Time to Clean House!!!
I know you’re having fun watching the World Championships taking place in Oregon, USA this weekend. I certainly am. The Jamaicans as usual are a force to be reckoned with, and continue to keep the Jamaican flag on the world stage.
What a wonderful way to reset for the upcoming week. What energy and good vibes to sprint into the week with. See what I did there? (;
Is your housekeeping suffering on account of the hours you are spending in front of the television set? I hope not, it’s one of the necessary ‘evils’ that we have come to accept as part of our weekend routine. Afterall, when the week gets started we will need a clean kitchen and bathroom to operate in all week, and we need a nice, clean bedroom with clean fresh sheets and bath towels, to retreat to and rest after working hard each day.
Jesus thought a clean house was so important that the only time we see him raging mad and actually getting very passionate and taking drastic action, was when he had to do some housekeeping and rid the temple (God’s house) of the filth that had accumulated there.
Jesus used whips to drive vendors and money-changers out of the house of God, where they took up residence daily to carry out their trade. They had turned the temple of God into a rowdy, crowded, smelly, sleezy market-place, for the purpose of profiteering from people who wanted the ‘convenience’ of buying animals right in the temple itself to use for their sacrifices to God.
From tiny birds to large bulls (I imagine), anything could be bought right there in the temple: “Come and get it, come and get it!!! Two for the price of one!!!! Buy one get one free!!!! Furthermore, because many of the worshippers were foreigners and needed to change currency, the moneychangers were making a fortune, particularly through unscrupulous exploitation.Jesus turned over their tables in a fit of rage and chased them out of the temple.
As Jesus cleansed the temple of greed and unfair profit, he quoted from Isaiah 56:7: "My temple will be called a house of prayer, but you make it a den of thieves." (Matthew 21:13)
Do you know that your body is the temple of God?
“Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself..” (1 Corinthians 6:19)
Does your temple (house of God) need some housekeeping?
When I was a child each summer we would be subjected to a purge.
We would spend the entire summer running around barefooted and eating all manner of tasty “nastiness” - red mango, red plum, curry mango, amchar, chow (green mango peeled, cut up and seasoned with salt, blackpepper, hot pepper and a herb called shadow benni), to name a few. Sometimes we would feel the effects right away or by the next time we used the toilet. We would either feel the burn or have constipation, or even get a bout of running belly (diarrhea). Most times however, there would be no noticeable effect.
Whether or not, at the end of the summer holidays, for a few days well, we would be made to drink ‘coolin’ - local bush steeped and drawn in hot water and cooled into an almost tasteless but refreshing drink. Then we would be made to drink a potion made from boiled senna leaves, followed by a spoonful of castor oil and an orange to help tolerate and/or recover from the terrible taste.
That potent drink would result in some violent stomach cramps and ‘running belly’ for at least a day, as the body was ‘purged’ of all the toxins that had built up inside and needed to be expunged for us to better absorb the nutrients from our foods and regain our most healthy state.
When I decided to take better care of my body so I would be healthier and feel better, I started with a detox. I did a ‘Daniel Fast’ initially for 7 days and then 21 days and then I continued to maintain a healthy diet of fresh fruits and vegetables, and reduced processed starch and sugar. That worked for me. I could eat, not starve myself, so I was able to keep it up.
Ask any of the athletes for whom a fit body is essential to excel in their sport, and who have prepared for months and even years for the championship event. They have strict diets which begin with and are maintained from time to time by detoxing.
We may not be athletes, but we need to succeed in life and at our own professions and endeavours. We too, must do our own regular “housekeeping” to constantly reset our bodies in order to survive and thrive today.
Jesus set the example. We must keep our temples clean and fit for its purpose.
But it can all seem much more complicated and expensive than it really needs to be. I have learned some effective but simple ways over the past few years. I found a comprehensive article that summarizes them perfectly -https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-to-detox-your-body.
From this site, here are eight ways we can detox and reset our bodies and be at our best possible health. It clearly outlines the why’s and how’s.
Limit alcohol: Excessive drinking can severely damage your liver function by causing fat buildup, inflammation, and scarring. When this happens, your liver cannot function adequately and perform its necessary tasks — including filtering waste and other toxins from your body. Limiting or abstaining entirely from alcohol is one of the best ways to keep your body’s detoxification system running strong.
Focus on sleep: Ensuring adequate quality sleep each night is a must to support your body’s health and natural detoxification system. Sleeping allows your brain to reorganize and recharge itself, as well as remove toxic waste byproducts that accumulate throughout the day.
With sleep deprivation, your body does not have time to perform those functions, so toxins can build up and affect several aspects of health. Poor sleep has links to short- and long-term health consequences, such as stress, anxiety, high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.
You should regularly sleep 7 to 9 hours per night to help promote good health. If you have difficulties staying or falling asleep at night, lifestyle changes like sticking to a sleep schedule and limiting blue light before bed are useful for improving sleep
Drink more water: Water regulates your body temperature, lubricates joints, aids digestion and nutrient absorption, and detoxifies your body by removing waste products
Your body’s cells must continuously repair themselves to function optimally and break down nutrients for your body to use as energy. However, these processes release wastes in the form of urea and carbon dioxide, which can cause harm if they build up in your blood.
