It’s that time of year again when everyone is cooking hearty meals while their waistlines expand beyond their imagination. Unlike others, I’m actually looking forward to a few extra pounds! Please see my first blog post to understand the meaning behind that statement!! So instead of making these outrageous New Year’s Resolutions for 2014 or 2015 or 20- whatever, figure out where you are in your current eating habits and start there. Going from 0 to 10 in one month after a holiday binge is unrealistic and short-lived.
I encourage everyone to enjoy the holidays and time with your family and worry less about diet plans that haven’t been transformed into your way of life. I moved away from a lot of processed foods (not completely but it’s a drastic change) but I don’t expect to stay away from all processed foods during the holiday season. I refuse to be that one person who turns their nose up at the family’s holiday menu. There may be a handful of food options I won’t indulge in but my family will not have to go out of their way to cook a separate meal for me.
So enjoy yourself! Eat until your heart’s content and within your current health restrictions (i.e. Cholesterol level and Blood Sugar level). If you’re concerned about getting back on the healthy track during the Holiday Aftermath, see below for some easy transitional options to tune up your body and perhaps lose some extra pounds in the process.
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Easy to Moderate Level – Little to no effort
- Drink 8 Glasses of Water– This could be a daily detox year round and should become apart of your daily regimen whether you stuff your face or not this season. Your body is made up of 70% water and needs hydration from water to function properly.
- Drink a Warm Cup of Water with Lemon – Water flushes toxins out of the body and lemon is alkalizing to your system. Warm lemon water prepares the digestive system and helps with shedding extra pounds. This routine is best used first thing in the morning before you consume anything else, and use a real lemon instead of lemon juice in a bottle for best results.
- Clean Eating Once a Week – Eat only Whole Foods and eliminate ALL Processed Foods (white sugar, packaged foods, fruit juice) one day out of the week. Processed Foods include beverages too which means you would need to drink water or tea. For those of you who want to slowly change your eating habits or give your body a break from toxic overload, this option is just for you. Designate one or two days a week to detox.
- Exercise for 30 minutes – I would encourage exercising for 30 minutes twice a week or 1 hour once a week. Ideally you would want to exercise 2-3 a week but for some people this isn’t realistic. The skin is the largest organ in the body and when you sweat you release the toxins from within your body. Most people wouldn’t classify “exercise” as a detox but I would disagree. So don’t be afraid of sweating when you workout!
- Combine All of the Above – For my easy to moderate level people, you can take each item listed above and apply throughout the week. Each suggestion is super easy and if applied after your holiday stuff fest, you’re on the right track to “restart” your body.
Moderate to Difficult Level– Effort is required
- Exercise 5 times a Week – As mentioned earlier, exercising is a form of detox because sweat helps release toxins. To kick it up a notch, work out for 45 mins – 1 hour 5 times a week allowing two days in between for rest.
- Juice/Smoothie Once a Day – There’s nothing like consuming fresh vegetable or fruit juice. This daily practice can provide nutrients much faster than eating your fruits and veggies. Your juice or smoothie is in liquid form which is easy on the digestive system and hits the bloodstream much faster. While out shopping this holiday season, invest in a quality juicer and blender. I own two juicers Omega 8005, Breville Fountain Plus, and a “blender” Nutribullet. I love all three and use frequently.
- Clean Eating One Full Week Per Month – Similar to eating clean one day a week, this is a longer time period to allow the body to take a break from toxic food.
- Full Body Detox – This option is a bit more intense but extremely beneficial for balancing the body and cleaning every single organ. As expected, most people who need to lose weight get rid of about 20 pounds at the end of a program. For those of you who are already skinny, you don’t lose additional weight. In some cases, skinny individuals gain a pound or two after the detox program. This summer I was on the Full Body Cleanse by Djehuty Ma’at-Ra and felt incredible during and after the process. The detox was 20 days and I had to eat fruits, veggies, small amount of grains and nuts. I also could only drink a select amount of tea, water, and fresh juice. My body was at its best after the detox!
- Combine all of the Above (Easy & Moderate Levels) -This would be the optimal level of detox and your body would thank you for doing so!
Again it is not expected to be able to change your lifestyle overnight, it takes time and practice. Find something on the list that would take little to no effort to start and go from there. Many people don’t understand that these diet plans and programs are short-lived if it doesn’t translate into your lifestyle without much thought. A diet plan should become apart of your daily habits without the urge to go backwards. If you’re someone looking to lose weight these tips listed above may help you without the pressure. If you have other ways you like to detox, please share below. Enjoy the holiday season!
Until Next Time – Love God. Love Yourself. Love Family.
Skinny Makeda