If you’re thinking about doing a cleanse soon, you’ve sure picked a powerful way to transform your health and beauty! While cleanse programs like our 7-day Total Body Cleanse Kit can do wonders for your skin and overall health, we also know it can seem a little intimidating for first-timers. So here are a few tips to help you stick to your program and ultimately reap the biggest benefits of detoxification:
1. Get Clear on Your Why
You can know all there is to know about how to cleanse – what foods to eat, how much water to drink, when to take your supplements, etc. – but that’s not what’s going to help you carry on when times get tough. That’s why it’s important to reflect on your current state of wellness and get clear on the reasons “why” you’re choosing to commit to a cleanse program in the first place.
Perhaps you’re feeling sluggish and want to restore your energy levels and develop better nutrition habits in your life or maybe you’re someone who’s ready to take the holistic approach with some larger health issues. Prepare ahead of time by writing down your unique “why” on a piece of paper, strategically place it somewhere you’ll revisit it daily, and allow it to carry you throughout the span of your cleanse program.
2. Schedule Your Cleanse Wisely
Part of your cleanse preparation should include scanning your calendar and scheduling ‘cleanse dates’ where you know you’ll be able to relax at home for a brief period of time and not overwork yourself. Try your best to avoid scheduling a cleanse over a major deadline, holiday, or when you know you’ll be gathering for social events to eat and drink with friends and family. If for whatever reason this isn’t possible for you, that’s okay too! Set yourself up for success by having a strategy in place to help you stick to the cleanse protocol during any pre-planned events.
3. Clean Swap Your Kitchen
Before you start your cleanse, get rid of all the junk food and overly processed food around you or at the very least, put it somewhere you won’t be tempted to indulge in it. (Out of sight out of mind!) Next, go shopping and stock up your kitchen with nourishing foods like fresh fruits, veggies, lean proteins, M’lis MRP Instant Meal Shake, and any other cleanse-approved groceries listed in your cleanse program. Be sure to read labels and research recipes to find good-for-you alternatives for your favorite ‘non-approved’ foods.
4. Pre-Cleanse if Needed
If your diet includes high amounts of caffeine, alcohol, sugar, or processed foods, take 3-5 days before you actually start your cleanse to begin eating only from the “cleanse prep” food guidelines (listed below). Doing so will gently ease your body into the 3-day liquid-nutrition days so that you may experience less discomfort during a potential healing crisis.
Foods to Enjoy
- Fruits
- Veggies
- Fish
- Poultry
- Raw, plain yogurt and kefir
- Quinoa and Lentils
- Nuts
- M’lis MRP-Instant Meal
Foods to Avoid
- Refined Grains
- Pasteurized Dairy
- Alcohol
- Refined Sugars
- Chemical Artificial Sweeteners
- Trans Fats
- Hydrogenated Oils
5. Have a Support System
Anything is possible if you have the right people to support you! Make a list of your “support team”, including an accountability partner or any other loved ones who share similar values and want you to succeed.
For additional guidance on your next cleanse, join our Full Body Reset private Facebook group! It’s a safe place to connect with our team of wellness experts and hundreds of other cleansers as we embark on nutritional and cleanse programs together, seasonally throughout the year.
6. Turn Cleansing Into a Lifestyle
Practicing a cleansing lifestyle is one of the most important steps you can take towards vibrant health and well-being. We all know that our modern lifestyle exposes us to literally hundreds of harmful toxins every day that, when left unchecked, can disrupt the natural functions of the body and make us sick. But while you can’t entirely control your exposure to them, you can help your body stay on top of toxic stress by practicing daily habits that support its own natural detoxification processes.
Here are our top five starter tips for making cleansing a lifestyle:
- Stay Hydrated: Since your body’s natural cleansing mechanisms are water-based, staying hydrated makes your body’s job of flushing toxins easier. Make sure you’re drinking at least 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water daily.
- Eat the Right Foods: A healthy diet provides a wide range of nutrients that help your body detoxify. To get the best cleansing benefits from your food and body, use the VitaVore approach, which focuses on building your diet around the most nutrient-dense foods and reserving highly-processed “lifeless foods” for rare occasions only.
- Supplement: While eating a nutrient-dense diet to support your body’s natural detoxification processes is the best approach, nutritional gaps aren’t uncommon. For nutrient shortfalls, fill-in nutritional gaps with smart, high-quality supplementation.
- Get Quality Sleep: Poor sleep impairs your glymphatic system, which can cause toxins to build-up. Practice proper sleep hygiene to ensure you’re getting 7 – 7½ hours of healthy sleep each night.
- Move, Move, Move: Sweating helps your body better excrete toxins, which is one more reason why it’s so important to find an exercise activity that you enjoy and practice it daily!
