Everyday Detox
Your quick guide to improving your body's own detox abilities. Start feeling
your best today!
What are toxins?
‘Toxin’ just means something that can harm your body. Your body is
constantly neutralising and excreting toxins to avoid an
accumulation of a substance that can harm you.
Toxins can be found in:
Food (preservatives, pesticides, colours, alcohol, caffeine)
Cigarettes
Drugs (recreational and pharmaceutical)
Make up or cleaning products
Environmental: car fumes, heavy metals, poor air quality
Plus, naturally occurring substances in the body, like excess
hormones or cholesterol, parasites, yeasts, fungi etc.
How do we deal with toxins?
The detoxification process occurs all over your body:
Liver: phase 1 and 2 detox pathways
Kidneys: filtering blood, toxins excreted in urine
Skin: toxins excreted via pores, especially while sweating
Lymphatic system: helps rid the body of waste
Digestive system: excrete toxins via bowels
Lungs: expel carbon dioxide, take in oxygen
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Everyday detox
Make the most of your body's own detoxification pathways by
making sure they are in good working order. Your everyday detox
potential is influenced by:
What you drink
What you eat
How you breathe
How well your bowels work
How you move
How your lymphatic system moves: dry skin brushing
What you Drink
Staying hydrated helps provide enough liquid to flush toxins out
via the kidneys & reduces risk of constipation
Drink water, lots of it! Aim for around 2 litres each day
Try different herbal teas. They help get more water in, and are a
caffeine-free alternative to coffee
Reduce caffeine & alcohol as they require a lot of work from the
liver, and can be dehydrating. Caffeine is especially harmful if
you suffer anxiety or insomnia. If you can handle caffeine, limit
to 1-2 coffees per day (but not everyday), and for alcohol...no
more than 2 standard drinks per day (with 3 alcohol free days a
week)
Be wary of how much sugar is in any juices or smoothies you buy
or make yourself.
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What you eat
Keep It Simple: Enjoy lots of fresh, unprocessed food. Don't have
too much sugar, and buy organic where possible
Eat a rainbow. Colourful fruits & veggies are packed with
antioxidants and nutrients needed for our detox pathways
(including fibre for our bowels). If you're a “meat & veg” dinner
person, have at least 4 different coloured vegetables on your
plate.
Include cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and
cabbage. These are super important to provide nutrients for
phase 2 detox in the liver
Don’t forget white vegetables like onion & garlic
Greens: Have green veggies everyday. Not only do they include
nutrients to help your liver's detox pathways, but also chlorophyl
which can bind to toxins in the gut so they can be easily excreted
and not absorbed
Lemon: Add some lemon juice to water and have before meals
to stimulate digestion, but remember to use a straw to protect
the enamel on your teeth.
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How you breathe
Do you notice how you breathe? Do you hold your breath, or maybe
you're a shallow breather? Mindful breathing exercises can reduce
stress and cortisol levels (the 'stress hormone'), and encourage
detoxification by making sure there is enough oxygen available to
the body, and breathing out excessive carbon dioxide.
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Quick mindful breathing exercise - try three times a day
Sit down somewhere quiet
Put your hand on your diaphragm (around the bottom of your
ribcage)
Take a slow, deep breath in, counting for 4 counts. Breathe to
the bottom of your lungs, and you will feel your diaphragm push
outwards
Then breathe out slowly, for 6 counts.
Do this three times, each time feeling your breath fill your lungs
and pushing our your diaphragm.
How well your bowels work
The most obvious way we get rid of waste is in stool.
Not only do we excrete toxins via the large intestine, but staying
regular reduces the reabsorption of toxins, including excess
cholesterol and hormones. Chronic constipation can lead to toxins
being absorbed via the intestinal wall, putting more pressure on the
liver and kidneys.
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Fibre: adds bulk to the stool, and absorbs water to soften it. Lots
of fresh fruit & vegetables, wholegrains, and legumes should
provide you with enough fibre to keep things moving
Water: Aim for around 2L per day
Exercise: More on this next.