Water transports these waste products, efficiently removing them through urination, breathing, or sweating. So staying properly hydrated is important for detoxification. The adequate daily water intake is 125 ounces (3.7 liters) for men and 91 ounces (2.7 liters) for women. You may need more or less depending on your diet, where you live, and your activity level.
Reduce your intake of sugar and processed foods: Research links high consumption of sugary and highly processed foods to obesity and other chronic diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. These diseases hinder your body’s ability to naturally detoxify by harming organs that play an important role, such as your liver and kidneys.
For example, high consumption of sugary beverages can cause fatty liver, a condition that negatively impacts liver function. You can keep your body’s detoxification system healthy by consuming less junk food.
You can limit junk food by leaving it on the store shelf. Not having it in your kitchen takes away the temptation altogether. Replacing junk food with healthier choices like fruits and vegetables is also a healthy way to reduce consumption.
Eat antioxidant-rich foods: Antioxidants protect your cells against damage caused by molecules called free radicals. Oxidative stress is a condition that results from the excessive production of free radicals. Your body naturally produces these molecules for cellular processes, such as digestion. However, alcohol, tobacco smoke, a low nutrient diet, and exposure to pollutants can produce excessive free radicals.
These molecules cause damage to a range of cells. Research suggests that free radical damage plays a role in conditions such as dementia, heart disease, liver disease, asthma, and certain types of cancer. Eating a diet rich in antioxidants can help your body counter oxidative stress caused by excess free radicals and other toxins that increase your disease risk.
Examples of antioxidants include vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, lycopene, lutein, and zeaxanthin. Berries, fruits, nuts, cocoa, vegetables, spices, and beverages like coffee and green tea have some of the highest amounts of antioxidants.
Eat foods high in prebiotics: Gut health is important for keeping your detoxification system healthy. Your intestinal cells have a detoxification and excretion system that protects your gut and body from harmful toxins, such as chemicals.
Good gut health starts with prebiotics, a type of fiber that feeds the good bacteria in your gut called probiotics. With prebiotics, your good bacteria can produce nutrients called short-chain fatty acids that are beneficial for health. Antibiotic use, poor dental hygiene, and diet quality can all alter the bacterial balance in your gut. Consequently, this unhealthy shift in bacteria can weaken your immune and detoxification systems and increase your risk of disease and inflammation.
Eating foods rich in prebiotics can keep your immune and detoxification systems healthy. Good food sources of prebiotics include tomatoes, artichokes, bananas, asparagus, onions, garlic, and oats.
Decrease your salt intake: For some people, detoxing is a means of eliminating excess water. Consuming too much salt can cause your body to retain excess fluid, especially if you have a condition that affects your kidneys or liver — or if you don’t drink enough water. This excess fluid buildup can cause bloating and make clothing uncomfortable. If you consume too much salt, you can detox yourself of the extra water weight.
While it may sound counterintuitive, increasing your water intake is one of the best ways to eliminate excess water weight from consuming too much salt. That’s because when you consume too much salt and not enough water, your body releases an antidiuretic hormone that prevents you from urinating and therefore, detoxifying. By increasing your water intake, your body reduces the secretion of the antidiuretic hormone and increases urination, eliminating more water and waste products.
Increasing your intake of potassium-rich foods — which counterbalance some of sodium’s effects — also helps. Foods rich in potassium include potatoes, squash, kidney beans, bananas, and spinach.
Stay active: Regular exercise — regardless of body weight — is associated with a longer life and a reduced risk of many conditions and diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and certain cancers.
While there are several mechanisms behind the health benefits of exercise, reduced inflammation is a key point. While some inflammation is necessary for recovering from infection or healing wounds, too much of it weakens your body’s systems and promotes disease. By reducing inflammation, exercise can help your body’s systems — including its detoxification system — function properly and protect against disease.
You should aim to do at least 150–300 minutes a week of moderate-intensity exercise — such as brisk walking — or 75–150 minutes a week of vigorous intensity physical activity — such as running.
WEEKEND RESET TIP
Apply these eight tips starting this weekend and continuing every day from hereon to reset your body and remain at your peak health. If you need help to recharge and reset your life, feel free to reach out to me HERE for a FREE coaching session and to find out how I can support you in your quest to maximize your potential and fulfill your God-given purpose.
Sharon Carruthers, the author of the ‘Weekend Reset’ blog is a child of God, wife, mother of 3, a Human Resource Management and Development Consultant, and owner of the firm, ‘Bold Consulting’. She is sharing from her own experiences for women who are holding back, or living on autopilot; who believe their identities are in others and, or in what they do; or who neglect themselves while sacrificially taking care of others. She hopes that together Christian women can embrace the future with the beautiful hope of transformation one step at a time.