pepifoto for Getty Images
pepifoto for Getty Images

Motivating yourself to have a healthier 2017 than 2016 can start with ridding your body of last-year toxins. All of those artificial ingredients in your food, the chemicals that get into your system, pollutants you breathe in, pesticides you touch, even natural poisons—get them out of your body!

Detoxing doesn’t have to mean going with nothing but water or doing a “colon cleanse.” You have lots of options for giving your body a natural detox. Choose whatever you think will make you feel free and ready to start fresh, or combine them all to really boost your metabolism, energy and attitude.

Eat toxin-free.

  • Go organic; choose meats from animals that are raised without antibiotics and foods that are grown without pesticides.
  • Munch on dark, leafy greens and other raw veggies, as well as specific foods that naturally aid detoxification, such as nuts, lemon and garlic.
  • Experiment with juicing—blending fruits and vegetables—to find combinations that you might enjoy enough to make it a morning or lunchtime ritual. Hairdressers love juicing because you can bring your customized drink with you to the salon.
  • Cut sugar. More and more nutritionists are convinced that sugar is literally poison. Read labels to make sure you’re not eating silent sugars you don’t even know about. Cutting back is better than using a sugar substitute.
  • Try priobiotic supplements to find out whether they make you feel better.

Hydrate.

  • Drinking keeps any toxins moving through and moving out!
  • Choose water as your drink of choice. Try eliminating some caffeine, all sugary drinks and drinks high in chemicals.
  • Tea also is approved because of its natural antioxidants.
  • Limit alcohol. You know how your body reacts to an overflow of liquor—that can’t be good for you.

Purify your air.

  • Stop breathing tobacco. You already know that a healthy 2017 begins with kicking the habit. Encourage other smokers in your household to try to quit or at least limit cigarettes to the outdoors so that you’re not breathing it.
  • Bring in some houseplants. They purify the air for you!
  • Open a window! Houses get stuffy all winter. Open a window just a crack overnight, or hold a door open for a few minutes just to stir things up.
  • Buy an air purifier for extra purification.
  • Use a neti pot to coax out any lingering impurities from your respiratory system.

Exercise.

  • Do cardio so that you really sweat, which is your body’s efficient way of releasing toxins. Cardio also will help your blood circulation.
  • Do breathing exercises to expand your diaphragm so that your digestive system can do its job.
  • Develop a flexibility routine to keep your joints oiled.
  • Do strength training to keep your muscles in good shape.

Pamper.

  • Visit a sauna periodically to sweat out more toxins.
  • Take an Epsom salt bath, which may help you detoxify.
  • Get a massage regularly to manually break up toxins at areas where they build up.
  • Exfoliate to brush the toxins off your skin and power up your circulation.
  • Apply essential oils to your skin or breathe them in through a diffuser.

Attack mental/emotional toxins.

  • Meditate to calm your mind. Stress is toxic!
  • Visualize your happy places.
  • Surround yourself with positive people.

Sources: globalhealingcenter.com, health.com, shape.com, well-beingsecrets.com

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