Have you stuck to your New Year’s Resolutions? By February most people are off the wagon. Me? I’m going strong with my resolutions. I wanted to work out more, cleanse my body and eat healthier foods. Let’s start with the gym. I started teaching a yoga class to force me to go. I’m the type of gal that needs someone to pay me to workout, so for $25 an hour, I do downward dogs, bridge lifts and deep breathe with some great men and women at Namaste Yoga Studio in Wareham, Massachusetts.

I light incense, spray lavender oil on wrists and workout by candlelight. This makes sticking to this resolution easy. I like being a yogi. I’ve been less stressed, I feel stronger and my balance has improved enormously.

I haven’t been tempted to beat my kids, I avoid gassy foods like cauliflower and brussell sprouts so I don’t accidentally let one slip in class and the Native American music I play makes me feel like a true warrior. Last week I showed up to class in nothing but a head dress.

On to the cleansing. This resolution was a very interesting one to follow. It called for extreme measures. Yoga has prompted me to want to live a “cleaner lifestyle”. I avoid toxins, drink more water and began a journey to cleanse from the inside out. I decided the only way to accomplish a true inner cleansing was to go for a colonic.
Also referred to as Colonic Hydrotherapy or Colonic Irrigation, it is a process by which the large intestines are filled with warm and cold water and then drained to remove any matter that has failed to make it out of your home plate. Are you ready for this one? I went to a place on Route 139 in Marshfield called New Life Services. The owner Lynn is a certified hydrotherapist and a nurse. She comes highly recommended. Once there, Lynn “wastes” no time getting you into a Johnny, sans underwear. She laid me on my side and asked me if I’d ever had an enema.

The answer was no and she quickly changed that! Lynn filled my… uhhh… backside with a pouch of water and then had me race to the bathroom without losing a drip until I reached the toilet. Then it’s feet up and let it go. Oh my gosh!!! Let’s just say it was a highly effective procedure. Then it was on to enema round two. Oh lordy!
After I successfully passed the initiation phase, it was time to hook me up to the “machine”. Lynn took no time with the tube. I was one with it in seconds. Next, she had me lay on my back as she filled up my intestines with the first round of water.

Then she slowly allowed the water to drain out through the tube carrying everything along the way. The procedure lasted about an hour and was painless. When I was all done, I felt like I had delivered twins. I went home and slept all day with a headache. Lynn says this is the “detox” reaction. By the next day, I was a new woman.
My skin never looked better, my lower back pain subsided and the breakout on my forehead was gone. I had more energy than I knew what to do with and easily banged out five and a half miles on the treadmill. I scheduled my second one two weeks later and I felt like a million bucks. Now I’m on the quarterly maintenance plan. There are some great ‘You Tube” videos where you can watch people having it done. I watched them all before I made my appointment.

Mission accomplished for the New Year and I’m in awe at my bravery. Lynn advised me to avoid foods that are gassy as well as foods that are difficult to digest such as red meat, pork and cheese. Foods such as tomatoes, grapes, avocado, spinach, chicken, fish and turkey are easier on your digestive system and don’t leave you feeling sluggish.

On to the twist of lime. Citrus is great for you and I certainly couldn’t have the gym and a colonic without a twist of lime. I add lime juice to my water as an alternative to lemons and use the zest in marinades for chicken or seafood. Be sure not to marinate seafood too long in citrus, unless of course you are making ceviche. The citrus has a cooking effect on the delicate flesh. Whip up a delicious guacamole and you’ll not only get your lime juice in, but you’ll make Lynn at New Life Services really proud and you’ll do something kind for your colon. When’s the last time you were thoughtful to that body part?