The Importance of Detoxing and Some Simple and Inexpensive Ways to do it Naturally

Are you feeling sluggish and fatigued, lacking energy? Are you struggling to lose weight despite the fact that you’re eating healthy and exercising? Is your breath kicking? Is your skin breaking out so much you feel like your reliving your teenage years?   If you are experiencing such symptoms, there is a good chance your body is full of toxins and you are in need of a detox!  Despite every effort you may make to eat healthy and avoid obvious toxins, every day you come in contact with and ingest toxins. These little suckers are everywhere- the food you eat, the air you breathe, the water you drink, the skin products you use, the cleaning products you use, the clothing you wear, ….honestly, the list goes on and on.  The truth of the matter is, no matter how hard you try, you can’t completely avoid toxins because we live in a toxic world.  Our bodies are designed to naturally filter out toxins on their own.  The problem is that with the crazy amount of toxins we come in contact with daily, sometimes our systems are unable to keep up with the demand.  When toxins start building up in our systems, we then start experiencing some of the symptoms listed above.  The good news is there are ways you can naturally “assist” your body’s built in detoxifying systems to work quicker and more efficiently at removing the harmful toxins from your system.  There are many great benefits to detoxing your body periodically, such as more energy, eliminating waste, weight loss, a stronger immune system, better skin and hair, better breath, a clearer mind, and overall you will feel much better!  While some people turn to some really drastic measures to detoxify their bodies, such methods are not needed to reap the benefits that detoxing brings.  Here are some simple, inexpensive and natural ways to help detox your body and be on your way to feeling amazing!

1. Water-Drinking water is one of the easiest ways to help your body transport the toxins out of your system. Water is used by all of your body’s “built in” detoxifying systems such as your colon, liver, and kidneys to remove waste from your body.  Consuming enough water daily ensures that these organs function properly and successfully do their job of removing toxins.  Aim at drinking half of your body weight in ounces of water each day to keep your body working efficiently.
2. Lemon water- Lemon water is known to help aid in digestion and also balance the ph levels within your body.  There are many benefits to drinking lemon water every day, especially first thing in the morning, because of its abilities to help eliminate toxins from the body quicker. Dr. Axe, who specializes in using food as medicine, has outlined many of the great benefits of including lemon water in your daily routine in his article, "Benefits of Lemon Water".
3.  Focus on real food- It’s no secret that fruits and vegetables are healthy for you! They are full of vitamins and antioxidants that are vital for a healthy body. Our bodies weren’t designed to run on toxic processed foods and when you eat junk food, your body has to work overtime to filter it out!  By eliminating processed foods and focusing on God made foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins and healthy fats, you won’t be “clogging” your body’s filtration systems with extra toxins and they will be able to do their jobs without added stress. 
4. Sweating- One of the ways your body naturally removes toxins is through the process of sweating.  One of the easiest ways to help remove toxins from your system is to exercise and “sweat it out”. In addition to removing toxins, sweating has many other amazing benefits including clearer skin and boosting your immune system.

Don’t Overlook Emotional Toxins!

Just like you don’t want to let a bunch of environmental toxins build up and hang out in your body, it’s equally important to take some time to evaluate and address the emotional toxins that you may also have built up in your system. Maintaining harmful emotions such as unforgiveness, anger, guilt, shame, and regret that have come as a response to the wounds inflicted by others or by life's disappointments, are incredibly toxic to your health. Letting such harmful emotions build up inside over the months or years without dealing with them is similar to trash piling up in a garbage can, if you don’t take out the trash, it’s eventually going to overflow.  The same is true of your emotional trash, if you don’t deal with it and take it out, it’s going to spill out into and effect your life.  Toxic emotions bring about things like depression, anxiety, hatred, bitterness and ultimately the absence of peace in your life. When peace is gone from our lives, we are quick to self-medicate- we turn to turn to things like alcohol, drugs, prescription pills, sex, and for many…. food.  While all these self-medications may temporarily make us feel better and provide some peace, they are all incredibly addicting, meaning, we have to partake in these things more and more and in greater quantities in order to achieve the temporary fix that they bring us. Eventually, after the “high” wears off, we are still left with the toxic emotions in our system that we wanted to escape initially.  A vast majority of the population claim to be “emotional eaters” and turn to unhealthy “comfort foods” to feel better.  Could the fact that you’ve not emptied your emotional garbage lately be the very thing that is hindering you achieving your weight loss goals?  Detoxing toxic emotions is often times an incredibly painful process, but a necessity in order to live a healthy life.  Forgive those who have wronged you, even if they don't deserve it!  Holding that grudge is only hurting you, not them! Let go of the guilt, shame and regrets of your past.  Shake off those emotional chains that have been enslaving you to your past and breakout into your future! Eliminate those toxic emotions you've been holding onto today and become the beautiful and healthy individual you were made to be!