13 Ways to Detox Your Life

Feeling a little toxic lately?  Too many late nights, bad food binges and skipping workouts.  Days of excess can turn into weeks and if you’re not careful months of abuse on the body.  The result – fatigue, weight gain, depressed mood and bad sleep.  Get your life back on track with a full on detox for your body and your mind.

How to Detox Your Body: 

The body has many natural processes that help eliminate toxins.  You naturally detox your body through your skin, liver, lungs and your digestive tract. But, if you’ve been living the rock star lifestyle a little too much– drinking, smoking, eating nutrient void foods and not sleeping enough, you really are not doing yourself any favors.  What you put in your body, knowing, or unknowingly ultimately has a direct affect on the natural detoxification processes, but also on your metabolism and hormones.  What to do?

1. Eat Your Fuckin Veggies – Vegetables and fruit for that matter are full of the good stuff including fiber and phytonutrients. Fiber binds to chemical estrogens and toxins in the gut packaging them for removal from the body, and preventing re-absorption.   While, phytonutrients help to protect and repair the body, and can also aid in metabolism. Eat plenty of them – eat them raw, steamed, juiced or sautéed.  And if possible eat organic!  Pesticides contain man-made chemicals that can act like estrogen in body, causing hormonal imbalances.
2. Stop Brunching – No matter how you spin it, alcohol is a toxin, drink too much and you will suffer the consequences, and perhaps in more ways than one. Metabolizing alcohol out of the body means, all other processes stop, including fat burning and muscle building.  That being said, it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a drink, but excessively drinking at brunches, beach clubs or too many GNOs, never leads to anything positive except a headache, dehydration, and maybe a walk of shame!
3. Beauty Routine – Do you know what’s in the products you put on your skin? Your make-up, shower gel, and moisturizing creams may contain chemical ingredients that can impact your hormone levels falsely.  Reduce your exposure to harmful chemicals by using paraben and sulfate free soaps, lotions and sunscreens.
4. Limit Bad Habits – Yes the party scene can be fun but excessive smoking or partaking in chemical drugs never results in anything positive. Smoking reduces the effectiveness of your lungs ability to detox, while excessive use of drugs can tax the metabolism, adrenal system and the primary organ of detox – the liver. I would be a hypocrite if I said don’t ever do them; don’t do them all the time.
5. Remove Processed Food – If you’re only eating junk food, you can guarantee not only no energy, but excessive amounts of sugar, bad for you fats, preservatives and chemical sweeteners.  Try to avoid these.  If you have a sweet or salty treat, try to pick the ones that are not processed.  Have a 1 oz square of dark chocolate, have natural, hot air popped popcorn. Try a sugar detox to help remove these foods from your diet – go here!
6. Drink More Water – Our bodies are primarily made up of water, and use water in all metabolic processes.  Drinking plenty of water helps keep our systems regulated and functioning properly.  Drink at least 3 to 4L daily and more if you’re exercising.

How to Detox Your Mind: 

Perhaps the hardest part of any detox is the mental and emotional cleanse.  Most of us are not satisfied with some aspect of our lives, always chasing something that is thought to give us happiness or more happiness once we achieve it.  A toxic mind can be cluttered with negative thoughts, low self worth, anger, guilt and unnecessary stress.  The reality is most of these thoughts are a result of perception, not of fact.  Our environment and who we spend our time with can have a huge impact on how we feel about ourselves, and the direction your life will take as well. What’s more, the outlook you have on yourself can directly impact your health – your immune system, your hormone and adrenal system.

1. Social Media Shut Out– Social media can be addictive; research has shown that the more you use social media the less happy you can become. Increased use of social media can increase feelings of social isolation, as well as depression as we tend to use it to compare our lives to others. Limit your social media time; spend it on something more productive – like reading a book or put your thoughts to paper.
2. Meditate More – mediation has been shown to reduce cortisol levels, you know that nasty little hormone that can eat away at muscle and make us crave sugar. It’s been shown that those who did a 4-month meditation program experienced much lower levels of cortisol, and improved their ability to cope with stress.
3. Hit Something – Life is all about yin and yang. Meditation and yoga can make you feel good, but so can hitting something!  Hitting the heavy bag or rather exercise can release feel good endorphins, but in addition exercise in itself can allow your brain to focus on something else, giving you clarity and time off your stressors in life.  Not a fan of lifting iron, try a class, body weight training or anything that uses your muscles and burns energy!
4. Block Fuck Boys – Don’t let men or anyone for that matter use you, if he can’t remember simple things like how you like your coffee, doesn’t make time for you when you need him, or seems distracted every time he’s around you, why are you even entertaining it. Simple ctrl alt delete.  Remove him from your social network, and block that number.
5. Remove Toxic Bitches – If you find that your circle of bitches is one that brings you down rather than lifts you up, stop wasting your energy. Search out the positive ones and hold tight.
6. Find Inner Peace – Life will throw you curve balls, spin you in directions that you can’t control and may not see coming, there will be ups, downs and everything in between. Finding inner peace with yourself, will keep you grounded and focused on what’s important.
7. Don’t Do Things that Make You Miserable – if your job is one that gives you constant stress, angst and is low in the satisfaction department, is it really worth it? Remember a job is just a job – it doesn’t define who you are.  If you work for people that don’t appreciate, don’t reciprocate and don’t give back, maybe it’s time to move on?  Life is too short to not love what you do, or whom you do it with.  Cut that shit off, and move on to the next adventure or challenge.

Until Next Time,

Be Fierce & Rule the World,

Lauren Jacobsen