It’s January 3rd and it’s time to get back on track. If you’re anything like me, you definitely enjoyed yourself over the holidays. And although you may be a health freak, you said YES to just about every treat imaginable. My brain goes on vacation mode around November 20th and truly loses it until January begins. Then I freak.
Yea, no.
I’ve put together a list of my SUPER SIMPLE au-naturale ways to detox (most of these I do everyday, on a normal day, obviously when it’s not the holidays).
Let’s get our life back together – We can do this! Start slow, but treat your body well. I promise you by this time next week, you will feel normal again.
GREENS.
Lots and lots of greens. Buy (or make your own) green juice (not the kind that’s full of fruit, the kind that tastes like grass – I promise you will get used to it, don’t sabotage this whole thing by adding a bunch of sugar).. Take on a 3 day juice cleanse or simply replace one meal a day with a large green juice full of kale, spinach, chard, celery.. etc. I like to have my juice first thing in the morning when I’m feeling the most motivated.
PROBIOTICS.
Healthy digestion is important for soooo many things. If you have poor digestion, it probably causes you bloating and shows up as a rash or acne on your otherwise clear skin. Make sure you’re taking a dose as soon as you wake up on an empty stomach and one right before you go to sleep. My favorite travel probiotics they don’t even have to be refrigerated and are seriously a MIRACLE!
DANDELION TEA.
I don’t know about you, but I definitely drink more alcohol during the holiday season. My liver could use a detox and that’s just what dandelion root does. One or two glasses a week is plenty.
FILTERED WATER.
Drinking plenty of water improves digestion as well as keeps you hydrated and energized. I don’t know how much water you drink on a regular basis, but most of us could stand to drink more. Shoot for two liters a day. Try this water bottle that filters your water as you drink.
TURMERIC.
Turmeric reduces inflammation so you can kiss all that water weight goodbye (thanks to all the extra salt, we pack on water)! I add ground turmeric to every meal I can get away with. It doesn’t taste that great, so why not mask the flavor with food? You won’t even know it’s there! Another option is to take a small shot of it every morning with honey or grassfed clarified butter. My favorite pill form turmeric and shed some of that inflammation asap.
GREEN TEA.
Green tea increases fat burning and improves physical performance. It’s ok to have a few cups of this a day – you could even replace your coffee with it. (I know, LOL).
MORE VEGGIES, LESS MEAT.
It’s no secret that vegetables have less calories than meat. Try to find a different source for your protein (at least for one or two meals a day). Try beans, almonds, kale, avocado, quinoa, etc – just don’t go for the soy protein (it will bloat you, but more about that later). If you can’t eat a meal without meat, reach for fish (fishes with low mercury levels) or chicken (organic, no added hormones or antibiotics).
GO TO THE GYM.
Yea, I know how dreadful this sounds. It’s also like the worst time to start working out because of all the extra people at the gym – BUT try to see this as a positive. This means there will be a lot of people at the gym with no clue what the F they’re doing. You will look like an IFBB pro compared to these people. Everyone starts somewhere. Get your workout in, even if it just means walking on the treadmill. Find what you love. I love reading about Ernest Hemingway’s first wife Hadley on the bicycle. Sometimes I forget I’m there and go for way too long. It’s the best workout because I’m not wishing it were over the whole time.
Even if you do workout, but you’re having a hard time getting back to your regular routine – don’t go back to that one. Start a new one. There are so many new and effective workouts out there! One’s that you can do right at home.
REDUCE STRESS.
I have never felt heavier than I did on my wedding day. The months leading up to such a happy (but VERY stressful event) I skipped meals because I would forget to eat (BAD). I ate healthy (when I ate) and worked out, but I still packed on pounds because of my lowered metabolism and that cruel cruel CORTISOL. Guess where cortisol stores fat? Yep, right in the tummy. Stress can cause a whole host of problems and effing up your fitness goals is one of them. Try sniffing sage oils when feeling stressed- they work for me!
