It is that time of year again. The New Year. When we reflect on the past year, and make goals for the year to come. Like most people, getting healthier and dropping a few lbs. (especially after over indulging during the holidays) is always on my list of resolutions. I have never however, been a fan of extreme diets and cleanses because I feel it’s a fast track to self defeat and burnout.
Instead, I prefer to gently cleanse and reset my body in a non-stressful way and I’m sharing the top five ways I do so here today! I hope this post helps you jumpstart your new year, and provides you with great energy to get your new year off to a great start. Let’s dive in!
So before we get into detoxing, I think the most important thing to address when detoxing is water! Yes, good old H2O should be the main staple in everyone’s cleansing regimen. Drinking lots of water is the main way to flush out toxins in our bodies. But have you checked the quality of your water lately?
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase from a link in this post. ShipsHQ appreciates your support and thanks you! Also, I am not a doctor and this post is not to be construed as medical advice. The suggestions contained in this post are things that work for me. Please consult your healthcare provider before trying new health regimens.
I have to admit, when it comes to drinking water, I’m a bit of a water snob. I try to avoid tap water at all costs and never leave home without my large Yeti filled with filtered water (and a backup Nalgene just in case). Yes, it might be a little overboard, but despite what your city might report to you, most tap water is filled with contaminants that can cause all sorts of health problems, including cancer. Let’s just be real “legal limits” for contaminants does not always equal safe. Standards for drinking water have not been updated in 20 years.
Although we can’t avoid every toxic substance that we’re exposed to in our environment today, we can try to take steps necessary to avoid them as much as possible, and avoid having these toxic substances accumulate in our bodies by doing something as simple as buying a good water filter. I mean, have you read the EWG’s Tap Water Database Update for 2021?
Although the city I live in has been compliant with Federal standards, there were still six contaminants that exceeded the EWG’s health guidelines. And despite the area being touted for having clean aquifers as our water source, some neighboring areas have not been in compliance with Federal drinking water standards for several years.
DETOX DRINKS
Okay, so now that I have gotten that little rant out of my system about drinking water, let’s dive into some easy drinks that can help cleanse your system.
To help jump start your day, flush toxins, and boost your metabolism while cleansing, I like to start my day with a detox drink. You have probably seen similar versions, but this is the one that I prefer. You can make it and drink it hot, or make it ahead and drink it refrigerated, or over some ice.
Here is the recipe:
Lemon Ginger Detox Tea
Ingredients
- 16 Oz. Hot water
- 2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar (I recommend Bragg’s ACV)
- 1 Lemon, Squeezed
- 1/2-1 Tsp grated ginger (or ground ginger)
- 1-3 Dashes cayenne pepper
- 1-2 Tsp. raw, local honey
Instructions
- Boil Water
- While water gets to boil, get your ingredients together and put in a French press, or teapot.
- Add boiled water to ingredients and steep for a couple minutes.
- Drink hot, or over ice throughout the day.
- Double, or triple the batch and keep in a ball jar in the fridge to have on hand. Shake up before drinking. Enjoy!
Notes
This drink is a great way to jumpstart your day, or you can drink it throughout the day to help amp things up. If you like more of a variety, try drinking the lemon mix in the mornings (and afternoon), and then have a Detox tea in the evening.
Drinking this combined with the other recommendations below will help give your body a reset and get your new year off to a great start!
OXYPOWDER
In addition to cleansing drinks, when resetting my system Oxypowder is a must. I have been a longtime fan of Dr. Group’s vitamins and supplements (long before I ever started blogging/became an affiliate for The Global Healing Center). If you take a look in my vitamin cabinet, 95% of my vitamins are Global Healing products. Especially his Vitamin C, Zinc, D, and Nacent Iodine!
After consuming all the food and all the cheese off the charcuterie boards (or is that just me?) during the holidays, I feel the need to cleanse my intestinal tract to get rid of all that bloating and lethargy that often tends to accompany overconsumption.
Oxypowder is an oxygen based supplement that provides a very gentle, but effective cleanse for your entire digestive tract. Not only does it help gently relive occasional constipation, but it helps clean your entire digestive tract, flushing away impurities to help your body optimize nutrient absorption, leaving you feeling much lighter, and much more energized.
Be sure to drink lots of water with your Oxypowder (lemon water for extra effectiveness), and don’t plan on going anywhere until about mid day the day after you take it. I know it’s gross to discuss, but you will have to use the bathroom several times in the morning. What you won’t experience with this gentle cleanser, however, is bad cramping, or other pains associated with other harsh laxative products.
