How you can detox more than just your diet
Detoxing! It’s everywhere isn’t it? It feels like January is completely saturated with it – you’ve got marketing schemes coming out of your ears, magazine articles promising all kinds of miracle results from the latest fad idea, and businesses throwing offers at you left, right and centre.
The problem with this overload of information is that it becomes very hard to see the wood for the trees. How on earth are you supposed to know if a detox is right for you? Kinesiologist Sam Bearfoot explains.
What actually is detoxing?
Detoxing is a term we’ve all heard of (let’s face it, it’s hard to escape it right now!) but many people don’t even really understand exactly what it is. A quick dictionary search reveals that the term means to remove toxic substances. But today we often use the term to refer to giving up things that we believe aren’t healthy or good for us.
If you’ve toyed with the idea of detoxing but are put off by the prospect of some complicated plan that you need to follow to the letter to succeed, don’t be. Detoxing is pretty much all about mindset and nothing else. So if you have the time to grab a part of your life with both hands, and you’re prepared to hold on tight and not to let go until you’re done, then yes a detox is going to be right for you.
Detoxing is more than just diet
A common misconception is that detoxing is all about food, cutting out your favourite evening tipple, or embarking on a massive calorie restriction. But it’s so much more.
Detox can be applied to absolutely any part of your life. So if your diet or weight isn’t your worry, instead think about what in your life does need some of your attention. What toxic behaviours or habits do you dislike about yourself, or feel are holding you back in some way?
Pick your poison, select your timeframe (be realistic here, don’t set yourself up to fail with a ridiculous aim that’s totally unachievable), put it in your diary in marker pen and do it until you’re complete.
Some detox ideas to get you started
If you still feel stuck, let me start you off with some suggestions:
- Are you so untidy that you can never find what you need (and as a result constantly feel stressed and out of control) and would love to learn to be more organised?
- Are you one of those people who has thousands of emails in your inbox because you never file anything (like me) and would really like to bring some order to the chaos?
- Are you aware that you drink so little water or have picked up such bad snacking habits that it’s affecting your concentration, and you’d like to put a stop to it?
- Are you frequently paralysed by guilt that you’re not a good enough mum, partner or friend, and would love to let go of your guilt and feel more positive and confident?
- Are you too shy to venture out to networking events (even though you know they’d help your career or businesses hugely) and want to lose the fear?
These are all very detoxable choices, and once you’re complete the sense of achievement is massive and will indirectly create a much healthier (and happier) you.
Focus on what you’re gaining
Energetically a lot of us seem to focus on the wrong thing when it comes to detoxing. We put far too much time into worrying about what we are missing out on – it’s usually the first worry a client has when I make the suggestion to them.
This is where mindset comes in. Doing a detox isn’t just about what you are cutting out. Instead, I like to place heavy focus on what you’re gaining.
You’re not losing out on the bad food choices that are making you sluggish, you’re gaining a healthier approach to what you are consuming (and if you get this one right you could also gain some new clothes too!). And if you spend the time detoxing your inbox, you will gain more time to work productively, rather than wasting it trying to find that all important email that you forgot to file.
Whatever you choose to detox in your life, always make sure you have the time to dedicate to it, and ensure that you come out the other side with a smile on your face (which is ultimately the end goal).
