Hope everyone had an awesome weekend! I have been asked frequently by friends and family over the last year about how to get back on track after a long weekend so I figured it would be a good topic to share with all of you. With the summer in full swing, you’re more likely going to have those weekends where you have a few extra glasses of wine or don’t have enough time to fit in those weekend workouts with your busy social calendar. Trust me – I have been there many times and have had quite a few Sunday Scaries. However, I’m here to tell you to BE KIND TO YOURSELF. It took me a very long time to not be so hard on myself and just do the best I can to get back on track. No one is perfect and it’s impossible to be the picture of health and wellness 24/7. Besides being kind to yourself and not feeling guilty for overindulging, here are a few other tips that will make you feel even better:
1 . Hydration
Hydration is key after a long weekend of adult beverages. Water is an obvious and inexpensive choice, but you can also reach for the coconut water which hydrates you faster than water and puts electrolytes back into your body. The faster you can get hydrated, the sooner you will feel better and your body will thank you. I love using my new Swell Bottle because it keeps my water nice and cold. My personal favorite is Harmless Harvest Coconut Water.
2. Natural Fermentation/Probiotics
If you read my last post about “gut health”, you know that it is vital to your overall health. I take daily probiotics and drink Health-Ade Kombucha regularly to keep my gut in check. I also recently started making my own kefir water which I personally found to be even more effective than the probiotics you can buy in stores. Email me for more info!
3. Exercise
I know exercise is the last thing you want to be doing, but getting the blood flowing and the sweat going will help you detox in no time. It doesn’t have to be super intensive if you’re not up for it, but even a short run or walk or an at home 30 minute exercise video will do the trick. Just get that body moving!
4. Get Extra Sleep
Out of all of the areas you can be healthy in, I’ll have to admit that this is the one I struggle the most with. Everyone may require a different number of hours of sleep, but at the end of the day you need sleep in order to allow your body to rest and heal from the previous day’s activities. The recommended number of hours of sleep for an adult is typically 7-9 hours. To relax my body before bed, I add a few drops of lavender oil into my rosehip oil that I massage on my face before bed. Not only is lavender a soothing oil, but it also helps fight acne and inflammation!
5. Eat Berries and Fruit
Berries and fruit will help hydrate you and provide you with those much needed antioxidants. My favorite hydrating fruit is watermelon, and most berries are high in antioxidants. Antioxidants is a word that gets thrown around often, but what does it actually mean? They prevent the oxidation of molecules in the body, which if unaddressed, can lead to disease and chronic illnesses. The body produces antioxidants but not enough to balance the number of free radicals we have, which is why we need to eat foods that are high in antioxidants.
6. Eat Beets
Want to help out your liver that has been working so hard over the weekend? Add some beets into your diet the next day, whether it’s in your smoothie, a side to your main meal, or on top of your salad. Beets are also high in antioxidants, but contain nutrients (betaine, pectin, and betalains) all which help the liver to eliminate toxins and support the detoxification process.
7. Drink Tea
Tea helps you bounce back in multiple ways depending upon the type of tea in addition to being another source of hydration. Green tea contains a lot of antioxidants, but herbs like lemongrass, ginger, dandelion, and milk thistle all have similar characteristics that support a healthy liver. In addition, ginger also contains these properties which is why this is my new favorite tea: Organic Tulsi Turmeric Ginger Tea.
8. Yoga
I know I’ve already touched on that exercise is key in detoxing, and while yoga is yet another form of exercise – it’s also different from a run or workout class. There are certain yoga poses that stimulate your circulatory, digestive, and lymphatic systems which helps rid your body of waste and toxins. You are essentially “wringing out” your body in many of the twists that these poses put you in. Some of my favorite studios in NYC are: Sacred Sounds Yoga, Yoga Vida, and YogaWorks. My new fave on Long Island in my hometown of Islip is The Welcome Mat Yoga.
9. Exfoliate
While most people always remember to exfoliate their face, we don’t always remember to exfoliate our bodies. One way that you can exfoliate your body quickly and easily is through using a dry brush. I do this daily basis before a shower in the morning. This process aids in increased circulation, purges dead skin cells, stimulates the lymph nodes, improves digestion, reduces cellulite, and helps the cells and body remove waste. It only takes a few minutes but I feel so much better! Check out this link to learn more about how to do it: https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.mindbodygreen.com/articles/a-step-by-step-guide-to-dry-skin-brushing
Hopefully you’ll remember this article the next time you have a long weekend and need to get back on track! Please feel free to reach out to me via email with any questions, and I also offer gentle detoxing in the beginning of my health coaching programs. I would love to work with anyone that is looking to detox and then set up a personalized wellness program. Enjoy the rest of your nights!
