It’s finally here - summer 2009! The long winter is finally over. Yesterday marked the first day of summer and here in Canada, it was a beautiful one: clear blue skies, nice warm temperatures. I decided yesterday that today I would get back on track with my health.
I’m extremely lucky in that I have no major health problems and am relatively fit and healthy. But I have been feeling off track a bit lately - not sticking to my daily exercise routine, eating a little more junk than I normally do and drinking a lot less water. So no better time to get back on track than the first day of summer. Will be doing a 30-day cleanse (want to join me, just leave a comment and I’ll get in touch) and committing to daily exercise. I’ll even head back to the gym for a few sessions with my personal trainer.
As luck would have it, my inbox received this little gem of inspiration today:
The 3 Most Effective Tricks To Getting Back on Track With Your Food
by Tera Warner
Ooooh, I know you’ve been there, too. The on-again-off-again bingeing blues. The late night snacks and the “I can’t believe I did that” episodes the morning after. We, the frequently food-obsessed health pioneers of the world, sometimes need a boost, a lift, a bump on the rump that gets us back on track with our food when we feel we’ve gone off the rails. So, here it is, my lovelies! My 5 Best Tricks for Getting Back on Track With Healthy Eating!
1. Drink water in the morning until you’re really, genuinely, honestly, truthfully hungry!
It is an unfortunate fact that most people do not know what “hunger” feels like. Hunger is as natural as sex. It makes sense that the feelings we associate with it be positive. Due to heavily intoxicated bodies, a lot of people have learned to associate headaches, dizziness and general irritation with the need for food and call it “hunger.” These symptoms are more commonly associated with signs of detox. When the body isn’t burdened by the demand of the digestive system, it can afford to start directing some of its resources to processing and eliminating toxins. That’s when headaches and irratibility start to show up. Hunger feels good! It pulls, it salivates and persists even after you drink a tall glass of water and wait a little while.
Being fussy about your food is another sign you’re not quite hungry enough. When you’re hungry, enough that decorative plants stimulate your salivary glands and you feel like you could “anything,” then you’re hungry. If you’re indecisive, don’t know what to eat or only want to eat specific things, then chances are you’re still westling with toxins, processing food or simply not hungry yet.
2. Keep it simple.
If there’s one thing that throws me off the wagon, it’s over-seasoned, gourmet raw foods. “Raw Pizza” is a nice idea, but heavily salted or seasoned foods have a way of opening the flood gates to cravings and overeating. If overcomplicated, heavily seasoned foods create a problem, then guess what I recomend as the solution?…
Monomeals. That’s about as simple as it gets!
Just eat one food at a time until you’re no longer hungry. Eat apples for a day! As part of our support for participants of the program on How to Get Rid of Cravings and Emotional Eating, we do a seasonal monomeal cleanse. For 14 days starting on the equinox or solstice, we support each other through 14 days of simplifying our foods to the point that most of our meals contain only ONE ingredient. Melon milk, tomato soup, and other creative inventions come about along with an extraordinary sense of caaaaaalm that moves in. Reducing the sensory stimulation in the digestive tract helps restore a sense of balance and serenity you’ve probably not felt for a while.
You can also keep it simple by eating Green Smoothies for 3 days. That’s what our Green Smoothie Challenge participants do and it has an amazing effect on their energy and well-being. Even just THREE days is enough to feel a huge difference and get you back on track!
3. Declutter Your Space
They say that people manage their objects like they manage their thoughts. Looking around my office right now, I believe it! YIKES! 
Few things settle a restless spirit as well as clean dishes and a counter that’s been wiped clean. If your physical environment is “weighing” you down, then it won’t be hard to predict what your eating habits will be like. If you’re stuffing papers in all the wrong places, what are you shoving in your face that you’d rather not tell us about?
What if you took all the time you normally spend overeating and worrying about food into organizing a cluttered cupboard? What about sorting out a stack of unsorted mail instead of digging around in the pantry for another snack? Roll up your sleeves, put on the rubber gloves and bring order to your environment, so you can clear your thoughts and get your food back on track, too!
I’ve done or developed just about every cleanse you can think of. I know for a fact that it isn’t the sporadic bursts of good choices that count as much as the persistent, regular, healthy commitments you make over time. Drink water to stay hydrated, learn to recognize true hunger, keep your menu simple and organize your space to be a harmonious refelection of your life, dreams and values.
Then sit back and enjoy the adventure!!