As we enter into a New Year a lot of us may be looking to let go of some of the extra heaviness, bloating, and sluggishness we picked up over the holidays. A well-balanced, healthy detox could just be the thing we need to get us feeling lighter, healthier, and more energetic.
Over the years I’ve learned from experience that changing a few habits and adding in some healthier practices can do wonders when it comes to kick-starting my health again. No major cleansing juice fasts needed. By using some or all of the tips I’ve included below, you could get yourself back to feeling great in no time.
Tips on Detoxing Your Body in a Safe and Healthy Way
Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate!
Staying hydrated is essential for your body to be able to rid itself of any toxins and maintain a proper sugar balance. As you sip on water, your kidneys go to work removing any toxins that aren’t meant to be in there. It also refuels the body and gives it more energy so that symptoms of dehydration like headaches and fatigue go away.
Drinking water in the morning is especially important. If you think about it, your body has gone at least six hours without any hydration, so drinking a glass of warm water in the morning immediately rehydrates and energizes your cells to get your body going.
Not a big fan of water? That’s OK, there are other tasty ways you can hydrate yourself. Such as adding lemon slices to your water, sipping a smoothie that is packed with hydrating fruits like strawberries, melons, blueberries, and cucumbers, or eat water rich vegetables like leafy greens, zucchini, and tomatoes.
Supplements
Adding in a few healthy, supplemental vitamins and minerals into your health regimen can help boost your body’s ability to cleanse itself of toxins. A healthy gut and digestive tract help break down all the important nutrients that your body takes in and it could use all the help it can get for the job.
There are numerous products out there that I could recommend, but I’m going to limit it to just 2 to get your started.
PLEASE NOTE – when adding anything new into your diet, it is always wise to consult with your personal physician beforehand.
Probiotics – Yes, I know you have probably heard about these quite a bit and may already be taking some – good for you, but probiotics are truly very helpful in maintaining a healthy gut so they had to make the list.
Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that will help support the microorganisms in your gut. Basically, they are like boosters for your gut juices which helps them do their job well.
When you consume probiotics, the bacteria in your gut becomes balanced which in turn leads to healthy digestion, immune system, and overall health.
Choosing a probiotic that will work well with your system can be a little confusing. Here is a great article from the Cleveland Clinic that can help you know what to look for.
Digestive Enzymes – When I first started adding these types of supplements to my health regimen, I thought probiotics and digestive enzymes were the same things. I mean they both deal with the gut, so I just assumed they were.
I was wrong.
Although they both help the digestive tract do it’s job, digestive enzymes are little molecules that help break down the food you eat while probiotics are micro-organisms that live in the gut and help it work and process the way it should.
They both are very important to gut health and do somewhat the same thing, but it’s good to have both and why you may find both in the same supplement.
Digestive enzymes can help your body when it’s struggling with something it just doesn’t like. If you are having symptoms like acid reflux, diarrhea, food sensitivities, gas, and other complications, trying a digestive enzyme might be something you want to look into.
An easier and more natural way to add more digestive enzymes into your body is through foods likes pineapples, mangoes, bananas, ginger, sauerkraut, or Kefir. All of these will get that gut working properly too.
Move, Move, Move That Body
Yup, you read that right. Exercise helps your body detox.
By incorporating low-impact movements like stretching and yoga, you can kickstart the healthy detox process. Movement allows the lungs to be flushed out and as you sweat, your skin is cleaned. And of course, getting that body moving also gets your blood flow going which in turn helps to pump those healthy white blood cells around the body, cleansing as they go.
If you’re looking for some fun, faith-based workouts that you can do from home, make sure you check out the WORKOUTS section here on the blog. Any workouts that I’ve uploaded to YouTube are kept here too.
Eat the Rainbow
I know. I know. You hear it all the time. Eat more veggies. But there’s a reason for it. It’s good for you!
It’s also extremely helpful in getting your body to detox properly. Fruits and vegetables are PACKED with antioxidants and antioxidants attach themselves to free radicals/toxins and then remove them from the body! How cool is that?
Eating a well-balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables will help your organs work properly – getting rid of the bad and keeping the good.
Turn Off the Noise
My final recommendation to help detox in a safe and healthy way is to Turn off the Noise.
What I mean is to disconnect from all electrical devices for a few hours each day – and no, sleeping doesn’t not count.
Taking time to disengage from TV, phones, laptops, ect and go outside, play a board game, read a book, or turn on some worship music and just be still.
Allowing your body and mind to just relax and not be ‘entertained’ will allow your whole body, mind, and spirit detox, allowing rejuvenation and inspiration to happen.
To Help You Keep Track..
Your body has been uniquely created by an Awesome God. Incorporating a healthy detox is one way to help your body work properly and allow you to feel better and have more energy.
In general though, if we take the time to be mindful of what we are putting into our bodies and set aside time for exercise on a regular basis, detoxing won’t be something we need very often.
Below I have included a FREE Healthy Detox Tracker for you. Feel free to print it out and use it to help you keep track of the new safe and healthy habits you are starting.
Have a blessed day!