Following on from my previous post – Diary of a Detox – I’ve put together
my 5 tips to surviving a detox, from pre-detox preparation to post-detox diet.
1. Prep for your detox.
Generally speaking, the biggest gripe people have
when doing a detox is headaches and mood swings. These are actually more to do
with caffeine/sugar/alcohol withdrawl rather than the detox itself. As I don’t
drink coffee, drink much alcohol and had cut down on sugar, I didn’t really
experience any negative effects of the detox. In fact, my colleagues and I kept
waiting for the mood swings to kick in! To make your detox a little easier, I’d
recommend cutting out or at least cutting back on coffee, alcohol, sugary and
processed food for a couple of days before you begin your detox.
2. Make sure you time it right.
I spent a ridiculous amount of time deciding when to
do my detox. Although it was only 3 days, it was a total change in routine and
lifestyle. I knew I wanted to do it while I was at work as it would be easier
if I’m sitting for most of the day and I don’t have to lug juices around with
me. I timed it around my ballet and yoga classes as I didn’t think I’d have the
energy to get through the 90 minute classes! I’d also recommend keeping plans
fairly relaxed post-work to allow you to have some early nights.
3. Drink lots of water.
As the name suggests, your body will be getting rid
of lots of toxins over the duration of your detox. Are you ready for the
science bit? If your body can’t effectively eliminate toxins, it absorbs them
and surrounds the toxins with fat cells to protect your body from them. As you
go through the detox, your body will be breaking these toxins down which is why
most people experience a little weight loss…but the key thing is to flush
toxins out of your body so you don’t absorb them. Water is one way to help
flush toxins out, I was drinking 3 litres a day. Here’s another science nugget
for you, your skin is the last organ to reap the benefits of water, ergo the
more water you drink the better your organs function. My skin was glowing on my
detox so I’m pretty sure my organs were well hydrated too.
4. Plan some light exercise in the morning.
I am not a morning person, by any stretch of the
imagination. However, on my detox I was sleeping like a baby and waking up
before my alarm. I made the most of this by kick starting my day with yoga,
which is normally in my pre-bedtime routine. I figured I should go with how my
body felt and it certainly didn’t do me any harm.
5. Take it easy post-detox.
After your detox, your body will be a clean, lean
machine. Juices are super easy to digest and all the fruits and veggies you’ve
been eating have done you the world of good. You can’t go straight from that to
having a greasy Big Mac, as much as you may have been craving one. Your system
will basically go nuts if you flood it with processed food that’s hard to
digest and you’ll get an awful stomach ache – I speak from experience and all I
had was a bit of falafel with a big salad! Do yourself a favour and stick to a
vegetarian diet and try to eat raw as much as possible while easing back into ‘normal’
eating.
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