Christmas is definitely one time of the year where you can get away with a little indulgence, without having to feel too guilty. It’s hard not to! Supermarket shelves stacked with delicious festive goodies, seemingly never-ending tins of sweets making their way round the office and of course Christmas Dinner itself. If you fell victim to the ‘oh, go on then’ mentality that often comes part and parcel with that time of year – you’re surely not the only one. So don’t feel guilty or beat yourself up about it, there’s plenty of things you can do to detox and enjoy the feeling of being back on track. Here’s a few tips and ideas to help get you going!
Water
It might sound too simple to be effective but making sure you’re hydrated is a great start to your 2019 detox. Any toxins that you’ve built up over the holidays that are still hanging around and making you feel a bit sluggish and just not yourself might need a little nudge to see them on their way. Drinking a glass of water in the morning is not only great for flushing out those unwanted nasties, but also because you’re usually slightly dehydrated after you wake up. Bonus points for adding a squeeze of lemon into your water. This extra step is thought to kick start your digestion and helps your liver do its thing.
Exercise
There’s no doubt that a bit of exercise is a great addition to any detox plan. This doesn’t mean that you have to go all in and run a marathon every day of course. Just a bit of regular, light activity will help your body sweat out any toxins that might have built up through too much rich food or alcohol. Don’t forget to take care of your muscles too. Exercise does slight damage to muscles (don’t worry, this is normal and actually part of how your muscles grow) and high protein foods will help repair them. Our Protein 40 milk or Protein 22 yoghurts are especially good in this respect!
Diet
That brings us to diet. Again, in this area we’re all about balance and don’t suggest that you have to do anything extreme – just small changes here and there that add up to big benefits. After a period of indulgence your body needs to be replenished with a good dose of vitamins and minerals to get it fighting fit again. Detoxifying foods such as broccoli (and most other green veg actually) can be easily added to most dishes, or even juiced/blended with some fruit if you’re looking for a quick, low-effort, healthy hit!
Exfoliate
Did you know that your skin is the largest organ of the body? It’s one that well worth taking care of too. Exfoliating, or the process of getting rid of any dead skin, has so many upsides to it. It helps the detoxification process, improves the efficiency of your lymphatic system (an important component of our immune system) and even your circulation. Investing in a dry body brush and using it before you shower is definitely the way to go if you fancy reaping all these benefits. Not all skin is the same though, so make sure you use something softer than a body brush on your face!
Detox the mind
It’s important to take care of your mind too – Christmas can be pretty overwhelming sometimes and we often forget that it’s meant to be a holiday! Yoga or meditation for as little as ten minutes a day can help your mind feel much less cluttered if the festive period was a bit full on.
Have you got any new year detox tips of your own? Let us know via the usual social channels (using #BalanceMe) if you do!
