Alana Panton – Spring Detox

Spring is here and it’s so beautiful to see all the incredible changes to the weather, the luscious green leaves and pretty flowers, sweet fruits, vibrant veggies – our food, mood, energy, everything is changing…

Spring is a great time to cleanse and rejuvenate our body and mind to be part of these beautiful seasonal changes on earth and more importantly to feel alive! Plus of course with summer coming it’s the perfect time for a detox.

A detox can be described as a process in which the body eliminates toxins. Today’s detox/cleansing concept is based on the idea that the damage to vital organs and functions from toxins must be repaired has arisen mostly from Far East cultures.

Detoxing differs from dieting in that its goal is to cleanse and rest the body. However, one of the natural consequences of detoxing is that excess weight falls off. Today there are many kinds of detox programs that help the body expel toxins that have been trapped in the cells and organs as a result of being exposed to noxious elements in our environment and food. From juice fasts to colon cleanses, detox diets have become popular in recent years to lose weight orencourage a healthy lifestyle.

Committing to a detox can greatly aid in kick-starting weight loss and changing emotional relationships with food long-term. It can also help you reach specific health goals, whether you want to lose weight, detoxify or reduce your risk of disease. The most popular detox program is usually a juice detox, which generally refers to a period of 3–10 days when a person’s diet consists mainly of fruit and vegetable juices with the main benefits marketed providing a variety of health benefits.

Committing yourself to a detox, cleansing our body to remove all those accumulated toxic substances chemicals even once a year for 1 week would be great gift to your body. The beginning of each season is the perfect time. Detoxing helps the body move to equilibrium by helping it purge mental, emotional, environmental, water and food toxins while simultaneously resting the digestive system and giving it time to repair.

Many people detox for as little as one day but to experience the full effect of a detox, seven days is a good number. Juice detoxes are a great way to provide your body with nourishment, vitamins and minerals and have become very popular in recent years. Whenever you think your body and mind needs a break and rest, it’s a good time to think about a detox.

If you feel fatigued, tired all day, have bad quality sleep, get sick often, feel constipated, have a hard time losing a few pounds even if you control your portions, experience muscle aches, joint pain, headaches, bloating, gas, diarrhoea, heartburn, tension,or feel down andunmotivated, it’s basically the time for detox regardless of the time of the year. A detox will have many positive effects on your body… weight loss is only one of them.

Inflammation in the body is greatly reduced, which is the main cause of all kinds of chronic diseases – plus the detox can boost your immune system and your energy levels, improve skin quality, give you better digestion and improved sleep. But more importantly, your mind will be a lot more relaxed; you will start to lose anxious feelings and have a lot more mental clarity. The body also releases emotions as the toxins expel from the body… some people experience a spiritual awakening while detoxing and it can often be life changing. During a detox the body starts to heal, detoxification moves onto a mental and emotional level, and finally reveals a spiritual body. You feel more connected with yourself, feel more harmonised and aligned with nature as well.

When you remove synthetic accumulations from your body and replace them with natural alternatives, you behave, feel and think in a more natural and positive mindset. Ok, so you can’t get to a wellness centre now? That’s totally fine. There are many ways that you can start detoxing at home, now more than ever.

Tips For Detoxing At Home 

Whether it’s a juice program or a combination of juice & healthy:

1. Meals – make sure you are organised and follow a specific program – research online what detox plans would be suitable for you or purchase a book or a specific online program.
2. Drink lots of water – 3 litres plus per day.
3. Preparation is key – make sure you order or go shopping for everything you need prior to your detox
4. Incorporate at least 20 minutes of gentle exercise of yoga daily
   Start each morning with meditation
5. Journal and get in touch with yourself during your detox journey
   Have a social media and TV detox – replace watching mainstream media and scrolling through Facebook etc. with reading positive/inspirational books
6. Incorporate any recommended supplements to get the best from your detox
   Enjoy the experience with a positive mind-set – see it as something amazing you are doing for your body and your health
7. Remember no caffeine during detox which means no coffee – so stock up on lots of herbal teas!

Alkalise Juice Recipe:

1 large handful of spinach
1 lemon or lime
1 – inch piece of ginger
1/2 medium sized cucumber
2 sticks of celery
* 1 apple (optional)
Add a little filtered water if required.

Wash and chop all produce and process through a juicer – pour into a glass and serve with ice. Enjoy…

If you get bored of Alkalise juice you can make small changes such as adding kale instead of spinach, fennel or green cabbage instead of celery, adding broccoli stems, greens or courgettes, mint and other herbs such as parsley, basil and coriander.

This green juice is the main juice used in my 7 day green juice program – an alkalising green juice which will flourish your body full of nutrient dense vitamins and minerals.

Let me know how you get on with your Spring Detox – it will be well worth the time and effort.