Seven ways for seven days to detox the body

Seven ways for seven days to detox the body

Detoxing, also known as cleansing the blood, can be a fairly simple process and is recommended at least once a year by many health care practitioners.

by Brandon Petitt — 

Fall is approaching, and just as the trees around us shed their leaves, our bodies can benefit greatly from the same cleansing by way of a detox. No different than spring cleaning, a fall detoxing can serve to strengthen our immune systems, keeping us healthy and more resilient throughout the bouts of seasonal colds.

Processing through and discarding toxins support our intestinal and respiratory health while relieving a host of other concerns, including feeling fatigued, inability to focus, struggling with skin disorders or weight management issues, stress, anxiety and sleeplessness.

Many of these concerns can be attributed to toxins that have built up within our bodies over time. These toxins are introduced from the air quality and chemically ridden products in homes and the workplace, as well as from highly processed and contaminated foods we consume.

Detoxing, also known as cleansing the blood, can be a fairly simple process and is recommended at least once a year by many health care practitioners. When providing the body with the resources it needs, it is capable of using its natural cleansing abilities to process and remove impurities.

Here are seven ways for seven days to cleanse and nourish your body from the inside out:

1. Eliminate alcohol, coffee and soda. The highly refined sugars and saturated fats are recognized as toxins in the body and are counterproductive to the body’s natural healing process.

2. Water does wonders for the body’s cleansing. Ideally, drinking half of one’s body weight in ounces, at a minimum, is not only beneficial but also necessary when detoxing, as pure water is a type of whole food that flushes toxins from the body and supplies many needed minerals.

3. Pencil in an hour each day for either yoga or jumping rope. These assist greatly in generating sweat, which is an integral channel by which toxins are expelled.

4. Find a clean washcloth and gently rub the entire surface of your skin with it until it is just a tad darker than before so doing. This prompts the body to push toxins out through the skin. This is ideally done just before showering, which also helps remove toxins as they seep from the pores.

5. Practice breathing deeply throughout the day or any time you remember to do so. Breathing deeply allows oxygen to circulate more completely and exhaling more deeply ensures that more toxins are eliminated than are taken in.

6. Eat plenty of organic fruits and vegetables — fresh, in raw form, or in a smoothie or juiced beverage. Power foods for detox include beets, kale, spinach, artichokes, chlorella and seaweed, to name a few. They offer a host of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other sources of nutrients that work diligently to cleanse the body.

7. Add a power-packed herbal supplement that aids in digestion and elimination. Dandelion root and milk thistle are popular herbs for this. Likewise, green tea is known to work wonders on the body and can also be consumed in addition to water intake, giving a bit more variety and flavor to detox beverages.

Incorporating these seven detox choices for seven days is sure to offer the body a chance to activate its natural healing process. This will achieve and maintain a healthy system that prompts clean, sustainable energy throughout the day, accelerate the ability to concentrate on tasks, cleanse the skin of impurities, manage weight goals, reduce anxiety and aid in restfulness. Here is to fall — a season of change.

Brandon Petitt is a certified personal trainer, licensed sports nutritionist and holistic wellness practitioner who aids clients in natural healing and healthy living. BEgin-BEing, LLC, begin-being.com or call/text 858-717-3788.

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 33, Number 4, August/September 2014.