Detox Day 7 – Hot Yoga, and Relationship Detox!

We decided to celebrate the midpoint of our cleanse with an excursion to Hot Yoga (Moksha). We did a 90 min class, and boy was it tough. On any given day Hot Yoga is an intense mental and physical feat, but on a detox it’s certainly amplified. You sweat out every pore, and every cell in your body vibrates with the intensity of the postures. It was incredible. When attempting hot yoga it’s important to hydrate BEFORE class, and to drink at least 1-2L during the class. Even though we were hydrated (and even added Emergen-C to our water), we both said we felt faint at the end of the standing series. In this case you just go into child’s pose until you feel ready to re-join the class. I love this style of yoga because it doesn’t compare to ANY other exercise I’ve done in my life in terms of a whole body work-out. I also feel that many of the poses help connect me with my years of rhythmic gymnastics. Not to mention the stillness of the mind that yoga requires – today it certainly was a challenge to keep the mind in the present, and not let it drift off into the past or future. Our instructor was great about reminding us to come back into the present.
At one point I found myself thinking about a conversation I had with a patient this week. We are both moms of young kids, and she made the point that in our generation, our kids only stay with us for a brief period (unlike past generations where children often lived with their parents until they married, and sometimes even created multi-generational homes). She went on to say that now more than ever it’s increasingly important to nurture our relationship with our spouses, because before you know it, our kids are gone and you’re left with your life-partner. If you don’t make a point to spend some time together, you may very well disconnect over the years and be left with someone you don’t even know. This is very true. I have several patients in their 50’s struggling with their relationships and dealing with ‘empty nest syndrome’. I have never seen myself as someone who will struggle with her kids leaving home (I guess we’ll see!), but I also don’t want to be questioning my marriage in the future. What I’m trying to say is that as much as it may not seem important or a priority, you need to make little efforts to be a couple. Today during my yoga class I was thankful that it’s an experience I can share with my husband, who luckily shares my passion for health and wellness. Our 45 min drive to and from yoga was a wonderful opportunity to catch up outside of the everyday chatter about the kids and work. So, this detox is also about cleansing relationships!
On the same note, at this point in the cleanse it’s mostly mental. My friend and colleague Carol has always said that a cleanse is 10% physical and 90% mental, and that’s true. We’re not fighting cravings, it’s just about endurance now. We’re reflecting on our day to day choices, asking ourselves what healthy habits we can continue to incorporate, what will we compromise on, and what are our long term priorities. It’s like a lifestyle over-haul, particularly if you’re able to do the cleanse with your partner. We certainly understand that our choices are seen by our children, and they model our behaviors. It’s important to me that my kids value their health and wellness, so it’s my job to teach that to them.
Here’s my day:
Breakfast – Mediclear smoothie with strawberry and banana, then millet-rice flakes, raisins and almond milk. Green tea on the way to yoga.
Big mistake – didn’t pack snacks for after yoga, we were ravenous by the time we got home!
Lunch – quinoa from yesterday served with baby spinach with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Jasmine green tea after lunch.
Snacks – Mediclear smoothie (mango and almond milk); pomegranate and some other fruit
Dinner – I wasn’t very hungry so ate guacamole (1 avocado, diced onion, lime juice, salt and pepper) and a handful of rice crackers. Carlos at the leftover quinoa dish.
For a snack this evening I made the rice pudding from the Mediclear recipes – I sampled it and it’s amazing.
I’m very tired this evening probably because of yoga. I won’t be up late!

Dr. Anna Falkowski HBSc, ND
Naturopathic Doctor & Clinic Director
Vitality for Life Health Center
www.vitalityforlife.ca

Dr. Anna Falkowski HBSc, ND
Naturopathic Doctor, Clinic Director
info@vitalityforlife.ca
www.vitalityforlife.ca
Twitter: @NaturoDoctor
We're On Facebook!