Detoxification or cleansing programs aren’t at all easy, but the benefits that can be reaped from them appeal to a lot of people, both old and new to cleansing. If you already eat clean, then preparing for a detox shouldn’t be difficult. On the other hand, if you’re used to eating just about anything, then you’ll definitely need to give your body—and yourself—some time to physically and mentally prepare prior to a cleansing program.
Preparation is the key to a lot of things, including success in detoxification. Check out these tips to help you prepare for your upcoming cleanse.
1. Consult Your Doctor
If you’re taking maintenance medications for any ongoing medical condition or just apprehensive about the safety of detox programs, you should consult a doctor first. Do that before even preparing for a cleanse. This is to ensure that the type of cleanse that you plan to do won’t interfere with any medications you’re taking.
Perhaps you’ve previously been advised to avoid certain food items that may be part of the detox program you’re considering. Be on the safe side, and ask your doctor first.
2. Choose a Suitable Cleansing Program
Detoxification programs come in different forms and offer different results. To choose a program that suits you, start by writing down your goals or what you plan to achieve with your detox.
Is it the intent to jump-start a weight loss program, or are you just about ready to turn your lifestyle around and eat clean for the long term? Or do you have a drug test scheduled soon and just want to make sure you’re as clean as you can be with a toxin-rid detox program that you can find here for example.
Goal setting is important to figure out what type of cleanse best suits you. Once you’ve decided on the cleansing program you’ll be following, read and understand all that it entails. This will help get you into the proper mind-set needed to see through the cleanse to the end.
3. Schedule It according to Your Calendar
There’s no one correct schedule to start a cleanse that can suit everyone. Rather, it’s best to look at your personal calendar and decide on the best time for your detox program to start.
Ideally, it shouldn’t overlap with an important life event, such as a wedding, a big birthday celebration, or a long-planned vacation. It may not be feasible to stick to a diet during such events, when food is at the center of the celebration. The last thing you want is to not enjoy yourself.
4. Prepare Meal Plans
Meal planning has been advocated as a habit that may help people eat healthier and eat better, and it can’t be more applicable than when preparing to start a detox program. Make a list of meals you can make for the entire week in accordance with the program guide, and shop for the things you’ll need to make them.
Having planned meals will help keep you from rummaging through the refrigerator or pantry and, possibly, getting tempted to veer off the cleansing course when mealtime comes around.
5. Hydrate, and Cut Back on Caffeine and Alcohol
Staying hydrated during a cleanse is very important as water not only helps to curb food cravings. It also flushes out unwanted toxins from the body. In order to stay hydrated, drink plenty of fluids, and avoid caffeine and alcohol.
If you’re a heavy drinker of coffee or alcoholic beverages, try to reduce your alcohol and caffeine consumption at least a week before the start of your detox. That way, you won’t have to go through withdrawal, which may affect your cleansing experience. If a caffeine boost is necessary, consider switching to green tea.
6. Stay Away from Refined Sugar
Refined sugar has been found to cause weight gain and, as a result, increases the risk of heart problems. Detox programs will normally have you cutting down on refined sugars, so a few days before the start of the cleanse, it’s best to stay away from anything that has them.
Check the labels of the products you purchase to search for any hidden sources of sugar. Alternatively, consider using healthier options, such as raw honey or coconut blossom syrup, in moderation.
7. Increase Your Intake of Vegetables
If you’re a big vegetable eater, then this shouldn’t be a problem. However, if you’re not so keen on eating vegetables, then it’s best to start incorporating more of them into your diet days leading up to the cleanse.
Vegetables are full of vitamins and minerals, which help boost the immune system. Leafy green vegetables, in particular, are chlorophyll rich and aid in digestion and detoxification.
8. Inform Whoever You Need To
Cleansing isn’t something that you have to strictly do alone. In fact, it helps when you’re doing it with other people as a support system will really help you through the entire program and succeed.
Inform your family and friends so you explain why you’re doing the detox and what you hope to achieve from it. These important people around you, in turn, can provide the encouragement you’ll need to stick to the program. Additionally, you can expect mood changes when doing a cleanse, so having people around you know about that may aid in avoiding any conflicts from arising.
9. Get Adequate Sleep
Sleep has a ton of benefits and can aid in detox. For one thing, if you’re well rested, you’ll be less inclined to wake up in a foul mood.
Lack of sleep can also affect your willpower, which can definitely put your cleansing plans at risk. Additionally, studies have shown that sleep deprivation can make you hungrier. There is, reportedly, a link between bad sleep and having lower levels of leptin, a hormone that reduces hunger, in the body. Hence, when planning your sleeping schedule in preparation for a cleanse, have a restful environment that will enhance the quality of your sleep.
10. Scale Back on Your Exercise Regimen
Sweating out and moving around is good, but it’s advisable to scale back on your exercise regimen a few days before you start your detox program. This is crucial particularly if you do heavy workouts on the regular.
Since you’ll be changing your diet and probably consuming less food than you’re used to, you may not have enough energy to sustain a rigorous workout. Try to taper down on the number of miles you run in the mornings, or limit heavy lifting. Consider doing yoga, or go walking instead of your usual jog.
Conclusion
A detoxification program is a challenge that can do wonders for your health and well-being, but beginners often make the mistake of going into it blindly. This often leads to quitting halfway through the program. With adequate mental and physical preparation, a cleanse can be completed safely and successfully.