‘Tis the season… for the oh so popular detox!
After the holidays, there is no doubt that some of us (most of us) will be feeling just… icky! You know, full, bloated and just not the best. I am often asked what detox plans I follow and the truth is, I don’t do anything out of the ordinary. I don’t believe in detox supplements because I believe that there are better, natural and healthier ways to detox your body.
Here are a few of the detox tips I’ve learned along the way:
- Drink lemon water – aside from the fact that it tastes great, lemon is a natural diuretic that aids in flushing toxins from your body. A tip that I adapted from Tone it Up is to chug a glass of warm lemon water first thing in the morning to really get your system going.
- Clean, mindful eating – there is no doubt that when I eat whole, clean foods I wake in the morning with a very light feeling. I always feel more energized. After about 2-3 days of clean eating, I already start to feel better.
- Lots and lots of water – I drink well over 100 ounces of water each day. I have a 32oz water bottle that I fill up anywhere from 3-5 times through the work day and then I continue drinking water into the evening. While yes, you’re running for the washroom every 20-30 minutes, nothing feels better than knowing you’re staying hydrated while flushing out your system. It’s great for your skin too!
- Cut out certain food groups for a period of time – you all remember when I attempted the “no cheese, no grains, no sugar cleanse”, something like this is a great way to kick start and motivate your body. I call it a shock to the system because that’s exactly what it is. Within only a couple of days of doing this cleanse I started to feel great (and I dropped weight too!) While you don’t have to cut out more than one food, cutting even just sugar or grains for a period of time will make a difference.
- Get moving! This is no different than any other day but if you continue to move (even just walking the dog) you’re doing more than you would if you were sitting on the couch.
Today got off to a rather slow start… I turned off my alarm clock and laid in bed for another 20 minutes. Is it not the weekend yet? I swear the thought of coffee got me out of bed. The sooner I rose, the sooner I would get a delicious cup!
I picked up some unsweetened vanilla almond milk at the store yesterday to add to my morning coffee at work. It was the perfect way to mix things up!
Breakfast came in the form of a little treat! A granny smith apple with natural peanut butter is just what my taste buds were looking for.
This kept me full for about an hour and a half so I cracked open a hard boiled egg to hold me over till lunch.
For lunch I brought some leftover soup from last night. I must say, the second day of this recipe takes on a pretty thick form – it was more like a pasta but it still tasted great nonetheless.
I finished off the meal with a honey greek yogurt which tastes just like desert! I only wish that Oikos made their greek yogurt flavours in 1% instead of 2.
I snacked on another Almond and Coconut Kind bar through the afternoon.
For dinner I made myself a salad that was to dieeeee for (if I do say so myself!) The salad was made of organic spring mix topped with lots of cucumber and red bell pepper, sprinkled with goats cheese and pine nuts and then topped off with a small pork medallion. I dressed it with Newman’s balsamic (the best store bought balsamic I have found). I ate about 3/4 of this before I was full.
Since it’s early and all of my “jobs” are done for the night, Scott and I are going to bundle up and take Tess for a walk. We’re trying to move every day regardless of whether it’s a workout day and having Tess here is a great motivator.
I hope you’re all having a great night!
All the food looks great!