If you’re on the healthy living train, then you’re definitely no stranger to detoxes. For those who have no idea what a detox is, keep reading! Simply put, a detox is a process you undertake to rid your body of toxins.
We are constantly in contact with toxins – harmful substances – that are in our water, in the air, in our food. Some toxins are even naturally occurring, so it would be almost impossible to get rid of them. The body actually has a way of getting rid of these toxins; through the excretory system liver The main trouble with toxins starts when they build up and begin to accumulate in the body. A toxic overload could make you feeling sluggish, have acne breakouts or even cause allergic reactions.
There are many detox programmes you could try out including 24-hour fasting, colon cleansing, liver cleansing, green smoothie cleansing and many more. While these programmes are good, it’s much better if you make lifestyle changes to keep your body functioning optimally.
The following are changes you can make to help detoxify your body on a regular basis:
1.Choose the right foods: You truly are what you eat. You can’t expect to take in junk and processed food all the time and still operate at your optimum. Try to stay away from genetically modified food; you’ll only be loading yourself up with more toxins. Even here in Nigeria, there are farms that focus on growing crops organically; some of them are even on Instagram and can deliver to you! You just need to make the effort to do invest in your health.
2. Exercise: I’ve heard people say that the amount of stress we go through in Nigeria is equivalent to exercise! But that’s not true! Stress and exercise are not the same thing. Moving the body creates the conditions for the body to breathe, stretch, circulate and sweat. It stimulates the organs in the body that detoxify and eliminate waste from the body. The more blood circulates, the more the liver and other organs can do the job of cleansing and purifying the blood and other organs. Many toxins can be eliminated through the skin by sweating.
3. Diet: Detoxifying your body has a lot to do with what you consume. A healthy diet has a lot of benefits for the body. Vegetables, garlic, lemon are some of the things that you should incorporate into your diet because their benefits. There are many avenues you can explore to detoxify through your diet. You could do a water-only fast, which involves you taking only water for a few days. You could choose to go the juicing route, which involves blending fruits and vegetables and drinking. A raw/ alkaline diet is a temporary cleanse consisting of consuming uncooked fruits and vegetables along with raw nuts, seeds, and sprouts. This diet helps detoxify your colon and liver; you could also toe this route. Regardless of which detox plan you choose, do the research and make sure that it’s good.
4.Purify the air you breathe: Although you can’t control the entire environment, you can make some changes especially in your home. A simple and economical way to purify the air is to buy house plants. Horticulturists are available at many street corners selling house plants that you can put in vases or pots around your living room and bed rooms. These plants will give out oxygen and take in the carbon dioxide that you breathe out, helping to purify the home. They also serve an extra function of beautifying your home!
5. Water: Water is a natural detoxifying agent. It flushes toxins and waste from the body and transports nutrients to where they are needed. Without water, all the food you take in would get stuck in your gut, eventually causing constipation. Water is a better and healthier alternative than coffee, tea, sports drinks, and other sugary drinks that you may prefer. If you find water ‘boring’, you can spice it up by adding slices of fruit to give the water some flavour. Try slices of lemon or cucumber and see how you like it!
Which of these do you want to try? Leave a comment!
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