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So, many of us at least in Canada just finished with Turkey Dinner and our wonderful holiday of Thanksgiving! Which means many people are feeling guilty, bloated, and far off the tracks of how well they were just doing. It doesn’t matter how well we plan or how strong we try to stick to our guns, at times we completely fall off the wagon and need some help getting back on track so why not look to detox after the holidays.
Now I’m not talking about your conventional cleanse or 3 day detox, I’m talking about taking small steps to get your gut back in order and digesting again, your life back in order as well and point you in the right direction so you can start feeling great again.
Let go of the guilt
In a previous post I talked about how guilt is by far the most detrimental aspect to ‘cheating’ or falling off the wagon so to speak. We work so hard for weeks or months and then fall apart at the nearest holiday. First of all there’s nothing wrong with enjoying yourself over the holidays even if you’re consuming foods/beverages that you wouldn’t normally. Most of the time we’re harder on ourselves than we need to be.
Try to understand that the best thing you can do is move on and start over, which is why you’re reading this. What happened with food, and drinks and dessert is in the past, it’s time to move on and get back on track, which is why it’s a perfect time for a detox after the holidays.
Hydration
There’s a good chance if you over indulged during the holidays you recently consumed a large amount of refined sugar. One of the best things you can do is rehydrate and flush toxins out of your system. Alcohol, sugar (and sweets), food coloring and more all need to be released so help your body out and get fluids flowing through your system.
Exercise
Exercise is a great way to detox after the holidays. Get those toxins flowing and those lymph nodes cleaned out. Just like with sleep the sooner you get back to your regular workout routines the better off you’ll be. And if you haven’t started working out just yet, I’m not sure there’s a better time than now!
A good sweat will help those toxins flow out of your body as well, not to mention the clean filtered water you’ll be looking for after a good workout, which, as listed above will also help detox after the holidays.
Sleep habits
We all know there are all types of parties and late night gatherings over the holidays. More than anything our sleep habits have been set out of whack. The best thing you can do is to get back into your regular routine as soon as possible. The reason you slept so well before the holidays is likely because you have strong sleep habits (weather you know it or not).
Go back to you regular routines before bed, whether it’s reading, a cup of tea or a warm bath; and be sure to start going to bed at your regular time. All those late nights will catch up with you sooner or later, so the sooner you get back to your set schedule the better off you’ll be.
Get rid of Desserts!
If you really want to get back on track and start a proper detox after the holidays you’ll want to stop fueling the fire and get rid of ALL unhealthy food or left over desserts. You don’t need anything tempting you, and you certainly don’t need anything else polluting your body. Give away your treats, throw them away or send them home with guests before the night is over. Whatever you choose, make sure none are left over and in the fridge staring you in the face every time you open the fridge door.
Green Smoothie
What about a green smoothie to detox after the holidays!? There are tons of nutrients, with the fiber left in if you make a smoothie not juice this is cleansing as well. The morning is a great time for a green smoothie to energize your day. My favorite recipe includes:
- ¼ Cucumber
- 1 celery stalk
- A handful of greens (i.e. kale, spinach)
- ¼ lemon
- Thumb of ginger
- Small bunch of both parsley and cilantro
- And a little turmeric if I have any
Remember the worst thing you can do is let the guilt fester after a holiday weekend. Move on a quick as possible and let yourself know there are better days ahead. Get back on track and start a proper holiday detox with the tips above. Remember to hydrate properly to get the toxins out of your body, get back into your regular routine of sleeping after all those late night gatherings; start of get back into your regular exercise routines, toss out all left overs that aren’t healthy and lastly, add a green smoothie to your morning prep, not only is it cleansing but it’s energizing as well!
And if you’re looking for a full detox program, we’ve designed a 7 day meal plan for you packed with detoxing soups, cleansing salads, short video clips and full radio shows jam packed with the information you need to get you body back to feeling great again! More details HERE.