I know this sounds silly to say, “Don’t poison yourself” but it is easier to do than you think, in many ways.  I’ve been known to pollute my self on occasion.  Not so much, these days, but in my younger years I was all about them. The less stress our bodies have to undergo, the quicker our bodies can recover.

The Susan G. Komen 3-day is all about finding a cure for breast cancer. It is an excellent organization that has helped my family members out during treatment and diagnosis. The whole purpose is for fewer people to die of Breast Cancer.  There is another way we can assist them in this endeavor, AND it can help us prepare our bodies for a mostly pain free 60-mile walk as well.

Ingestion

• The initial one is easy, lay off the booze, beer, and wine. This one takes us back to the hydration issue as well as slowing down our recovery process.
• Refined, empty carbohydrates – STAY AWAY… these are sugars, finely ground and bleached flours, boxes of ready made meals, junk food, donuts, and my hubby’s favorite Noodles Ramen. (which he doesn’t get).
  • These tempting apples of the modern day world are horrible for the training body, any body really. They cause spikes in blood sugar then more importantly severe and rapid drops in energy and GRUMPIES!
  • Opt instead for whole foods.  It really doesn’t take much, if any, longer to prepare foods from scratch, just a bit of practice – they taste better and are better for you.  Herbs and spices are your friends, MSG, BPA, and empty carbs are NOT.  There are some recipes on this blog too.
• Avoid MSG, BPA, and other initials.  If you can’t read it, DON’T BUY IT and certainly DON’T EAT IT.  

Slather it on

• The average woman uses 9-11 personal body care products per day.  The average man 7.  If each of those products is under the threshold of toxins… say .9 if 1 is too much… we multiply that by how many products you are using (7x.9=6.3 times) you end up seeing that those toxins being absorbed by your skin are 6.3 times greater than the “safe” threshold.
• 90 seconds after you slather it on, whatever it is, it has entered your blood stream. (Don’t believe me, mash some garlic and rub it on the sole of your feet.  Time yourself to see how long it is before you can taste the garlic.)
• There are better option available. Avoid products with pthalates, parabens, Initials, and words you can’t pronounce.  Find a trusted source for your body care products.  Would you use just ANY product on your classic, one of a kind car?  Why would you use it on your personal body?
• Many salons now offer organic hair care solutions, I choose to use the Prosante’ line of products.
• Skin care involves soaps, scrubs, moisturizers, creams, repair products, etc.  Again, I recommend you find a company that does extensive research, and SAFETY testing.  I’ve been using the Enfuselle line for years and people frequently guess me as 10 years younger than my actual age. There are others out there, I have just been happy with the results and haven’t looked elsewhere.
• Lotions.  It puts the lotion on the skin… Again… look for those without fragrance (pthalates=bad juju).  I can provide ideas if you would like here too.

Breathe it in

• Some 80,000+ chemicals have been introduced into our homes through excellent marketing campaigns. Less than 1% have been tested to see what the results of exposing them to our selves, or especially our pregnant women or children.  The body needs time to recover from the poisoning each time we are exposed.
• We don’t NEED to use toxic poisons to clean our homes, our cars, our toilets. I haven’t used toxic cleaners in 7+ years and our medical bills have dropped dramatically.  No need to recover if we don’t get sick.
• Fabric softeners are terrible for our bodies, our respiratory system, and our recovery process.  Try an organic option or none at all.  Did you know that fabric softeners, even though they make your towels fluffy soft, they actually reduce absorption.  hmmm
• Vinegar and baking soda is an option, Coke and Pepsi are an options for the toilet – you need to use them up from the fridge anyway and they can’t dehydrate you if you don’t drink them.
• I choose to use a highly concentrated, organic line of cleaning products that save me tons of cash and I don’t have asthma anymore and I’m not stressing my body so it can recover from the other stresses that much easier.

The Bottom Line

• Each additional stress we put on our body weakens our body.
• When we compound the stresses of toxins, bad eating decisions, booze, smoking, training for a big event, everyday life, work and family – the body can only do so much at a time.
• Eliminate the stressors I have control over and my body will have less to overcome.
• Finally, perhaps, we can cut back on the cases of diagnosis so fewer people need the cures, through healthy lifestyle choices.

If you would like any additional information, sources for my information or more options for healthy options, contact me.

Happy Walking.