Can you believe we’re already into the third month of 2023? No doubt you’ve enjoyed the longer and warmer days and nights, those summer vibes and all the festivities and busier social life that usually comes with it.
As we head towards Autumn, now is usually the time we can start to feel the effects of extra social and extrovert energy being used up. It’s also when general day to day life from kids, family, work, to do lists etc is in full swing, and our genuine ‘new year, new start’ intentions have started to fall by the wayside. That initial fresh from silly season/holiday time enthusiasm for your 2023 wellness goals and intentions, has been replaced by the reality of still committing to your health while managing all the other areas and aspects of your life.
You might be starting to feel that energetically, ‘I’m ready to hibernate’ but there’s still another good month or so to go of summer events in the calendar (#thatsme).
Whether you’re pretty consistent and committed to your health and wellbeing on a day to day basis, or feeling like it’s one step forward, two steps back, going from a slow to lively pace (I much prefer the word ‘lively’ to ‘busy’) can start to impact even the best of us.
This is why March is a great time to embrace the idea of a mini detox to help you reset, recharge, and refocus. Here are just some of the reasons why:
- It’s realistic and doable. Committing to 1-3 days out of the month is more achievable than trying to stick to 7-10 days or more.
- It’s giving you an opportunity to come back to your health and make it a priority, which in turn is likely to help you get enthusiastic about your 2023 goals and intentions again.
- You’ll simply feel better for it!
While there are plenty of different ways and set programs around detoxing, I like to keep things holistic, simple, affordable, and uncomplicated – with some wriggle room for you to make it work to your liking. If it doesn’t cater to your needs/preferences/digestive system/exercise plan etc than you won’t feel excited and enjoy it, and you won’t stick it out.
So, here are some simple tips and suggestions on how to undertake your own mini detox.
- Cut out alcohol. A pretty straight forward and obvious one, yet not always the easiest. Remember, you are designing your detox so if 2 or 3 days seems overwhelming, just start with one day.
‘All or something vs all or nothing’
- Cut out sugar. By cutting alcohol, you’re off to a good start! To keep this easy, the more plant-based, not out of a ‘can, carton, packet or jar’ wholefoods you consume, the easier it is to avoid sugar. Go for lots of vegetables, minimal fruit, nuts & seeds, legumes, herbs & sprouts. Cut out gluten and dairy for an added bonus.
*Tip: Learn to love & read labels! Stick to anything 6g or less per 100g sugar or 6ml or less per 100ml sugar when making your pre-packaged purchase choices.
- Cut out or cut down on coffee. Remember, a mini detox is about being realistic, and completely cutting coffee can feel like one too many things being taken from you. Maybe you’ll find this easy to cut? Personally, I enjoy 2 coffees a day. So, the goal might be to remove just one of your daily coffees or switch from 2 shots to one. Something is better than nothing – You decide what feels doable for you.
*Tip: Aim to have your last coffee of the day no later than 2pm. If you can, cut the milk and sugar and opt for black with a dash of coconut oil. It helps balance out the caffeine hit too. This is how I enjoy mine.
- Go raw! There’s nothing better than light, fresh and cooling foods during hot summer days anyway. On the whole, raw foods are better quality, therefore you find you can eat less to satisfy your nutritional needs. The heat of cooking depletes vitamins, damages proteins and fats, and destroys enzymes which benefit digestion (in most cases, tomatoes for examples are exempt to this). A food is considered raw if it has never been heated over 40–48°. There are no rules in regard to recipes – enjoy shopping for ingredients you don’t normally use and making up your own vegetable/salad concoctions. Let it be messy, as long as its tasty!
*Tip: Pending on your digestive system and body type, purely raw can be a bit of a fibre overload for some. If you find this is you, simple blanch (not boil!), steam or lightly pan-fry your ingredients.
Need some inspiration? Try my super easy and adaptable Veg & Guacamole Nori Rolls.
- Try a juice cleanse. I’m a long-time fan of these and over the years have worked closely with a professional chef and juice cleanse expert. Your body has so many functions to perform every day, and it only has so much energy. Constant digestion is one of the most energy depleting activities that your body performs! Juice Cleansing doesn’t hiave to be extreme, start slowly by committing to even one day. You can also opt to still eat small meals while also doing a cleanse if just the juice cleanse alone feels overwhelming or not doable. You can make your own at home (if you have a cold pressed juicer) or opt to find a local juice cleanse company where you can pick your cleanse of choice and have it delivered.
*Tip: Do some research on how best to support your cleanse experience and make sure you check with your GP or the cleanse provider if you have any specific medical concerns or issues.
So there you have it, my raw & real guide to getting you feeling revitalised and ready to march through March!
If you have any questions or queries you’d love to have answered, please reach out to me at carla@happinessco.org and I’d be more than happy to help.
Want more practical strategies and ideas to cultivate wellness into your life? Reach out to us at wecare@happinessco.org or read our blog to find out more about how Happiness Co can help.
