Ready, Set, Detox.
Your body is designed to detox. It’s actually a perfectly built detoxing machine, and it knows exactly how to restore itself to optimum health. So what’s the secret to turning on your detox machine and finding your inner glow? It’s simple, really. Remove the obstacles.
On a daily basis, our bodies are bombarded with toxins – food, water, air, and environmental factors all contribute to a buildup of toxicity. A few simple changes in daily choices can make a huge impact in reducing the nasties that enter our bodies. The first step – and most important in my humble opinion – is to avoid ingesting unnecessary toxins. Remove processed and pesticide-laden foods, GMOs, and toxic products from your home and replace them with safer, natural alternatives. Aside from food, you can clean up your insides by drinking plenty of water, caring for your skin, getting plenty of exercise, and taking deep breaths. Read on for details on these five simple ways to detox your body.
1. Cut the Crap – Eat for Detoxification
You are what you eat, so cut the crap! Remove processed foods, GMOs, alcohol and added sugars. If you’re not sure where to start, there are now some awesome services which offer organic, local, and seasonal detox meals delivered right to your home or office. I recently decided to jump start a month long cleanse by ordering three days of delivery Paleo meals to our boat from farm to table meal delivery by Paleta. Paleta delivers food cleanses, juice detoxes, and organic gourmet meals which takes all the guesswork out of how to feed yourself.
One thing I love about Paleta is that they can accommodate everything from a vegan diet to high protein options for carnivores. The best part? The meals are pretty, filling, and arrive straight to your doorstep at the same time each day. My favorite thing they make is the Strawberry Fields Milkshake – dairy free, gluten free, and made with all natural ingredients, but tastes sinfully delicious. Try it. I dare you.
On a budget? Simplify your food detox by applying the whole foods rule. Avoid anything that comes in a bag, box, or carton. Stick to whole fruits, vegetables, grass fed or wild meats, and things that grow in the ground! Make it exciting by picking up a few fruits and veggies you’ve never tried and searching new recipes, like this – I just recently discovered dragon fruit and got creative with this awesome salsa recipe!
2. Hydrate, Baby!
Drinking plenty of water gives your kidneys what they need to clean your blood. Be a water extremist. Skip all other liquids (yes, even coffee. You’re detoxing, remember?) Start your day with warm lemon water instead. Bonus points if you oil pull, tongue scrape, and brush teeth first. Get more info about Ayurvedic detoxing here. You can also make your hydration detox more interesting by infusing your water! Try cucumber melon, strawberry lemon, or pineapple mango. Add fruit to water and chill. Enjoy often.
3. Get Skintimate with Your Bad Self
Love the skin you’re in and help it love you back. Though it’s the largest organ in your body, skin care is often overlooked as a component of detoxification. First step – ditch the toxic beauty products from the drug store, and start moisturizing with organic unrefined expeller pressed coconut oil. Want to take it a step further? Check out skin brushing. Dry skin brushing improves the appearance of your skin by eliminating dead cells and helping new skin to regenerate. It also stimulates blood circulation, the lymphatic system, and greatly enhances toxin elimination.
4. Sweat It Out!
Though sweat itself does not release toxins from the body, exercise supports overall health and well being. When your body is operating at optimum health, organs like the kidneys and colon are free to do their job. So sweat it up! In addition to complementing your physical health, exercise can help detoxify the mind by producing feel good endorphins and neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine.
5. Just Breathe
Though it’s usually on auto-pilot, the breath is a vital part of detoxification, and here’s why: Oxygen is pivotal to the body’s process of absorbing vitamins and nutrients. Deep breathing allows you to absorb these good things more efficiently. Deep breathing also super-charges your lymphatic system by increasing oxygen levels, and this naturally leads to detoxification of the body. Bonus points if you take deep breaths in nature as you absorb the beauty of your surroundings. This will enable you to detox the mind and spirit as well as the lungs!
In short, detoxing doesn’t have to be complicated. Keep it simple: eat real food, hydrate well, care for your skin, move your body, and breathe deeply and often.
Stay stoked!
Note: Consult a doctor before embarking on a new diet, detox plan, or health journey. The advice herein is not intended to diagnose or provide medical information. Thanks!