January Cleanse:Start the year on the Good Foot

The festive celebrations have come to an end and the reality of a new year has begun. For many of us we have not prepared or even thought about how we intend to start the New Year. All we know is that a serious cleanse is needed and that’s not only of the body but also of the mind. The feeling of sluggishness due to frequent party nights, eating, drinking, and late nights for some of us poses a challenge when trying to get back to a healthy state, especially during the first months of the year when colds and flu's are rife and our bodies are at their weakest. So a good cleanse is needed to strengthen our bodies and mind in order to start the year off on the good foot.

Before we can move forward it is important to understand the state our bodies are in after a couple of weeks of indulgence. During this time we tend to consume high fat, high sugar, high salt foods and meals, many of which come from processed sources. This means that blood fats and sugars will be slightly elevated. What does this mean? It means that any energy i.e. sugar or fats not used will be stored as fat, sorry to say. Since many processed foods are high in salt, this can lead to increased blood pressure.

Don’t mention alcohol.  Alcohol as we all know is high in calories and sugar. If energy from alcohol is not burnt it will be converted to fat and stored within the body leading to weight gain.  Dehydration due to high alcohol consumption dries out the skin, makes the removal of toxins from the body harder, weakens the immune system, and slows down bodily processes including your mental processes. This means that you may find that you’re not as sharp when dehydrated, which reduces your overall day to day performance.

So let’s begin to clean up our act. The first thing we should do is create a goals list for the week, month and year. Ask the question at the end of every time period, “what have I achieved “and “did I achieve what I set out to do”, have a tick box so that you can keep track. Once you’ve done that, place your goals list somewhere where that you can see it. Remember that the cleansing process is one that should encompass the body and mind. So let us start working on cleansing the inner body, stay away from all marketed cleansing products as they are a complete waste of time and most of all a con. Mother Nature has provided for us everything we need to maintain good health, we just need to understand how to use them for our benefit to promote good health.

Start by increasing your fruit and vegetables intake, as they contain vitamins and minerals that are going to allow your body to lift itself out of slug mode and promote healing. This means eating more green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, kale, spinach, brussels sprouts and green leafy seasonings. Make sure you incorporate healthy starchy vegetable such as carrots, potatoes of any variety (make sure you eat the skin as it is high in fiber), beetroot, turnip. They are rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, small amounts of protein and healthy carbohydrate.

More fruit as snacks as opposed to crisps and chocolate or any processed based snack, which markets itself as a healthy option. Therefore more berries, bananas, melons, grapes, pomegranates, grapefruit, apples etc. Many fruits that have a high water content help to maintain hydration levels which is important for effective energy burning. Fruits are good providers of vitamins, minerals healthy carbohydrate as well as fiber. Fiber from fruit is good for keeping you fuller for longer as well as giving you better blood sugar control and above all is low in fat, all of which is important for creating a weight loss environment in the body without experiencing feelings of hungry.

Don’t forget beans, pulses, and nuts as they are rich in fiber, protein,  healthy carbohydrates and good fats such as omega 3 which is good for reducing inflammation as well as enhancing brain health. More fish, lean white meats such as chicken and turkey as they are protein rich which keeps you fuller for longer and fires up your metabolism, allowing you to burn more calories. Fish is also a provider of good fats such as omega 3 which reduces inflammation in the body. Don’t forget to incorporate red meat as it is a good source iron and protein but try and minimise intake to 1 per week as it has higher in saturated fat.

Stay away from refined processed starch based foods such as white bread, white pasta and white rice and choose the wholegrain options, which are higher in fiber and protein which helps you stay fuller for longer.

Exercise is important to help promote energy burn but it is also good for the mind, through the release of the feel good hormones endorphins. It is important to work towards creating a strong positive mind-set in preparation for the year ahead. Get yourself a training buddy to maintain your motivation and commitment. Try not to stick to one exercise mode, work in between weight training, cardio and stretching to have an all-rounded program which will give you better training results.

Look to have a structured exercise plan that permits you to train 3-4 times per week. Above all give yourself a rest every 6-8 weeks so you don’t burn out.Remember when on your healthy eating plan make weekends the days where you have what you want, whether it be crisps, chocolate or going out for a nice meal, as this will make it easier for you to  stick to your healthy eating plan. Drink plenty water and herbal teas to help maintain good hydration.

If you find it difficult eating vegetables there is nothing wrong with putting them in a blender and making a smoothies.

Work towards turning your body into an energy producing furnace with a strong mind ready to conquer whatever the year has in store for you.