Behind the Scenes: How Detoxing and Eliminating Toxins Helped Me Tap Into My Potential
Isn’t it funny how our struggles can ultimately become some of our greatest gifts?
It was my own personal battle with health that led me down a path of seeking, researching, trial and error and ultimately setting a completely new standard for how I live and how I raise my family.
In this post, I’m sharing a behind the scenes look at the things that we’ve done as a family to help our bodies detoxify and how we are eliminating toxins and as many chemicals as possible from our environment. I talk all the time about how I’m not passionate about nutrition or fitness, but I’m exceedingly passionate about body optimization for both peak performance and quality of life. In other words, I’m willing to do what it takes to get to peak health even if I’m not super excited about how to get there.
We get to set our own standards in life and in our health. The health of our family should be a place where we lead boldly from the front, but at times this can all feel so overwhelming. There’s a lot of static out there surrounding “wellness”. So my advice is this: do your research, learn something new, put into practice whatever it is that aligns best with you and your family’s values and just take it all one step at a time!
Stay at home mamas, athletes, top level executives, influencers... we can all benefit from this information.
When we aren’t fully tapping into what our bodies can do, our potential is limited -0ur minds aren’t as sharp as they could be, our energy is low, our digestion is off, and our weight may fluctuate and affect our mood and confidence. We can’t be fully engaged in our relationships when our bodies or our guts are out of whack. Worst of all, the time we are gifted here on earth to make our impact and lead raise our families can be cut way too short.
I’m increasingly aware that people like us - impact-driven entrepreneurs who are scaling up their lives and businesses - need our bodies to support our missions. If our body feels like it’s working against us, we lose momentum and we live beneath what’s truly possible. Detoxifying and eliminating toxins from your life wherever possible will help you optimize both your physical and mental health.
Let me be clear: I’m not a doctor. This is information I’ve researched heavily from many sources and people who are far better versed in it than me. I’m sharing what has worked for me and my family. No ads. No sponsors. Just the stuff that’s continually helping me tap into my purpose and potential and help other people do the same.
I Get It…
For years I was unsure of how to really take care of myself, I was experiencing extreme fatigue, brain fog, digestive issues and pain, inflammation, headaches, recurring sickness… and I was always able to justify it based on what was going on in my life at the time.
College: not getting enough sleep, not enough access to healthy foods
Post-college: sitting at a desk all day
As an entrepreneur: working crazy hours and stressed out
Pregnant: oh, just how everyone feels
Postpartum: not sleeping and breastfeeding
But the reality is that when our body systems are in sync, we shouldn’t need caffeine, we shouldn’t experience brain fog, we shouldn’t be exhausted all the time, we shouldn’t be getting sick often, and we shouldn’t have trouble with digestion. All of these things ultimately affect more than just our physical self.
This is a PSA to Check Yourself, People!
Grade your health. Grade your level of energy. Grade your digestion. If at some point you really do want to go to the next level in anything, don’t skip this step. I promise you it makes a huge difference.
And if you feel like you’re doing fine yourself, consider your family. Their gut health affects their brain health. They are exposed daily to toxins that can lead to different diseases, conditions and symptoms that could limit the potential of their lives. AND - we aren’t going into this today, but their genes, yes, their actual DNA (the genes that can lead to diseases like Alzheimers and Parkinsons or conditions like obesity, propensity to diabetes, and even just deterioration) can actually be turned on or OFF by what we eat and are exposed to. So if that’s not motivation to become obsessed with this, I don’t know what is!
I want to share some of the things we have done as a family to both detox and avoid toxins in the environment when possible. Some of these things are easier than others to adopt, while others are more of an investment in either time or money, but all have impacted us positively.
We Live in a World That is Full of Toxins
Our bodies can naturally detox chemicals and toxins to a certain extent, but most of our bodies are overwhelmed with toxins beyond what we can eliminate on our own.
