Detox. What comes to mind when you think about this? Some people might think of spa days, juice cleanses, or an extended period of fasting. And certainly, if you google, you’ll get a wide array of answers and solutions.
Detox is simply the process of removing toxins, and your body is naturally adept at doing this. The body has processes to naturally identify and try to expunge toxins. However, we live in an environment now that overloads us from every angle, so we need to support our bodies’ efforts. Here are 9 easy ways to remove toxins from your life to feel better.
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#1 Watch What Goes in Your Mouth
We ingest a lot of toxins every day, whether we’re thinking about it or not. Unless you’re eating a diet that’s 100% clean, organic, toxin-free, and unprocessed, toxins are coming in through your digestive system. So, what can you do about it?
Food is meant to be fuel and medicine, and whether you’re aware of it or not, you’re in charge of every single thing that you ingest. Now, you may not always have the healthiest options available, but you’re making a choice every time you put food or drink in your mouth.
That means you can consciously choose to remove toxins by doing an intentional 6, 8, 10, or 12-week removal of a particular item. That could be meat, sugar, alcohol, caffeine, processed chemicals, dyes, or nicotine. Removing any of these groups can have huge impacts on your gut, liver, brain, skin, joints, and more.
Not ready to fully remove something? That’s fine. Maybe you’ve been eating a lot of meat lately and having some digestive issues. You can also detox by cutting back on how much you’re consuming. Start small, experiment, and note how you feel before and after implementing a small change for a few weeks.
#2 Lower Your Stress Levels
Oh man, do we harp on this one a lot, but that’s because stress can cause so many issues for your body. Take a moment to assess your stress levels. Not just thinking about that time yesterday afternoon when your road rage got the best of you, but how are your stress levels 24/7?
We can often see the greatest impact of stress when it comes to sleep. This is because much of your body’s detox activities happen when you sleep. Your body is pushing toxins out through your lymphatic system, so when stress levels are high and sleep is less and less, you can feel sluggish due to lack of rest and build-up of toxins too.
Focus on ways to lower stress, whether that means incorporating breathing techniques, cutting out negativity, or getting outside more. Raising little ones? We’ve also got information on how to de-stress while raising a family. Anything you can do to actively cut out stress from your life will positively impact detox.
#3 Increase Blood Flow
When you’re sedentary, your body isn’t moving blood through your system as efficiently as possible. But you can stimulate blood flow through regular foam rolling, massages, and exercise. Getting your blood moving helps your body push toxins out and can help to promote better sleep, which, as we know, means more efficient detoxing!
#4 Take an Epsom Salt Bath
As we get older, baths can feel like a kid thing, but taking a bath as an adult can be an incredibly efficient way to remove toxins. Winding down with an Epsom salt bath 2-3 days a week is a simple way to pull toxins, soreness, and lactic acid out of your muscles.
Plus, a nice warm bath can help you mentally and physically relax and help to reduce stress. Bonus!! Be sure to follow up an Epsom salt bath with flushing a lot of water through your system.
#5 Remove Chemicals From Your Skin and Home
You’ll probably be shocked if you actually start to look at the ingredients in common skin and home products. Foundation FIT’s Sylvia Darby certainly was. She quickly realized how many toxins are in everything we use.
There can be harmful chemicals in makeup, beauty products, lotions, shampoos, deodorant, toothpaste, chemicals you clean your house with, and what you wash your clothes in. Trying to make a change in every area at once is enough to drive you mad. Instead, go for one area at a time.
Start with something like deodorant. After all, what you put on your underarms is near lymph nodes. And if you’re a female and you’re shaving, you’re applying chemicals to newly exposed skin which can be even worse. Then, once you’re comfortable with that change, choose something else. Take small bites. Otherwise, removing toxins from the home can feel completely overwhelming.
#6 Drybrush
Dry brushing is exactly what it sounds like, except instead of brushing your hair, you’re running a thick bristled brush across your skin. This process can stimulate your lymph system and encourage it to move toxins through your body. Sylvia has found great success with Epsom salt baths and dry brushing 2-3 times a week to push and help lymph fluid move through the body.
#7 Get Vitamin D
We spend so much time indoors on screens we’ve virtually eliminated outside time. Yet walking outside, especially without shoes on, can be incredibly helpful for detox pathways. Try to get outside once a day without shoes and just walk around your yard in the grass if that’s available. You’ll notice a difference in how you feel when walking with and without shoes.
#8 Unplug electronics in your house
Electromagnetic radiation is everywhere. We have devices that are constantly plugged in, whether it’s coffee pots and microwaves or your wi-fi router. Your body is constantly absorbing those signals, especially when you stay inside.
You can assist your body with detoxing by either unplugging devices when they’re not in use or investing in a specifically designed device to help pull radiation from your house. Again, we encourage starting small. Maybe you could focus first on the rooms you’re sleeping in. Are there any extra devices that could be unplugged for sleep? Could you leave the phone plugged in downstairs instead of right by the bed?
#9 Drink More Water
Hydration can truly be the best medicine. Drinking enough water can help your body flush everything out. If you struggle with drinking water, set a visual goal for the day. You can get a water bottle that has goals to hit at certain times of the day, or you can simply tell yourself that you need to fill your water bottle 4 times (or however many is appropriate based on the size of the bottle and your hydration needs).
The Main Thing About Removing Toxins From Your Life
Choose one or two of these things to start. Then, as you start to see subtle changes, you’ll feel encouraged to continue and try and live more of a toxin-free life. Need help with identifying the toxic areas of your world? The Foundation FIT team is here to help! Contact us today.
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