It’s January, the holiday season is over, and it’s time to get back in shape! With the new year, many people’s resolutions are to eat healthier, work out more, and lose weight. We agree: the best way to start the year is to stay fit and healthy! Unfortunately, it can be challenging for those who went overboard with eating during the holidays to get back on track with weight loss goals–even if you tried to prepare a weight-loss-friendly holiday meal, weight gain always slips through the cracks. One tried-and-true method for losing the holiday bloat is detoxing.
Detox diets are short-term diets designed to eliminate toxins from your body. They’re claimed to aid various health problems and help with weight loss. A typical detox diet involves a period of fasting, followed by a strict diet of fruit, vegetables, fruit juices, and water. Sometimes a detox also includes herbs, teas, supplements, and colon cleanses or enemas. Fasting has been associated with several health benefits, including weight loss, improved blood sugar control, decreased inflammation, and better heart health. While many detox diets are generally good for your health, some detox programs can be unsafe and falsely advertised. It is highly recommended to reach out to healthcare professionals before embarking on a detox cleanse. It’s also crucial not to extend a detox past the approved time (usually a maximum of seven days).
We spoke with Brandon Nicholas, certified personal trainer, health nutritionist, and founder of The Fitness Tribe. He said the best way to melt holiday weight with detoxing is to focus on four main body parts: the liver, kidneys, lungs, and skin. Nicholas suggests green juice for the liver, water for the kidney and skin, and exercise for the lungs.
Green juice
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, the liver processes the blood and breaks down toxins, creates nutrients, and also metabolizes drugs into forms that are easier to use for the rest of the body. By removing toxins from the body's blood supply, the liver maintains healthy blood sugar levels and regulates blood clotting. Nicholas explains, "The liver reigns over all toxins in the body by cleaning the blood and transforming harmful chemicals for eventual excretion."
To support the liver's detoxification processes, he recommends green juices, a blend of green veggies that come together to make a healthy (and tasty!) drink: "A daily juice made from ground bitter foods and foods that promote the body's production of internal antioxidants, especially glutathione, are best for liver detoxification. Green leafy veggies like spinach, lettuce, and kale mixed with beetroot, carrot, apple, banana, and berries is a great antioxidant-rich drink that will not only boost the body's immunity but will also aid the liver's detoxification functions." Yum!
Water
We all know how crucial water is for your overall well-being, gut health, and skin, but you may be surprised how effective this beverage is for detoxing. Nicholas says, "If you have to detoxify your body then there is nothing that works better than water. Water is just as essential for survival as it is in flushing out bodily impurities. Making sure you get at least 2 gallons of water daily delivers maximum results that also help in weight loss, bids adieu to skin issues and boosts one's energy levels to optimum." If drinking plain old water bores you, try infusing it with cucumbers, lemons, or mint!
Staying hydrated also helps with kidney health. By drinking enough water, you're helping your kidneys remove wastes from your blood in the form of urine. Water also helps keep your blood vessels open so that blood can travel freely to your kidneys, and deliver essential nutrients to them.
Exercise
Nicholas has other recommendations to do while detoxing. He also suggests adding some breathing exercises into your routine to take better care of your lungs. "Our lungs are responsible for filtering out carbon dioxide, fumes, molds, allergens, and airborne toxins. It can be naturally detoxed through mindful breathing -- inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth," he explains, "Meditation and simple Himalayan salt pipes or inhaling the beach air can also greatly improve the lungs' detoxification process. By doing this, the lungs can effectively do their job in preventing our bodies from foreign pollutants that cause impurity." Breathing exercises also provide a good outlet for your mental well-being, which is especially important during the new year./p>
"Exercising is a way of inducing detoxification ourselves. When we are physically active, toxins and other chemicals that we are exposed to on a daily basis are released by the skin through sweat," Nicholas adds, "So exercising would not only help you in staying fit and healthy but would also help you get rid of the unwanted toxins while combating mental and emotional distress." Talk about a win-win situation!
The holidays are a time of celebration—and sometimes that means overindulgence. The most important thing to remember in these times is to be forgiving of yourself. Don't be too hard on yourself trying to get rid of the holiday weight and don't fall for detox scams. If you're worried, reach out to your doctor and ask if detoxing is the right fit for you.
