If you partied a little too hard over the holiday season, you might feel like you need to “detox”. We aren’t talking about it in the traditional sense, where you go on a cleanse or cut out food groups just to detox your body. Your organs already have that taken care of. This is about detoxing your routine in order to develop healthy habits that get you right back on track.
Start With Improving Your Sleep
No matter what you did over the holiday season or how much you ate for your family dinner, you need rest. Everyone needs more rest, especially before the new year begins. Now is a great time to focus on getting enough sleep.
Begin by changing your sleep routine from what it was over the holidays. This might mean starting to get ready for bed a little earlier, doing a gentle workout at night before bed, or practicing self-care. Maybe you want to write in your journal before bed, or set out your clothes for the next day. Make sure you are not using screens or your phone at night when you get into bed.
Eat a Healthy First Meal of the Day
The day you feel ready for a “Detox”, get rid of the idea that you need to eat clean or do a cleanse, and just have a healthy meal for the first meal of the day. That’s all you need to do! Your body’s organs already know how to “detox” and cleanse anything you consumed, from junk food to alcohol the days before.
Just start with your healthy eating right away and drinking plenty of water. Unless you are on a specific diet for a reason, don’t worry about omitting foods or doing something extreme like Whole 30. You can eat how you normally do, but focus on proper nutrition and balanced meals.
Transition Into Exercise Slowly
Don’t go straight from over-indulging and dealing with a hangover to running your usual 10 miles! This is not going to end well. Instead, ease back into your fitness routine slowly. What you end up doing is going to depend on what your fitness has been recently. Maybe this means just starting with some light yoga, or you begin walking on your treadmill a few days a week.
Take Your Time Making Changes
If you want to start living a healthier lifestyle, it isn’t about doing an extreme detox and giving up everything you love. It is all about making small, sustainable changes.
