Jump Start Your Fertility With a Spring Cleanse

Spring cleaning.

It’s a ritual many of us undertake each year. We clear out things we no longer need and clean our homes from top to bottom in an attempt to make them fresh again.

My goal this year for springtime was to clear out a bag of clutter from my house every day during the 6 weeks of Lent. I fell a little short of that goal; I didn’t get a bag out every single day from March 1 to April 15, but I managed to clear a whole lot of stuff out of my house during that time, so I consider the effort a success overall.

Now it’s time to turn my attention away from cleaning out my physical house to cleaning my spiritual one.

Almost every season since 2012, I’ve cleansed my body through 10 days of a whole-food diet. Things like fresh fruits, veggies, grains, nuts, soups and smoothies (y’all know I love my smoothies!). Anti-inflammatory foods that help ward off chronic illness.

It’s not a coincidence that my first cleanse coincided with the beginning of my fertility journey.

When I signed up for my first cleanse in January 2012, I was fresh off the heels of “the talk” with my husband – we’d decided it was time to start our family. I didn’t sign up for the cleanse in the name of improved fertility, officially, but I was almost 42 at the time, and knew that with age stacked against me (and dismal fertility test results, although that news didn’t come until later), I needed to be in tip-top shape to have the best possible chance to conceive.

I was already pretty healthy, and eating pretty well, but I wanted to kick things up a notch and be the absolute healthiest I could be.

And cleansing didn’t disappoint.

No meat. No dairy. No sugar. No soy. No gluten. No processed foods. It might sound like a diet and that I’m depriving myself, but the truth is that I actually eat quite a bit during the cleanse.

And instead of feeling deprived, I feel incredibly full in many ways – physically and emotionally. Because cleansing isn’t just about the food. While cleansing I tend to focus even more on self-care activities like gentle exercise, meditation, journaling and reconnecting with loved ones. It’s the whole experience of finding just what works best for you.

And it gave me laser-focus for my fertility journey.

Eating real, whole food instead of microwave dinners and take-out, drinking water instead of Coke, spending time with people who lift me up instead of bringing me down – all of this self-care helps me feel lighter, move forward and de-clutter my world, just as I’ve been de-cluttering my house this spring.

I think these feelings of lightness, fullness and moving forward are the reason I go back for a cleanse each season even though my fertility journey is squarely in my rearview mirror.

While cleansing is awesome at any time for hitting the reset button on your body, it’s especially significant in the springtime. Spring is all about rebirth and renewal. A good cleanse really helps us get the gunk out of our bodies, which is so welcome after a long, cold winter of being stuck inside the house most of the time.

I’m about to get started on my spring cleanse this year, and I’d love to have you join me! This spring I’m upping my game – I’m expanding my cleanse from 10 to a whopping 21 days! And remember when I wrote about exposure to harmful toxins affecting our fertility? I’m incorporating a plan this time to minimize my exposure to toxins.

Click here for more information about the cleanse I’m doing!

Remember – your body is your spiritual home, but it’s also a very important vessel to bring your baby into the world. It’s your baby’s first home, so how we take care of it can have an impact for generations. My spring cleanse can help give you and your fertility the jump start you need to overcome your fertility challenges