 I'm here with Amber Roe Baerge of On the Move Fitness and Wellness in South Portland. And Amber's going to talk to us about a nutrition class that she offers here for the community. Hi Amber. Hi, how are you? Really well, thanks. Amber, can you tell us a little bit about this detoxing class that you offer? It's a nutrition class, and tell us what it's all about. It is a nutrition class, but it's not your mama's nutrition class. You're going to tell us about detoxing in a healthy way. Yes, this isn't what most people might think of a detox. It's not about starving or drinking liquids or fasting. It's about helping your body calm down and release the toxins that we take in every day through what we eat and other means. But eating whole, clean foods that help your body naturally detoxify. And I'm going to introduce some products that are supplementary that help your liver detoxify. So it's really about eating and detoxifying at the same time. Amber, do you think there's a misperception about detoxing? It definitely is. I hear a lot of people kind of cringe when I mention that word, because there are different ways of detoxing out there. But this is about eating. It's about a lifestyle. It's not a diet. It's not a fad. It's kind of getting very close to nature, back to kind of how maybe my grandparents used to eat. But with a modern spin, because people are very busy these days, and it's hard to find good, clean nutritional foods on the go. But I help people do that. How does a person typically feel before they detox? I'm glad you asked. So I typically hold up this list of symptoms or signs of imbalance. And I ask people to just look at it as I read over it and think to themselves, are they feeling these symptoms? And I say, if you're feeling three or more of these signs, it might be time for you to detox if you're feeling these on a regular basis. So people tend to feel fatigue on a regular basis, joint pain and inflammation. A lot of people get migraines, things like that. And they think they just have to live with those symptoms. And that's not necessarily true. And even a lot of doctors will tell people that's just a part of aging. It's a part of imbalance and when your health is compromised. So what I do is get people back to balance, get back to good health so their bodies can function the way they're supposed to. And you feel better that way. So you shared the symptoms people feel before. How do they feel while they're actually detoxing? It doesn't take long. I ask people to give it seven days. And by the end of the seven days, most people say, I feel great. I feel more energy than I've ever felt. I feel really good. I can think clearly. So they keep doing it. So really that's what I ask people to do. Just give it seven days and see how you do from there. I understand that some people complain about feeling dizzy or tired or something as they start to detox. Is that typical? I don't hear a lot of that. A lot of people come off of caffeine like coffee or soda or diet soda drinks. And so they do have that dull headache for a couple days, maybe two to four days. That's most commonly what I hear. But then after that they feel great. So do some people actually return to all of the pollutants after they've done such a good job detoxing? Some do, some don't. I myself have been off of coffee for four years and I won't go back. Because it's highly acidic. That's the thing about the program. You can tell what foods and drinks are doing to your body when you've eliminated them for 30 days and your body gets back to a calm, balanced state. When you reintroduce them, you can tell just how your body is reacting to those foods and drinks. And what do people say after they've gone through the detox? I have more energy than I've ever had before. That's the most common thing and I feel great. So to hear somebody say I feel great when they haven't felt great for years and that's a great thing. What kind of foods do we eat when we're detoxing? So we eliminate all acidic and inflammatory foods for 30 days. So that includes gluten, dairy, soy, any processed foods, refined sugars, refined flowers, coffee, alcohol, all the things that cause imbalance and inflammation in our bodies. And then I tell people what to replace those with. So we're just making exchanges. And believe it or not, I can tell people how to make a vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, fettuccine Alfredo. So I don't want people to feel deprived. I just want to show people how to make exchanges, how to enjoy their favorite meals but in a clean, anti-inflammatory way. Do people say that they feel full, that they feel satiated when they're eating these different foods? Definitely. I mean, you can almost make any meal you normally make, you just exchange. For instance, if you make stir fries, things like that, instead of white rice, you're gonna use brown rice and you're gonna leave out the soy sauce. But there's all kinds of other ingredients that we teach people they can use and get at the grocery store quite easily. Amber, when are these nutrition classes offered? I offer these free detox and nutrition classes the last Wednesday of every month at 6.30 p.m. at my studio. And I'd love for you to come, bring a friend with you, someone you care about, and just learn some new information and taste some supplementary products.