Start Your 2018 Recovery Today with These 18 Easy Tips

January 02, 2018 Dr Daryl Gioffre

Quick question… Do you want to feel the way you do right now all through 2018?

The new year is HERE, and this is a great time to take a step back and assess how you really feel, how the way you’ve been eating is affecting you, and how you want to feel and function in the year to come.

If, throughout the holidays, you’ve felt sluggish, bloated, frazzled or stressed, or you’ve had any health complaints slowing you down, NOW is the time to make a change and decide to take control of your health so that in 2018, things go differently.

So today, I’ve put together a list of my favorite ways to recover and reset, so you can head into 2018 more energized, more toxin-free, and more alkaline!

Two things I want to make note of up front – first, you won’t find anything on this list that says drink nothing but lemon juice for 2 days straight. That’s not sustainable, and just as importantly, it doesn’t work as well as the ideas here.

That said, there are a lot of strategies here. I don’t expect or even want you to try to do all of them. While it’s important to detoxify on a daily basis, it has to be convenient and able to fit into YOUR life…or it will never last.

Pick one idea from this list that intrigues you or motivates you, and start with that.

Once you get that one down pat, move on to another…and then another. Start slow and build from there.

That’s how you’re going to transform your health, and make this change (or any change) sustainable. This approach may take a little longer, but I can tell from coaching thousands of clients, it works!

Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting is a powerful way to detoxify your body and accelerate weight loss. People who try it report that they sleep better, have more energy, and their mental clarity improves.

What I recommend is that you start with 8 hours on fast,16 hours off just 2 or 3 days per week (spread out), and eating ‘normally’ in between. When intermittent fasting, the goal is to get your body to burn FAT instead of sugar.

To do so, you want to keep your NET carbs (total carbs minus fiber – for example, banana is 20 grams) under 50 grams.

Eat as much as you want when you’re NOT fasting (aiming for 80% alkaline), and on your OFF days, do your best to keep your NET carbs between 50-100 grams per day, and never going above 150 grams (after 150, you are promoting inflammation, gaining weight, and moving towards chronic disease).

VERY IMPORTANT – the solution to pollution is DILUTION! Water needs to be your best friend, both on and off of fasting. Aim to drink between 3-4 liters daily.

And MOST important, is to take it slow and listen to your body and what it is telling you to do.

Deep Breathing

Believe it or not, the most effective method of detoxifying and alkalizing your body is also the simplest, cheapest, and one that you can do anytime, anywhere.

70% of the total toxic and acid load in your body is removed by your lungs and breathing… But not just any breathing – deep diaphragmatic breathing.

This is the deep breathing technique I recommend. Give it a try right now and see if you don’t feel more energized.

3:6:5 Power Breath:

Sitting up straight, breathe in through the nose for 3 seconds.
Hold the breath for 6 seconds.
Exhale out of your mouth for 5 seconds.
Do 10 repetitions.

Alkaline Water

This tip could not be simpler, and yet, many people go to elaborate steps to detox while failing to utilize one of the most effective (and easy) methods there is.

Think about it… What’s the one thing that carries food through the digestive system, expels toxins through your skin as you sweat, and makes up most of your blood? Water of course.

So it should come as no surprise that water is one of the best health tools there is.

Aim to drink 3 to 4 liters of filtered water every day (sound familiar?), and you can make it more alkaline by adding a fresh lemon or lime slice, or supercharge it with Alkamind Daily Greens.

Detox Tea

Detox tea contains ginger, turmeric, lemon, a pinch of black pepper, and optional, a pinch of cayenne pepper.

These are all powerful detoxifiers and together, they have super powers.

The black pepper is very important as it increases the strength of the turmeric by 2,000%.

Any why is turmeric so important? Because it’s one of the most potent detoxifiers, reducing inflammation and even fighting against cancer.

An Acid-Crushing Anti-Inflammatory Bath

This is very simple, and if you enjoy taking baths, you’re going to love it.