These excess toxins and wastes in the body can lead to depression, lack of energy, skin conditions, weight gain, joint pain, headaches, muscle-aches, chronic fatigue, allergies, gastrointestinal distress, and irritability. These are (sadly) symptoms that much of society just chalks up as “normal”. In addition to symptoms of toxin overload, there are chronic diseases that are correlated with high levels of toxins in the body including: Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, autoimmune conditions, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism, Cancer, and Diabetes.
Check out the 1st few ingredients on this Pedia-Sure label!
I get flack all the time from people when I talk about approaching things naturally when possible, and I’m fine with that. Those probably aren’t the people who will open their minds enough to research for themselves.
But the all-too-common truth is that conventional medicine too often looks at things from only one angle and seeks to treat the symptoms not the root cause. That’s a problem. Yes, medication is often needed. But certainly not as often as it is prescribed.
I lost faith in some of the authority figures I was turning to when they recommended things like Pedia-Sure to help kids grow or to put my child on a steroid when they haven’t asked about what he eats or his environment first, or when I shared my symptoms and either it was “all in my head” or I was prescribed a pill that is loaded with toxins.
When it comes to eliminating toxins from our environments, we have to take the long term view.
This is the long play for LIFE
This is a choice you make for the rest of your life and your family’s life. It’s not how we typically operate for the short term gain. This isn’t about immediate gratifications. I know people want things now, but we have to stop approaching things from a shallow angle - just for vanity’s sake or because it feels good today or because it gets us attention right now.
Thinking short-term is how we can justify things like using a tanning bed - because we aren’t going to get cancer in today’s tanning session. It’s also why we can justify skipping the workout or spending the money - because it’s not today that is being ruined by those choices.
So when we spray our lawn with chemicals or eat foods that have been genetically modified or use makeup that’s loaded with toxins or clean our clothes with stuff that’s linked to cancer, it doesn’t affect us now, but it will in the long run.
Pick Your Battles when Detoxifying and Eliminating Toxins
I know we can’t control every little detail of our lives, and honestly, trying to will make us as sick as the toxins we are exposed to. I think it’s so important to remember that! You can choose to control the controllable and still choose to live.
So seeking to educate and advocate has to be kept in balance with knowing that unfortunately the world has not caught up with us yet. Trying to keep our children or ourselves out of contact with anything that could hurt us would limit our ability to truly live and find joy.
This has been a several year process for our family. We didn’t empty our cabinets overnight or change all of our products in one day. I don’t have all the answers. We are still researching and weighing what’s best for us. We don’t intend to raise bubble children or to keep them from going to their best friend’s house because their family treats their lawn differently than ours.
But in our home, we seek to do things as holistically as possible, whenever possible.
We prioritize our health and it is, by far, our largest investment. But to us, nothing should really come before it. In the times we have let other things take precedence, we felt it and we ultimately paid for it.
Let’s Talk Environment
We now live on our dream property, but this was all a vision that started a few years back when we started learning about all the toxins we’re being exposed to in our environment.
It’s tough to give our bodies what they truly need and to stay away from harmful chemicals in our food. The more I learned about how twisted the food system in this country is, the more clear my vision of buying a farm property became.
I started to picture a life where our kids could go outside with bare feet and get fresh air, where we could grow some of our own food and know where that food is coming from.
Control the Controllable
I know that not everyone is able to move somewhere new or start growing their own food to try and eliminate toxins, so let’s talk about the more simple things in your environment that you can control!
Use (the right) All Natural Products
Don’t trust the label on this, you need to look at the ingredients. Avoid DEA, TEA, fragrance, bleach/chlorine, and phosphates. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not require manufacturers of cleaning supplies to disclose all of the ingredients on the product label, so do your research and find brands you trust. Think Dirty App is a great resource for easy-to-understand product ingredient reviews. It will even provide product suggestions for an all-natural swap.
This is a list of the products that we have switched over from conventional to all-natural in our home.
