Spring Clean Your Body
Detoxing, an important element for overall health, can be part of your spring revival that will lead you into the summer months feeling internally cleansed and externally beautiful. Sheknows.com caught up with Chet Day, the owner and publisher of one of the first natural health websites on the internet, Chetday.com, to inform readers about safe and effective ways to detox. Follow his tips and your body can be as clean as your surroundings.
If you are feeling sluggish from winter, spring is the opportune time to detox, according to Day. “Spring is a time of natural rebirth,” he says. He also believes, “The best time of all to detox is when a person looks in the mirror and [feels] tired of feeling crappy and are ready to make some dramatic [lifestyle] changes.” Don’t think, however, that spring is the only time to take on a detox program. Consider doing it every month or once a season.
Commit to a Detox to Reap the Health Benefits
Although individuals are ready to make the necessary changes, many have a difficult time with the commitment. Day explains, “Staying on track requires some discipline. The main tip I suggest involves making up your mind to do a detox program for a certain period of time and then stick to it no matter what.”
If you happen to have a setback, Day encourages others to do the best they can and to simply put it behind them and pick up where they left off. Detoxing and healthy eating are important but taking detox plans or even healthy eating to an extreme can be ultimately unhealthy.
According to Day, the benefits to detoxing are significant weight loss, increased energy, intense clarity of mind, improved mood and decreased blood pressure. People going through a detox will naturally experience different things. Day says, “For most people, after the third or fourth day of a detox program, life just seems sharper, cleaner and better. Muddled thinking clarifies in ways that have to be experienced to be understood and energy levels shoot through the ceiling.”
Detoxing can create dramatic changes to the body – although, Day warns that the benefits will disappear if one returns to the standard American diet after the detox. That means you have to continue to be health-conscious about your food choices. Follow the seasonal availability of produce, try to eat locally grown, organic foods and be diligent about staying well-hydrated. Your diet is vital in your health, let a detox program be the beginning of keeping your body healthfully nourished.
Find a Detox Plan That Works for You
Because there are so many detox options, choosing a detox program can be overwhelming. How do you know which detox plan is going to be a good fit for you? Research the plethora of detox plans or try one of the following four programs that Day suggests (visit www.ChetDay.com for more information on these plans).
1. 21 Days to Health and Beyond. This is a predominantly uncooked vegan diet composed of fruits and vegetables, along with a daily serving of cod liver oil. The program also teaches participants the many benefits of exercise, sunlight, clear air, clean water and stress reduction. It is a whole body program available for free.
2. Dr. Ben Kim’s Apple Cleanse. Eat nothing but apples, any variety you like, whenever you are hungry from the time that you wake up to the time that you usually have dinner.
3. The Diced Diet. This is basically a meal replacement routine where you replace one standard American diet meal a day with a healthy substitute meal. This is for people who want a gentle detox program.
4. Summer Smoothie Detox. A delicious detox option for summer months is Day’s Smoothie Detox. “This is a blended concoction of various fruits and vegetable combinations that can be quite effective during the summer months because so many healthy fruits and vegetables are in season” says Day. Melons are ripe source of nutrition and can be eaten whole or pureed. One of Day’s favorites is eating nothing but watermelon for several days.” You will naturally feel lighter and healthier.
Let a Detox Lead to Healthier Eating
The downside of detox plans is restricting your diet and an inevitable feeling of deprivation because you don’t get to eat your normal diet (even if you know your diet could use some improvement). The upside is that detox plans are not meant for long-term use. They are a nice segue to a healthier, more balanced lifestyle. Breaking away from the traditional (often unhealthy) American diet can be easier if you do a detox before you begin a healthier way of eating. Detox plans are not for everyone, but you have nothing to lose in trying one.
