Back to school time is just about as popular as new years for getting a fresh start on your exercise and nutrition.
I keep seeing all kinds of juicing and “detox” post on facebook and I have to tell you that I am not a huge fan of the typical juice and detox plans I see floating around.
Most equal nothing more than a prolonged laxative effect. Meaning you feel “cleansed” but really it’s not TRULY cleaning you out.
I’m not gonna get too graphic but you know what I mean. Being regular is good but just forcing stuff out at once is not really good for much except ‘feeling’ lighter and losing some water weight.
If you really want to detox, you need to be eating in a way that does it daily.
Here’s a good start:
#1 Water – I know you are tired of hearing about how much water you need to drink.
But do yo u know why every fitness professional, magazine and website tell you to drink water?
Because it’s important!
So drink a LOT, and first thing in the morning is a great time to start.
While you have been asleep all night your body is still on, repairing itself, filtering out toxins and other processes. These all take water and you are not taking any water in. So that means by the time you wake up you are already slightly dehydrated.
Before you make your digestive system have to start working again on coffee and creamer, etc, down a big glass of water with lemon.
That is the first daily thing you can do to detox.
#2 – Eat Your Vegetables, especially dark green leafy ones.
You are what you eat and dark green leafy vegetables are powerhouses!
They are loaded with vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants, phytonutrients
Eat your vegetables. And every meal is a nice frequency.
Later in the week I’ll post some good ways to get your greens in with breakfast.
#3 –Cut Out The Gunk -A few lines ago I said you are what you eat. Just like dark green leafy vegetables can make you a superhuman, eating a ton of processed crappy foods can make you well……less than superhuman. In fact they will make you tired, weak and lethargic. So STOP already!
Things you should limit:
Caffeine (2 cups per day max),
Sugar
Alcohol
Dairy -no more than 2 servings a day
Consider dropping altogether:
Corn
Soy
Grains
I know this may not sound as exciting as the ad for that super cleanse you saw on facebook but it’s the REAL natural way to detox.
Because frankly If you don’t gunk up your body in the first place you won’t need to do those every once in a while gimmicks that make you real aware of where every toilet in the building is.
And lets be real, that is not REAL weight loss. That’s just a temporary “light” feeling.
Commit to sticking to what’s real. Real food, lots of water and effective workouts, that’s how you detox.