There are many changes going on in the world today and it can all be very overwhelming. Our purpose is to bring some clarity, simplicity, and practical action steps that can assist you on your own personal path to wellness no matter where you are. By the way, this process never ends. There’s no finish line. You will never be “done” and that’s because we are always growing and changing. So why not change for the better?
Today’s information will bring you energy and youthful vitality while helping you to achieve a healthier body weight this year and for years to come. We will discuss what detoxing really means, how to do it properly at any stage of health, and finally how to put it into play in everyday life.
We’ve included three of our easiest and most effective daily detox practices that require almost no money and very little time as well as three of our favorite smoothie/juice recipes. Consider this a template for your own journey or a quick refresh if you’ve been living a healthy lifestyle for a while now.
We are not doctors and do not intend to heal or cure anything, however, after nearly 14 years of research and real-world experience in the wellness industry, we have found that the basics of health are always overlooked. We would simply like to bring them back into focus. When we redirect attention back to fundamental concepts and take small steps, it is amazing how our natural state of health seems to re-emerge like a submerged cork floating back to the surface.
No matter your level of health and no matter what age you are, detoxing is something we all need to give an honest look at all stages of our life. It is important to know that your body is always detoxing. It’s what it’s designed to do and it never takes a moment off.
With every breath, every drink, every bite in every moment your body is taking in something from the outside environment, breaking it down into usable parts, carrying those parts into cells, and finally removing the waste products that remain. It’s the final stage in that chain, what we call detoxification, that is most critical for our health.
Detoxification at its core is about creating the environment for growth, repair, and healing. Of course, there are many different opinions on how to detox and the best practices because the truth is there are many paths to take. Detoxing can be abstaining from a substance like drugs or alcohol or it could be some powder or concoction that “cleans” you out, or it could be a version of fasting. It could also be as basic as drinking a clean glass of water.
There is no one size fits all approach to anything in life. To say everyone needs to do this kind of detox versus that kind of detox is too narrow-sighted and can even become harmful. In fact, many people have serious health problems or even become hospitalized from so-called “healthy detoxes” and “cleanses”. We take this topic very seriously because we understand how sensitive the body is and how harmful drastic changes like detoxes can be without the right kind of professional supervision.
That is why we want to share these daily detoxing practices for a healthier holistic lifestyle that will be compatible with nearly everyone as they follow the time tested principles that support the human body. The goal here is to naturally assist what the body is already meant to do and meant to do very well and that is to be healthy. The issue here is much of our modern society has developed habits and behaviors that inhibit or decrease our body’s natural alignment of wellbeing. But our bodies are so amazing and are always on our side, so it doesn’t require very much from us.
Nature does all the heavy lifting while we enjoy life more fully.
Health is about being proactive before issues arise instead of after disease or sickness occurs. We would rather avoid health problems altogether and that’s the most enjoyable part of detoxing!
#1 - Drink a glass of water first thing
Groundbreaking we know! But think about it, most people we meet and have worked with are not consuming as much water as they ideally need for various reasons. The first thing people typically reach for when waking up is probably something caffeinated or whatever they can find in the fridge.
Water is like magic for our health. Our body is made of 75% water and our brain alone is close to 90% water. Just a 2% drop in hydration, which isn’t very much at all, can cause confusion, slower thinking, anxiety, and impaired neuromuscular control. When we are impaired like this we typically make not-so-great decisions and reach for things like “energy drinks” and other things to get us through the day and those things typically dehydrate us further.
Water is literally the substance that allows the body to do all its functions. Most people are in states of less than ideal hydration but have no idea as it has become so common. People live with many illnesses and only address them when they become unbearable but the whole time they are operating at much less than their full energy levels.
Being in a less than healthy state seems “normal” to the modern human. It looks like having difficulties waking up right away, mid-day crashes, migraines, headaches, trouble losing weight, constant aches and pains just to name a few. A lot of things associated with general aging are actually signs of chronic dehydration that has gone on for most of our lives.
