We all know the old adage, “You are what you eat.” There is some serious truth to that!Here we are coming out of the holiday season, a time when it's so easy to overindulge in sugar, alcohol, and lots of processed/heavy foods that are really hard for our little bodies to process. It's certainly not an easy time to make the best food choices with all of the parties and temptations all around. This can leave you feeling sluggish and bloated, or just not your best, most fit, energized, sexy self post holidays. You probably don’t want to think about what “you are” right now. :)Our bodies are constantly talking to us, constantly looking to find balance and give us indicators of what they need. They are so smart and sufficient, always generating new cells and wanting to be healthy. When we give our body what it needs, like a clean and healthy diet and enough clean water and rest, it is much easier to create more healthy, vibrant cells. When the body isn’t working too hard to digest, our body can use that energy elsewhere!The digestive system is one of the important systems in the body. When we are stressed, our body isn’t working as well. When we are dehydrated or tired, our body isn’t functioning optimally either and can’t process all that we ask it to! These conditions can certainly lead to making it super difficult for the body to break down our food. On top of that, we often don’t eat as well when we are maxed out for time and energy, eating foods that are more processed and high in sugars, which are harder to break down.Do you notice your skin acting up a bit, not only due to dryness on the outside with winter but also because the skin will act as a purging organ for all your body cannot process? It will literally push waste out your skin via breakouts, eczema, psoriasis or some other form of rash. Have you also noticed your body talking to you through tummy gurgles, bloating, burping, and gas a little more than usual right now? This is partially due to it being harder to process foods when you are dehydrated (oh so easy right now with the excess alcohol, travel, sugar etc.).Of course, we can’t be and aren’t perfect all of the time, and in fact, it might be a little boring if we were!! I am a firm believer in the 80/20 rule for most things in life, diet included. When we are good 80% of the time, we’ve got some wiggle room with the other 20%.Lord knows I can certainly over indulge in too much coffee and wine, but most of the time I eat really, really well. It's definitely about balance and sometimes we get out of balance and need to make our way back.If you want a different result, you need to do something different. This is a good time for a reset. I have created a list here of some of the essentials to the detox. If you can’t do all of these now, implement what you can to make some progress (which is better than none).
Sugar Detox
Take away the things that are hardest to digest/process. Sugar is the number one culprit. With so many people doing the “Dry January” these days, it can be an easier time to give up alcohol and sugar this month, which really is essential to come back to balance. SO it's time for the detox after all the retoxing! Did you know that consuming sugar can make you more dehydrated? Not just alcohol but because it is so hard for the body to metabolize sugar that it actually uses up more of its resources (energy and water) to break it down! One of the best ways to give our body a break is to cut out sugar and alcohol, which is essential for a true detox. Sugar and alcohol (which is also basically sugar), is so hard for the body to break down. By cutting it out, for a period of time, you can allow the digestive system a break and with the right products, actions, and even healthy detox services, you can actually help move this waste out of the body, which is essential to staying and feeling young, healthy & beautiful!
Aid Your Body in Digestion
When you are eating larger meals, or even things that you know your body has a harder time digesting, typically, dairy, wheat and sugar, add enzymes to your meal to help you with the digestion process. The more easily we are able to break down our food, the more we are able to get the nutrients we need and the more energy we feel. The result with good digestion is that we feel and look better.Eat whole foods closest to their natural state. I know it sounds simple right but it takes a little effort. I like to have my fruits and veggies sent to me via Farm Fresh To You so I can count on always having these in the house.If you have this going on, it will likely serve you to add Enzymes to your meals.
Take a Veggie Day
Even just one day a week, just eat fruits and veggies. This is helpful during a time when you are detoxing as well as anytime you feel you have been pushing your body too hard. Since fruits and veggies are so easy for the body to break down, your body can more easily move into repair and detox mode. This is great when you are using tools - herbs, vitamins, etc. (ask me more about this!) to pull the gunk out of the body.
H20. Just do it, as Nike says!
Find a way to get the water you need! Take your body weight, divide it by 2 & voila--that is the number of ounces you need per day. For any cup of caffeine or alcohol, counterbalance with an additional cup for cup. Once you know your baseline that you need per day, including average intake of caffeine & alcohol, figure out how many times you need to fill your favorite bottle to get it and set alarms on your phone throughout the day to make it happen. This will allow your body to flush all of the waste out much easier, instead of showing up on the skin via rashes and breakouts!
Detox!
Today, with the technology we have, some amazing tools and treatments are truly able to facilitate getting the waste/toxins that we have been accumulating out! I love both the infra slim body detox treatment and the osmosis body sculpting treatment I offer here. They are both incredible at stimulating detox as well as loosing inches, fat & stimulating muscle toning. Lastly, if you are ready for it, I am a huge proponent of using Internal Wellness as a Skin Strategy to Aging Gracefully.Aging doesn’t start on the skin. True beauty starts on the inside with healthy cells. We live in a very busy, stressful, world full of chemicals and waste. Thank goodness we have products and equipment that actually work now. I would love to help you clean up your act (so to speak) and get your detox on for a beautifully radiant you!