Guide to Post Festival Healthy Detox

Guide to Post Festival Healthy Detox Everyone loves festival season but some of us may over indulge in alcohol and snack food while we’re soaking up the atmosphere. We have come up with some post indulgence detox tips for those who want to bring their bodies back to tip top condition following festival fun. Try introducing these methods gradually for a week and see how you feel, if you can manage it, go for 2 weeks! You may decide to use this detox plan as a regular thing when you begin to feel the benefits and you can use the principles again, adapting the intensity depending on the extent of detox you are looking to achieve. Cleansing and rejuvenating Start each day with a cup or glass of boiled and cooled or bottled water, with the juice of a fresh lemon added. If you drink this before anything else in the day it will really help to cleanse your body. Later have at least one cup of green tea, the antioxidants will give your system a real boost. If you need to sweeten either of these drinks do so with honey (preferably ‘manuka’ honey) you may also wish to add some fresh peppermint leaves. Cut other drinks (such as tea and coffee) to a minimum, stick to water, pure juice or smoothies throughout the day. Smoothies are a great way to detox and are a healthy addition to any diet. They are better then juices alone as they contain the whole fruit. Variety It’s great for your body to have a break from heavy foods. Wheat, dairy, red meats and processed foods should be eliminated from your diet for the best results but you can build up to this over week 1 and see how you feel about a stricter week 2 later. See this as a chance to really try something new, such as introducing more fruit, veg, fish, pulses etc. into your diet, rather than a period where you are ‘going without’. Replace sugary breakfast cereals with porridge, bananas or yoghurts and snack on seeds, nuts, fruit and oatcakes. Include fresh garlic, onion and herbs in at least one meal a day and limit eating after 8pm to an absolute minimum. Other factors For those who smoke, obviously ideally you would give up – but this detox shouldn’t be stressful, so if you can’t manage that then cut down to at least half of what you smoked previously. This is easier than quitting altogether and is also attainable for most smokers. A good tip is to limit any smoking at all until after your evening meal. Alcohol should be cut out altogether also. If you must drink alcohol it should be kept to an absolute maximum of one small glass of wine a day with your evening meal. It is important that you get lots of rest over this period. Treat yourself to 7 nights of at least 8hrs sleep. If this means going to bed earlier, do it – you’ll feel great for it. Try body brushing in the mornings, it gets your circulation moving and energizes you. Try adding essential oils to your bath. Patchouli, lemon, Juniper, grapefruit or geranium oils are all great for detox. Add 6-8 drops to your bath water or 2-4 drops to a carrier oil for detox massage. Patch test any oils that you have not previously used 48 hours before including in your detox – to check for any sensitivity. Exercise is a valuable addition to any detox plan. Ideally try yoga. As little as ten minutes in the morning and ten in the evening will help you to remain focused, relaxed and to deal with cravings better.