Healthy Habits to Adopt in 2019!

Any time is a great time to adopt new healthy habits and create a daily routine for yourself that you cherish and look forward to at the dawn of a new day. But if you feel you’ve let your guard down in 2018 and are striving towards a more goal-oriented year ahead, now is the time to begin reflecting upon what didn’t serve you last year, what you would like to do differently and how you would like to feel at the end of 2019. Sometimes, goals are best achieved by visualising yourself at the finish line – embodying that feeling of accomplishment, success and pride. Carry that sensation with you throughout each day and ask yourself – would that version of you be proud of the decision you are about to make? Remember that nothing is impossible, you have every power to make any and all of your dreams come true – all you need to do is believe in it and make positive steps towards reaching those goals on a daily basis.

Here are some helpful tips on how to cultivate health in 2019, remember that having a healthy environment will allow your mind to be clear to steer itself on whichever path you so desire..

1. Get Active..

It’s no surprise that we need to move our bodies. Not only does exercise stimulate our metabolism, promote weight loss, prolong mobility and improve overall health – exercise is invaluable for our mental health. It creates a massive spike in serotonin (the feel-good hormone) helping us to feel balanced, stable and happy as well as improving our appetite and the sleep/wake cycle.

2. Alkalise your Temple..

A disease cannot survive in an alkaline environment. Therefore, our dietary goals should all be, if anything, based around alkalising your body. This is greatly assisted with the help of all green vegetables. Focus on adding a green smoothie or green juice to your daily meal plan.

3. Supercharge your diet with Superfoods..

They don’t call them ‘super’ foods for nothing. The rewards you can reap from as little as a teaspoon of these foods is invaluable. Focus on those which are rich in chlorophyll – a potent blood cleanser which also works to alkalise acidities, such as Barley Grass, Spirulina or Chlorella. Chia seeds and hemp seeds are high in Omega 3s and fibre. So by adding a tablespoon of these to your diet will help bind toxins for elimination.

4. Stay Hydrated..

Human beings are made up of roughly 60% water. Needless to say, water is key to a healthy life. It is constantly being used and needs to be replenished by the body. The kidneys use it regularly to flush toxins which come out through the urine and sweat glands. Without water, we are unable to eliminate toxins or send messages throughout the body which is the gateway to all of our processes.

Drink at least 2 litres of filtered/alkalized water per day.

5. Detox, detox, detox..

Our bodies are naturally in a constant state of detoxification, but when we overload ourselves with processed, sugary foods, alcohol, drugs, poor sleep, stress etc our body’s focus shifts to merely surviving, all other functions take a back seat. So to help our body detoxify we must limit things that can act as a distraction and include liver cleansing, lymphatic supporting, nourishing additions such as:

• Herbal teas like Dandelion, Burdock, Chicory, Red Clover, Chamomile, Ginger and Peppermint as these teas may assist with digestion and increase liver functionality.
• Liver supporting nutrients from foods such as cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts etc, globe artichokes, also lemons, beetroot, turmeric, green tea and herbs such as st marys thistle & dandelion.
• External activities such as meditation, exercise, dry skin brushing and infrared saunas to help support the lymphatic system and also because the skin is the biggest organ of elimination.

Here are some of our favourites go-to’s…

Greens -think juices, smoothies, kale, broccoli, spinach… anything dark green and leafy contains loads of chlorophyll, vitamin C and folate, which helps to stimulate the liver and kidneys into action while helping to give you clearer skin.

Dandelion Root – often used as a substitute for coffee, dandelion root is a potent liver detoxifier and contains no caffeine. Try it in the form of an LSD (latte with soy and dandelion) or and LAD (same but with almond milk instead of soy).

Beetroot – full of minerals and antioxidants, beetroot can be roasted, juiced or eaten raw. Beetroot is associated with liver and gallbladder health and is considered a blood tonic in herbal medicine so include it in your meals wherever you can.

Green Tea – rich source of cancer-fighting antioxidants, green tea also helps to detoxify the liver and is also thought to have fat-burning properties. Who wouldn’t want that after a Christmas blowout? If you are not a fan of caffeine, keep an eye out for decaffeinated green tea in your local health food shop.

Berries – dark coloured berries are just chock full of antioxidants and have a powerful effect on the immune system. Try including either blueberries, goji berries, or acai berry powder into your diet every day – they are great in smoothies, desserts, bliss balls, muffins or just teamed with yoghurt.

These supercharged detoxifying foods should all be easy to find and are fun to incorporate into your diet. They are a great way of boosting your wellbeing prior to a detox program and to assist your body’s own detox process. And you never know – maybe we will see you at Byron Bay Detox Retreats later in the year when you fulfil the rest of your new year’s resolutions. A juice fasting program supporting all of the major organs of elimination through colonics, infrared sauna etc whilst strengthening your connection to self through meditation and yoga is one of the most powerful methods of healing.

Click here for upcoming group retreats in 2019.