My Once a year detox and why I recommend
Woo-hoo, we made it!! We made it to September!!! Why is this great news? Well firstly, if you are a native Floridian like myself, you have officially conquered the hottest time of the year. Therefore, now we can start to enjoy a little seasonal change and hopefully feel the fall in the air! For me, fall is my absolute favorite time of the year. I may be a little bit biased though because my birthday is in October. But, nonetheless, I do really appreciate all things fall including pumpkin spice, football, cozy sweaters, soup season and so much more!
But, every year when the season starts to change, I have opted into what I call my “Fall Detox”. In this season, I abide by the following rules:
Done with Social: No social media (I do not delete my accounts permanently, but I temporarily delete the apps)
The ultimate clean out: I go through all cupboards, closets, my car, clothes, etc. and clean out what I do not need and organize everything even better. I also love to donate stuff to GoodWill or give away items to friends/family/neighbors, because I know it’s going to a good cause.
The 10-Day Detox: I complete the 10-day Detox by Dr. Mark Hyman which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: a 10-day detox. But within this detox, you cannot eat/drink the following: caffeine (I do green tea though a little), dairy, wheat, alcohol, added sugars, artificial sweeteners and limit any ultra processed foods as much as possible. This detox is a great way to reset your insulin, hormones and energy levels. But to be honest, I like this challenge because it comes with a lot of selfcare reminders and good practices such as: meditation, reading, mindfulness, daily baths/sauna, lots of physical activity, sleep and recovery.
Creativity: I try to do at least 45 minutes of one creative activity daily such as: drawing, reading, writing, making art (2-D or 3-d), listening to music, playing the drums, singing, etc. This makes me feel more in-tune with myself and helps me practice more of what I love too so that I can continue to grow as a creatively well-rounded person.
During this time, I am still available to family, friends, clients and coworkers, but I really use this time wisely to reflect on the entire year. Maybe it’s because I will be turning a year older the following month, or maybe because I am a little rebellious and I think it’s silly to wait for an entire month (January) to reflect and fine-tune habits and priorities. This may not be your thing, and I can understand that. But, for this month, I challenge you to follow my lead and see what you can dedicate a % of your daily or weekly time to so that you can grow, feel more aligned with yourself, and start fresh this fall season.
Reminder: Prioritizing your mental and physical health is never selfish. You deserve to be happy. You deserve to grow. You deserve to say “no” and not feel guilty about it. You deserve to have an adult equivalent of a “time out”.
As always, I am incredibly proud of you for continuing on your health and fitness journey. And again, happy Fall, y’all! :)