Many common foods and beverages are dehydrating also because they require water from the body to help metabolize and excrete the waste products they leave behind. For example, coffee is what’s known as a diuretic. A diuretic means that it is causing your body to expel something through your urine that doesn't belong there because it isn't beneficial to your health. In other words, because coffee is a processed food item, your body is quickly trying to expel the coffee we drink due to the toxins and caffeine. If you're adding in tons of processed sugar as well, you are only furthering the dehydration of the body. Try to consume caffeinated items before noon so there is time for your body to fully metabolize and eliminate the caffeine and toxins before bed.
Processing foods means a lower quality item. Lower quality means our bodies have to work harder to metabolize and eliminate these items from the body. Caffeine especially is a substance that needs to be metabolized and eliminated fully so that the body and mind can return to a normal rhythm for a great night’s sleep. Sleep by the way is when our body goes into a super detoxing mode. Sleep is the ultimate detox that most people are not fully taking advantage of.
Over time processed foods and dehydrating drinks like coffee, alcohol, and soda create imbalances making it harder and harder for you to feel energized and healthy. The body has to work that much harder to keep us up and running and all that energy expenditure means you feel tired and eventually open the door to getting sick.
Water is so crucial to our internal ecosystem and it’s so easy to just drink a glass first thing. So why not place a bit more focus on it and make it a priority.
Bonus tip: Try adding a half lemon squeezed into your water for a super boost of hydration along with healing vitamins and minerals. In addition, sprinkle in Himalayan Pink Salt or Celtic Sea Salt to balance the body’s electrolytes after a workout or when you feel you need it. Do not use regular table salt as it is dehydrating whereas Himalayan Pink Salt and Celtic Sea Salt provide the perfect ratio of electrolyte to assist hydration.
#2 - Empty the mind
It’s easy to see how removing waste from the body is healthy and necessary, after all, it is a natural process when we go to the bathroom. Well, our mind and our thoughts are no different and need to be “detoxed” or emptied daily also. We do this naturally too, but usually in the form of simply forgetting things. Yet, it’s those things that stick with us and weigh us down that we aim to address here.
Consider how much you consume daily in the form of what your mind takes in. TV, radio, conversations, reading, social media, etc…
Our minds consume A LOT through our 5 senses that we rarely even notice. Our brains take in over 34 GB of information per day. That’s like all the videos, pictures, and information that has been stored on your smartphone for the last 2 years being consumed daily!
Wow!
Do you think there might be some things that need to be dumped out or at least better organized?
With all this information coming at us, we need a way to balance out and refresh the system just like we do physically. Detoxifying the mind is in many ways simpler than drinking a glass of water because all we have to do is find some stillness in our day to do absolutely nothing.
Emptying the mind, especially when we feel overwhelmed and during times of high stress is not just a good idea, it’s necessary. There are many ways to go about this and we have more blog posts on this topic like this one click here.
Journaling for example is one way to get everything that's swirling around in your head out and on to paper. This is a form of stillness that for many is life-changing over time. This is a great daily detox for the mind and we have seen this help many people feel lighter, lose weight and even sleep better at night. When we detox the mind relaxes and everything works better.
It’s really that simple.
Deep breathing or focused breathing is another great modality to help detox the mind that we wrote about in a blog post titled, “True-Self-Care”, where we explore what it means to truly take care of ourselves from the inside out for optimal wellbeing. Our breath is always with us and considered the first-ever form of meditation from which all other meditations stem out from.
This simplicity is brilliant and something that has changed the way we both live our lives today.
Classic sitting meditation is another top form and probably the most popular today. We highly recommend working your way into a practice where you sit quietly with your eyes closed. Since starting our own practice years ago, we have only seen increasing benefits as time has gone on.
