Lets talk about DETOX

Alright so more than likely you have attempted to loss weight in some way or another. Whether it be through some crazy diet or exercise program, we have all tried it! The biggest issued with these types of weight loss programs is that they just dont stick. They dont stick because you cannot succeed if you dont have a proper start. In fact anyone can force weight off their bodies in a number of way. This is just a temporary adaptation to the stress you place on your body. Exercise like crazy for a week and cut your calories and you will burn more than you eat and thus loss weight. The issue with this abrupt change in your life is that it put a lot of stress on your body. This stress actually causes you to flood your system with the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol can cause a number of negative side effects on the body including: increased blood pressure, increased blood sugar, water retention and suppress immune function to name a few. But what does all that mean, well what it means is the second you overeat or stop this rigorous exercise your body weight will return right where you started in not even heavier due to the stress and the survival mode your body went into from reduced calories and increased stress. It was holding on to every single ounce of fat on your body and making you want to give up and rest and eat more!!

 So where do you start? I always recommend people starting with one thing at a time and the number one change that is easy and simple to make is Hydration and Detox. Hydration will keep all your cells functioning at their best and actually give you more energy that caffeine over time. Detox will set your body up for success! You see as we eat more and more process junk we begin to store fat soluble chemicals and preservative within out body fat. When we shed the body fat off these chemicals reenter our systems and add to the stress we have place on our bodies through over training and decreased calories. Can you see where Im going with this. You have to learn to walk before you can run if you want to keep running and start to sprint. One step at a time and first we clear our bodies out and hydrate our cells so that it is ready to begin a consistent exercise regimen. 

 So what can we use to detox our cells. This is is vast and easy to incorporate into your diet. These include: Hydration, Dark Leafy Greens, Fruit, Lemon water, Apple cider vinegar, Herbal detox teas, Chia seeds, Flax seeds, Chlorophyll liquid, coconut and almond milk and cold water fish. 

Hydration: At minimum you should be drinking at least 4-16 ounce bottles per day (2 liters) but if you can extend this to 8 -16 ounce bottles (4 liters) your moving in the right direction. Start your day off with 1 liter of water right when you wake up. You just went 6-8 hours without drinking anything! Try and do that during the day, its not s easy. Though we need to go to the bathroom in the morning we are actually dehydrated and need to get fluids in. So get away from the coffee as caffeine can act as a diuretic and dehydrate your further.

Dark Leafy Greens: These include anything you can think of! Kale, Spinach, Arugula, Swiss Shard, Cilantro, Parsley and so on. So get munching!!!

Fruit: Any and all fruit is good for you but if you want the best for detox use this rule of thumb: If it will strain a white shirt permanently it is packed with detoxifying components. Think black berries, raspberries, pomegranate, red plums and so on. Fruit is not the enemy and I will cover this topic in another post.

Lemon Water: Lemon juice is loaded with vitamin C to help improve immune function, antioxidants that will protect cells and flavonoids that can improve blood circulation, insulin sensitivity and metabolic health. All this great stuff in a simple little lemon!

Apple Cider Vinegar: Lowers cholesterol, improves digestion, aids in weight loss, controls blood sugar, help with completion! The list goes on, just read about it! Best brand is made by Braggs. Cant stomach a straight shot, mix it 2:1 with pomegranate juice. Such and incredible treat in the morning.

Herbal Teas: Contain many compounds that will latch onto the chemicals plague out bodies and allow us to excrete them.

Chia Seeds: These are loaded with omega-3 fatty acids which are anti-inflammatory in our bodies and will help calm your stomach as well as fiber. They also found a gelatinous membrane when mixed with water that help to flush out you GI tract.

Flax seeds: Loaded with more omega-3 for anti-inflammation and add a great flavor to protein shakes when milled into a powder and mix together.

Chlorophyll: Produces the green pigment in plants and is a massive molecule that will sweep through you GI tract and grab onto toxic compounds so your can excrete them.

Cold water Fish: Loaded with more omega-3 fatty acids and protein. Protein will power our live and help it to detox your body!

 So there you have it, start with hydration and detox for 2-4 weeks. You will begin to feel better and have increased energy. With this new found energy begin with one step at a time and slowing increase your activity. Set weekly goals and as you increase your activity level you will burn more calories and then more fat. This fat your loss will stay off this time since your body will not be over stressed!!