Why detoxing in the fall actually will make you energetic

Fall is my favorite season. It's a season of transition, perfect for a gentle detox to reset your body and mind, increase your energy, as well as to prime your system for winter wellness. That's why I've been doing a short fall 'detox' every year for the past 9 years.

I personally look at autumn as more of a transition into a new year than I do January. January is just the transition of the calendar year. But in September, we can learn from nature. In my area, the harvest is winding down. It's time to prepare to clear out the fields. It's an opportunity to till the soil and plant the seeds for next year's harvest.

And the same is true for your body and overall health. Once you do this 'clearing' for yourself, you can recommit to what is working for you and set yourself up to get more of what nourishes you in your life.

This is why fall is a great time to set aside some time for a detox, so you can clear out the 'old' (or toxins). When you detox you free up your cells and organs to do their job better and this makes you more energetic.

First, let me state that it's important to realize your body needs gentle support to help it detoxify EVERY SINGLE DAY OF YOUR LIFE. That said, there are times of the year that it can be best to focus on more deeply cleansing out toxins to encourage deeper healing so your cells can function optimally.

Why Do A Detox?

So you can feel ENERGETIC and enjoy vibrant health!

My first ever detox brought me such great results. I was feeling dull, lacking energy, carrying weight I just couldn't get rid of, suffering from many aches/pains, eczema and more! All that cleared up in one fell swoop after my first focused detox, I've been a big believe in the power of a short term focused cleanse ever since.

At the end of the day, energy in our body comes from our cells. We think about energy and a lot of people think of electricity, they think of cars, they think of solar, they think of a number of different things that produce energy.

In our bodies and in all living life, energy comes from your cells, and the quality of your life will come down to the quality of your cells. This is really important.

Just like your home or your car, you clean those out. It is really important to keep your cells clean because your cells are what you are made of.

Just imagine if you had a room in your house (or even an apartment or your house in general) and you never really cleaned it, if you couldn’t even take the waste out. Just imagine what it would be like to be in that environment. Just thinking about it, I start to feel sluggish. That’s what goes on in your cells.

Your cells actually need four things to survive and thrive. That would be oxygen, water, nutrients, and the ability to eliminate waste.

Believe it or not, it’s not something that just happens easily in our modern day. It happens automatically, but there are things that can get in the way of that happening.

There are studies that have been done that show that your cells can actually live forever if they have the proper amount of oxygen, water, nutrients and can eliminate waste, they will live forever. If they don’t have those things, they will either mutate, die, or rupture.

The only things that will kill a cell will be the lack of those four things or something cutting into it or rupturing it, which can happen easily if your cells are breaking down. That’s really important. 

The way your body gets oxygen is really through your blood. Blood carries the oxygen around our bodies and delivers it to our cells. The way your cells get rid of waste is through your lymph system. There is three times more fluid in your lymph system than you have blood. It’s a transport for helping you to eliminate waste. That is how you will help keep your body from having low energy, from gaining weight, and preventing disease.

The more toxins you have accumulated in your blood stream, the more your energy will decrease, increasing symptoms, even illnesses. There are four avenues that your body actually uses to eliminate toxins.

The way your body eliminates them is through your skin, breathing through your lungs, through your bowels, and your urinary tract. Those are the exit points for toxins.

If you think about toxins, there are three main causes for toxins to build up in your blood stream. One is when you’re taking in more than you can eliminate. This can occur as a result of being in a state of making too many demands on your body, being very stressed out, and being nervous.
Those types of things will prevent you from eliminating toxins.

Another reason is your environment or the foods you eat. There are thousands more toxins today than there were 20 or 30 years ago. Forget about 100 years ago. It’s just amazing the amount of toxins that have been brought into our environment. They get through to us through our food, the air, the products we use, etc. It’s really difficult to stay away from toxins, so it’s really important to eliminate them from your body so that you can stay healthy and active.

