Welcome to the fifth installment of Cleansing from the Inside Out, a series about my experience participating in Amanda Moxley’s Whole Body and Mind Cleanse program. For more on my cleanse experience, read the entire series.

During our third phone call, Amanda shared with us that while the U.S. is the most overfed nation, people are still suffering from malnutrition. We’re eating more than we need, but we’re not getting the right nutrients. Instead of eating for the sake of eating, Amanda encouraged us to begin truly nourishing ourselves—physically, emotionally and spiritually. “Learning to listen to your body allows you to develop an individual diet that works for you so you won’t have to diet anymore,” she said. And suddenly I perk up. No more dieting? I’m all for that!

Goal #1: Build personal power. Continue to build strategies for a successful cleanse and a healthy lifestyle.

• Deconstruct cravings – Cravings will always come up, so Amanda provided us with several strategies for deconstructing and moving past a craving. “Understand that cravings are your body’s way of communicating with you,” Amanda said. The best way to beat cravings is to listen to what your body wants and why it wants it, and then act in that knowledge. For example, if you’re craving sweets is it because you’re tired, bored, or lonely? Is there some way you can fill the need behind the craving without eating the sweets? Or is there some more nutritious food, like fruit, that could fill the craving without bringing on a sugar high and the unavoidable crash that follows?
• Journal – Continue to journal your gratitude and notes about your experiences with food, but this week also focus on your cravings and the primary food needs behind them. Note your cravings and what emotions surround them—before, during and after you eat them.
• Positive affirmations – Speak positively about yourself. The more you speak something, the stronger you will believe it and you’ll begin to attract it into your life. Affirmations should always be positive and in the present tense (e.g., I am strong and beautiful.). This week write 7 – 10 affirmations and repeat them regularly in front of a mirror or at any time throughout your day.

Goal #2: Care for yourself. Continue building your self-care practice.

• Use a tongue scraper – Scraping your tongue regularly can reduce cravings by removing food residue, fight cavities and bad breath by removing bacteria, improve tongue sensitivity.
• Schedule a massage – Regular massages relax and detoxify your body. If you can’t get afford a professional one, practice self-massage techniques or trade regular massages with your partner.
• De-clutter – Amanda believes that our outer living space is a reflection of our inner space. Create a plan to slowly and gradually de-clutter your living space. And don’t forget to journal about the experience. How does it make you feel? Why do you think you hold onto things? What areas of your life and living space are you ready to cleanse?

Goal #3: Continue cleansing your body. Go deeper into the cleanse experience.

• Eat ninety-five percent whole and organic food – Focus on increasing your consumption of green vegetables this week, particularly dark leafy greens which are high in a variety of vitamins and minerals. They’re also filled with fiber, folic acid and a number of micro-nutrients and phytochemicals.
• Pay attention to your energy – Notice which foods increase your energy or “raise your vibration.” Pay close attention to how your body and mind feel after eating or drinking anything. Make notes in your journal and if you sense certain foods aren’t improving your energy, are difficult to digest or make you feel tired, cranky or lethargic, try replacing them with more foods that “raise your vibration.”
• Continue taking the colon cleanse product – Remember to drink plenty of water and get plenty of rest as your body cleanses itself.

I’m looking forward to this week. I feel like I’m finally getting into the groove and learning a lot about my body and my relationship with food. I’m a little nervous to find out what my body has to say.

Tune in for more about the third week of my cleanse experience coming soon. 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)