Easy New Year Detox Tips
By Jessica, January 4, 2011
Christmas isn’t just about presents and parties – it means over-indulgence and hangovers too. The brief festive period of over-doing it can have effects that last long into a very sluggish January. Once that skin starts to grey and dry out to the point of resembling the leftover turkey, you know it’s time for a New Year detox.
Synonymous with cold, wet mornings spent forcing down wheatgrass concoctions and a month of food and wine deprivation, the New Year detox gets a pretty bad rap. We’ve put together some simple and juice-fast free detox tips to help prepare you for 2011.
Hot & Steamy
Ease yourself into your detox programme with a relaxing hot bath. Heat and steam open up your pores and allow you to sweat out some of the toxins that have built up over the Christmas period. Throw in some Epsom salts to help draw the toxins from your skin and you have the perfect healthy way to spend a cold winter’s evening.
Brush up on Detox Skills
Dry skin brushing is often associated with treating cellulite, but is also beneficial during a detox. Brush skin in long sweeping motions towards the heart to break up toxins under the skin’s surface and open up pores for easy excretion.
Go Green
Green fruit and veg such as apples, cabbage, broccoli, celery and grapes are all good to include in a detox regime to nourish the liver and cleanse your digestive system. Green tea is also an old reliable when it comes to antioxidants so swap your morning coffee for this or any other herbal tea.
Simple Sacrifices
Unfortunately, the best way to detoxify your body is to cut out some of those harmful toxins we take to so well over Christmas. Alcohol, caffeine and sugar are all no-nos for a healthy liver and digestive system so go cold Christmas turkey and cut them out altogether for a few weeks or else just make a resolution to cut back. Either way, don’t lose the plot once the 1st of February rolls around and go on a coffee/chocolate/wine binge and un-do all your good work.
Healthy Hydration
The most simple of all detox tips is to drink more water. We often don’t realise we are dehydrated until it is too late – once you’re thirsty you’re already there. Increasing water intake will hydrate your skin, flush toxins from your body and help cleanse your liver. If you find it difficult to drink two litres a day then supplement with herbal teas and natural juices.
