Where to now?

So you have left the loving guidance of the staff at Atmanjai, completed your post cleanse diet and you feel amazing.

But how do you keep that healthy feeling and where do you begin making positive changes in your lifestyle and home? 

My first experience at Atmanjai inspired me to eventually quit the international corporate rat race and take up the study of Yoga, Nutrition and Life Coaching. But before I did that, I made some simple and gradual changes that went a long way to keeping me healthy and feeling great, which I’ll share with you here.

Keep drinking water!  Most people are severely dehydrated and as we age, we lose our sense of thirst. 30ml per kg of body weight is the minimum amount one should be drinking per day. If you are drinking tap water, consider installing a water dispenser or filter to one tap dedicated for drinking water.  Unfortunately some municipal tap water contains fluoride and can contain contaminants such as lead.  The dangers of fluoride in water can be read in this article by the Schachter Centre for Complementary Medicine.

Introduce coconut oil!  All too often we see the use of olive oil on the TV cooking shows.  Olive oil should not be used for heating as it becomes unstable and toxic at high temperatures.  Coconut oil, in addition to its amazing other benefits is stable at high temperatures, and contrary to some thinking, the food does not taste of coconut!

Make apple cider vinegar and/or lemon part of your daily routine!  Either the apple cider vinegar and honey drink that you were taking at Atmanjai, or warm water with the juice of half a lemon taken first thing in the morning will assist in keeping the body alkalised.  We know that all disease results from an inflamed body and an inflamed body is acidic.  Keep it alkaline!

Salt and pepper cruets on the table!  Change your table salt to either sea or Himalayan pink salt and black or white pepper can be swapped for cayenne pepper.  This way you get nutritious minerals from the salt and anti-inflammatory benefits from the Cayenne pepper.

Go organic wherever possible!  Part of the reason why toxins build up in our systems is the food additives, poisonous oils, salt, chemicals and genetic modification found not only in processed food, but much supermarket food today.  I was surprised to find how many organic outlets there are, as well as butchers providing grass-fed, organic meats, specialist organic supermarkets, farmers markets and so on.  I hadn’t looked for them before, but as my awareness increased, I found several.  If you are fortunate enough to have a garden, consider growing some of your own vegetables and herbs – but please make sure the seeds are organic.

Learn to read the ingredient list on food labels!  There is lots of great information on the web about this subject, but as a starting point, here is a list of the worst ingredients to look out for.  Ingredients are listed in order of their proportion in the product.  Some tips for reading ingredient lists are available here.  Studying food labels can be daunting at first, but in no time you’ll become an expert, not only about the ingredient list but the nutritional, portion and additional information too.

Do a mini detox once a week!  This can be in the form of a raw-only or fruit-only day.  What I did, and still do, is pick one day in the week where I am likely to be at home.  I take 2 tablespoonsful of Epsom Salts in warm water first thing in the morning and then eat light – mainly fruit and vegetables only for the rest of that day.  The Epsom Salts mixture gives you a mini colon flush out.  An Epsom Salts bath once a week is a great way to relax and detox the skin too.

Keep up the Dry Brushing!  It exfoliates the skin, increases skin cell production, blood flow and detoxification, and the gentle pressure has a calming effect – like a massage.  Remember to brush in circular movements starting from the extremities and always towards the heart. Your skin will continue to glow with health.  I recommend dry brushing at least twice a week or as often as once a day. As it is stimulating, it is best done in the morning.

Good luck and be well!

Written by: Jan Sykes

Wellness Professional
Certified Life Coach, Nutritionist, Yoga Instructor

email:  jansykes@lifecoach.sg     https://www.facebook.com/HealthFoodiesSingapore     http://www.lifecoach.sg/