The Art of Detox: Guest Post by Lauren

***This is a guest post written by Lauren!! I’m so thankful she was willing to share her knowledge with you all! Learn a little more about this sweet friend here.***

Life is full of toxicity: in your social circle, in the workplace, and, most impactfully, in your body. These toxins are waste that mistakenly enter your bloodstream after consuming some not-so-healthy food (but we do it anyway, because who doesn’t have random episodes of binge eating a whole Ben & Jerry’s pint of ice cream?). No matter how great it feels in the moment, there are undoubtedly consequences to eating your favorite fatty foods, such as extreme sluggishness, lack of motivation, a loss of attention span, and much more. Don’t fret, there is a way to detoxify yourself little bits of a time without going full vegan-fitness-gluten-free-Barbie. Here are a few helpful tips that have helped me attack those pesky bodily intruders that I so unapologetically invited to mess with my system. NOTE: I am not a licensed dietitian or a scientist, this is just a list of things I have found to help me feel healthier and happier.

Lemon-Lime Water

This isn’t sprite, so don’t get too excited. Lemon-lime water has been proven to have amazing health benefits, such as reducing bile in the liver (take that, Ben & Jerry’s!), aiding in digestion, and providing potassium to your body, which is proven to help reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. The water is extremely helpful in cleaning up your skin and improving organ functions. Plus, it is super easy to have lemon-lime water with you on the go at all times.

Ingredients:

1. Water (obviously)
2. Ice cubes
3. A whole lime
4. Lemon juice or lemon slices

Put all of these ingredients in a water bottle and shake it all day long. This will ensure the nutrients from the lime will be prominent throughout the day. I would recommend drinking a regular 16 oz bottle every few hours. By the end of the day, you will likely feel flushed out and clean (you may have to pee a lot, but it’s worth it I promise you).

Yoga

Doing a couple of minutes of simple yoga when waking up and before going to bed will stretch your muscles and will help you feel relaxed every morning and night. Set aside a regular time period every morning and night where you will force yourself to unwind. Especially if you are someone who is swarmed with constant stress, your brain and your heart need a break from the rush of life. Take this scheduled time, and you may start to feel a little less tension in your body throughout the day. Follow each yoga session with a few minutes of straight meditation. This will reduce headaches and allow each day to be a bit happier.

The best way to “yoga” is to go to an in-person instructor. This can obviously be unattainable in many people’s schedules, but maybe going once or twice a month could be beneficial for busy people. There are many qualified instructors that do online poses and/or Youtube sessions, which could be your backup for when there isn’t time.

Just look at the pretty picture, people. 🙂

Cardio

This may seem like an obvious one, but there are many ways in which you can incorporate cardio into moments of your day where you normally would not. Choose to walk more, whether it would be taking the dog for a walk, running errands, or just getting up and moving away from work. You can also get up and do brisk jogs around the house during commercial breaks (or while a bag of popcorn is cooking–the jogging will make you feel a little less guilty.). If you put the time and effort into caring for yourself that you put into everything else in your life, you will find a substantially dramatic increase in happiness. I started to do these things nearly everyday since October, and I went from a stressed, overwhelmed teenage girl to a healthier, more motivated version of myself. I hope these small tricks will help you as much as it helped me!

 

Love, Lauren

All photos courtesy of Elisabeth Krieder.