Improved Digestion and detoxing tips

Everything that goes on in our body starts with what we digest. Issues in digestion can look anywhere from a slowed metabolism to bloating to fatigue and dull and tired skin, acne and more. Digestion can become impaired when we don’t allow movement into our bodies, eat unhealthy and processed foods and don’t stay hydrated. Our digestive system is essentially one very long tube that needs to stay relatively clean to keep optimal functionality and movement helps to keep everything in there moving. What happens is that when you eat processed foods and don’t stay hydrated, you start backing up the tube and you end up with constipation, bloating, and skin and gut issues as well as low energy because you just have all of this old stuff just sitting in there not moving.

So what can we do to make sure that we have optimal digestion? Start with a clean out. Just as you would clean out a closet or pantry before you add in more things to keep things organized and clean, you’d also start with a detox to get rid of all that old stuff sitting your intestines. You don’t have to do an intense detox or juice cleanse but basically try to incoprorate clean living tips that you will likely keep for the long run. Health is not a quick fix that allows you to go back to junk food after rather it is a lifestyle.

Here are some things that I like to do to make sure that my digestion is in good shape and I feel good all day long:

Mornings: I like to start off with a green juice. I have a cold pressed juicer that I like to juice up a lemon, some celery, ginger, and sometimes add fennel and always a splash of coconut water for hydration. I then follow this with my morning drink of choice either some sort of hot tea or matcha. I always make all of this at home. I also drink a big glass of water as I’m normally super thirsty upon waking up and all of this really helps to get my digestion going in the mornings. I also like to eat a bowl of berries, an apple or a piece of whatever fruit is in season with a side of sourdough bread, and avocado topped with some smoked salmon. This has lately been my go to and I’m still not sick of it :)

Mid-day: Then either in mid day or early morning I like to take a walk around the neighborhood of at least a couple miles or go to a yoga or workout class. I also teach yoga throughout the day most days so drinking water is essential for hydration especially with added electrolytes to make up for all of the sweating. I naturally move a lot during my day so this is essential that I also carry around a lot of fruits with me as little snacks. Some time midday I also like to eat a bit more, generally some leftovers from dinner the night before.

Evenings: In the evenings I like to slow it down and hang out with my family and chat and either go outside with my kitty to see some sunshine around the house or if the weather is nice I like to go for a little swim before dinner. I obviously can’t do this everyday but whenever I can fit it in, the cold water always refreshes me and wakes me up. Swimming and yoga are also great ways to get your body moving and digestions moving. The light pressure of water is also amazing for lymphatic health as it just helps to keep things moving along in the body and makes skin super great. Then I like to prepare dinner something plant based usually with a side of good protein. Then we end the day eating and chatting and cleaning up the kitchen and either reading or watching a show together on the couch before going up for bed. I say all this because it’s also important to stay relaxed and keep your nervous system balanced in order to keep your digestion and therefore the rest of your body in balance as well.

Staying in movement throughout the day is important as well as hydrating, eating nutrient dense and fiber filled foods that will keep digestion moving. I love starting my mornings off with a morning juice and/or lemon water because it helps to get things going, and hydrates my cells from the inside after being dehydrated all night. I also sip on water throughout the entire day to everything hydrated. I also personally eat fruit all day long as well as that’s what I like to snack on. In order to really detox everything its also important to sweat out toxins either through working out, cardio, or sweating it out in a sauna or bath or a combination of everything to really detox through your sweat and by getting your blood pumping which also helps to get your lymphatic system moving. The key thing to note is that the lymphatic system does not have any way of moving itself and the way it moves is when the blood gets pumped around the body and you move and detox through sweating and stretching.