We’re all human. We partake in the occasional (or more frequent) indulgences life has to offer. Even as a practicing health-fanatic-vegetarian-yogi, I can’t imagine my life without my favorite glass(es) of red wine and dessert! Daily detox measures help counteract the less healthy items we put in our body, as well as the environmental factors for which we have little control.

 

Instead of relying on intense, short-lived detoxes, begin incorporating these steps to detox your body EVERY SINGLE DAY of your life.

 

 

1. Drink hot lemon water.

 

Kick-start the detoxing process first thing in the morning by drinking a cup of warm water with lemon and cayenne.

 

 

2. Have a fresh cold-pressed juice

 

Do it on an empty stomach, which allows your body to absorb the nutrients more quickly. My go-to detox elixir: lemon, kale, spinach, spirulina, and ginger – the more greens, the better!

 

 

3. Sip a detox tea. 

 

Sip a few cups of detoxifying tea blends throughout the day. Look for ingredients such as dandelion root, ginger, burdock and licorice root.

 

 

4. Add apple cider vinegar. 

 

Along with a host of other benefits, apple cider vinegar alkalizes the body and helps detox the liver. Buy the raw, unfiltered and organic variety.

 

 

5. Eat detoxing foods and supplements.

 

The liver and kidneys serve as the body’s filtration system, and thus are integral to overall health and cleansing. Incorporate the following to aid in continual kidney and liver cleansing: parsley, cilantro, dandelion root, licorice root, cayenne, turmeric, red pepper, garlic, lemon, lime, grapefruit, sea vegetables (seaweed salad, nori, dulse), artichokes, beets, cruciferous vegetables, wheatgrass, spirulina, chlorella and milk thistle.

 

 

6. Eat clean.

 

Incorporate fiber into your diet to keep the elimination process flowing. Limit or avoid high-mercury fish such as swordfish, tuna, mackerel, shark, marlin and grouper. General rule to follow: larger fish typically have higher levels of mercury. Avoid refined sugars, processed foods, alcohol, caffeine and non-organic fruits and veggies.

 

 

7. Sweat.

 

Sweating is crucial for expelling toxins. Use an infrared sauna, which assists in removing heavy metal toxins stored in fat tissues. Take a Bikram yoga class — or any yoga class! Exercise with extra layers to help increase body temperature and perspiration.

 

8. Invert.

 

Scientifically shown to help the cardiovascular, lymphatic, endocrine and nervous systems, inversions reverse the flow of gravity, stimulate the lymphatic system, and aid in blood purification. Traditional inversions include:

• Shoulder stand
• Headstand or handstand
• Legs propped up against a wall

 

9. Jump.

 

Rebounding is great for stimulating the lymphatic system and increasing circulation. Small, portable trampolines are a quick and easy way to build jumping into your daily routine.

 

10. Eliminate.

 

Elimination seemed appropriate for the “Move” category! Further cleanse your colon by taking daily fiber supplements, probiotics, digestive enzymes, and incorporating colon cleanses such as colonics or enemas.

 

 

11. Dry body brush.

 

Before showering, dry brush your body head-to-toe, using long strides toward the heart. This activates the lymphatic system, stimulates blood circulation, and enhances toxin elimination through our body’s largest organ — the skin!

 

 

12. Tongue scrape.

 

Yes, it sounds funny, but this quickly cleans the tongue of accumulated bacteria and toxic debris from the night before. Think of it as giving your body an extra assist in the detox process, while also achieving better breath! I promise you’ll be hooked.

 

 

13. Try hydrotherapy.

 

Hydrotherapy encompasses a large range of approaches and methods. An easy way to incorporate hydrotherapy daily is by alternating between hot and cold water every 30 seconds in the shower. Cold water stimulates, causing blood vessels to constrict, while hot water relaxes and causes blood vessels to dilate. This alternation of hot and cold water improves elimination, decreases inflammation, removes wastes from tissues, and stimulates circulation.

 

 

14. Detox bath.

 

I have a magical detox bath formula resulting from many years of research and testing. And, yes, I’m sharing it with you! Take one every week to cleanse from the outside in.

• Dead sea salts / Epsom salts (2 cups): draw toxins out through the skin
• Baking Soda (2 cups): naturally alkalizing substance helps remove toxins
• Fresh ground ginger (1 tbsp): heats-up body temperature, encouraging perspiration
• Therapeutic-grade essential oils (4 drops each): Geranium, eucalyptus and juniper berry possess powerful agents aiding in detoxification.

 

15. Get massages.

 

This deserves two exclamation points. Massages increase circulation, stimulate the lymphatic system and remove toxic build-up. They also feel pretty good.

 

 

16. Make your home healthy.

 

Introduce plants to your home (peace lilies, ferns and palms are great natural air filters), change A/C filters regularly, avoid harsh household chemicals, install chlorine filters, introduce an air purifier, and consider a reverse-osmosis water system.

 

 

Michele is a certified yoga instructor (200 RYT), member of Yoga Alliance and teaches Detox and Vinyasa flow classes at Green Monkey in Miami, FL. By day, she works as a Sr. Marketing Strategist Anthropologist at SapientNitro a global interactive marketing, creative design, & technology agency. Michele is finishing her Master of Arts in Liberal Studies with a concentration in psychology and anthropology at the University of Miami. The perpetual hobbyist, she is obsessed with healthy living, detox techniques, philosophy, anthropology, psychology, art and classic literature. On a more personal note, Michele is a spiritual-seeker, humanist, dedicated yogi, practicing vegetarian, and rainy-day appreciator.