Do your healthy habits go out the window around the holidays? This happens to many of us. Between all the holiday treats and meals, gatherings, and changes to your schedule, it is easy to indulge a bit more than usual while slacking on your exercise routine.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. If you indulge a bit too much or get out of your fitness routine, there is always a chance to get back on track. And a post-holiday cleanse is a great way to do it.

Here, we’ll outline some easy detox tips and look at how nutritional cleansing can help get you started on a healthy note for the New Year.

 

What Is Nutritional Cleansing?

Nutritional cleansing is the process of fueling your body with vitamins, minerals, and nutrients while adhering to certain periods of eating and dedicated periods of fasting. During eating windows, a heavy focus is placed on high-quality, nutrient-dense meals and snacks and steering clear of processed food.

Cleansing acts as a sort of “reset” for the body and can lead to a variety of benefits. While the body is exposed daily to toxins throughout the year, the holidays can expose our bodies to even more chemicals and toxins.

Examples of exposure to toxins include:

• Pollution
• Toxic cleaning products
• Chemicals
• Contaminants in food and water
• Bodily processes
• Endocrine disruptors
• Pesticides
• Environmental factors
• Heavily processed, sugary foods

Although the body has remarkable mechanisms designed to repair and remove damaged cells, a high-quality cleanse can assist our body’s natural cleansing abilities. Nutritional cleansing gives the body the break it needs to identify damaged molecules and remove them.

Nutritional cleansing with Isagenix involves two consecutive cleanse days per week. These cleanse days include cleanse-approved snacks and Isagenix Cleanse for Life. This type of cleansing nourishes and fuels the body rather than depriving it through extreme, harmful methods.

 

Benefits of a Post-Holiday Cleanse

3 of the biggest benefits of nutritional cleansing include:

 

1. Support The Immune System

Although we are exposed to toxins every day, the sugary desserts and extra alcohol around the holidays can wreak havoc on the immune system. Add in the stress of the holidays and you can end up more vulnerable to getting sick.

Doing a post-holiday cleanse can help support a healthy immune system by fueling your body with vitamins, minerals, nutrients, and antioxidants while giving it a break from sugars, preservatives, additives, and toxins.

 

2. Support Weight Loss Efforts

Do you always gain weight during the holidays or undo any results you achieved during the year? A post-holiday detox can help get you back on track to losing weight and maintaining it in the new year.

 

3. Prevent Free Radical Damage

By including a variety of nutrient-rich foods in your post-holiday cleanse, you supply your body with potent antioxidants. These antioxidants fight free radicals, support your immune system, fight inflammation, and prevent oxidative damage.

Make sure to consume a wide variety of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables on your cleanse (and throughout the year!), including:

• Berries such as raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries
• Oranges
• Leafy greens such as spinach and kale
• Peaches
• Red grapes
• Carrots
• Bell peppers
• Mushrooms
• Dark chocolate
• Pecans, walnuts, pistachios
• Artichokes
• Red cabbage
• Broccoli
• Pomegranate
• Herbs and spices

 

Easy Tips For A New Year’s Detox

If you are looking to experience the benefits of a full-body detox, try the following tips to get started.

 

1. Consider Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting consists of limiting the time during which you consume food. For example, some individuals only eat during a 10 or 12-hour window and fast for the remaining hours of the day. Other individuals follow a 5-2 plan where five days include normal eating and two consecutive days focus on cleansing (similar to Isagenix’s nutritional cleansing program).

The big focus of intermittent fasting is on when you eat, not what you eat. By giving the body a break from eating and digesting food, more energy can be spent on a variety of crucial processes in the body.

 

2. Stick To A Consistent Exercise Routine

Exercising helps promote weight loss, support a healthy immune system, fight insomnia, build lean muscles, boost energy levels, and support a happy mood. Although the holidays can be especially busy and throw schedules and routines out of whack, it is crucial to maintain consistent exercise during the holidays.

 

3. Focus On Healthy Foods

Instead of looking at a cleanse as strict or limited, focus on all the delicious, healthy foods you can fuel your body with. Opt for antioxidant-rich, high fibre foods when you are planning your meals.

Bonus: When possible, choose organic produce over conventional produce to take your cleansing efforts even further.

 

4. Detox Your Home and Products

Did you know the air inside your home can be more polluted than the air outside? Along with detoxifying your body, your home may need a detox too.

Here are some easy tips for detoxifying the air in your home:

• Use plants to decorate your home to help counteract indoor air pollution
• Choose non-toxic household cleaning products (or make your DIY safe cleaners using easy to find household items such as vinegar)
• Scent your home with essential oils rather than artificial air fresheners (indoor air fresheners can contain a variety of harmful substances)
• Store your cell phone and laptop away from where you sleep to reduce EMF exposure
• Opt for skincare products that are free of artificial colours, fragrances, and preservatives

 

5. Drink Enough Water

What percentage of cells in the body is made up of water? The answer is a whopping 60%! This makes it no surprise that drinking enough water is essential for optimal health.

However, the holiday season can make it difficult to make sure you are drinking enough water. Keep a stainless steel water bottle filled up and handy at all times and be sure to drink at least one full glass of water for every alcoholic drink you have.

Benefits of drinking enough water include:

• Assisting the body in getting rid of impurities
• Helping flush out toxins
• Aiding indigestion
• Preventing you from mistaking thirst for hunger
• Reducing appetite, especially if consumed before a meal
• Helping to prevent constipation

An easy way to make sure you are drinking enough water is making sure you need to go to the bathroom at least once every two hours.

 

Curious to Learn More About Nutritional Cleansing?

If you want to learn more about the power of nutritional cleansing with Isagenix, be sure to check out our blog or reach out to us.

Our team of qualified nutritionists, clinical nurses, chiropractors, and naturopaths is here to help you on every step of your wellness journey. From recommending the ideal products for your goals and needs to encouragement, we are here to help you reach your full potential.

Wishing you a wonderful and healthy holiday season from Isagenix!