You can use Oxypowder for just a day, but for an optimum reset and cleanse, use it for several days in a row. Dr. Group has amazing cleanse programs to follow as well as detox bundles that target specific areas like your liver and kidneys, so be sure to check out the Global Healing Center to see what else you might need to enhance your cleanse and tailor it specifically to your health needs.
A “DIET” FOR YOUR CLEANSE
When you hear the word cleanse, do you automatically think of fasting as well? While I do think there are many benefits to fasting, I don’t like being hangry. Especially as a busy mom, doing ALL THE THINGS that we need to do to take care of our families, I’m just not down for it. Especially if it’s longer than one day.
Now I don’t have a set diet plan to give you here, but I will tell you generally what I like to do when doing a cleanse for several days. Here it is:
First, I will plan ahead and make a long grocery list of fresh fruits and vegetables that will get me through a good week of a cleanse. I select foods for juicing (usually a carrot, apple, beet, celery, turmeric, and ginger juice), fruits and vegetables to eat raw (think salads with light dressings and vegetables plain, or dipped in hummus), some frozen fruit and leafy greens for smoothies, and some vegetables to make soups with (no meaty/cheesy soups).
I like to start my week of cleansing with a day of drinking only fresh pressed juice and water. That is my “fast” to jumpstart my intestinal cleanse. After that, I will normally have a day of juice drinking, mixed with smoothies, and some liquid soup (think sweet potato soup, or a butternut squash…some kind of puréed vegetable.) On the next day, I’ll stick to mostly liquids, but add some solid fruits. And then for the rest of the cleanse I’ll eat a mix of fruits, salads, smoothies, vegetable soups with bone broth, and some nuts sparingly.
The key is to start off with a liquid diet so your cleansing supplements can absorb and work better at cleaning out your system. Do a liquid diet for as long as you can, and then slowly add in some solids.
What I don’t eat during a cleanse: Dairy, Meats, Carbs, Sugar (other than natural sugars found in fresh/frozen fruits and a little honey from the tea mentioned above.)
Never during my cleanses do I go hungry. I’m all about eating (or having a juice/smoothie) whenever you feel hungry. Just keep it to those categories for a week while you’re taking your Oxypowder and other supplements to jumpstart a new and healthier you. And don’t forget to keep drinking that filtered water!
If you’d like me to expand on recipes, or get more specific in what I eat during a cleansing week, let me know!
DETOX BATHS
Now if you have access to a sauna and/or steam room, be sure to hang out in your room of preference as much as you can during your cleanse. There’s no better way to release toxins from your body, IMO. If you don’t have a sauna/steam room near you, or don’t belong to a gym, no worries. You can detox in a nice hot bath!
I love a good epsom salt bath, and try to take one at least once a week. A 20 minute soak in hot water will release toxins from your body, and also help you de-stress! For an extra detox in the bath I highly recommend adding some detoxifying clay to your bath as well that can help you release more toxins, including heavy metals.
YOGA
When you’re doing a cleanse and resetting your body gently, it’s good to maintain some low impact activity as well such as walking and stretching.
Yoga is the perfect exercise for a cleanse because deep breathing exercises, and gentle twisting in several poses can be very cleansing for the body. Overall, yoga also helps you to balance ad re-align your body, and can leave you feeling energized, with a new sense of well being. Great for both your physical and mental health!
If you have never tried yoga before, don’t be intimidated. You don’t have to be able to touch your toes to reap the health benefits from yoga. It is called a practice for a reason. You try it over and over, and the more you do, the better you get.
And I love this little quote that I heard in some yoga class somewhere… There’s no yoga in the Olympics for a reason! The only person you should compare yourself and your progress to is yourself today vs. yourself yesterday. Remember every day is different. Some days you will be more flexible than others. Just work to your own body’s resistance and you will reap the benefits.
I hope you enjoyed this post! Please leave me a comment and let me know if you try out any of these tips, or if you have any gentle cleansing methods that I left out. Also, be sure to Pin and save this post because cleansing is not just for the beginning of the year, but something that you can do periodically throughout the year to help maintain optimum health.
Wishing you a happy, healthy, and plentiful new year! Be sure to subscribe to my blog so you don’t miss a post (and find me on IG @ShipsHQ!). I’m hoping to bring you a lot more educational and helpful content in 2022. Anything specific you’d like to hear about? Leave a comment, or send me a message and let me know. I love to hear from you. Cheers!
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