Add 2 cups of Epsom salts and 1 cup of baking soda in the tub, run the hottest water you can stand, and add 8 drops of essential oils like lavender or eucalyptus. Soak for 20 minutes and allow yourself to sweat.

When you are finished bathing, go under the covers, and sweat some more. You should feel very relaxed and sleep soundly. You can do this a few times each week.

The Rebounder

Your lymphatic system is your second cardiovascular system, and just as important. It runs throughout your body and has two jobs. It carries white blood cells that keep you from getting sick. And secondly, it acts as they body’s garbage collector, clearing out stuff you don’t want building up in your cells.

It picks up all of the acidic toxins from your tissues, delivers them to your blood, and from there, right out of the body (if you are drinking enough water, which is why hydration is so important).

Unlike the circulatory system being pumped by your heart, the lymphatic system has no pumping mechanism. It requires movement to ensure lymphatic drainage – and the best type of movement is the rebounder.

The rebounder or mini trampoline is the most powerful of all alkaline exercises. In fact, a NASA study showed that rebounding was 68% more effective at cardiovascular health and losing weight than running.

Dry Brushing

If you haven’t tried using a dry skin brush, it’s a way to “pop the corks” on your skin to let the acids and toxins leave your body. This is another way to stimulate your lymphatic system.

Give dry brushing a try, starting at your feet and work up the body in long strokes towards your heart.

Be sure to cover the whole body, but skip the face and the breasts. Do not feel like you need to spend a tremendous amount of time on this, 2 to 3 minutes prior to your shower is fine.

Alkaline Minerals

Have you had any nights during the past few weeks where you’ve woken up at 2:00 AM and can’t get back to sleep easily?

This is your liver’s way of crying out to you for more minerals. It needs alkaline minerals to cleanse your blood, which it does primarily while you sleep.

Beyond that, your body needs certain minerals to keep the heart functioning properly, provide energy, maintain muscle strength, prevent cramps and muscle aches, and much more.

And while it’s important to eat foods that are high in minerals like fresh fruits (low-sugar) and vegetables, the fact is, food alone is not enough. That’s why I recommend a scoop of Alkamind Daily Minerals each night before bed, so the calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium bicarbonate can go to work while you sleep.

You’re going to get a better night’s sleep because of it, and then when you wake up, you’ll feel rested and refreshed.

Eat Detox Foods

I really want to stress that you can drink all the so-called detox juice products on the market today, and not get the detoxifying power available in foods you already enjoy.

Helping your body recover and reboot does not have to be difficult!

There’s a specific antioxidant that aids the liver in detoxing the blood called glutathione. I recommend you eat as much of these powerful glutathione-rich foods as possible:

Cilantro (also high in another liver cleanser called linalool)
Asparagus
Avocado
Carrots
Spinach
Apples

Meanwhile, these foods ensure the glutathione you eat is put to proper use:

Broccoli
Cauliflower
Cabbage
Brussels sprouts
Onions
Garlic

Another antioxidant called selenium supports the thyroid and aids the liver in detoxifying. You’ll find it in:

Brazil nuts
Spinach

Essential Oils

This is another example of how you can really enjoy getting your body back to health and wellness.

Essential oils are a powerful way to detoxify and help the body alkalize, while also providing all kinds of other benefits to you and your family like preventing illness, natural cleaning, and aromatherapy.

Here are a few of my favorites for detoxifying:

Lavender for relaxation and stress relief
Lemon supports the immune system and assists the lymphatic system with detoxification
Peppermint improves energy, digestion, and breathing
Frankincense reduces inflammation, infection, and fights skin conditions. Rub a drop on the roof of your mouth for instant absorption
Myrrh protects against liver damage, bacteria, fungus, and even parasites

Cut Your Toxic Load

One of the easiest ways to detoxify is to prevent toxins from entering your body in the first place. That means your liver, intestines, and kidneys have fewer toxins to filter and remove and they can work more efficiently.

