I hope you had a wonderful Christmas.

I had a really nice weekend with family. I spent Sunday really relaxing and do nothing, something I rarely allow myself to do. As I went through the weekend, though, I felt just how much the food we eat affects our Being on every level, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually...

You would not believe what I ate on Christmas. Most of the time, I maintain a really healthy and clean diet consisting of salads, raw nuts, soy milk, natural energy bars, steamed vegetables, some fish, baked potatoes, soup, etc.

I've eaten this way mostly since beginning Yoga, which I attribute to transforming my diet. Yoga puts us in touch with how we feel, and we begin to notice how we feel when we eat certain foods, i.e. heavy foods with lots of oil, fat, etc. versus light foods such as vegetables and grains. I used to enjoy "over-eating" when I was hungry and stuffing my belly full of food. But not anymore. Now, I feel bloated, fat and out of integrity with my body when I do that.

On Christmas day I did not "over-eat", but I did eat all the wrong foods and it took a tole on my body. After a day of eating, I had a mixture of Brie, Spinach dip, Cheese, twice-baked potatoes, steamed veggies and stuff, and to top it all off, peanut brittle and warm-bread pudding in my tummy.

I do think it's good to have indulgences once and a while, but because I've been eating so healthily, and even more so, recently, this food really affected me.

I laid down to sleep that night and before long I felt nauseous. I was up 'til about 2 am in the morning nursing an upset stomach and moaning and groaning over what I had done to myself. I felt my whole body wanting to purge everything out (though luckily I didn't) to get rid of everything I had put in it.

At that moment, I realized, to another degree, how harmful unhealthy foods can be. My body was rejecting what I had put in it and trying to cleanse itself of it. I decided in that moment, I would begin cleansing out from the Holidays now, and not wait until the New Year. No more, "it's the holidays" or "I'll start after the first of the year." I decided, in that moment, I would get committed to a new level of health for my body, mind and spirit. The next day when I practiced Yoga and my body felt stiffer and tighter than I can remember because of the foods I'd eaten over the weekend, I knew I must get back to eating healthy. That is why Yoga suggests eating a vegetarian and clean foods diet, because it helps our bodies to be lighter and more flexible.

So, I'm not sure how all of you are feeling after the Holiday weekend. But perhaps the road to heightened health and this healthier version of you could begin this week. Not after the New Year. Why wait to honor yourself?

May our health be ever-improving!

“When our health improves, every other aspect of our life improves simultaneously.”-David Wolfe

“Let food be your medicine. Let medicine be your food.” - HippocratesRead more