With a basic understanding of Detox covered in last week’s edition, this week, we let you into the process and how to cleanse your body.
HOW DO YOU START A DETOX/CLEANSING PROGRAMME?
First, to lighten up your toxin load.
Eliminate alcohol, coffee, cigarettes, refined sugars, and saturated fats, all of which act as toxins in the body and create obstacles to your healing process. Also, minimize your use of chemical-based household cleaners and personal healthcare products like cleansers, shampoos, deodorants, toothpastes, and substitute natural alternatives.
Another hindrance to good health is stress, which triggers your body to release stress hormones into your system. While these hormones can provide the "adrenaline rush" to win a race or meet a deadline, in large amounts they create toxins and slow down the detoxification enzymes in the liver. Yoga, and meditation are simple and effective ways to relieve stress by resetting your physical and mental reactions to the inevitable stress life brings.
Related: What is Detox and How do you know if your Body needs it? (PART 1)
WAYS TO DETOXIFY/CLEANSE YOUR BODY
- Drink a big glass of water immediately after you wake up. Warm water, especially with lemon and honey is excellent as it plays a very good role in cleansing the body internally and hydrating the cells. Hydration is the best way to flush out all the toxins from the kidneys. So, carry a bottle of water all the time with you to remind you of drinking water at frequent intervals.
- Eat plenty of fiber, including brown rice and organically grown fresh fruits and vegetables. Beets, radishes, artichokes, cabbage, broccoli and more. All the foods that contain antioxidants are good cleansing agents for the body.
Make smoothies, salads with light dressing, or eat it raw. Any of the method should incorporate lot of green plant-based food in your diet. Incorporate seeds such as pumpkin seeds chia seeds and suchlike in your diet as well.
- Do away with processed food, junk food, sugary juices, refined flour. Researches have shown that these foods are linked with increased incidence of mental illness.
- Take vitamin C, which helps the body to produce glutathione, a liver compound that drives away toxins. Vitamin C will boost the immunity too. Eat whole fruits instead of juice. This will provide you with good roughage too. Early morning walk in the sun without sunscreen will increase absorption of vit D.
- Breathe deeply to allow oxygen to circulate through your system. Breathe in the fresh air of early mornings. It’s very rejuvenating. Go for a walk daily. Socializing during the walk will cut down on late night outs too.
- Sweating is good way to eliminate toxins. Workout for 45 minutes daily. One can sweat in a sauna too to eliminate the toxins through perspiration.
- Getting enough sleep is imperative. Sleep for 6-8 hours daily to replenish your lost energy. Make a routine and create a comfortable ambience for a good night’s sleep. Switch off the lights, keep all electronic gadgets like mobile phones out of the bedroom, put on some light music, which can help you relax and drift into peaceful slumber.
- Media Detox.: Try to stay away from media and any disturbing news. Any negative thought, news that agitates or disturbs you will be a hindrance to your sleep. Disconnecting from your virtual and social life before sleep is important.
- Keep your body radiation free as much as possible. Phones should be away from your body. Switch off the Wi-Fi router before going off to sleep. Limit use of microwaves in the house.
- Last on this list, but certainly not least, take the time to simply “let go”. Detox from negative thinking by tuning in to the things, people, and situations in your life that you are most appreciative of. Gratitude for all the good things you have in life will help to detox from negative people around you and keep you in a positive frame.
Rather than starving and making yourself miserable, the real point is to spend a couple of days being kinder to your body. Get back to basics, drinking water and eating veggies, to give your organs the nutrients they need to do their jobs. Get back into your workout routine, and give your mind a break, as well!
It turns out that you can pretty much cleanse or detox almost every aspect of your life, not just your body!
So, reset, reflect, and practice healthy habits you can maintain all the year round!.
Looking for Doctor's Advice?
