With the start of the new year comes the realisation for many that we have overindulged and inflicted our bodies to an ungodly amount of harm. Then the guilt sets in, I need to do something about this, surely I can undo the harm that I have done to my body and rewind the decade that I have added to my metabolic clock?
Swiftly we find ourselves on google looking for gym memberships, supplements and just about any elixir, lotion, potion, tea or plant extract that we can find, touting itself to magically detoxify away the sins of the festive season.
Now, I am here to tell you that it is indeed possible to detoxify the system, up-regulate our metabolic status and maybe even reverse our metabolic age!..... But it is not how you think, it wont cost you thousands of pounds and you do not need to live in a Tibetan Monastery for 28 days to cleanse yourself.
Here are my top 5 tips for detoxing and getting your Mojo back in 2022.
Number 1: Drink more water
Yes as simple as it sounds this is probably the most effective and cheapest method of detoxifying our bodies that you can get. The average human is made of approximately 65% water (75% at birth, 55% by old age), increasing our water intake or swapping other beverages for water can reduce our daily caloric intake by as much as 13%, as well as ensuring that our kidneys, heart, thermal regulation and digestive system are functioning correctly.
Number 2: Eat more fibre
Fibre is a forgotten nutrient, especially when we are told to "make sure you hit your Macro's bro", by every person in the gym. Fibre is by far one of the most important components of the diet as it feeds and nourishes our microbiome. The bacteria in turn make several important short chain fatty acids that are really important for health. Fibre also bulks the stool allowing any toxins released by the liver to be excreted in the faeces in a timely manner, otherwise they my be reabsorbed back into the blood stream. So before you sign up to the latest 600kcal/per day milkshake detox programme....(because we don't want to burn any extra calories by actually chewing our food) check the label to make sure it contains your recommended 30g fibre per day.
Number 3: Get your 8 hours
This is super important, especially for brain health and overall disease risk. When we are asleep our brain are hard at work detoxifying the harmful things we have absorbed, ingested or breathed in during the day to help protect the brain. So to stay sharp and ready for the day ahead, make sure you get your eight hours.
Number 4: Exercise
As the saying goes....sweat it out. Sweating has been shown in numerous studies to be effective at allowing the body to eliminate toxins and the best cheapest way to get sweating is to exercise. It doesn't matter what you do as long as you sweat. Aim for 30 minutes exercise per day as a minimum but you can do more as long as your are sufficiently nourished.
Number 5: Work with a nutritional Therapist
There are no tricks or shortcuts to help detoxify the body but working with a Nutritional therapist will give you a tailored programme, personalised to you that will ensure you detoxify and pursue your health goals in a a safe and measured fashion. There may be some supplements or dietary tweaks that will support your ability to detoxify your body, such as optimising Methylation or increasing Glutathione but this should be done in conjunction with a registered Nutritional Therapist. In addition it also gives you someone to be accountable to who will help keep you on the straight and narrow!
Please feel free to get in touch with any questions, comments or enquiries!
Best Wishes for 2022!!
David Swinburne