Post Lockdown DietJanuary Clean Up clean-up

Looking to start 2021 with a clean slate? This blog isn’t about setting resolutions (although we can always help you do that if you desire), but rather giving you some tips on how to start the new year with a fresh body. The old saying “you get out what you put in” is very accurate. The Christmas break is notoriously full of rich, indulgent food, too much alcohol and not enough moving! Our bodies can cope with this for a short period, but long-term it begins to dislike us. Here’s how to clean-up and give your body the chance it deserves to be its best, for you.

Tips for cleaning-up your act

The following tips are just some of many pieces of advice we could give you to clean-up your act and start feeling alive again:

1. Eat foods rich in antioxidants

This is a great way to start helping your insides detox. All of those sugary, fatty foods, soft drinks, alcohol and sleepless nights over the festive period will have left your body with a build-up of toxins. Now you need to rid your body of those toxins to begin feeling normal again. Eating foods rich in vitamins and minerals are a great way to increase your antioxidant intake. In particular, try to eat foods rich in the following vitamins and minerals to clean out the system:

• Vitamin A: Liver, kidney, oily fish (e.g. mackerel), carrots, red capsicum, tomatoes, spinach
• Vitamin C: Chilies, kiwi fruit, citrus fruits, guava, mangoes, papaya
• Vitamin E: Almonds, hazelnuts and peanuts, sunflower seeds, corn and wheatgerm oil
• Copper: Nuts, cereals, meat and organ meats (i.e. liver and kidney)
• Zinc: Lamb, shellfish, leafy green and root vegetables, milk, eggs, whole grains
• Selenium: Brazil nuts, poultry, fish, eggs, meat and organ meats (examples above)

2. Drink water, water, and more water!

Water is life-giving. Without it, we die within 3 days (depending on the person). That’s a pretty scary thought. Our bodies are also somewhere between 60-70% water, and they rely on us to replenish our water stores regularly and daily. All of the internal chemical processes that occur in our bodies (without us even knowing they are happening) require water for them to occur. When the body is low on water, these internal processes begin to struggle, and we begin to feel pretty terrible. Water is purifying for the body and it’s a pivotal part of any clean-up or detox (whatever you want to call it). We don’t think we need to give you any more reasons for drinking lots of water every day, so get to it. To help the system a bit more, reduce the amount of caffeinated, alcoholic and sugary soft drinks you are consuming and try to concentrate on just water. Your body will love you for it. Osteo

3. Exercise daily

What better way to purify the body than literally sweating it all out!? Get into an exercise routine for the new year, or just pick up where you left off if you slumped a bit over Christmas. If you’re not a fan of jogging, running or gym-going, then consider swimming. Swimming is great for the whole body and gives the joints a rest from high impact experienced in running or lifting weights in the gym. And if you can find yourself a lovely warm salt pool or natural ocean or rock pool, then your skin will also benefit from the cleansing action of the saltwater. If you’re not up for swimming, then try a walk a day. A stroll in the park surrounded by lots of green trees is great for the mind, body and soul.

We don’t want to overload you with stuff to try, so we’ll leave it there for now. Give some or all of these a go and come and let us know how you feel after a few weeks. We think you’ll love the results!

Happy New YearEating! Oh… and now would be a great time to come see us for a new year full body check! You know what to do…www.holisticbodyworks.com.au or 95703388.

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References

1. Webster-Gandy, J. et al. 2012. Oxford handbook of nutrition and dietetics. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press