It's that time again! Fall is upon us. With Fall comes apples, pumpkins, and fiery leaves against crisp blue skies.  What else should come with Fall?  Your yearly detox.

A transitional season like the Fall is a great time to cleanse your body, and get ready for the coming months.  Even a small detoxification diet (for ex: 3-5 days of cutting out dairy, meat, and wheat) can dramatically increase your immunity and improve your health and wellness if done right.  That's the key.  Do it right.  Below are some tips and tricks to use to help set you up for success.



1. Choose the right detox program
    What? There’s a wrong one? Ummm…yes. Detoxing should be a personal program that jives with your body, lifestyle, and health. Don’t just follow along with the program that worked for your friend/sister/mother. For example, if you are underweight and have low energy, please don’t go on a fasting diet. This will only leave you more depleted and you will feel terrible! However, if you are an experienced detoxer, are in good health, and have high energy, then fasting just may be what you want/need. The point is that you need to do your research. 

2. Prep
    After you do your research, you need to prep yourself, your house, your friends, etc. Take away any items in the pantry (give them to a friend, donate them to a food bank, etc.) that might cause you to fall off the detox wagon. Stock the fridge with whatever you might need, so you don’t have the excuse of running out. Warn your friends that you don’t want to be invited to coffee next week.  Set yourself up mentally to succeed in your detoxing endeavors.

3. Clear your calendar
    If you’ve never detoxed before, perhaps you haven’t been let in on the secret yet.  Detoxing does not make you feel good for the first few days. You might feel tired, hungry, cranky, have headaches, etc. as your body flushes out all those nasty toxins. Do yourself a favor and clear your calendar the best you can. Give yourself time and space to curl up in a ball and take a nap. It’s what you need. And that will make you feel good.

4. Ease yourself into and out of your program
    You wouldn’t run a triathlon without doing some training would you? No. You would fall on your face in the mud, gasping for breath. Well the same holds true for going on your detox and off your detox program. Slowly ease into it. This means giving up coffee, maybe dairy and sugar a few days before. Lightening your diet. It will allow you to feel so much better those first few days. Then, be sure to slowly integrate those things back into your diet. First introducing grains, then maybe dairy the next day, eventually leading back up to your normal diet. Don’t shock your system by going from Master Cleanse to McDonald’s in 0 to 60.

5. Make time for yourself
    You are amazing for detoxing and honoring your body. You are amazing for going the extra mile for health and wellness.  So thank yourself by giving yourself a little treat. Massage, gentle yoga class, herbal body treatment.  Mmmmm...it will feel so good, and allow yourself to truly appreciate the benefits of detoxing.


And hopefully encourage you to make it a part of a lifelong practice for health and wellness.





Be Well,
Kristin