Happy & Healthy

things you need to know before you start a detox

Last Tuesday I came back from a yoga retreat on Ibiza. I’ll make sure to fill you guys in on why everyone needs to do this at least once in their lives, but for now, I want to focus a little more on the detox aspect of my week. When you think of detox, I’m sure the first thing that pops to mind are drinking juices all day, but this detox consisted of a tripod: food detox, digital detox and a detox from my busy life at home. And let me tell you, when you’ve got three hours of yoga every day, it definitely works. And the food was purer than pure. No fish, no meat, no dairy or sugar (also known as super vegan) which helps give your body a thorough cleanse. Incase you’re considering a detox of your own (Ibiza is great and all but don’t worry, you can do it at home too), then here are some pointers you need to keep in mind:

• Schedule in time to do this. Changing your food intake and the amount you eat requires extra attention for your body.
• Side effects that will pop up quickly are things such as headaches, being tired and being crabby. Try to pull through this, it’ll be gone once day two has been completed.
• Count on releasing quite a lot of gas.
• Count on having a bad taste in your mouth.
• Still sound appealing?
• Yes, indeed, you’ll lose a kilo or two, but that’s normal since you’ll hardly be getting any calories in. Be careful though because as soon as you get back to your regular food pattern, you’ll gain them back in no time. So use this detox as the start of a new lifestyle. Stay pure and eat healthy and allow yourself to have fatty days every now and then. (Duh, or else it won’t be fun anyway.) The main goal of a detox is to reset your body and to educate yourself on nutrition.

• When you are detoxing, you won’t be doing yourself any favors if you start working out a whole lot. This might make you pass out. Opt for a yoga class instead.
• Book a trip to the sauna too. During your detox, your body will build up a lot of waste which needs to be released. You can do this by drinking a lot (and peeing) but also by sweating.
• Your libido will decrease a little bit so make sure you inform your boyfriend. You could detox together but I’m not sure if that sounds very appealing.
•  Having someone guide you during your detox is a luxury you might want to look into. See this person as a coach that’ll work as your personal cheerleader.
• Someone who really wants to do the full home run can plan in an enema. Yup, everything out through the use of a hose.
• A detox is going to give you a very energetic feeling. Your skin will start glowing and your hair and nails will look better than ever. I can assure you this.
• Take your detox seriously.