- Jan 3, 2017
- 3 min read

The year turns in to a detox frenzy – again!

The year has turned, and the detox season begins. Again. I guess I must be getting old when it doesn’t seem five minutes ago I was extolling the virtues of a morning juice regime and dry body brushing to kick start the New Year of 2106. A whole year on, and I’m here again seeing Face Book posts being shared about how dangerous its is to be juicing. I’ve just seen someone share an article from the BBC about how dangerous it is to detox. This also happens every year. Someone somewhere decides to drink way too much water and herbal teas and ends up seriously ill due to electrolyte imbalance. Every year. Without fail.

So, lets look at this sensibly.

No matter how ‘good’ you have been over the festive holidays, you will have eaten a few things you wouldn’t normally have on a regular basis. The odd mince pie and the extra three course dinner will be in the mix at one end of the scale. With those who have a very active social calendar with lots of mulled wine and merriment, on the other end!

I fall in to the first category. I love a mince pie, and I also love a good dark chocolate. Cheese and cream doesn’t like me much. Having been dairy intolerant in my teens, I find the extra cream on the mince pie can give me a red nose and eczema. So, it won’t kill me to eat it, but I regret it the next day and I know my limits. Thankfully I don’t drink alcohol so all those hidden calories don’t reach me in that form!

My exercise routine was disrupted as I had visitors over New Year. Daily yoga just didn’t happen, and dog walking on the very cold days was done by MrH. I often went a couple of days without leaving the house. This lack of movement affected my back and hips. All I need to do is get back in to my routine. The yoga mat is out ready!

Do you really need a full detox?

I don’t need to do a serious New Year reboot, but during the festivities I did ensure my morning juices were packed full of extra greens, ginger and lemon. I only baked the mince pies that we were going to eat, so there are none left to ‘eat up’. There are no chocolates in the cupboard, although there are a few Christmas biscuits left in the biscuit barrel – a little guilty secret of mine.

Think twice before you join a gym.

If you have over-indulged and feel sluggish and lethargic, the gyms will love you! Gym memberships increase during January as everyone as the good intention of starting a new healthy routine. Lets be sensible and realistic. In my view, don’t join unless you know for a fact you will be going three times a week for a year, or you will be wasting your money.

Juicing is NOT bad for you, but if you are thinking of doing a cleansing programme get professional advice and follow a plan like those from The Juice Master – Jason Vale. Juicing is an addition to my daily routine. I don’t live on juice! If you have read earlier blogs you will know the basics.

I could write for hours on how and what to do to kick start your body and reboot the system, but plenty of other people are doing that so I won’t add to the social media frenzy. Just be sensible.