1. HOUSE CLEANING SUPPLIES:
Laundry detergent
Dish/dishwasher soap
Cleaning products
2. BEAUTY AND SELF CARE PRODUCTS:
Makeup
Soaps
Hair products
Lotions
3. FOOD
We eat organic whenever possible. I know this can be an overwhelming and expensive task. The Dirty Dozen is a great place to start.
Drink celery juice. The clustered salts in celery kill off pathogens, bacteria, viruses, fungi and help detoxify the body, specifically the liver.
4. OTHER PRODUCTS TO LOOK INTO:
Mattresses (most contain Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and formaldehyde)
Kid’s PJ’s with flame retardants
Lawn treatments
Detoxifying and Eliminating Toxins from our Bodies
When it comes to detoxing our bodies, that’s a whole different beast that also has to be taken in stride. There are gentle, ongoing ways to detox your body that won’t completely disrupt your life. To be completely honest, it can be a painful process, both physically and emotionally.
Think about all of the things that we’ve been exposed to over a lifetime. They can often get trapped in different organs like the kidneys, liver, brain, and skin. To try and undo 30 years of exposure is a real trip. The antibiotics we received as a kid, all of the medications we’ve taken, pesticides and herbicides that we have come in contact with and even ingested for years on end, the chemicals from our every-day products, the traumas we’ve experienced... it’s going to take time and consistency to change.
I’m in the midst of a very long term detoxification process and protocol right now and I’m treading lightly because I’m a breastfeeding mother. So this is not being done in an attempt to lose weight or to flush anything too aggressively that can affect the quality of my breast milk. I’m playing the long game.
Some of the things I’ve experienced during this detoxification have been pretty wild and unexpected!
Green sweat from aluminium
Depression
Anxiety
Insomnia
Fatigue
Joint pain
Facial numbness
Rashes on face and chest
I just rattled off a bunch of symptoms that sound like they suck, because they do. Here’s where I challenge you to shift your thinking in life— this will serve you in your health journey and in so many areas of your life.
Don’t limit what you are capable of just because you are facing a battle.
I’d rather experience a short time of these intense symptoms to rid myself of a lifetime of so many other symptoms that will lead me down the wrong path (disease, limited potential, etc.).
I started researching and learning about some of the things I was facing, like extreme fatigue, brain fog, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), anxiety…
And I realized that I was feeling like I couldn’t breakthrough to the very best version of me who contributes boldly in this life if I didn’t dig down to the roots of these problems in my life.
This is What I’m Doing to Help My Body Detox
Using a near infrared sauna (made from basswood that doesn’t off gas)
Supplementation
Taking epsom salt baths
Choosing to eat organic
Even though I know I’m facing a war against so many things to get to where I ultimately want to be, I move forward completely empowered by the fact that I have this choice. I’m absolutely fascinated as my body goes through this journey and I’m butted right up against what feels like debilitating symptoms, because I know it’s working. Bring it on!
I choose to face these demons and conquer them so that I can breakthrough.
I was talking to a client of mine that I’ve been mentoring for a few years now who is just remarkable, and she’s facing something really tough in her life and business, something that would make a lot of people quit.
I said, “You are so close! Isn’t it funny life tries to derail us just before the magic happens? But most people give up as they are falling off the tracks never to experience all the glory!”
I’m not willing to sacrifice all the glory!
This is Worth Becoming Obsessed With (in a healthy way)
Some of the things that really help ease the process are:
Find a partner to support you through the process, whether that’s cleaning out your house or your body.
Use your resources— medical medium, Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT), chiropractor, naturopath, life coach, therapist, the model health show...whatever clicks with you.
Journal the process.
Go slow. Remember, we are playing the long-game here!
Listen to your body, but don’t quit.
We can’t live in fear, in a bubble or even in control of everything, but we can make better choices. We can invest in our lives. We can protect our families from harm that it unnecessary. We can educate ourselves so we can step into our best selves.