Detoxing can be a great way to get yourself out of a sluggish period. If you are feeling more depressed, anxious, tired, or just not yourself you might consider detoxing. I have found it most helpful for me to do it around the holidays or even at the beginning of the new year, as the holidays can tend to involve a lot of deliciously unhealthy food and alcohol.
Detoxing allows your body to naturally heal and reset itself. You can get stress and anxiety under control, help release emotions that you may have put away, help with sleep, energy levels, and can even help with women’s menstrual cycles. It is a great idea to try to detox your body at least once a yea. I like to try to do it 3 to 4 times a year to better help with my high anxiety and depression.
Detox can include yoga, meditation, writing, and an overall relaxation state; however it most commonly involves eating extremely healthy and fasting. There are numerous programs for detoxing your body and is completely personal to you. There are plans such as:
- Simple Fruit and Veggie Detox
- Smoothie Cleanse
- Juice Cleanse
- Sugar Detox
I tend to do a combination of a few different kinds of detox plans while increasing my yoga, meditation, and writing. I like to do a Juice cleanse for the first 3 days, a smoothie cleanse for the next 2 days, and then a detox-diet meal plan for a week. While I try to eliminate as much sugar from my diet already I work especially hard on eliminating sugar during my detox period.
Even when I am doing my detox I do exercise, however I may not do it to the extreme that I would do normally (no half marathons for me during it). Mostly this is due to the smaller amount of food intake. It is important to note that while you are detoxing your body you should drink lots of water, especially if you are still participating in physical activity.
If you are looking for some great books to start your detox here are some great ones below. However, remember detoxing is extremely personal and one method isn’t the best for everyone, so there may be a bit of trial and error with each one.
- The Juice Cleanse Reset Diet by Lori Kenyon Farley and Marra St. Clair
- Best Green Drinks Ever by Katrine van Wyk
- The Yoga-Body Cleanse: A 7-Day Ayurvedic Detox to Rejuvenate Your Body and Calm Your Mind by Robin Westen
- The Juice Generation: 100 Recipes for Fresh Juices and Superfood Smoothies by Eric Helms with Amely Greevan
- The Detox Prescription: Supercharge Your Health, Strip Away Pounds, and Eliminate the Toxins Within by
- Woodson Merrell, MD with Mary Beth Augustine, MS, RDN, and Hillari Dowdle
Finally, If you are looking for some great recipes to get you started, check out this list here.
