Over the last 6 months or so I’ve had some recurring issues with my knees. In fact, it has effected most of my larger joints; knees, hips, elbows, and ongoing pain in my back. The strange thing is I have never been more fit and healthy. I had similar problems with my knees after both pregnancies but it went away after a few months and I chalked it up to hormones. Then, for the last few years it has been my back. On and off pain and stiffness. And finally this fall it was my knees again. Swollen, fluid filled, and aching.
A running injury was what I assumed but after a trip to a sports medicine doctor I found out I likely had some sort of auto-immune disease and was immediately referred to a rheumatologist for more tests. I was petrified. What did this mean? How serious was it? How bad might it get?
Well, I still don’t know for sure. The initial tests indicated some auto-immune issues but the specifics are still to be determined. The pain and swelling is under control but I am still not back to where I want to be. I have just recently been able to start running again but find I have less energy and have gained about 10lbs.
During the last 6 months urbanmoms.ca has been receiving information and solicitation from a variety of companies promoting Natural Cleansing – ridding your body of toxins using natural supplements so that it runs at peak performance. We haven’t paid too much attention to them because we don’t do ads and don’t tend to promote multi-level marketing companies. But recently I started to notice some people in my neighbourhood looking really fabulous, healthy and energetic.
So, I asked them what they’d been up to. And they started telling me about how they were using a natural cleansing product called Isagenix. They had lost weight and they felt amazing! Sounded good but I wasn’t interested. Supplements and starving myself was not my thing. I wasn’t going to fall for that scam. But then someone I really respect, an athlete and a mom, told me how cleansing works and how it had helped her to finish 1st in her age group in one of Toronto’s major marathons. I admit I was intrigued but still not convinced to give it a try.
It wasn’t until I hooked up with Steve Bentley, a Performance Coach helping regular people as well as competitive athletes improve their overall health and fitness to reach their individual goals, that I seriously started to consider this. Steve has a holisitic approach to health which really interests me and he incorporates Isagenix into an overall health strategy.
I did a ton of research, checked with my doctor and found out that cleansing has been practiced throughout history and it has only been in recent modern society that some form of cleansing is not standard. I also read about theories that toxins can cause or trigger certain health issues…including auto-immune diseases. This has not been proven but it is supported by many.
Get where I’m going with this? Yup, I’m going to try it. I am going to try Isagenix for 30 days. I am also going to meet with Steve Bentley and get some advice from a professional on how to approach my physical fitness. And I’m going to blog about it. Every detail good and bad.
Kath and her husband are also going to give it a try to kick start their weight loss again. We figure we have a better chance of getting through it if we are in it together. She will write about their experiences. I will write about mine. The good. The bad. And the ugly.
To make things very clear, we are not endorsing this product. Isagenix is not paying us. We may not be successful or we may love it. We’ll just have to see. I am doing this for myself and I’m going to share my experiences with you for your information and, possibly, entertainment. That’s it.
So, I’m starting on Monday with the pre-cleanse. Getting my body ready for the cleanse days. And you have to know that I am freaking out about missing my daily Chai Tea Latte! Any encouragement helps. So if you have your own experiences or questions or just think I’m nuts please share in the comments below or send me an email. If you have any questions about Steve Bentley or Bentley Coaching or Isagenix contact Steve at performancecoaching@sympatico.ca or by phone at 416.407.6361.
Sorry I never got back to you to swap symptoms. I don’t have swelling but get this: I’ve been losing a ton of hair. Just in the front where it’s most noticeable. No biggie.
I have every symptom of a thyroid disorder but no results to back it, despite almost everyone in my family having it. I had this impression that my answer was not going to come from the medical community. My gut has been telling me that it would be an alternative treatment that would help, despite me being skeptical about everything. Maybe this is my answer!
I’ll let you be my guinea pig. Yay!
(On my way to check out your link. I’ve heard of Isagenix but don’t know where. Some commenter said he’s cute. If that’s not enough reason, what is?)
PS, that last comment was from me…I dropped my name somehow.
This is the cleanse I was telling you about last spring Jen. Good luck with it!
I definitely would like to read more about it and hope it helps. I will definitely be ready to hear how it goes and what it involves for you.
I’ll admit to being very skeptical about this kind of thing. I will be reading with great interest to see if you get the results you are hoping for.
hi jen, thanks for sharing this. i’m excited to hear about this journey. sounds like Isagenix has a lot of potential. I hope you feel better soon.