March 20th is the Spring Equinox.  It might not feel like Spring yet, but this is a natural time to make a change for enhanced vitality.  Normally, I do a self-mandated 21-day cleanse at the start of the new year, but because I had a baby in November, I’ve held off.  Now, I am actually excited to give up certain foods and yes, even alcohol (okay, I know I will miss my wine by day three).

The word “cleanse” has become so annoying.  It sounds so strict and dreadful and dull.  The one that I do is challenging for the first three days, but after that it becomes second nature and the only thing I really miss by the end of the 21 days is having a drink, no lie.  I’ve never felt more centered, balanced, energetic, or more well-rested than I have during and after this cleanse.  It is like hitting the reset button for your body.  And yes, I always lose about ten pounds, but that is not the main reason I do it.  After all, there are faster and easier ways to lose weight if that is your only goal.  Mine is to be healthy first, and to fit back into all my cute pre-pregnancy clothes second.

I’ve been a patient of Dr. Sherri Jacobs for about four years.  Sherri is a licensed naturopath (homeopathic doctor) and a graduate of Bastyr University, the Harvard of natural medicine.  She literally changed my life and the way I think about my health and that of my family.  It is because of her that I started questioning the ingredients in my beauty and personal care products and she is the reason Bare Beauty exists.  Dr. Sherri conducts her 21-day metabolic cleanse four times a year and it is an amazing learning experience.  If you are in Charleston, you NEED to do this!  If you are not in Charleston, you can also do the program online anytime and it is equally awesome – I’ve done both formats.

So, you want to know what this 21-day metabolic cleanse entails.  A very, very quick summary is this.  We come into contact with toxins all day every day.  The air we breathe, water we drink, food we eat, products we use, all of them contain foreign chemicals our bodies don’t know what to do with.  The liver and kidneys try to process them, but they end up getting pretty overworked and we get sick – or develop allergies or can’t get pregnant or can’t lose weight or can’t sleep – as a result.  We just feel like $hi+ and we don’t know why.

Now, the ins and outs of the 21 days:

• Eat only organic food.
• Cut out gluten, dairy, corn, soy, eggs, peanuts, alcohol, caffeine and sugar (unless from fruit).
• Move every day.
• Take a physical modality every day (dry-brushing, a massage, a bath, a sauna, breathing exercise, just something to relax the mind while facilitating the body’s function of detoxifying)
• A few daily supplements

There is so much more to it than that, but you get the drift.  Basically, you just take extra good care of yourself for three weeks and you learn so much along the way.  This cleanse really changes the way you look at health, medicine and food.  It is much more of an academic course than a diet.

So, wish me luck.  I am starting on Friday.  By Sunday I will feel terrible and by Monday I will feel amazing.

If you can set aside three weeks, you should really try this!  By the way, I do not get paid for saying any of this.  I am just that obsessed with this program.  I could go on forever.  I already have.  Sorry, I’ll shut up now.

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