11 Tips for A Healthy Detox
Feeling some toxic build up from your winter months of hibernation? Well its time to break out, smell the fresh air and clear your system! Spring is a great time to detox your body of things that have bogged you down, backed you up andfilled you with congestion.
Going through this simple, easy detox process will have you feeling new again and ready to spring into action!
Follow these 11 tips for a successful healthy detox process:
1. Start your day with water & lemon.
Lemon water alkalizes your body and supports your liver’s detoxification process, prepares your system for digestion, and hydrates your body. Drink plenty of water throughout the day.
2. Drink your greens in the AM.
Having greens first thing in the morning is alkalizing for the body, and provides you with a boost of vital nutrients to start your day. Add some greens to your morning smoothie, or use a powdered super food that contains spirulina, chlorella, broccoli, wheat grass, blue-green algae, maca, probiotics and more.
3. Focus on foods that assist in digestion and detoxing.
Include fresh foods such as dandelion greens, kale, raw garlic, grapefruit, avocado, beets, carrots, and artichokes. Add spices like turmeric, cumin, cayenne and coriander.
4. Avoid gluten, dairy, sugar, coffee, alcohol and other processed foods.
Stay away from foods that are difficult for the body to digest and that will tax your immune system and other systems needed for detoxing. A simple rule of thumb is if you can’t pronounce or spell an ingredient, it’s probably not good for you. Artificial colors, flavors and preservatives should also be avoided as much as possible.
5. Eat a light and early dinner.
Lite at night! Dinner should be the smallest meal of the day.
6. Eat your fruit and vegetables.
Whether you’re a vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian or carnivore, everyone can benefit from a diet that’s rich in fruits, vegetables, and legumes. Eating lots of plants supports your liver in detoxification and aids in the elimination of toxins through a healthy digestive tract.
7. Move your body to detoxify!
Moving your body by running, walking, biking, stretching, twisting, jumping, or sweating stimulates your lymphatic system, your body’s drainage system that is similar to blood vessels. Movement of your body stimulates lymphatic fluid to move through our body. This is important during a cleanse.
A good sweat by walking, biking, dancing, doing yoga, running, or hitting the sauna or hot tub everyday with do wonders!
8. Up your daily fiber intake
Similar to the lymphatic system, our digestive tract also eliminates toxins. The fiber we eat helps the movement through the large intestine; it soaks up circulating toxins, excess hormones and cholesterol. Getting enough fiber is very important in supporting daily detoxification in our body. The recommended intake is approx. 25-35g for women, and 35-45g for men. Great sources of fiber are low glycemic fruit like apples and berries, all vegetables including leafy greens, broccoli, carrots, celery, and snap peas, and whole grains such as brown rice, quinoa and oats.
9. Breathe deeply with Yoga.
Take a yoga class to incorporate some deep breathing exercises into your day. Deep breathing helps to detox the mind and lungs.
10. Get some sleep.
You will need your sleep during a detox. It is at this time that our body repairs itself and important hormones are released.
11. How long should you detox?
There’s no set length of time to detox, so it is up to you to determine what will work for you. The typical detox is 7-21 days.
Your ultimate goal should be to create healthy lifestyle habits that energize you and that you can maintain throughout the year.
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