The long holiday weekend is behind us, yet you’re still feeling bloated, lethargic and like you overindulged.
No problem, we’re all in the same boat! To help get you back on track in a hurry, I want to share with you a few of my favorite quick and easy detox tips to get you back to feeling your best. Try any/all of these tips to get you back on track with healthy digestion, sleep cycle, and so much more.
6 detox tips after a holiday weekend:
- Drink hot water with lemon to start the day: One of the biggest issues after a long weekend can be constipation. We eat too much, we drink too much (we do everything too much except eat healthy and exercise!) – and so we can easily get a little bit (or a lot) constipated. One of the best ways to help our bodies detoxify is by pooping- so we want to get this system moving ASAP. Hot water first thing in the morning with a lemon wedge (fully submersed in the water) can help to loosen things up in your digestive track, and the compound in lemon rind- de limonene can help to promote detoxification on behalf of the liver.
- Load up on fiber: Fiber is extremely helpful with promoting pooping (think detox here) and also for helping to fill you up, keep your blood sugar steady, and to help keep appetite under control too (something that can often be difficult after a long weekend with little sleep and too much of everything else). Steer clear of whole wheat breads and other whole wheat products- fill up on vegetables – like leafy greens and cruciferous family veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale) – aim for 2 veggies at each meal.
- Get moving: Head out for a walk, go to an exercise class- aim to hit your 10,000 steps- it’ll feel good, get your blood flowing and can help your body naturally detoxify as well. Did I mention that moving and walking can help you to poop too? It can.
- Eat more foods that contain natural diuretics: After a long weekend of overindulging we often feel like we’re retaining everything we ate, drank and more. So in addition to helping you go to the bathroom more easily (pooping), try to include some of these foods to help you ditch some of the extra water you may be hanging onto from all the salty food you might have eaten.
- asparagus- put it in your salad, have it with your protein for dinner
- ginger- add it to your hot water with lemon in the AM, put it in your smoothie or juice
- beets- chop them up raw and add to your salad
- carrots- eat them raw or cook them, or put them in your favorite veggie juice
- celery- have some celery for an easy and delicious snack with organic peanut butter (limit the portion size though!), add to a juice or smoothie
- cabbage- make a simple cabbage salad
- artichoke- steam and have as an appetizer
- cucumbers- have as a snack or put them in your salad
- Detox the extra sugar for at least 2-3 days: You should skip most added simple sugars (especially processed ones) most of the time anyway, but especially when you’re feeling like you’ve overdone it. When we’re tired and especially if constipated or bloated, added sugars can make us feel extra lethargic, backed up and swollen. Try your best (even though your body may be asking for these types of things!) to be extra vigilant of processed foods and additives with sugar. If you’re going to include sugar for any reason- choose honey or maple syrup- but skip the artificial sugars and try to cut back on fruit too. Less is more when we’re trying to get ourselves back on track and feeling great.
- Get back on your sleep cycle: Sleep is everything, literally. We so often discount the importance of sleep when it comes to our ability to maintain our weight, keep our metabolism revved, control our hormones and appetite- and so much more. Having a long weekend of partying can really do a number on our sleep cycle, so we want to be sure to pay extra attention to getting back into a good sleep rhythm. Try some pre-bed yoga or meditation if you’re having trouble getting back into your sleep routine easily.