Removing even one of these acidic products from your diet can have lasting detoxifying effects:

Artificial sweeteners
Alcohol
Sugar
Dairy
Soda
Processed foods
Coffee

Organic Only

Foods sprayed with pesticides, herbicides, and fungacides interfere with liver function, and if your liver can’t function optimally, your body can’t detoxify itself.

This goes for antibiotics and growth hormone injected into animals too, so buyer beware with any meat or dairy products you buy.

Green Juices

I want to caution with this one that the “moderation, not deprivation” rule applies. This is about adding, not taking away. No all juice diet here!

Drinking a freshly squeezed green juice is a great addition to your breakfast or lunch, or in between meals as part of a snack.

Just make sure they are alkaline juices. Most of the fresh juices sold in stores are junk food dressed up and disguised with sugar and more sugar (even in the form of high sugar fruits like pineapple, mangoes, and bananas). I recommend you make your own using a vegetable or two as well as a fruit you enjoy, and lemon or lime juice is always a great addition.

Here are a few of my favorites:

And spoiler alert, I’ll have another delicious juice recipe coming your way in a couple of days so be on the look out for it.

Eat More Fiber

Did you know that high fiber foods are also natural detoxifiers?

They sweep the digestive tract clean of toxins and acids that accumulate in the gut.

This might explain why people who eat diets rich in naturally occurring fiber get sick less often, and are less likely to experience heart disease and certain types of cancer.

Notice that I said naturally occurring fiber – foods advertised as “High in fiber!” are typically processed junk. Go with these great sources instead:

Beans and lentils (smaller ones like adzuki or chickpeas)
Avocados
Pumpkin
Peas
Coconut
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Raw Nuts and seeds

Daily Greens

Starting your day off with a glass of water with a scoop of Alkamind Daily Greens is an easy reboot at this time of year. In fact, you might find that you don’t even need your morning cup of coffee because of those good greens. It gives you sustained energy without any jitters.

Many of the antioxidants and toxin fighters we’ve already talked about are contained within this powerhouse of a scoop.

Work up a Sweat

The skin is a powerful weapon in the fight against toxicity. But you can’t get the benefit of it if you aren’t sweating.

Exercise like jogging or hot yoga will actually eliminate toxins from your body through your sweat.

Probiotics

Now I know you’ve read this from me before. I recommend probiotics a lot, and for good reason.

But one thing I want to make clear is that you can’t substitute “probiotic foods” for a good probiotic supplement. Yogurt, kombucha, and other foods that are sold as probiotics don’t provide the same amount or quality of good bacteria that a refrigerated probiotic supplement does.

Too often, they are filled with yeast (yes, yeast!), lactic acid, artificial sweeteners, sugar, and other junk that bad bacteria love. So you’re not getting the benefits of the good bacteria.

My Personal Favorite Way to Reboot

Every holiday and birthday, I have a new tradition. I’ve gotten so into it that after Thanksgiving this year, I actually opened it up to do it with all of you for the first time.

So what is this new holiday tradition? It’s a reset button that can take you from the way you feel now – bloated, overweight, stressed, and lacking energy – to feeling better than you’ve felt in years.

It’s a simple, short detox protocol that is a sure-fire way to get off your acid in the New Year! Our 2 Day Detox Challenge has become a recent favorite as we took a HUGE group through the detox, and the results were nothing less than AMAZING!

It is the perfect way to jump starts your metabolism, sets you on the road to weight loss, and boosts your energy in just 48 hours of delicious, raw foods, and our Daily Greens and Daily Minerals superfood supplements.

It comes with recipes and meal plan, welcome guide, alkaline supplements, and support before, during, and after your 2 Day Detox, pre and post LIVE detox calls (recorded by me) – everything you need to get your health back on track (plus many more bonuses!)

Find out more and sign up now.