Detox has become a massively popular buzzword, especially this time of year.
Right now most are just enjoying themselves with drink and food while being in the company of their loved ones for the holidays.
And the work parties. We can’t forget those.
But, in a couple of weeks the shift will happen and many people will make their New Year’s Resolution to be better and treat themselves better for better health.
The problem with this is that most do not have a realistic plan to get them across the finish line and this results in failure after a few weeks.
“It’s Just Too Hard” – that is what we hear a lot right around the 3rd week of January.
Reality is there has to be a plan to wean off some of the habits that have been created and driven home to your psyche for a year or longer.
Dealing with Withdrawal and Cravings is the #1 reason for failure.
Well, the great news is that a DETOX can help you quickly get over the cravings and withdrawal feelings and focus on your longer term goal of a healthier you.
I prefer to start out the year with a DETOX whif for me involved a reset of my body through working up in to a 3-5 day juice cleanse.
I like to say, “If you want to be at a level 7 then you need to start at a level 11”. This gives you room to slide, which everyone will do, without feeling like a failure.
So I set the standards for myself very high so when I slip I am failing into my goal, and that is not failure in any way.
Once I have completed the juice fast I will have a day or 2 with Salads and then move into another 3-4 day water fast. Or I’ll use maple syrup, lemon juice, and cyan pepper with water mix.
This is a fantastic reset and what happens for me is this aggressive start breaks the cravings and feeling of withdrawal because I can reset my palate from sweet sugary foods and alcohol, to salads and greens etc.
I also am conscious not to eat too much. Coming out of a fast, your appetite is smaller, and by being conscious I can keep it that way and massively reduce the portions I eat.
Also, having a meal plan that you want to stick to, prepared in advance is very important. At this point you can optimize your food intake and your body will respond very well.
Cheat days are okay, but I caution you that they are a slippery slope if you have one too early in the process.
They say it takes 21 days to create a habit. I say back it up with another 14 days before you allow a cheat day. And also plan something the day after that will force you to stay inside the boundaries of your cheat day.
Example: If you have given up alcohol, plan a sunrise run the next day with a group so you are less likely to go ona bender when you are accountable to others for an event that will force you to be up for the crack of dawn.
Here Are 7 Tips You Can Use In Addition To The Plan Above
Limit Alcohol:
More than 90% of alcohol is metabolized in your liver. Liver enzymes metabolize alcohol to acetaldehyde, a known cancer-causing chemicals
Recognizing acetaldehyde as a toxin, your liver converts it to a harmless substance called acetate, which is later eliminated from your body.
While observational studies have shown low-to-moderate alcohol consumption beneficial for heart health, excessive drinking can cause a myriad of health problems
Excessive drinking can severely damage your liver function by causing fat buildup, inflammation, and scarring
When this happens, your liver cannot function adequately and perform its necessary tasks — including filtering waste and other toxins from your body.
As such, limiting or abstaining entirely from alcohol is one of the best ways to keep your body’s detoxification system running strong.
Focus On Sleep
This is a massive one that too many people ignore.
Sleep is where your body does most of its physical and mental repair.
Lack of sleep can lead to chronic fatigue, brain fogginess, and is being proven as a catalyst for Alzhiemers.
A minimum of 2 hours of REM sleep is needed for your body and brain to function properly and have time to repair. So what does that mean?
There are cycles in your sleep before and after you are in REM sleep. So saying that you need a minimum of 2 hours doesn’t mean 2 hours of sleep. It means 2 hours of REM sleep and that means more like 7-8 hours of sleep. It differs for every person, and the more REM you have the better your mental health can be.
Drink More Water
As simple as this sounds, it is also overlooked and a large portion of the population is walking around dehydrated, every single day.
Water is needed for cell health and reproduction, blood flow, and eliminating wastes and toxins from the body.
The proper water intake is 125 ounces for males and 91 ounces food females.
Maintaining proper water intake will also boost energy and eliminate dependence on stimulants like caffeine. When you are hydrated properly, your electrons can fire better and you will have a clearer head and more energy.
Reduce Intake Of Sugar And Processed Foods
These two products are the root of the majority of the health issues in our country today.
And it is so entrenched in our food supply because these are cheap and drastically reduce the cost of making food for the conglomerates that are a disservice to our nation and our population.
It is almost impossible to fully get away from these harmful items, but if you stay diligent and have a restrictive diet in the beginning it will become easier to find foods that are very low in these and maintain your path to progress.
Eat Antioxidant Rich Foods
Antioxidants protect and heal your cells from free-radicals.
Free radicals are created and exacerbated by poor diet, alcohol consumption, and smoking.
Free radicals attack your healthy cells causing Oxidative Stress on them.
Examples of Antioxidants are Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, Lycopene, Lutein, and Zeaxanthin.
These can all be achieved by eating a healthy diet and as you detox you will find that your body will actually start to crave whatever of the nutrients you are lacking. It’s actually amazing to crave fruit so much because your body is telling you that you are low in Vitamin C.
Some foods you can get these vitamins from are: Berries, fruits, nuts, vegetables, spices, green coffee has some of the highest levels of antioxidants and is a MUST for any healthy diet.
Eat Foods High In Prebiotics
You might have heard of Gut Health.
It is a newer buzz word that is about how your gut is the core of your health and when things go awry in your guy, everything else will start to fail as well.
Your gut is all about a proper and healthy balance of good bacteria. You gut can become unbalanced with bad bacteria from the use of Antibiotics (these will tear you up), poor dental hygiene, and diet quality.
When you get out of balance one of the first functions of our bodies to fade is the immune system. Next is your detoxification system. This creates a significant crack in your health and protection systems and starts the process of decline.
Eating foods rich in prebiotics can help prevent this from happening and definitely finding supplements that will supercharge your gut is a great idea to act on.
Decrease Your Salt Intake
Salt in our food is approaching epidemic levels causing high blood pressure and massive spikes in heart disease in our country.
Salt intake goes against your efforts of detoxing because a lot of the initial, motivating weight loss when starting a juice fast, is the expelling of fluids from your body as you detox.
Salt promotes water retention, slowing the process you are attempting to accelerate.
It is counter productive, unhealthy, and will rob you of motivation.
Salt is so rampant in our national diet that, like processed foods and sugars, you are going to have to work hard at first to find your safe zone foods that you like and adapt your palate to it.
Again, adapting your palette is one of the greatest outcomes of a proper fasting period.
I hope these tips help motivate you for what is about to come in a couple of weeks.
Remember we are going to be here for you with suggestions, tips, and resources.
Relax In Great Health
Willow S. Wright