Just imagine waking up tomorrow with a clear head, with your brain buzzing with ideas and enough energy to implement them all. Changing the way you fuel your body can make that difference!
Detox diets have become a bit of a fad now and most of the juice cleanses that you see to ‘detox’ your body probably don’t do you much good. Having said that, there are some amazing benefits to supporting your body’s natural detoxification pathways, not least the added energy and brain power that will help your business no end! A detox can support weight loss and help with a range of tummy troubles like bloating, indigestion and heart burn, it’ll give you clearer skin and better sleep too.
What Is Detox?
There are a lot of myths around detox and first I wanted to clear up exactly what it is and what it isn’t. Here’s what you need to know:
Toxins enter our body via the air we breathe, the food we eat and the products we put on our skin. We also create toxins internally, our own hormones can become toxic if we don’t eliminate them effectively.
When our natural detoxification pathway is overworked and under-nourished it becomes less effective at clearing out these toxins. This toxic load keeps us overweight, foggy headed and can disrupt our sleep.
To understand how to support our natural detox pathways, it’s helpful to know a bit about the process itself. The liver is our key detox organ, it’s role is to turn the toxins into something that can be eliminated by the body. This is a two-phase process. In phase 1, the liver actually turns the toxins into an even more harmful compound. It is really very important that you are supporting your body through this phase with high levels of antioxidants, found in fruit, veg and whole grains to protect your body.
Phase 2 is when the liver makes these toxic compounds safe. To do this your body needs a huge amount of good fuel, most importantly good quality protein and a huge dose of fruit and vegetable nutrition. By nourishing your body with protein and lots of fruit and veg you are supplying your body with key amino acids and nutrients. This allows the liver to join the toxins with another molecule which makes them safe, quickly and effectively.
If your liver cannot complete this two-phase process your body will store these harmful toxins away in fat cells, making it very difficult for you to lose weight! Toxins are fat soluble and if you don’t have the fat cells to store them in they will be stored away in fatty organs, like your brain and liver. Not ideal if you want those organs to function well! This is also part of the explanation for the rebound weight you put on after an unhealthy weight loss diet. You may have shed the fat, but you didn’t clear the toxins. Putting the fat back on protects your organs from the toxic load.
Once the liver has worked it’s magic you need to eliminate the toxins from your body via urine, faeces, sweat and breathing.
How To Detox – The Healthy Way
You can support your body through this process, without following a crazy detox diet. Limit the number of toxins entering your body by reducing the amount of alcohol you consume, cutting back on the cigarettes and choosing organic foods. Support your body with huge amounts of fruits and vegetables so that you can be sure you have enough fuel to complete phase 2 of detoxification. Make sure you have a regular toilet routine, you must ‘go’ to the toilet at least once a day, ideally after every meal. Flaxseeds are a great source of fibre and help keep things moving. Exercise to break a sweat, or use a sauna, steam room or even a hot relaxing bath to help draw toxins out through your skin. And finally, breathe deeply every day.
If you have stubborn weight that you cannot shift, hormonal acne, or simply struggle with having enough energy to get you through the day it could be a sign of toxic overload. I help my clients clear these symptoms with yummy meals and nourishing, whole food, not through starvation and deprivation diets.
Why Detoxing Is The Secret Weapon To A More Successful Business…
As entrepreneurs it’s really easy to get caught up in the never-ending to-do list and we forget to look after ourselves properly. I understand that completely, our businesses are our babies and they always come first. But, just as a baby needs a strong and healthy Mama, your business needs a strong and healthy you. YOU are the greatest asset your business has! By prioritising you and feeding your body well you will be giving your business a massive boost.
If you are ready to clear your head and boost your business by investing in your own health and nutrition to discuss your next steps.
