10 Steps to Beat the Post-Holiday Bulge

 

Do you have a spare tire, love handles, or a belly bulge left overfrom the holidays? Or maybe it's been accumulating for more than a few holiday seasons. Did you have your cake, drinks, cookies and turkeydinner - and eat them too? Don't fret. Here are 10 simple detox tricks from the best-selling book The 4-Week Ultimate Body Detox Plan that can help you start the New Year on the right-and maybe lighter-foot:

1. Drink plenty of water throughout the day to beat dehydration. Alcohol consumption, fatty foods, and insufficient water are some of the main reasons people feel "hung over" and heavy from the holidays. Every cell in your body needs adequate water to function properly so try to drink at least 2 litres a day to flush fat and toxins out.

2. Take a high-quality B-complex and vitamin C supplement, both ofwhich are depleted by alcohol consumption and stress-and chances are you had both during the holidays.

3. Eat fruit in the morning on an empty stomach--fruit is the bestfood to keep the lymphatic system cleansed and moving properly. The lymphatic system is what I call "the body's version of astreet-cleaner"-it sweeps up toxins, fat, and the by-products of bodily processes to lessen pain, inflammation, cellulite, and toxic overloadin the body.

4. Eat a large green salad for lunch and dinner if you're eating athome. And if you just can't stand another salad, wrap it up! Put lettuce, sprouts, avocado, tomato, and cucumber (or some combination ofthese) in a wrap. Add a dash of sea salt and freshly cracked peppercorns and you have a delicious meal in a hurry.

5. Eat a small healthy snack every two hours to stabilize bloods ugar. Wild blood sugar fluctuations can deplete your energy, causeweight gain, intensify food cravings, and depress your immune system,m aking you more vulnerable to those cold and flu bugs found in droves at most parties. My preferred option is raw, unsalted almonds-they'reloaded with calcium and blood-stabilizing fibre and protein. Eat 10-12 as a snack between meals.

6. Avoid eating sweets, synthetic sweeteners or foods sweetened with them. Instead, eat fruit and sweeten herbal teas with a few dropsof stevia-an herb that contains steviosides, substances that arenaturally 1000 times sweeter than sugar, without the nasty effects on our blood sugar levels.

7. Be sure to fit some exercise into your day. A minimum of twenty minutes of vigorous activity will get your circulation going, improve lymph flow, increase energy, and help your body burn the bulges leftover from the holiday season. If it's too cold outside, try jumping ona mini-trampoline. It's one of the best forms of exercise for gettingyour lymph to eliminate fatty deposits and cellulite in your body.

8. Avoid margarine and foods made with hydrogenated and trans fats.These toxic foods make your body's detox organs, like the liver,sluggish. They also require huge amounts of energy to digest. They alsol ead to weight gain and are linked to a host of other health problems.

9. Avoid foods that contain synthetic colours, preservatives, andother additives. As I tell clients, "if you can't read it, don't eat it." By avoiding them throughout the day, you are giving your liver a break so it can devote its energy to burning fat.

10. Add beans to your diet in soups, salads, stews, chilli, orother foods. The humble legumes are the most overlooked healthy foods, yet they are packed with protein, fiber, and complex carbs (the good ones) that cleanse your bowels, stabilize blood sugar, and keep youfeeling full for hours. Can't stand the aftermath of eating beans? Simply take a digestive enzyme that includes cellulase with meals that contain beans.

With the help of a few detoxification tricks, you can start the NewYear as a healthier, more energetic, and lighter version of you!

For more infor visit: www.DrMichelleCook.com
Based on the best-selling book, The 4-Week Ultimate Body Detox Plan
By: Michelle Schoffro Cook, DNM, DAc, CNC

About The 4-Week Ultimate Body Detox Plan

Toxins can leave you feeling sluggish, achy, heavy, andout-of-shape. They can also lead to disease in the form of cancer,diabetes, and allergies. In The 4-Week Ultimate Body Detox Plan, authorMichelle Schoffro Cook explains how herbs, foods, juices, exercise,breathing techniques and other natural therapies can help you to feelbetter than ever. Learn how to eliminate toxins from the respiratorysystem, liver, gall bladder, kidneys and urinary tract and more.

Based on a decade and a half of research and experience, The 4-Week Ultimate Body Detox Plan works by eliminating the source of fatigue,headaches, and joint pains to help your body rebuild.

Included are descriptions of complementary detox therapies, such asacupuncture, lymphatic drainage and homeopathy, along with recipes fordelicious cleansing juices, teas, soups, grain dishes, and more.

About the Author
Michelle Schoffro Cook, DNM, DAc, CNC is an internationalbest-selling and five-time book author, Doctor of Natural Medicine,Doctor of Acupuncture, and holistic nutritionist. Her books include: The Ultimate pH Solution, The 4-Week Ultimate Body Detox Plan, and The Brain Wash. She has contributed over 400 articles to morethan sixty magazines, journals, and newspapers worldwide and appearsbiweekly on CBC Radio Alberta.