10 ways to detox naturally in the new year

It’s hard not to overindulge during the festive season and your New Year’s resolutions for a new you can only carry you so far. You might be feeling a little tired, bloated and listless already and it’s only February! Don’t panic because we’ve put together 10 ways to detox naturally in the New Year so you can get a head start on your health and fitness goals and feel revitalized and refreshed throughout the year.

1.  Drink enough water

Water is part of every metabolic process in the body - we literally cannot survive without it. If the body is not properly hydrated, the cells will draw water from the bloodstream, thus putting pressure on your heart. Even slight dehydration can prevent the kidneys from purifying the blood effectively.

A simple way to cleanse is to ensure you drink 2 liters of water a day – which helps to keep the balance of body salts normal and leaves you with dramatically improved health: think glowing skin and increased energy!

Fruits and vegetables are almost all water, so eating 5-7 servings can also help boost your natural water intake. And the best way to tell if you’re drinking enough water is to check the color of your urine – if it’s any darker than pale yellow you’re not getting enough!  

2.  Work up a sweat

Exercise allows your body to breathe, stretch, circulate and sweat. Exercise raises your heart rate, and this combined with lots of water, helps your body to more effectively flush out unwanted fats, toxins and waste.

Moving your body helps to circulate your blood and lymph – and the more they circulate the more the liver and lymph nodes can cleanse and purify. Regular exercise also helps the digestive system, lungs and heart to work better, while the skin is cleansed from the inside out by the process of perspiration.

 

3.  Get sufficient sleep

Getting enough sleep should be a priority – research has shown that inadequate sleep is as harmful to our body as stress or illness! Sufficient sleep supports and maintains a healthy brain so aim for seven to nine hours every night.

Your cells also repair themselves more rapidly at night time and because you’re not eating during the hours that you sleep, you give your digestive system a break and your elimination processes can catch up.

 

4.  Cut out processed and prepared foods

Stick to as much whole, fresh and organic fruit and vegetables as you can eat and try avoid anything store-bought that comes in cans, boxes, bags or jars (unless you made them yourself). Try avoid restaurants because often food is prepared in unhealthy oils or drenched in heavy sauces and dressings.

By including fruit and vegetables that are rich in antioxidants, anti-inflammatory compounds, potassium, water and fiber, but low in calories and sodium, you’ll provide your body with a supercharge of nutrients to help neutralize any accumulated damage, leaving you renewed and your cells revitalized.

They’re also easier to digest and usually more hydrating, which means better sleep and greater chance for cell renewal. Cutting out processed (and junk) foods is the often the quickest and easiest way to weight loss because you’re limiting the excess sugars, fats, and calories found in these foods.   

 

5.  Use a tongue scraper

Tongue scraping comes from an Ayurvedic tradition used to detoxify the mouth. It will help remove bacteria, food deposits and other impurities, which leave an unhealthy coating on the surface of your tongue and are later re-absorbed into the blood stream every time you eat or drink!

By cleaning the tongue of leftover food residue that could lead to cravings for foods eaten previously (yuck!), tongue scraping can even lead to reduced cravings. Regular tongue scraping can even allow you to enjoy the subtle flavors in food more.

Use a tongue scraper every day to reduce your overall level of toxicity and keep your immune system healthy. As added benefits, your breath will improve and your teeth will be healthier and whiter. 

 

6.  Sweat it out in a sauna

We spend so much time sitting down and in air conditioned environments that often we don’t sweat enough. The skin is the largest organ in the body and its main barrier against environmental toxins. If you don’t sweat enough, the pores of the skin may become clogged.

Sweating in a sauna may help your body to get rid of these harmful toxins, expelling built-up sebum, bacteria and dead skin cells through the pores. Sweating in a sauna can also help your skin keep its elasticity.

7.  Dry brush your skin

Dry brushing (also known as skin brushing) is a great way of boosting circulation and improving the appearance of dull skin. It's one of the most important of the 10 ways to detox. It actually removes the top layer of dead skin, and with it, any remaining toxins.

Because it stimulates circulation and the lymphatic system (and facilitates the removal of waste at the cellular level), your cells will also be able to more effectively receive the nutrients from the food you’re eating.

Dry brushing can also lead to increased cell renewal, which can result in a more youthful appearance. Dry brushing has even been shown to stimulate the movement of toxins out of the fat tissue – which means reduced cellulite! So invest in a body brush and brush your skin as part of your daily routine for softer, glowing skin.

8.  Use houseplants to cleanse the air

You can’t control the environment around you but you can control the air you breathe in your own home. Rather than buying an expensive humidifier or air filter, you can use houseplants to cleanse the air.

Studies prove that certain plants can rid the room of up to 90% of harmful environmental toxins in only twenty-four hours! Aloe, English ivy, peace lily or bamboo palm are just some of the household plants that can help detox your home (and your body in the process).

 

9.  Cut out sugar, alcohol and caffeine

The best way to make up for the indulgences of the festive season is to reset those taste buds by cutting out sugar, alcohol and caffeine. Refined sugars add loads of calories with no nutrients, which can lead to weight gain and increased cravings.

When it comes to coffee, too much can cause fatigue or adrenal issues, anxiety and sleep problems, leading to depression and even weakened immune systems. It seems that the less often you consume caffeine, the more you can expect a positive biological effect. 

Alcohol is like liquid sugar in the body as well as a diuretic which can be dehydrating. It can affect anxiety levels, depression, sleep patterns, skin, weight, the immune system and more. It’s also very easy to over consume alcohol, as alcohol impairs your judgment fairly quickly.

So cut out the sugar, alcohol and caffeine so your body can cleanse and detox, let fruit satisfy your sweet tooth and juice your fresh vegetables to cut out the cravings!

 

10.  Juice regularly

Drink lots of fresh, organic juice to get the best detox possible. Juicing allows you to rest and repair your gut because it is assimilate quickly through your intestine – so your stomach has to work less to extract nutrients.

The liver, which is our main detoxifying organ, can quickly become overloaded with so many toxins in our lives. An organic juice cleanse allows you to rest the liver, and as a bonus you get to eliminate other harmful foods while you flood your body with energizing and healing nutrients.

By providing the body with super-nutrient dense foods when juicing, your body will have more of the resources it needs to support the different phases of detoxification and remove any cumulative stored toxins. Juicing as part of a detox is also a great way to start a new diet or lifestyle.

 

Ultimately, by eating well, drinking enough fluids, exercising and getting plenty of sleep, you’re starting a healthy lifestyle program that doesn’t need to end after you detox. These 10 ways to detox will get you on the right road.  A detox can be 3 days, a week, a month or a lifetime, but by implementing these practices into your lifestyle, you can kick-start your goals for long-lasting health.  If you need some daily help juicing to help your body to detox naturally, check out the Juice Club.

Detox juicing > 10 ways to detox