Cleanse for fitness and good health

Read enough about diet, exercise and nutrition and you’ll hear a recommendation for a good cleanse: taking the time to get rid of built up toxins from your body.

But what is a good cleanse? The answer is actually quite simple but like a lot of good and simple things there’s often a lesson behind it. So here are some good tips to give yourself a good cleanse.

  • Take it easy. There are hundreds of extreme cleanses out there, based on one or two ingredients and absolute minimum calorie intake.  But, if you have not undergone a cleanse before you don’t want to go for the extreme. Instead of fasting try lowering your caloric intake for a few days while upping your water intake—and what calories you do take in make sure they are high in fiber and low in fats and sugars.
  • Listen to your body. First-timer or expert, you have to pay attention to what your body is telling you—and what your mind might be saying. If you are feeling ill, overly tired, having dark thoughts, are unable to sleep this is a good sign that you need to adjust your cleanse. But don’t just club down calories—instead rest and take in small but steady amounts until you are feeling better.
  • Eat well. A cleanse is all about flushing the toxins from your body and while fasting can be a part of it so is eating good, healthy things like vegetables, beans, and fruits to work all the bad stuff from your body and replace it with the good. Increase the intake of fiber and foods rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, and eliminate all processed food. Instead of store bought “healthy” smoothies packed with sugar and pasteurized until half the goodness is gone, try your hand in making delicious and healthier smoothies at home.Vegetable soups are a great way to sneak more fiber into your diet, too. Kale is a popular source of fiber everyone knows about, but did you know that split peas have a whopping 16.3 grams per cup, while lentils and black beans are right behind? Even delicious raspberries are rich in fiber. Still have trouble reaching your fiber goal? Try adding a couple of spoonfuls of flax meal to your yogurt or smoothies. Two tablespoons contain 3.8 grams of fiber and healthy omega-3 fatty acids, too!
  • Moderate exercise. It might be tempting to get into an extreme workout but keep in mind that you will be diminishing and adjusting your caloric intake so don’t push yourself too much. Instead, take things slow and easy until you get an idea of how your body is responding to the cleanse.

Your body is a beautiful, elegant machine and sometimes you need to blow out the pipes to get things running really smoothly—and that’s why a tune-up with a cleanse is a great idea. Just be sure and do it well—especially listening to what your body is telling you.