Welcome to the third installment of Cleansing from the Inside Out, a series about my experience participating in Amanda Moxley’s Whole Body and Mind Cleanse program. Read previous installments here.

After a not-so-successful first week, I was looking forward to our second group phone call. This week, Amanda discussed primary foods, gratitude, self care, water, super foods, and beginning our colon cleanse.

Goal #1: Build personal power. Learn more strategies for a successful cleanse:

• Understand primary foods – Primary foods are more important than physical food. They are foods for our spirits—things like love, fun, physical affection, laughter and relaxation. Often, food cravings stem from a craving for certain primary foods. When food cravings strike, it’s important to be able to stop and ask yourself what primary food you are craving.
• Breathe – Deep breathing energizes and relaxes your body and mind. Practice deep, slow, long, even breathing several times each day.
• Journal – Gratitude is important in our lives. It helps us realize all that we have. Express gratitude throughout your day as you realize how blessed you are. Keep writing in your journal as you have been, noting your experiences with food, but also include notes of gratitude.

Goal #2: Nourish yourself like never before. Practice a self-care routine:

• Exercise – Our bodies desire exercise. Instead of forcing yourself to trudge on the treadmill, focus on doing activities that you enjoy. Try some new exercises each week.
• Take a bath – Soaking in a warm bath relaxes you. Enjoy a bath every few nights and allow yourself to let go and re-energize. Add some Epsom salts and lavender oil to help detoxify your body and mind.
• Bless your water and drink it – We are made mostly of water and our bodies respond to the energy that we put out into the world. Speaking kind words over ourselves and our water can change our energy. Drinking plenty of water also ensures that we have the energy to get through our day. Drink at least 8 cups of water a day and bless it before you do.
• Enjoy a daily hot towel scrub – Gently scrubbing your body from head to toe can reduce muscle tenstion, open pores, soften fat deposits, relieve stress, and allows you to connect to your body in a deeper way (especially for those of us with body image problems). Using a warm wet washcloth, gently scrub your body in sections from head to toe twice a day. Scrub until your skin becomes slightly pink, reheating the washcloth by dipping it in a sink of hot water each time it starts to cool.

Goal #3: Begin your colon cleanse. Intensify efforts to clean out our bodies.

• Eat seventy-five percent whole and organic food – Begin adding more “rainbow” foods, adding foods of a variety of colors to your diet.
• Eat seven Super Foods a day – Super foods are foods that are higher than most in certain vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. These foods include beans, blueberries, broccoli, oats, oranges, pumpkin, wild salmon, spinach, tea, tomatoes, lean turkey, walnuts and yogurt.
• Begin taking the colon cleanse product – Amanda provided us with a specific colon cleanse product that was made to gently clean out the upper and lower digestive tract.

This phone call had me a bit nervous. After being on vacation most of the previous week and not fully committing to week one’s goals, I found myself feeling like I was behind a week. I hoped this week would be better.

Tune in later this week for more about the second week of my cleanse experience. If you’re interested in joining one of Amanda’s 30-Day Whole Mind and Body Cleanse groups, you’re in luck. Her next group starts on March 4th. Sign up now!

(Image by D Sharon Pruitt)