven Shores Urban Market & Café:

Participants can purchase an organic, locally grown food boxs for $15, $25, $50 or create your own. The food boxes are a great opportunity to improve your diet with organic foods, and to support the local farm community.

To reserve a food box for the Annual Spring Cleanse, click this link to email Shawn.

Pick up for the food boxes will be Friday April 30th; Tuesday May 4th; Friday May 7th; Tuesday May 11th and Friday May 14th. To learn more about the organic food box program visit http://www.sevenshorestrading.com.

In Sum, Cleansing…

• Improves energy level
• Helps us to cope with stress Improves recovery time after strenuous exercise
• Improves physical performance and stamina
• Removes impurities from the body for improved health and better absorption of nutrients
• Strengthens the immune system
• Helps prevent degenerative diseases
• Improves bone strength
• Improves the production of collagen for joints and ligaments
• Improves memory, concentration and focus
• Promotes weight loss
• Is for anyone who wishes to look and feel young and healthy

In health,

Vibrant Living – Robin Walsh, ND & Kristijana Rakic, ND
Moksha Yoga Waterloo
Seven Shores Urban Market and Café

Since energy is in such high demand it’s important to explore where our body’s energy comes from so we can figure out how we can get more.

Where does energy come from?

Energy is produced by the trillions of cells in our body, therefore in order to gain more energy we need to address the health of our cells.

There are three essential components that determine how well a cell functions:

1. Oxygen
2. Water and
3. Elimination of Waste.

Oxygen

Oxygen is the source of all energy in the body.  Without oxygen our cells wouldn’t be able to do any work.  All metabolic processes in the body such as assimilation (absorption), elimination of waste, respiration, circulation and digestion requires energy.

So how do we get more oxygen?

The answer is simple, we need to breathe better, and by this I mean real deep diaphragmatic breathing – commonly practiced in yoga and meditation.  Deep Breathing is simple and just practicing 10 deep breaths twice a day is a great start that only takes minutes out of your day, yet leaves you feeling much more energized.

To help you learn how to breathe deeply you can pick up CD’s or take yoga classes.  You can also look on the web for videos that demonstrate diaphragmatic breathing.  There are two videos that I found to be helpful in getting you starting on diaphragmatic breathing.

The first video explains the location of the diaphragm in the body and how it moves in relation to other organs.

The second video is a one minute demonstration of diaphragmatic breathing.

In addition to giving your cells an essential ingredient to make energy, diaphragmatic breathing is an excellent way to relax and calm down the nervous system.  When you’re feeling stressed or anxious you can stop and take 10 deep diaphragmatic breathes essentially anywhere – your office desk, your car, in the elevator and so on.

Water

The second ingredient necessary for your trillions of cells to produce energy is water.

Water is the most abundant substance in the body.  Up to 70% of our body is made up of water; furthermore 70% of our planet is also made of water, so it only makes sense that we need a substantial intake of water daily for optimal cellular function.  Water is the medium in which all cellular reactions occur, thus if we are dehydrated even slightly it reduces cellular function, hence reducing our overall energy.

The recommended daily intake of water is one half your body’s weight in ounces. For example, if you weight 200 lbs, half your weight would be 100 lbs, thus you would need 100 ounces of water daily.  There are 8 ounces in one cup of water, or 32 ounces in a litre.  Therefore a 200 lb individual would need to drink 3 litres of water daily to stay well hydrated.

So how do we get more water?

The best way to tackle your hydration is by observing the colour of your urine.  If you urine is clear or faint light yellow and odourless you are well hydrated.  If you find your urine to be darker yellow and has an odour it’s a good indication that you are dehydrated.

If you find yourself thirsty it’s an indication that you are dehydrated.  Don’t wait to feel the thirst to drink water.  You body usually sends out thirst signals well after the fact of dehydration.

In addition to drinking water you want to consume approximately 75% of your diet in the form of raw uncooked food due to its high water content.  This includes fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, and cold pressed oils.

Use freshly cut lemon or lime slices to spice up your water, oranges slices are very zesty and work well too.  Over the summer months you can increase your water consumption through the use of herbal iced teas.  As a rule of thumb, half of your daily water consumption should be in the form of pure water and half can be in other forms such as herbal or green tea.

Dextoification

The last component to producing optimal cellular energy is the ability of the cell to eliminate waste, also known as Detoxification.

Every cell in our body produces a natural waste as a bi-product of the work it does, and in order for the cell to be able to continue function optimally it has to remove that waste to make room for future waste.  One of the biggest obstacles to detoxification and waste removal is that in addition to the natural waste our body produces, it’s also faces with environmental toxins and toxins from the food we eat and the water we drink, making it twice as hard to keep up with the detoxification process.

