Spring cleaning!

Now that Easter weekend is over, perhaps you feel in need a reboot. You may have over-indulged in chocolate or a big family dinner. Now may be the perfect time to detoxify your body, give the digestive system a rest and clean out your system. Spring is usually the best time for an overhaul - spring-cleaning for the body.

There are many ways to go about it but if you have pre-conceived ideas about what it means, a detox need not be dramatic or extreme. It can be as gentle, easy, simple and minimal as you want to make it. It depends on your goal and how badly you are in need of a cleanse. In some cases, a one-day detox is all that is required. Many people are able to lose weight much more easily after an easy one-day detox.

Why detox?

The body stores foreign substances and toxins in it fatty deposits. Many people may be carrying 10 or more pounds of unhealthy mucus-harboring toxic waste! This waste may account for symptoms like PMS, digestive disorders, headaches, joint pains, bad breath, allergies, constipation, brittle nails, skin conditions, poor: memory, depression, insomnia, excess weight, and the list goes on.

What is a toxin?

A toxin is any kind of substance that causes harmful effects in the body, leading to intolerances, allergies and a general feeling of illness. The most insidious toxins are invisible. The body has a natural ability to expel toxins readily but sometimes it just needs a little extra help.

Everyday detox tips:

1. Have these top detox foods available to you every day: fruit and vegetable juices; water; raw foods, sprouts, greens; fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes, seeds.

Avoid these toxic “foods”: sugar, fried foods, dairy, alcohol, caffeine.

2. Use a juicer to make your own vegetable juices.

A blender for smoothies.

3. Dry skin brushing – buy a skin brush and use it to speed up how quickly your body expels toxins by motivating blood cells and lymph tissue, two of the major physiological detoxification avenues of the body.

4. Diaphragmatic breathing - oxygen feeds the blood and cells, and detoxifies the organs and glands.

5. Daily exercise – exercise is essential to detoxifying the body. Anything that gets you moving will do the trick; if the activity makes you break a sweat, even better! By flexing, moving, stretching and relaxing muscles, the lymph fluid pulls out toxins. Sweating does the same thing.

6. Drink 6-8 glasses of filtered water a day.

In addition to these daily practices, consider a one-day detox to jump-start your systems. For the detoxification process to work properly, you do not need to starve yourself. A detox will give your organs a rest from the usual foods you eat while you add foods that cleanse your organs and facilitate the expulsion of toxins from your body. It will do you a world of good and make your path to health and well-being much easier.