Skip to main content

5 Healthy Ways to Post-Holiday Detox

So the holidays are almost over and you're probably feeling like the rest of Americans right now: bloated, tired and a little heavier than usual. Instead of going on a crash diet or thinking that you have to go to the gym for hours on end to start feeling like your pre-holiday self, follow these five tips to post-holiday detox in a healthy way!

1. Break the sugar and salt habit. If you feel especially bloated, cutting out the extra sugar, refined carbs and salt you've been having at holiday gatherings is the first step to getting back to your usual self. Do this for at least three days to get back on track and give your system time to reset.
2. Load up on veggies. Detoxing is all about getting the bad out and the good back in. So after the holidays challenge yourself to eat seven to 12 servings of fruits and veggies a day -- and make clean food the bulk of your diet. Get a variety of produce to ensure that you're getting all those vitamins and minerals you probably skimped on over holiday break.

Try our "vegetarian for a week" challenge, or give "meatless Monday" a try!

3. Start off easy at the gym. You're probably gung-ho about working out right now and think a killer workout is what it will take to get you back on track, but ease back into the gym. It's better to do a little bit every day then go to the gym, push it too hard, and then be so sore that you can't move for days!

4. Make water your new BFF. Hydration is the name of the game when it comes to post-holiday detoxing. Guzzle that water throughout the day, trying to get at least 64 ounces. Water helps flush out toxins and helps your body eliminate waste! (A good rule of thumb is to divide your total body weight in half, and drink that many ounces. i.e. A 150-pound person should drink 75 ounces of water.)

5. Ignore the scale for a few days. Because of all the extra holiday goodies, which included added sugar, salt and fat, you're probably a few pounds heavier than normal. Instead of stepping on the scale and feeling down about the number, just forgo the scale. Follow these tips and weigh yourself in a week. You'll probably be back to your normal size!

Extreme detoxes aren't necessary to get back on track after the holidays, nor are they any kind of healthy for your body. It's also not healthy to beat yourself up over what you ate and those workouts you may have missed. Today is a new day -- so appreciate the holidays for what they are (or were) and get back on the healthy track!

Learn more about kick-starting a healthy new year:

How to Lose 10 Pounds in 30 Days

Jillian Michaels' Jumpstart Diet Just in Time for New Year's Resolutions

The Biggest Loser New Year's Detox

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Payroll tax cut worries Social Security advocates

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama's plan to cut payroll taxes for a year would provide big savings for many workers, but makes Social Security advocates nervous that it could jeopardize the retirement program's finances. The plan is part of a package of tax cuts and extended unemployment benefits that Obama negotiated with Senate Republican leaders. It would cut workers' share of Social Security taxes by nearly one-third for 2011. Workers making $50,000 in wages would get a $1,000 tax cut; those making $100,000 would get a $2,000 tax cut. The government would borrow about $112 billion to make Social Security whole. Advocates and some lawmakers worry that relying on borrowed money to fund Social Security could eventually force it to compete with other federal programs for scarce dollars, leading to cuts. Social Security taxes "ought to be held sacrosanct," said Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D., chairman of the House Ways and Means subco...

New Dishes for this Week

MONDAY Stroganoff-Style Beef with Broccoli TUESDAY Chicken Alfredo and Rice Casserole WEDNESDAY Slow-Cooker Flemish Beef Stew THURSDAY Vegetarian Chili FRIDAY Slow-Cooked Chicken with Sourdough-Mushroom Stuffing SATURDAY Easy Marinated Pork Tenderloin SUNDAY Lamb Chops with Red Onion, Grape Tomatoes, and Feta (...AND sign up for Yahoo! Shine's weekly recipe newsletter) MONDAY Stroganoff-Style Beef with Broccoli Provided by Better Homes and Gardens For more stroganoff recipes, try these delicious dishes. Here is a dinner idea that can be ready in 30 minutes. If you are a fan of beef and broccoli, this is a recipe you must try. Serve it on top of cooked wide noodles and enjoy. Share this recipe with friends who also have busy schedules and are looking for a quick and delicious main dish...

Blake Griffin with his head at the rim

After knocking himself out of the 2009-10 season after hurting his knee during a dunk attempt, it's still OK to cringe a bit every time you see Blake Griffin (notes) readying a launch. And apparently, now we have to worry about his head knocking the rim just as much as his knees handling the descent. It speaks to the level of credibility that the Dunk Contest owns these days that when word hit Wednesday that Blake Griffin was open to the idea of entering the NBA's annual stuffing show, we were actually more concerned than excited. Would Griffin, clearly the master of the in-game dunk just two months into his NBA career, be able to in any way match his prowess in an exhibition setting? Was there a risk of him needlessly hurting himself in the process? About 11 minutes into Wednesday's Rockets/Clippers matchup, the worries became outright fears. Because Blake went and did this. That's a 6-9 guy jumping off a surgically repaired kneecap with his head at th...