One of the most important components to waste removal is our lymphatic system.  Stay tuned for the next blog which will discuss the lymphatic system in detail.

In order to support detox you need to:

1. Do a couple of really good cleanses each year with the fall and spring being the best seasons to embark on a cleanse.
2. Be putting healthy cleansing practices into everyday use to keep up with waste removal.

Some quick and easy tips on daily cleansing include:

• Increase green leafy vegetable intake (green smoothies are fantastic – check out Newsletter 14 for recipes on green smoothies)
• Eating whole foods
• Drinking lots of water
• Daily movement/exercise
• Hot Yoga or Infrared saunas
• Good quality fats – fish, nuts, seeds or supplements with a fish oil

In addition there are several things you want to avoid that hinder detoxification:

• Processed foods
• Fried foods and unhealthy fats
• Sugar
• Toxic exposure – chemical products such as house hold cleaner & beauty products, toothpaste, deodorant etc…

In Summary

In summary, if you want more energy and you want to get more out of your day with better focus and more motivation you need to respect and support all the trillions of cells in your body by increasing oxygen supply, water intake and supporting the removal of waste through daily detoxification!

Dear Community Member;

Beginning Sunday May 3, 2009 you are invited to participate in a 14-day spring cleanse, involving a two week commitment to guided healthy eating and movement designed to detoxify the body.

Vibrant Living co-founders, Robin Walsh N.D. and Kristijana Rakic N.D., Moksha Yoga, and Seven Shores Urban Market & Café are bringing together their collective expertise to host the inaugural Annual Community Wide Spring Cleanse charity event.  The Annual Community Wide Spring Cleanse is designed to promote healthy eating, the importance of environmentally conscious living, the benefits of low impact exercise, and the value of community involvement.

Vibrant Living:

Prior to the kick-off date for the Annual Community Wide Spring Cleanse participants are encouraged to attend an hour-long information session.  Topics such as, the benefits of cleansing, how to best aid the body during the cleansing process, how to assist the body in daily detoxification, and how to limit exposure to both dietary and environmental toxins will be discussed.  Please join us for one of the following information sessions:

- Tuesday April 21, 2009 at 7:00pm Vibrant Living, 279 Weber St. N. Waterloo in the boardroom on the lower level.
- Saturday April 25, 2009 at 6:00pm Moksha Yoga Waterloo, 55 Erb St. E., Waterloo.

Upon registering by clicking here, participants will be provided with an information package, prepared by Robin Walsh N.D. and Kristijana Rakic N.D, which will explain the benefits of a dietary cleanse, and include a comprehensive meal plan, a list of health promoting foods to add to your diet, and a list of foods to avoid, as well as, a shopping list to help guide your choices.

Moksha Yoga:

To add the detoxification benefits of hot yoga to the Annual Spring Cleanse participants receive a complimentary hot yoga class designed to enhance the cleansing process.

The facilities at Moksha Yoga Waterloo have been built and are maintained with a commitment to ethical, compassionate, and environmentally conscious living. Visit http://wwww.mokshayogawaterloo.com to learn more about the health benefits of hot yoga and their commitment to environmentally conscious living.

Moksha is also doing a 15 day challenge between May 3rd and May 16th for only $70 for the duration of the 2 weeks! This is in addition to the ‘one free pass’.

Seven Shores Urban Market & Café:

Participants can purchase an organic, locally grown food box for $25. The food boxes are a great opportunity to improve your diet with organic foods, and to support the local farm community. To order a food box for the Annual Spring Cleanse, email Sean at sevenshores@hotmail.com by Monday May 4, 2009. To learn more about the organic food box program visit http://www.sevenshorestrading.com.

As a closing ceremony, and to celebrate the collective success of Annual Community Wide Spring Cleanse participants, a potluck lunch and park cleanup will be held at Waterloo Park West Side Picnic Shelter (Entrance is off Westmount Rd), Saturday May 17, 2009 from 1:00pm – 3:00pm. Biodegradable bags will be provided for the park cleanup.

Although all time and facilities for the Annual Community Wide Cleanse have been generously donated, we do encourage participants in the Annual Community Wide Cleanse to pay what they can to any event they participate in during the week long event.

In Sum, Cleansing…

• Improves energy level
• Helps us to cope with stress Improves recovery time after strenuous exercise
• Improves physical performance and stamina
• Removes impurities from the body for improved health and better absorption of nutrients
• Strengthens the immune system
• Helps prevent degenerative diseases
• Improves bone strength
• Improves the production of collagen for joints and ligaments
• Improves memory, concentration and focus
• Promotes weight loss
• Is for anyone who wishes to look and feel young and healthy

In health,

Vibrant Living – Robin Walsh, ND & Kristijana Rakic, ND
Moksha Yoga Waterloo
Seven Shores Urban Market and Café