Rest & Recharge: long term high stress levels can slow down our
digestion and contribute to constipation
There are four key elements to maintaining regular
bowel motions: Fibre, Water, Exercise & Rest.
If these changes don’t help you stay regular, then extra help or
investigations might be needed.
How you move
Our bodies are designed to move, exercise isn’t just for
athletes or weight loss!
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The wonderful benefits of exercise include:
Increased lymphatic flow to move waste and toxins
Sweating: toxins are excreted in sweat
Increased respiratory rate - more oxygen into the blood
Great endorphin rush (feel-good hormone!!)
Regular exercise will help regulate bowel transit time and reduce
constipation
Social connection of exercising in a group or team
Positive effect on mental health
Increased muscle mass
150min exercise per week is ideal for maintaining health.
If you don't exercise at the moment, don't be scared. Break it down
into small chunks and it's not actually so much! You don't need a
personal trainer, you could start with 5 x 30min walks a week. Just
work hard enough so you get a little out of breath and raise a
sweat.
Dry Skin Brushing
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Dry skin brushing is one of the best techniques to open up the
pores of the skin, and to stimulate and detoxify the lymphatic
system. It helps moves lymph fluid towards the heart,
where waste enters the circulatory system, heading to the kidneys
& liver for detoxification and excretion.
Skin brushing also helps exfoliate and invigorate our skin, bring
blood and oxygen to the area. This can help removal of
accumulated toxins under the skin which can contribute to a
dimpled appearance
Use a good quality natural bristle brush
Brush before you shower, on dry skin
Use long, light brisk strokes, with firm but gentle movements
Concentrate on long movements, not circular
Start at your feet and work your way up the body
Always brush towards the heart, encouraging lymphatic flow
Avoid the face or other sensitive areas
Pay particular attention to cellulite prone areas such as the
thighs, but be gentle
Your skin might be a little pink, but should not hurt or be red. If it
is, that means you've brushed too hard!
Take a nice warm shower
How to incorporate dry skin brushing into your routine:
when you might need a detox
program?
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As you can see, there are so many things you can do every day to
help your body's detox mechanisms. We haven't even touched on
avoiding environmental toxins in our plastic food containers and
home cleaning products!
However, the following issues can be a sign that some assistance,
or a more in-depth, supervised detox is in order:
Are you always tired or lethargic?
Do you suffer from bloating, diarrhoea, constipation, nausea, bad breath, and
can't get on top of it?
Do you get regular headaches?
Do you have memory or concentration problems?
Do you suffer from intolerances or environmental sensitivities (eg perfume
always gives you a headache?)
Are you hormonal or have excess weight? Or have you lost a lot of weight
recently but plateaued?
Do you suffer skin problems like eczema, rashes, acne?
Do you experience fluid retention?
If you have been experiencing any of these issues, natural therapies can
help. Book in now by visiting www.centredwellness.com.au and I would love
to help you on your health journey
A history of anxiety, gut disorders, and food intolerances lead Kylie to discover
the benefits of natural therapies over ten years ago. These days, as a mum of
two (very busy) boys, she knows first hand how important it is to stay on top of
your health to keep up with the ones we love, and offer them the best version
of ourselves.
Kylie is passionate about getting to the root cause of illness, and a strong
advocate in treating patients individually and holistically. Her aim to is provide
practical help that is easy to understand, believing that good health doesn't
have to be overwhelming, complicated, or hard!
From long term chronic conditions, to fatigue, digestive problems, hormonal
imbalances or simply the common cold, naturopathic treatment can assist your
body to recover, and rediscover how great healthy can feel. Book your
appointment online to get started on your journey to health today.
www.centredwellness.com.au
21 Webb Street, Narre Warren
0415 395 524
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The information provided on this ebooklet is for informational and educational purposes only.
Any information provided is not, nor is it intended to be, personalised medical advice, nor is it a
substitute for professional advice or care. Should something you read here raise questions or
concerns regarding your health, please see your qualified health care professional.
Kylie Snell, Naturopath
at Centred Wellness Natural Health