You don’t need to detox – just do these 4 things.

The idea of a detox is pretty simple – basically, it’s just ridding the body of toxic or unhealthy substances for a set period of time.

And while detoxes aren’t a new phenomenon, their intensity and the level of interest in them is.

But really, do you need to be this drastic to be healthy? A detox can last anywhere from 24 hours to several weeks. But there’s no reason why you can’t take steps to detoxify your body on a continual basis.

It actually makes sense as you are likely to be taking in toxins each day, until they build up to the point of causing problems. So why don’t we just add a few simple maintenance solutions to our daily routine?

It really is this easy, as the following four suggestions prove.

1. Exercise each day.

Before you write this off with a lament about your lack of spare time, keep in mind that you don’t have to be extreme or overly robust to help with detoxification. Your lymphatic system doesn’t have to pump the way your circulatory system does, so it’s relying on you to get up and get active each day. It’s recommended that you incorporate 30 minutes (even a brisk walk) into your daily routine.

When do I do this, I hear you ask? Get up 30 minutes earlier. Or instead of sitting down for lunch, take it with you and head for the local park. Easy

2. Get decent sleep.

Your body cleanses itself while you sleep, with your liver doing double duty in the early hours of the morning. So even though a lot of us stay up late into the night, or into the wee hours, a good habit to get into is to head to bed as early as you are able to, around 10pm if possible, as your deepest sleep cycles occur before midnight.

Also, aim to get up early, because you don’t want to sleep through the hours when your body naturally wants to purge itself of waste. To be blunt; letting your bowel movement fester or holding back your urine until later in the morning can lead to it being reabsorbed by the body which is the OPPOSITE of detoxing.

3. Drink lots of water.

Let’s face it, you’ve probably heard of this tip before. But it’s only because it’s so important to so many vital organs, and it helps to keep your body flushed of toxins. It also helps your body better eliminate faeces, which contain a great deal of your toxins. By helping to keep your bowels and digestive system “well oiled” so to speak, you are effectively helping your body rid itself of toxins each time you go to the bathroom.

An easy way to drink as much water as possible during your day is to have the delivery of pure, clean water, instantly. At the Mamamia Women’s Network office in Sydney, we are lucky enough to have a Zip HydroTap in our kitchen, with instant boiling, chilled and sparkling water. The benefits of water include hydration, which we all know improves mental alertness and our ability to concentrate, and it also helps with overall health, wellbeing and vitality.

 4. Eat organic foods.

The biggest benefit for your body when you eat organic is of course the absence of the chemicals found in non-organic products. They also contain more vitamins and nutrients than regular foods. By choosing organic over conventional foods you’re closer to eating the kind of food that existed 50 years ago and earlier. Your body is designed to break these foods down more easily and therefore, the need for an extreme detox is lessened.

So sure, detox if you want to, but why not try to incorporate these four easy steps into your life first?

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