Your Mid-Holiday Detox Plan

“We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup.”                                                                                 ~ Will Farrell in Elf

It’s the most wonderful time of the year but usually not for our waistlines. From Thanksgiving to New Year’s, it seems like there’s always a reason to splurge – a party here, a toast there. And sugar is everywhere. What can we do to make sure we don’t go overboard and pack on those extra pounds? I’m not one for deprivation. Moderation and discipline are more my speed.

So here are a few ways we can have fun but still be good to ourselves. Following these mid-holiday detox tips will help ensure that we don’t have to ring in the New Year with a weight loss plan.

Be on your best behavior between parties. Let’s not use the next seven weeks as an excuse to eat whatever we want just because it’s the holiday season. Mark your calendar with all your special events and plan to be on your best behavior on the days in between. And on those days, avoid sugar, processed foods and alcohol. Even if that means one day of being good, do it. You’ll be glad you did.

Eat organic. Pesticides sprayed on non-organic fruits and veggies can hang out in your body for fifty years and lead to weight gain and cancer. Spend the extra money and make sure that the code on the sticker begins with the number 9.

{All organic produce codes should begin with 9.}

Eat more fiber. Studies have shown that people who eat more fiber feel fuller longer and tend to eat less. Another benefit is that fiber acts like glue and binds fat and toxins together and sends them out the “chute.” The recommended daily dose of fiber is 25-45 grams. Eating plenty of fruits and veggies as well as adding psyllium husk to a protein shake are a great way to up your daily dose of fiber.

{I mix this one with protein powder every morning.}

Use Himalayan salt. Regular table salt often contains toxic chemicals and the high-heat manufacturing process alters the chemical structure of the salt. Himalayan salt, on the other hand, is a natural, pure, toxic free version of salt. Using Himalayan salt won’t make you retain water and will help float toxic chemicals right out of your body. Benefits of using Himalayan salt include promoting healthy pH balance, sinuses, digestion and blood pressure. Plus, with all those toxins floating out of your system, your skin will glow.

{I like this one from Dr. Mercola.}

Take probiotics and high quality vitamins and minerals. Especially now, you need to stay on track with your vitamins. With all the extra “bad” stuff we’re ingesting this time of the year, make sure you take a high quality multi-vitamin to help detox your body. Studies show that high levels of vitamin C and other vitamins can aid in detoxifying your system. Probiotics are also key in optimal health. They keep your gut flora in check, which helps with digestion. It’s easy to feel gassy and bloated this time of the year. Probiotics will ease those holiday party symptoms.

Don’t drink tap water. The fluoride and chlorine in tap water could be enough to inhibit your thyroid function. A slow functioning thyroid might result in a low metabolism, thus making it more difficult to burn off those extra calories. Use a filter on your tap or buy purified water. Then, drink a lot of water. Flushing toxins from your body is a great way to stave off weight gain.

Stop using traditional cleaning products. The toxic chemicals in traditional cleaning products may be throwing your hormones out of balance and causing you to gain weight. Switching to natural cleaning products is one of the best things you can do for you and your family.

Earthing. Your body has its own electromagnetic field. When your energy is off-kilter it could cause weight gain and other problems. Realigning your electromagnetic field by reconnecting with the earth can help. This is called “earthing.” Stand in the grass barefoot or lay on the beach for ten to twenty minutes. I like to combine this with my meditation practice. Inner peace goes a long way towards a lean body.

{Earthing. Try it. You’ll love it.}

Use an infrared sauna. This is one of my favorite ways to detox. Toxins are released at a first in, last out basis. Saunas help you detox all that alcohol and sugar faster so you can get to those old, stubborn toxins that want to hang around in the cellulite on your thighs.

It is the most wonderful time of the year, so get out there and have some fun. Indulge in homemade cookies, kiss under the mistletoe, and ring in the New Year with Champagne. It will be all the sweeter knowing that you have been taking care of yourself with a mid-holiday detox. And just think, you won’t have to waste a New Year’s resolution on losing weight. There are so many more important things that you could resolve to do, like laugh more and complain less. Now we’re getting somewhere.