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| original image via wellbella.com |
Do you feel like you need to do a good detox before the holiday season gets into full swing?
I do.
But with my work schedule I just can't commit to juice fasting or any extreme detoxes that can make me irritable or sick or just plain exhausted. So while googling around for some different options I cam e across this post on Byrdie.com. And I can easily do pretty much all of these!
How To Detox For Fall - 8 Simple Changes That Make A Huge Difference
Story by Kelly Leveque
A few small changes can go a long way toward helping your body do its daily job: detoxing. We are constantly detoxing, so to say you’re “cleansing” is always true. The goal should be to support your body’s natural processes with few additional tactics. Keep reading for a few of my favorite detox support tools to help you start fall on the right foot!
Hydrate
Drinking water slowly throughout the entire day will allow your body to use nature’s elixir effectively, so drink it between meals, too. Mayo Clinic recommends nine cups for women (72 ounces) and 11 cups for men (88 ounces); however, many factors affect hydration, so if you work out, drink lots of caffeine, or plan to spend your day in the sun, then up your intake. Water’s benefits are nearly endless—detoxification, weight loss, fatigue relief, headache prevention, and better skin health and digestion.
Drink Chlorophyll Water
Keep a chlorophyll dropper, like The Vitamin Shoppe’s Liquid Chlorophyll ($10), in your purse! Just adding a few drops of green pigment (the one that’s responsible for photosynthesis, if you happen to remember your middle school science classes) can help control hunger, cravings, and body odor (even that one we women don’t talk about). It’s a super-potent antioxidant that promotes healing and cleansing, including binding to heavy metals and helping kill off candida.
Add Coconut Oil
Start or end your day with a tablespoon of coconut oil. Known to speed your metabolism and regulate yeast overgrowth (aka Candida), coconut oil is great in coffee, tea, or a smoothie. Many people don’t realize when they have a yeast overgrowth, and since it feeds on sugar, a big night out with wine or a sweet tooth could promote its growth. To maintain gut balance, incorporate coconut oil, like Nutriva’s Organic Virgin Coconut Oil ($21 for a two-pack), into cooking, or take a spoonful daily. And don’t forget a probiotic, too!
Fast for 12 Hours
Between dinner and breakfast, get a complete 12 hours of fasting in. The first six to eight hours after eating dinner, your body is focused on digestion; however, the last four hours are dedicated to detox and are also the most effective fat-burning time. Eating too late can cause leptin to signal to the brain that no energy is required, and thus no fat burning will occur until early morning hours if at all.
Sleep in a Blackout
Many of us aren't aware of all the wonderful benefits of sleep, and unfortunately we aren't actually getting the good stuff. Invest in blackout curtains and stop letting the morning light wake you up. In theory, it’s a great idea to stay on a circadian rhythm, but any light in your bedroom (including light from a street lamp, cell phone, or TV) could be preventing you from getting cleansing sleep. Benefits of sleep include (but aren't limited to) regulating hormones, curbing appetite, lessening inflammation and stress, lowering depression, spurring creativity, and improving memory and overall outlook on life. Get those blackout curtains or pick up a light-blocking sleep mask, like Flight 001’s Molded Eye Mask ($32).
Try Dry Brushing
Just taking a few minutes to dry brush your body in the morning or the evening (before you shower is best) removes dead skin cells and lets your skin breathe. This can stimulate blood flow and lymphatic drainage and potentially reduce cellulite. Try EcoTools’ Bamboo Bristle Bath Brush ($10).
Heat Things Up
If you can’t work out, consider thermogenesis training. Infrared sauna or cryotherapy is a great way to challenge your metabolism on an off day. Depending on what you choose, benefits can include weight loss, sweating, muscle pain, inflammation relief, improved immune system, complexion, and appearance of cellulite.