We have a great video called, "Meditation Beginner's Guide" showing you how to begin your own practice on our Youtube Channel and it's helped a lot of people. This is one practice that transcends all others for us.
No matter how you decide to go about detoxing your mind there are a few overarching principles that you can apply right now based on what you are comfortable with:
1. Find a quiet place or as quiet as you can get.
2. Develop an enjoyable ritual, make it comfortable, use a favorite chair or pillow.
3. Realize your mind will go all over the place randomly especially in the first weeks. We are looking for progress, not perfection. Keep returning to a gentle, calm focus.
4. Breathe and relax. Keep it simple and have fun! Don’t make this a chore or a workout. Create a little happy space in your day and make it unique to you.
Bonus tip: You can literally make anything a meditation or a brain dump. As you practice you will see how life itself can become a meditation. The practice tends to spill over into our way of being all day long eventually becoming second nature. Play and experiment with it, make it fun, find something creative like painting, drawing, using music, sounds, or smells to make the experience something you always look forward to.
#3 - Start your day with 3-5 servings of raw fruits or veggies
Fruits and veggies are of the highest importance when it comes to health and hydration. They are paramount if you say you want to be vibrant, healthy, and happy. The awesome thing about fruits and veggies is that they come jam-packed with vitamins, fiber, nutrients, minerals, and yes even protein that supports nearly everything in your body from building muscle to losing weight to a better outlook on life. And when fruits and veggies are in their raw form, they maintain the most amount of usable nutrients.
If you already eat breakfast but don’t have any raw fruits or veggies then try swapping out part or all of the breakfast with 3-5 servings of your favorite fruit or vegetable. We are always buying apples, bananas, and oranges, but we also like to mix it up with smoothies and frozen fruits like blueberries, raspberries, mangos, and whatever else the organic frozen fruit section has to offer.
If you don’t eat breakfast, then snack on these items as you go through your day ideally before noon as your body is craving nutrients in the morning. This is a great way in combination with your glass of water to give your body a lot of nutrition and hydration ensuring you have a great start to your day. This will also help with regular bowel movements which are critical for detoxing and your holistic health overall.
All of these practices are great at any time of the day, but doing so early tends to set the tone for our mindset as well as our hormones and energy levels.
Eating 3-5 servings of fruits and vegetables can be somewhat of a challenge in the beginning so simple solutions are smoothies and cold-pressed juices. Freshly squeezed juices by hand are awesome too! These allow you to easily and deliciously consume 3-5 servings easily in one tall glass or you can bring it to go with you in a bottle. Even still 3-5 servings might be too much to start with, so begin where you are comfortable and work your way up. Listen to your body and allow all these practices to naturally grow with you.
Below are 3 of our favorite smoothie/juice recipes that anyone can make at home and the only equipment you need is a blender and a strainer.
The Liver Revitalizer
Mangos are amazing for soothing and detoxifying the liver and our liver is the main detoxifying organ in our body. So we dedicated an entire smoothie just to our beautiful liver and this one tastes amazing too. This smoothie is our take on the Mango Lassi which is popular in Indian cuisine. This one is so simple and too tasty to pass up.
This recipe serves two people.
Ingredients:
-1 cup frozen organic mangos
-1 cup organic not from concentrate coconut water
-½ cup filtered water
-¼ cup organic coconut creamer
-½ teaspoon cinnamon
-½ teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
-Dash of nutmeg
Blend for 60-90 seconds until smooth and creamy. Add or subtract water for desired consistency.
The Everyday Smoothie
This is a smoothie we do every morning to get a ton of raw fruits and veggies. It combines all the fruits we love along with something green. This smoothie’s superpower is in the organic wild blueberries and citrus juices of lemon and it’s a crowd favorite. Organic wild blueberries are packed with some of the highest concentrations of antioxidants and minerals that bind to toxins in the body, they are truly a superfood. Lemon juice is an immune booster, helps to absorb other crucial minerals, helps alkalize the body’s PH, helps with weight loss, and is a great source of vitamins C and B as well as magnesium and calcium. The greens add chlorophyll an important nutrient only found in green plants, additional fiber, and minerals. All this adds up to naturally help our body to repair and rid itself of toxins.
