Learning how to properly detox your body can increase your energy level, improve your mood and help you control your weight. Just as a healthy diet can assist with weight loss, juices for detoxing and other tips and tricks can help you eliminate toxins from the body. Here you will learn some detox tips as well as how to workout during a detox. But first, let’s see why we should do this.
In scientific terms, the body burden is the amount of chemicals that are present in the body throughout our lives. Today, biomonitoring is used to measure pollutants and other forms of industrial chemicals found in human tissues. The Centers for Disease Control reported that the average person in the United States carries approximately 212 chemicals in their body. But do these really affect our health?
While most chemicals have not been researched or the effects measured on the human body, there are some common toxins that are known to interfere with weight loss or throw off hormonal balance. Some toxins are associated with fatigue and a cloudy mind while others contribute to chronic inflammation, which can contribute to weight gain and illness.
Fortunately, we have systems and organs in place to remove and detoxify the body. Just like eating heart healthy foods supports heart health, we can consume a diet and incorporate other practices to help the organs and systems that detoxify our bodies. These are some tips and tricks you can use to properly remove toxins in the body with a healthy detox.
Incorporate a Detox Diet
Diet is the first item to check on your healthy detox plan. That’s because foods are a main source of the toxic burden on the body. Pesticides, food processing chemicals and additives can build up in the tissues. At the same time, certain medications, alcohol and too much sugar can interfere with liver function, which can stall your body’s ability to process and remove a variety of toxins. But you have great control over this aspect of your body!
First, eliminate junk foods and highly processed foods from your diet as best you can. This means avoid foods like frozen meals, bakery items, deli meats and grains that have been processed with flavorings. Instead opt for fresh, organic vegetables and fruits that are packed with natural fiber to help clear toxins and waste.
Add lean proteins like chicken breast, grass fed beef, and fresh-water fish. Organic beans, legumes, and peas provide lean protein and both soluble and insoluble fiber for a double-detox punch. Include healthy fats and oils like extra virgin olive oil and organic coconut oil to support liver detoxification.
Detox Drinks for Extra Support
No detox supporting diet would be complete without drinking plenty of fresh water. Water helps flush the body as the improved diet begins to clear waste. Water improves blood and lymph by keeping viscosity low, or diluting it to improve flow. And adequate water intake wards off dehydration that can cause unclear thinking, constipation and kidney stones.
Adding lemon or mint to your water can improve the taste and add another level of health to it. You can also make your own juices for detox by adding lemon, cucumber, and other herbs to a pitcher of water and let it set. After an hour, you have a tasty detox drink to enjoy as often as you like. Be sure to drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water each day during your focus on detoxing.
Amp up the detox power of water with 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon of honey and a dash of cayenne pepper, which gives an added boost to metabolism. Detoxing juice can also be made with a combination of vegetables like cucumbers, beetroot, apples, and cucumber. Add spices like ginger for an added boost, but go easy on vegetables like carrots so you don’t overdo the sugar.
Workout During Your Detox
Working out too much for too long can add metabolic toxins to your body and suppress the immune system. But daily boosts of moderate exercise during your detox can stimulate blood flow and even improve lymphatic flow so your detoxing systems remain efficient. Incorporating exercises like brisk walking, jogging or running can increase your body’s detoxing capabilities by flushing your lungs and blood, while cleansing your skin with increased sweat. Improved circulation helps the organs naturally detox and increases oxygen intake. And most exciting is a study from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, which showed that strength training improves the muscles’ ability to produce an enzyme that protects the body from stress-related substances that are harmful to the brain. (1)
Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise four to five times each week for maximum benefits, with at least two strength training sessions each week. The other days you can walk, jog or incorporate any other exercise to raise your heart rate and condition your cardio system. Use an app like Yes.Fit to motivate you with races or fitness challenges and make it easier to monitor your progress. When you exercise while on a healthy detox diet, you will improve your energy and overall well being while assisting your body’s important functions for survival.
Reduce Inflammation and Support Immunity
They may seem like two separate subjects, but chronic internal inflammation is closely linked to our immune system and wellbeing. Certain foods, toxins or pollutants and stress can all play roles in overloading the body with metabolic waste that can put added burden on the organs and systems that detox. Learning tricks to reduce inflammation and boosting your immune system can help do the opposite by promoting your natural detoxification processes.
Stress management techniques can reduce metabolic waste that contributes to chronic inflammation. Take a moment each day to incorporate deep breathing exercises, quietly meditate or take a warm bath at the end of a stressful day. Learning to relax becomes a habit that is handy to your health as you ward off the ill effects of stress.
A healthy diet and regular exercise improve the body’s ability to detox, but they are also tools to help us handle stress better. Try to eliminate added sugar in your foods because the sugar blues are real. Avoid sodas, alcohol and juices that contain added sugar and high fructose corn syrup for the best health and allow your body to detox. And of course, incorporate a natural healthy eating plan with regular exercise and you will be well on your way to allow your body to detox as it was intended to do.
Research
(1) Karolinska Institutet. “How physical exercise protects the brain from stress-induced depression.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 25 September 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140925131345.htm>.
