Festive indulgences mean a detox is in order and we solve the how-tos for you. We recommend three ways of taking a break from festive gorging and getting the mind, body & soul back on track.
1. Glamp It Out With DSSC’s Tuck Box
It’s time for a quickie! Pick your glamp (that’s glam+camp, for all you newbies) and a grab a close-up with nature. It could be at a hilly setting in Gangtok with an adventurous trek, or at a sea view tent on the beaches of North Goa where you start your day with a swim in the ocean and & an all-natural breakfast.
Spending a weekend roughing it out in wild, fresh air away from your desk is one of the best ways to renew your energies. Coupled with eating wholesome good food, it can make an ocean of a change to your spirit in no time. Need we say more?
While you’re wondering where to plan your green getaway, DSSC has just the things for you to pack in your tuck box so you can eat clean in-between meals:
Hydrate: It’s important to hydrate when you’re having fun. You can amp up the fun quotient of good ol’ water by infusing it with cucumber, oranges, mint or fennel.
Smoothies & Soups: It’s time to bring the thermos out of storage. A heavy-duty smoothie or a fiery soup will give you an instant energy boost or warm you right up around a nighttime bonfire.
Toss On Fire: You can put almost anything into a packet of foil and toss onto a fire: chopped fruits with brown sugar, buttered mushrooms, corn on the cob, vegetables with balsamic or even a banana sprinkled with a little chocolate and homemade marshmallows.
Feeling Peckish: If you’re hungry before meal time, make sure you’re stocked up on fruits, nuts, seeds, a few bars of dark chocolate and a delish homemade granola bar like this one.
To Accompany the Guitar: Nature does bring out the flower child in all of us, and if you want a splash of something to accompany some Beatles on the guitar, we’d recommend a bottle of red or cider (hurray, it’s gluten-free!). If you’re completely off the spirit grid, steaming peppermint tea or chilled coconut water would be the way to go.
2. Juicy Times
If toughing it out is not your thing & your home is the haven you feel most peaceful at, we have a simple solution that will leave you feeling squeaky clean and a lot lighter – a three day juice cleanse. Plus you won’t have to go further than your kitchen to do it. Experts recommend a juice cleanse every three months, but if you haven’t done one before, it can be a breeze to pull off if done right and it doesn’t have to be boring at all. All it needs is a little willpower and a lot of creative juju.
Each day begins with warm water and lime moving on to a heavy duty vegetable juice or a smoothie. DSSC Tip: Add a few nuts to your smoothie if it makes you feel better about the idea of a liquid diet. Stock up on green tea that you enjoy as you’ll be having a lot of it in-between your juicy meals. Afternoon and evenings will consist of more juices and soups so feel free to substitute what you don’t like, such as spinach with kale and so on, and remember to keep the roughage in. We suggest you customise a plan with a diet specialist taking into account any health concerns as well as your personal preferences.
As you have to limit physical activity during those three days, you can create a mini-retreat at home where you’re off technology and mental stressors. Bye-bye laptop and phone. Hello long walks with music & reading in the park. Don’t give up movement completely, continue to be mobile. Yoga can be your best friend these three mornings, or pilates if that’s your thing. This is also the time to bring out the paints, that dusty old guitar and journal you’ve been meaning to begin writing in. Reflect, refresh, recharge. Suddenly the idea of a hot soup and a book is majorly appealing. Get ready for a complete mind, body and soul revival.
If you’re skittish about all the blending, simply buy a detox kit, like this excellent one from Coldpress.in.
3. The Green Life: Tips & Tricks
While a detox is a great way to get rid of built up toxins, what’s better is a lifestyle that begets mindful eating. Here are a few tips & tricks to habituate the green life into everyday living:
1. Wake up well. Stretch and hydrate with water. Avoid shocking your body with caffeine and it will thank you with a bright freshness that will last you all day long. Instead, take a cue from the juice cleanse and drink warm water with a dash of lime and honey every morning. It helps with digestion, clears up skin, reduces muscle cramps & lemon’s antioxidants fight stubborn colds in winter.
2. Adding even 3o minutes of yoga or a morning walk at this time will go a long way in keeping your energy levels up all day. Make exercise a part of your lifestyle and you’ll thank yourself ten years later. Pick an exercise you enjoy, be it a sport or a zumba class and fit in four hours of exercise every week at the very least.
3. Prioritise your sleep cycle as this affects how alert you are all day long. You know you’re getting enough sleep when you wake up fresh without an alarm clock and a cup of joe.
4. Habitually notice what you crave most in your diet: is it that sugar-fix you need right after lunch, a high-salt diet or constant bouts of caffeine? Vow to remove your dependence on food slowly and steadily while bringing healthy substitutes into your diet.
5. Eat a healthy meal of proteins and vegetables before 8pm even if you’re going to eat out at night. You can always snack later, but this way your dietary requirements are already taken care of. You won’t fill your stomach with oily fare, plus you won’t be drinking on an empty stomach!
These simple enough suggestions have life-altering capabilities if followed to the T. Our mothers were right all along, moderation is the key. Be it exercise or sweets, a lifestyle of keeping it all in check will serve us well into our golden years so we live them like we do today.
