10 Tips to Detox Daily

I'm currently in the middle of an annual spring cleanse with my mastermind group. I've come a long way from my first attempt to detox several years ago. My husband often reminds me of the day I bought a bag of lemons determined to do the master cleanse, and threw in the towel by 2pm on the first day.  

I didn’t give up though! I still yearned to clean up my diet and have healthier cravings (I.e. get over my sugar addiction). My second try was a more gentle detox of mainly fruits and veggies with a heavy emphasis on eating as many greens as possible.

After enduring the first few days without my favorite vices of caffeine, sugar and wine, I felt amazing. My energy shot through the roof, my taste buds came alive and I craved more greens, veggies and fruits. It felt great. 

Since then, every spring my body craves the reset. It's the best way to refine your diet, upgrade your food habits and let go of old addictions that you're ready to evolve out of. The best part of a detox is that every time you cleanse, your continue to eat a bit better and your health steadily improves. Each time a few of your detox habits stick and become an everyday reality.  

Below are some of the ways I detox daily. This doesn’t replace detoxing regularly, but does help counter a lot of the daily toxins we ingest in this day and age. 

  1. Inner bath: Drink at least 2 cups of warm water upon rising. Add a squeeze of lemon to make it more alkaline. Heat promotes downward movement through the stomach and intestines and supports elimination. 

  2. 18" every morning. That is 18" of fecal matter that has the consistency of peanut butter (pardon the visual!) one hour upon arising. If you are not pooping everyday this is a big problem. If you don't eliminate the junk, it gets reabsorbed back into your system. Get that *%#@ out!  (these everyday detox tips will help with this) 

  3. Sip hot water between meals. I've talked previously about the hazards of snacking. Stick to 3 meals a day to allow your body to fully digest your food. Undigested food is toxic and adheres to weak tissues which leads to disease. 

  4. Start your day with a green smoothie or green juice. Leafy greens have bitter and astringent tastes which are inherently detoxifying. In general, include as many leafy greens in your diet as possible: in green juices, smoothies, soups, salads, cooked, raw, etc. 

  5. Get your yoga on. Twist, bend, invert and breathe. Asana practice opens up the subtle energy channels or nadis which stimulates the lymphatic system and brings freshly oxygen into the organs. Try the class below.

  6. Meditate daily. In meditation we practice letting go of toxins in the form of negative thoughts, worry, anxiety, anger and fear – which can be more harmful than any bad food we might eat. 

  7. Dry brush. Dry-brushing activates the lymphatic system, stimulates blood circulation, and enhances toxin elimination through our body’s largest organ — the skin!  

  8. Love the skin you're in. Lotion is made of oil and water – a solution that doesn’t mix. In order to create the creamy texture, emulsifiers and preservatives are added which are often toxic. Basic tip: anything you put on your skin you should feel comfortable eating. Replace your lotion with oil (best quality coconut, almond, sesame, sunflower oil). Self-massage to increase circulation, stimulate the lymphatic system and remove toxins. 

  9. Eat clean and green. Processed and packaged food, refined sugar, alcohol and genetically-modified foods create toxicity. Eat a whole foods diet with plenty of fresh, organic produce to support your body in healthy elimination and optimal functioning. 

  10. Get enough good-quality sleepStudies show that your brain gets cleansed of toxins while you sleep. During deep sleep (prime hours are between 10pm and 2am) your body goes into detoxification mode. Make it easy on your body to do deeper house-cleaning by eating an earlier, lighter dinner. 

Our bodies are incredibly resilient and self-healing when we support it with the right tools and lifestyle practices. Incorporate these daily detox habits into your life and get your body in tip-top shape!