How to Detox Your Skin and Body After the Holidays
The holidays are wonderful, but they don't always leave your body and skin feeling the best. After overindulging in all kinds of sweets from gingerbread houses to assorted chocolates, drinking eggnog or that delicious red wine, and eating until you enter a full food coma, you might be looking for some post-holiday detoxing tips.
Here are just a few ideas to give your skin and body some good ole post-holiday TLC.
Hydrate! (But not with alcohol or coffee)
Replace all those sugary drinks you've been indulging in with the ultimate cleanser: water. Water helps flush any of the toxins your body has accumulated over the holidays. In addition, it keeps your cells hydrated to properly get rid of waste products and kickstart your post-holiday detox. Also try adding lemon to warm water to help detox your liver (especially for all of us that had a little too much spiked eggnog). This also gives your skin the vitamin C boost it needs.
Take down the holiday decorations, take up some holiday tea
Since green tea is full of plant antioxidants known as catechins, it's a great way to reboot your liver and improve its functions for the ultimate detox. Try fennel tea before and after meals to keep your metabolism and digestion strong, which can help with all the bloating we may feel after the fifth cup of hot cocoa. Chamomile, ginger, and peppermint tea boost tons of anti-inflammatory and detoxifying properties.
Are you a coffee fanatic and find it almost impossible to give up the addictive bean? Dandelion root tea, which has a similar taste to coffee, is a fantastic replacement for those who struggle to give up coffee (which Laura says she is definitely guilty of). Laura personally recommends the Dandy Blend.
Color away your post-holiday blues
If you're suffering from the post-holiday blues and are feeling a bit dull, add some color into your day by blending up various fruits and vegetables to make a detox smoothie. Juicing or blending organic fruits and vegetables such as beets, cilantro, parsley, cucumbers, citrus, apples, garlic, grapes, ginger, and carrots can help with your detox mission. These fruits and vegetables can balance blood sugar, detox your liver and kidney, and help stimulate digestive enzymes.
Ditch the red, keep the green
Who said the green of the holidays has to leave along with the Christmas tree? Keep green alive with your vegetables! Kale, brussels sprouts, and cabbage are great natural detoxifiers. They also contain fiber to support and encourage regular toxin elimination.
From holiday feasting to detox dining
Try a one-week cleanse/detox with the drinks and food suggestions mentioned above. Some other detox-friendly foods include avocados, quinoa, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, bananas, wild caught salmon, organic free range chicken, and whole- food carbs like sweet potatoes and bell peppers.
Eliminate gluten, dairy, sugar, wheat, soy, and all processed foods during your detox dining. For a simple and healthy detox breakfast, try oatmeal and peanut butter (almond butter is also a lovely alternative). Oatmeal is a natural diuretic that can help release extra water in your body while peanut butter and almond butter is packed with vitamin B and fiber that supports healthy digestion.
A healthy gut is a happy gut
Probiotics are essential to a successful detox. They help increase the number of good bacteria which can detoxify your system and help you absorb nutrients more efficiently. Consumption of probiotic supplements and pills can keep your gut healthy and strong, especially after all those chocolates we ate (my trash can is full of candy wrappers!). Kombucha is a great probiotic-rich drink that you can add to your cleanse, or find some tasty kimchi and other fermented veggies.
What's on your skin's wishlist? Exercise!
Exercise increases blood flow which carries oxygen and nutrients to working cells throughout your body, including (that's right) your skin. Increased blood flow also helps eliminate toxins from your skin cells. Get those sweat glands working to flush the toxins out. If you can't seem to say goodbye to the holidays quite yet, add some Jingle Bell Rock to your post-holiday workout playlist; I know I will!
Sweat the small stuff in the best possible way
If you were avoiding sweating the small stuff during the holiday season, now's the perfect time to sweat everything out by detoxifying in a sauna. Whether it be at your local gym, a spa, or even at home, bask in the heat and feel the detoxifying benefits of sweating. If the high temperatures of a traditional sauna are too much for you to handle, try an infrared sauna instead. Infrared saunas allow the body to sweat at lower temperatures by using light instead of the air. Whether it be a normal sauna or an infrared sauna, I highly recommend using one, as it also boost endorphins and helps relax the body.
