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Sweets are my thing around the holidays. Chocolate covered everything, eggnog in my coffee and cans of whipped cream are basically inhaled. Combine that with the big, family meals and I’ve got myself into a new feeling of full. Not just the stuffed feeling, but the groggy, puffy, bloated for days feeling. It’s not fun, but luckily there are some ways you can detox those holiday meals away. When I say detox, I don’t mean fast. Many think of detoxing as not eating, but I think of it as providing nutrients and water, while eliminating unwanted sugars, chemicals and carb overload.


First Step: Load up on “Negative Calorie” foods 

These foods actually have calories, but they are so light in calories that the amount of energy your body spends digesting them is around the same or more as consuming them. And, these foods are super good for you. When detoxing, you want to give your body lots of nutrients and water. These foods are full of just that. Some of these include asparagus, apples, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower, watermelon, blueberries, cantaloupe, lettuce…basically anything that is healthy with a lot of water content. The water in combination with the nutrients and vitamins is going to help your body flush out all the excess stuff that was consumed.

Second Step: Drink healthy waters

Adding natural flavors to your waters is going to help you drink more. Your body is going to need a lot of water to help it process and get back on track. These six detox waters from Pin Improvement are super recipes to get you started. The orange, blueberry and mint one looks super yummy!

Third Step: Get sweating

I’m sure you don’t want to hear this, but you must get your heart rate up and get some activity going. This will boost your mood and your detox. If you can layer on your clothes, so you’ll heat up faster, then you’ll get the sweat effect. Sweating is a great way to eliminate toxins and water retention. A lot of the puffy feeling is from your body holding onto water. Extra salt and sugar will do that. Sweating it out will help eliminate the water and get you out of the funk. If you just get out and walk, layer on the clothes to get a sweat up, and walk at least 45 minutes.

Fourth Step: Don’t be afraid to nap

The holidays are busy. There’s a lot of prepping, talking, working, cleaning and playing. A nap may be just what your body needs to rest and recover. Sleep is good for your body, and your body needs time and space to rest and re calibrate.

Fifth Step: Dry brush your body

Your skin is the largest organ, so you can help get the detox going by focusing on your skin. Dry brushing is said to get the lymphatic system going. The lymphatic system is what eliminates waste and gets those toxins out. The easiest way to start is to dry bush with brisk, upward motions towards your heart before you get in the shower.

Take all these steps as soon after a holiday feast as possible to set your body straight again. Detoxing does encourage weight loss, but that isn’t necessarily the goal. You are trying to infuse your body with water and nutrients, and encourage your body to eliminate the extra processed snacks, salt, sugar and fat. If you focus there, rather than weight loss, you’ll be off to a great start to getting on a healthier track!

 

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2 Comments

  1. They all sounds perfect to me. I should really do more dry brushing to stimulate my lymphatic system. Instead I bounce on an exercise ball every day for now… It calms the now toddler and helps me! Win win. And eggnog in my coffee it’s one of my holiday treats too ?

    • Katie Pickett Reply

      It’s so good for you! Bouncing on an exercise ball sounds great too. I live for eggnog haha!

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