A third reason is when you have an overly-acidic diet. When you have a lot of acid in your body from eating too much of the wrong types of foods and not balancing that with alkalizing, healing foods, your body becomes acidic.  Just imagine what could be happening to your cells if you are more acidic than alkalized.

An overtaxed liver can result in migraines, irritability, rashes, anger, and more. You'll feel tired/lethargic, get sick more easily, gain or lose too much weight. 

As the two systems in your body designed to "transform" toxins—the liver and the digestive tract—become overwhelmed, you start to collect a kind of toxic sludge made up of all the waste products that your body has not been able to properly break down, digest, or otherwise expel.

Toxicity or illness and poor energy are result of poor diet choices, unhealthy lifestyle habits but also just living and breathing in a polluted world. Pretty much no matter who you are, you'll end up with some level of toxicity and inflammation. The question you have to ask yourself is, 'What do I do about it?'"

How To Do A Fall Detox

It starts first with the right mindset. Do a detox for yourself out of love and care for deeply healing yourself from the inside out. Many people approach a detox as a form of punishment because they don't want to change their unhealthy lifestyle or diet. Please don't do this. You deserve so much better.

That said, detox can be gentle and effective. It's not all or nothing or do or die.

You don’t have to simply fast in order to detox. By enjoying lightly-prepared seasonal foods that support your organs’ optimal functions, you’re also working in a very important cleanse. Your giving your body a break, a respite and providing it with so much nourishment.

Fall detox meals are simple and pleasurable. You can enjoy lightly cooked whole grains, seasonal squashes, and cooked root vegetables. Even if you’re normally a meat-eater, it's a good time to rid the body of excess proteins and fats for a short part of your detox and focus on all the amazing in season plant foods nature provides.  As well as to add warming spices to your meals, which will enhance your lungs and large intestines.

While diet is a big part of a fall detox, it's also important to focus on truly hydrating your body (something everyone needs reminders about). Increasing oxygen to your cells, maximizing your nutrition through a couple key supplements and improving your body's ability to remove toxins and waste.

So incorporating mindset, diet, hydration, gentle movement, appropriate rest and cleansing strategies will all go into giving you the best outcome possible during your fall cleanse

The Benefits of a Fall Detox

My favorite outcome of a fall detox is that you will feel empowered and more connected to your body. You will learn so much about yourself and what your body is capable of. You will have more mental clarity.  It will change you from the inside out. That in itself is incredibly energizing.

The physical benefits you can expect from going through a fall detox include:

A stronger immune system (stave off seasonal colds)
Increased energy
Reduce pain/inflammation
Better sleep
Shed excess weight
Relief of skin issues, such as dry skin or eczema
Allergy relief
Improved digestive system
Balance out hormones

You may even have the energy now to better declutter your life! It's a great time to focus on YOU and give yourself some much needed TLC.

Get the opportunity to reduce the stress in your life and calm yourself, but also spend some time cleaning whatever else needs to be cleaned or cleansed.

A lot of people feel like it will be a sacrifice to give things up, but they don't realize what they'll be gaining. If you want a new job, you may have to give up some time in the evenings that you would have spent watching Netflix or lounging but instead you'll need to use that time to job search, improve your resume or take a new course to hone your skills to be a better candidate. You sacrifice one thing to move towards something you want and know will improve your quality of life greatly. The same is true for 'sacrificing' certain foods and making adjustments to your routine. If you want to increase your energy and FEEL good in your own skin and body, all those perceived obstacles will be well worth it.

I'm also a big believer in gentle, safe detox strategies so that you don't  destabilize your body in any way.

If you would like to do a fall detox, I'll will be running a 7 day fall detox group program, starting November 4th. If you are interested in joining, you can get all the details HERE, as well as reserve your spot.

Now, I'd love to hear from you! In the comments below, let me know if you've ever done a fall detox and what your experience was like? Or if you have never done one and want to - do you have any questions?