This serves around 44 ounces for 2 or more people.
Ingredients:
-1 cup frozen organic wild blueberries
-1 cup frozen organic mango (or any other fruit you enjoy)
-1 cup organic not from concentrate coconut water
-1 cup filter water
-1 orange
-1 lemon juiced
-2 bananas
-½ of a cucumber (opt for anything green like a handful of spinach, lettuce, or arugula)
-¼ cup of organic brown flax seeds or organic chia seeds
-½ teaspoon of Himalayan pink salt
Blend all ingredients for 60-90 seconds until smooth consistency. Add or subtract water as desired.
The G & G Shot
This is a great way to supercharge your detox, enhance your digestive system and knock out any touches of flu and colds you might experience. If you feel a cold coming on, try this shot 1-2 times per day to help prevent and assist your body’s detoxing and healing mechanisms. You can also take this shot once daily as a preventative measure and its health benefits. The real MVPs in this shot are garlic and ginger (hence the G & G) which are known to be a potent one-two punch for anything lurking in our systems that do not benefit our health and wellbeing. In addition, cayenne pepper adds a little kick with a metabolic boosting effect as well as benefiting in the digestion of food that you eat later on in the day.
This recipe serves two people.
Ingredients:
-1 clove of organic garlic peeled
-1 inch of organic ginger
-½ lemon juiced
-½ cup organic not from concentrate coconut water
-Dash of cayenne pepper
Blend all ingredients for 60 seconds and pour out through a strainer to catch all the solids parts. Have a glass of water nearby to help wash it all down if you need it. We call it “the shot” for a reason!
Putting it all together
So let’s put this together in a real-world situation that anyone can incorporate into their daily routine. Remember this is just a template for you to create, innovate and make your own. These guidelines are very powerful and transformative, but not nearly as powerful as you and your life experiences are. Trust your gut and follow your instincts while adding this new information into your life. Listen to your body and start to work with it versus trying to force things. Let it flow and enjoy the journey.
These three daily detoxes outlined above are a great way to start your morning and a typical day can look like this:
- Start with a tall glass of filtered water 8-16 oz with or without lemon juice and Himalayan pink salt.
- Afterward, it's the perfect time to sit in quiet meditation, begin journaling, do a breathing exercise, do some stretching or yoga, or any other meditative practice that gets your mind still and your energy centered. This can be anywhere from 5 - 30 minutes depending on your schedule and what you enjoy. We mentioned coffee earlier and you can still enjoy it with this routine. The key is to notice how much you actually consume and if you are using it as a crutch or something you truly enjoy. One to two cups per day for most people is ideal. Remember to try to consume caffeinated items before noon so there is time for your body to fully metabolize and eliminate the caffeine before bed.
- To complete the morning ritual, blend up your favorite smoothie or juice to give your body, mind, and soul an abundance of nutrients, fiber, phytonutrients, minerals, electrolytes, enzymes, and life force. This will not only continue to hydrate you but will help to balance hormones, regulate blood pressure, improve cholesterol, eliminate waste via bowel movements, improve mood, increase energy and reduce stress for a calmer and more peaceful day.
We personally have not met anyone who is truly living their best life that is not doing some form of these daily practices. Again this is a starting template that gives you a solid ground to build your best life. Some may do more and others may do less, but at the core is a gentle yet potent daily intention to detox, reset, and refresh from the inside and out.
We hope these daily detoxes bring you joy because life is meant to be joyful!
Remember every journey starts with the first step and we all start at the beginning. It’s really not a question of if things will work out, but when. There are many paths, but only you know the one that’s right for you.
Until next time,
Wendy + Dan