24 Hours For Your Health - How To Detox In A Day

If you’re feeling a bit sluggish or want to give your body a quick boost – don’t worry. By making some small changes to your daily routine you can give yourself a mini detox without having to splash out on a spa or follow a strict diet.

Plan to be healthy

• A healthy lifestyle won’t just happen. To make those healthy choices and give your body a detox, it is important to plan and schedule them in throughout the day.
• Rather than making vague plans to “eat more healthily” or “do some exercise”, make a menu for the day ahead.
• Detail exactly what you will eat and schedule in a time – or a number of times - for exercise, establishing an exact time, activity and location.
• Whatever your health intentions, set your purpose for the day ahead and factor in some time to make it happen.
• You could even prepare your meals the day before or make sure you only have the required ingredients in the fridge – so you’re not tempted to snack and spoil the detox!

Ditch your alarm clock

• If you’re trying to detox for the day you need to get off to a good start.
• If you find yourself regularly waking up feeling sluggish, struggling to get out of bed and repeatedly pressing snooze it may be worth investing in a gentler wake-up call.
• Our bodies are wired to wake up to natural light, but at certain times of year and in certain places it is not always possible to do so.
• Buy a wake-up light which will wake you up gently as it gradually brightens, helping to regulate sleeping patterns and boost your mood and energy levels for the rest of the day.
• Sleep is one of the best ways to detox your body – so try to get plenty of it the night before and after your detox day. That way you’ll wake up really feeling the benefits the day after.

Later workouts

• While a workout is great for your health, research suggests that it may be best to leave your exercise session until later in the day – especially if you are planning a hard session as part of your detox day.
• Heavy training sessions early in the morning have been found to compromise the immune system and put athletes at increased risk of infection from bacteria and viruses.
• While a morning jog or gentle exercise session is unlikely to put you at great risk, try to save anything more strenuous for later in the day.
• If you're feeling a little sluggish in the morning, there's no better way to wake up the body than with some gentle, energizing yoga .

Positive mental attitude

• Many of us start the day by watching the news or browsing news sites or news apps on their phone.
• While it’s good to stay informed of what is happening in the world, it can also start the day off on a negative note.
• If you find yourself struggling to get in a positive frame of mind, try starting your detox day with some motivational reading, an inspirational quote or engaging with friends and family on social media.
• Starting your day with a more positive outlook will help to boost your mood and productivity. This will set you in a good stead for the day ahead.

Don’t eat at your desk

• On a detox day, try not to give in to the temptation to skip your lunch break and eat at your desk.
• Refusing to take a break is not only bad for your mental health but eating while distracted may mean you are more likely to overeat .
• Also spending your lunch hour at your desk can compromise your health by lengthening the time you are physically inactive. To avoid feeling full and tired in the afternoon, it’s best to eat a light lunch – possibly a soup or a salad.

Get more active, more often

• Sitting for long periods of time puts you at risk of dangerous illnesses such as heart disease – regardless of whether you are otherwise physically active.
• If you work in a job that’s quite inactive, make an effort to move more often throughout the day in any way you can.
• Another good way to add more activity to your detox day is to organise your workspace so that things are out of reach. Even the smallest activities done regularly can make a difference to your health.
• Stand-up desks are starting to be seen as an alternative to sitting while working – this might not be ideal on a daily basis, but trying to stand while you work on a detox day could be a great way to burn extra calories and give your body a real boost.
• Set up an alert or write a post-it note reminding you to get up and stretch or take a break and walk around the office.

Healthy dinner

• If you’ve managed to stick to your detox plan during the day it’s essential that you have a filling and healthy meal to ensure you don’t give into temptation and snack in the evening.
• Lean protein and fresh vegetables are really good for this.
• Also, instead of eating in front of the TV or while using your laptop or mobile phone, sit down at a table to take the time to really enjoy your meal. You'll find that by doing so, you can focus on your food and not eat mindlessly, which is a common reason for overeating.