Today I’m sharing my seven ways of detoxing, a few of which might surprise you! Your body has some amazing ways to protect itself. Because our environment has more toxins than the days of our grandparents, we now need to make a more intentional effort to assist it in the process of healing or ‘detoxing’. 

 

 

I know yet another item on your daily to do list sounds daunting but stick with me till the end. You’ll see that some of them are very easy: easy to do and easy to fit into your everyday routines such as drinking lemon water. Instead of walking an hour a day, try rebounding fifteen to twenty minutes. Read on for my seven ways of detoxing.

If you’ve read any recent books or articles on holistic health and wellness, you’re probably somewhat familiar with many of the following natural, detoxification practices. What do they have in common? They are cleansing to your system. Added up on a daily, weekly and yearly basis they’ll most definitely move the needle on most or all of your health goals.

Rebounding

Bounce/dancing bare footed on a rebounder or mini trampoline elevates your mood beautifully and detoxifies your body by moving lymph fluid. It’s cleansing and energizing and great for the tendons in the lower legs and feet. It’s highly recommended by many health experts.

I like to bounce and dance around to my favorite podcast or music by bouncing once and then kicking one foot and pulling one knee up towards my chest, right then left. Start slowly by bouncing with two feet and then advance as you become better at it. Use the hand bar for stability if needed.

 

 

 

Dry Skin Brushing

Using a semi-soft dry brush labeled for skin brushing, start at the soles of your feet and work your way up the legs, stomach, palms of the hands, arms etc. avoiding your breasts, up the neck/throat area. Be gentle with the chest and throat. Use long, thorough strokes. This is a great way to exfoliate away dead skin cells which is good for cellular turnover and since the skin is one of your main detoxifiers, it’s another great way to assist your body in its job of “cleansing”.

Lemon Water

Though lemons are acidic outside the body, they are alkalizing in the body. Lemon water is an excellent, super easy cleansing tool. Many experts say to start your morning with a warm (not hot) cup of water with lemon juice. Some people like to add a little cayenne for additional cleansing.

Some people are sensitive to citrus, me included so I utilize other forms of detoxification.

 

 

Raw Foods

You may have heard that cooking in temperatures over 118 degrees depletes the nutrients and enzymes in vegetables and fruit. Raw foodists are easy to spot…they are gorgeous! Beautiful skin tone and coloring and toned, limber bodies. That’s because they get tons of nutrients and because they’re so nourished, they have few if any food cravings.

Now, this is a fairly difficult lifestyle especially if you have family around the house, but I’ve come up with a fantastic option! Eat raw till dinner. Skip breakfast, I’ll share why you another time why you don’t need it; have a big raw salad for lunch; then pretty much have what you want for dinner. No, not pizza! Real, unprocessed food.  

 

 

Green Juicing

Green juicing is a real game changer. Nothing (except fasting) will help you move the needle on your health like green juices. They’re loaded with micronutrients. People always ask me, why juices rather than smoothies. The main reason is you can get way more juice, and thus, micronutrients in your system via juices. Smoothies have all the plant’s fiber, which is great too. So, if you want you can do a smoothie as well but don’t skip the green juice. I’ve put my green juice recipe on Instagram several times. It’s so delicious; you won’t consider it a chore to drink.

 

 

Hot/Cold Showers or Contrast Hydrotherapy

Not only is this a great way to move lymph fluid and detoxify your body, it’s also an amazing pain reliever and mood booster. I personally love contrast therapy, also known as hot/cold showers though admittedly they take some getting used to. Start with only what you can tolerate and slowly, while the water is running, increase the intensity. Give yourself a few weeks, even a month or two to perfect this practice. Go slow but do try it. 

Start with hot water. Drench your scalp too. Count to thirty slowly, then switch to cold. Keep making it colder, till you get as cold as you can almost tolerate. Count to thirty slowly. Repeat three times total.  I’ve been doing these for three or four years and still screech with the cold rinse, but the feeling afterward is so worth it. 

 

 

Fasting

Fasting is the most effective of these seven ways of detoxing. According to many nutritionists and wellness experts including New York Times bestselling author Kimberly Snyder, agree the number one way to cleanse your body of toxins is by fasting.

There are a few types of fasts. Intermittent fasting has been a real game changer in helping me manage my arthritis and overall health. It works because it gives your digestive system an optimal period of rest; allows your body to cleanse itself, which the body only does during periods when it’s not digesting food; gives your taste buds the opportunity to reset and fully appreciate the natural flavors of healthful food; and prohibits energy depletion which occurs during the digesting of a large breakfast. In other words, a big breakfast depletes your energy when you need energy the most.

Save your big meal for late afternoon/early evening, after your body work. Lastly, it helps you get in touch with the real sensation that is ‘hunger’.

These holistic health practices have enabled me to control my osteoarthritis symptoms naturally. Don’t try and integrate them all at once! With detoxification, it’s important to start slowly and work your way into cleansing. If you detox too fast, your system will release too many toxins at once and make you feel icky, so go slow.

Find a great holistic or functional medicine doctor, and a good nutritionist and start building Team You this year!

 

 

If you found this article helpful, please share it with someone who needs this support! I love helping my readers weed through the most efficient, joyful health routines available today. And hey, if you would like to dig deeper into easy but super effective health and wellness tips and tools, then you will love my free download, my 5 Pillars to Optimal Wellness.

In it you’ll get …

 

• Effective principles and practices to look your best, feel great and enjoy vibrant, flavorful, healthy foods!

• Fun and easy ‘detox’ methods, to elevate your mood and energy, and fend off disease.

• Enjoyable exercise options with the flexibility and convenience you help you with follow-through! And more…

 

That’s it for today,

Shiree’

 

If you’re not used to juicing, eating raw foods and fasting these steps can present a challenge. Get some great mindset tools with my August 2021 blog post “Design and Wellness Blueprint” where you’ll learn to overcome mindset issues on the cost of organic healthy foods; rethink your daily workout calendar; and learn how to be your own wellness advocate.