The most common way to do a detox is to "fast", because it typically involves abstaining from food, which is actually one of main sources of toxicity in the body.
Generally, no one enjoys going without food, so to experience this for any reason can be difficult and uncomfortable, even though it is highly beneficial in small doses.
There are a number of ways that our bodies accumulate and store toxins over time - from the food we eat and air we breathe, to what we put on our skin and the environment we expose ourselves to each day.
For this reason, one of the best things you can do is to be very conscious of your daily habits, so that the level of toxicity you accumulate does not get out of control.
In other words, prevention is always better (and easier) than cure.
With this in mind, here we want to share with you some of the key ways to easily support your body's natural, in-built detoxification functions. By doing this, you'll better support your overall health, your resistance to disease and you'll lower the need to adopt more extreme measures - such as extended fasting - that may be required if you become toxic.
1. Reduce your Toxic Load
This might sound obvious, but it really is the first and most important step if you want to help your body to detox, heal and minimise disruption to your immune system.
Reducing your toxic load firstly means eliminating all processed foods, refined sugars, refined grains, chemical preservatives and additives from your diet. All of these foods are a one-way ticket to toxic accumulation inside of your body, so it's important to avoid or at least greatly minimise them from your routine.
Next, rid your bathroom, kitchen and laundry of all products loaded with hidden chemicals and replace them with products made from natural or chemical-free ingredients wherever you can.
Thankfully these days, it's quite easy to get your hands on natural personal care, skin care and household cleaning products at local health food stores and conscious super markets. And of course, we also offer solutions in our online store at TolmanSelfCare.com
2. Eat Plenty Of Fresh Fruit and Vegetables
As simple as it sounds, this is a principle that too many people overlook these days and wonder why they get sick.
By eating enough locally grown, fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables, you will be getting the phytonutrients and fibres to maintain a healthy digestive system and nourish your cells.
Fruit in particular is a natural astringent or detoxifier. It acts as a cleansing agent to support every day detoxification and removal of waste from the body.
Also, the highest water content fruits, such as melons and summer mangoes, are best eaten in the morning on an empty stomach as they aid rather than impede your body's natural digestive cycle.
Next, be sure to prioritise plenty of raw leafy greens such as lettuce, spinach, rocket and kale, as well as a wide variety of seasonal fresh vegetables, both raw and cooked.
3. Add Detox Baths, Saunas, Steam Rooms or Hot Yoga
The next most important key to general daily detoxification is to ensure you open the channels of elimination through your skin.
This means you need embrace activities that open your pores and encourage the extraction of a myriad of toxins stored below your skin's surface. The most common way to do this is with moderate exercise that causes you to sweat.
In addition, other effective ways to activate the release of toxins via the skin, include hot baths, saunas and steam rooms.
Hot Baths are one of the easiest practices you can do regularly at home, not only to extract toxins from the body, but also to help you unwind, relax and soothe sore and tired muscles.
With just a few natural ingredients on hand, you can prepare a hot detox bath in minutes using Epsom salts, Himalayan salts and your favourite essential oils. For convenience, we also handcraft our own range of Detox Bath Salts available in our store.
For even greater detoxifying benefits, you can also add a cup of Bentonite Clay, which is a natural chelator that works like a sponge by actively binding and extracting toxins from the body.
Learn more in Relieve Stress & Inflammation With “Detox Baths”
If bathing is not your thing, look for a local recovery centre that offers hot rock or infra-red saunas, steam rooms, or join a yoga class in your area that is performed in a hot room (known as hot yoga). These are all great ways to support your body's natural detoxification processes on a regular basis and they go a long way to making you feel and look your best too.
3. Get Out Into Nature
One of the most soothing, emotionally and physically detoxifying things you can do for yourself is to connect and immerse yourself in nature often.
Whether it be a walk on the beach, through a leafy park, the forest, cycling on an open road, or taking a swim in the ocean, these are all activities that will bring you closer to nature, which has wonderful detoxifying effects.
A particularly powerful practice is "Earthing" or "Grounding", where you connect your bare feet directly to the sand or earth in order to benefit from the negative ions beneath the earth's surface that are absorbed into the body and hunt down damaging free radicals that cause inflammation and disease.
One of the best ways to experience this is by walking barefooted on the sand at your local beach, particularly early morning at sunrise. If you don't live nearby the beach, find a local park and walk on the gravel or grass.
Learn more in What is Earthing? And How it Benefits Your Health & Well-Being
4. Get Plenty of Sleep
Sleep is essential for your body’s natural detox processes to work efficiently, because it's when you're at rest that everything begins to reorganise itself and purge what it doesn’t need.
If you’re not getting adequate sleep, toxins will continue to build up and eventually affect your overall health. For this reason, you should aim to get 6-8 hours of quality sleep per night.
Tips to improve your sleep quality:
- Use specific essential oils designed to improve sleep on your pillow and in your bedroom, like Lavender, Bergamot and Clary Sage
- Stop using electronics at least an hour before bed because they impede melatonin production which causes you to sleep
- Read a book instead before you sleep
- Shower or take a bath right before bed; the change in your body temperature will make you feel sleepy
- Open a window to keep the room cool and to allow fresh air to circulate whilst you sleep.
5. Drink Enough Water
Your body needs enough water every day to help flush out toxins.
Clean water is also the very source of life and is crucial to your overall health and vital functions within your body and brain.
At the very least, you should drink the approximate weight of the brain each day, which is around 2 litres of water. However, optimally to ensure your body is performing its basic detox functions, you should aim to consume 1 litre of water for every 22 kilos of body weight.
One of the best ways to kick start your daily water intake, is of course, when you rise first thing in the morning.
A great habit to get into is to add the juice of a whole lemon or lime to a large glass of chilled water, add a pinch of Celtic Sea Salt, mix and drink. This simple practice will encourage the waste elimination process in the morning, rehydrate your cells and give you a spark of natural electrolytes to kick start your day.
Then, take water with you to the gym or consume more when you return from your walk.
Carry a water bottle with you in the car, take it to the office...wherever you go... and sip it regularly throughout the day!
You can even set hourly reminders on your phone to finish a certain amount of water in that time if you need little prompts to help you along.
Even if you only chose to do one thing, it should be to drink enough water every single day, such is the vital importance of water to your overall health and wellbeing.
The Main Take Away
You don't need to wait until you're sick to do a detox or fast!
As explained, your body has a range of eliminatory channels that need support every day, and when you support them, the chances of you becoming toxic or getting sick are greatly diminished.
Start by reducing your toxic load in terms of the foods you eat and the products you use on your body and around the home. Next, add more fresh fruits and vegetables to your diet and choose activities that cause your body to sweat and release toxins beneath the surface of your skin.
Get into nature often, get plenty of quality sleep, and last but not least, make sure you consume enough water every single day.
By choosing to follow these steps, you'll go along way to minimising the build of toxicity in your body, you'll have more energy, you'll better manage your weight and your overall resistance to disease.
Tolman Self Care.
