Much like giving your house a good spring cleaning, a seasonal detox is an effective way to reset your body and rid yourself of harmful toxins. Thankfully, our bodies do a magnificent job at giving us some signs that we need to detox— this can include some physical side effects of toxin build-up such as, uncomfortable digestive issues, excessively dry, patchy, or acne-prone skin, poor sleep patterns, or even trouble losing weight. When it comes to detoxing, however, there are typically some questions and concerns that come along with it:
- How to naturally detox your body
- Detox vs cleanse: What is the difference between detox and cleanse
- Is there such a thing as a weight loss detox and is it safe?
In this article, I’m going to address and answer all of these questions and concerns so that learning how to naturally detox your body for sustainable weight loss will never be an issue.
“Let food be thy medicine” -Hippocrates
What Are Toxins?
Before I get into the nitty-gritty about the difference between detox and cleanse, you should really understand what toxins actually are. In short, toxins are poisonous substances. The definition of a toxin is slightly ambiguous because there are so many variations of toxins. There are external toxins, such as environmental pollutants (smoke, smog, debris, etc.), heavy metals, mercury (often found in fish), lead (found in old paints, blinds and canned goods), aluminum (found in antiperspirant, deodorant, and antacids), mold, poor air quality (you get the idea), and internal toxins.
Internal toxins can become dangerous when the external toxins enter the body and that waste begins to accumulate. Our bodies naturally produce certain toxins and are always working to remove them– but when excess toxins build up, our bodies never get a chance to remove them causing a build up around surrounding organs and cells. Without help, these toxins clog your system and force your body to spend more energy to simply function. This is where a cleanse or detox should come into play.
Detox vs Cleanse: What’s the Difference Between Detox and Cleanse?
Despite popular belief, the difference between detox and cleanse is slightly different. It’s very common for people to use both of these terms interchangeably, which is understandable–at first glance, they might appear to be the same, but if you look closely you will see that they each have their own distinct differences. So, whats the difference between detox and cleanse?
What is a cleanse?
CLEANSE (noun): A process or period of time during which a person attempts to rid the body of substances regarded as toxic or unhealthy, typically by consuming only water or other liquids.
Now, if you’ve ever attempted a cleanse you might recall that the experience can be quite miserable. (If you’ve never tried one before, don’t be alarmed! Just keep on reading and I’ll explain in more detail!). When you are on a cleanse you are essentially eliminating all or most solid food from your diet and relying solely on liquids. As you can probably guess, most people don’t last very long when they decide to do a cleanse, so kudos to you if you have!
A cleanse will typically consist of drinking a combination of water and pressed juices for a certain period of time in order to rid the toxin build-up in your body. Unfortunately, this might send you running to the bathroom at inopportune moments (💩 ) and leave you feeling hangry 😡 (angry and irritable due to hunger).
Another downside to a cleanse is that, although you might shed a few pounds during the process, you tend to gain all that weight back (and then some) once you begin to eat solid foods and return to a normal diet. 👎🏽 whomp whomp whomp. Weight gain rebounds are extremely common among yo-yo diets– mainly due to the fact that we are unable to sustain such a low amount of calories for long periods of time.
What is a detox?
DETOX (verb): To rid the body of toxic or unhealthy substances.
By definition, a detox is a lot vaguer than a cleanse which, in theory, gives you a lot more flexibility within this method when trying to accomplish your goal. To be perfectly honest a detox can essentially consist of any particular method to relieve your body of toxins, however, unlike a cleanse, the ultimate goal of a detox is to remove the toxins safely, naturally, and sustainably.
What Is A Weight Loss Detox & Is It Safe?
When most people think of a weight loss detox they assume it’s a cleanse, which, is normal since there is so much overlap between a detox and a cleanse. Often the purpose of a cleanse is rapid weight loss, but the goal for a weight loss detox is to not only remove toxins from your body– it is to help your body function more efficiently, and therefore, lose weight naturally in the process. So, instead of dropping 10 pounds in a week with a cleanse and then gaining back 15 pounds a month later, the goal is to lose weight, keep it off, and improve your quality of life.
By now, you can probably assume that a weight loss detox is not a starvation diet (like a cleanse). The SkinnyFit Detox method will cleanse your body of harmful toxins, boost your metabolism to help your body function more effectively, and help you to finally lose weight without gaining it all back! This method doesn’t involve any strict dieting or major calorie restrictions and you don’t even have to say goodbye to all your favorite foods. The SkinnyFit Detox method is a natural and safe way to detox and achieve sustainable weight loss!
How To Naturally Detox Your Body
Learning how to naturally detox your body for sustainable weight loss is as easy as 1-2-3!
Step 1: Remove Existing Toxins
During step 1 your primary goal is to eliminate unwanted toxins. These toxins are preventing your body from functioning properly and preventing you from living optimally. Toxin build-up can cause your metabolism and energy to plummet, leaving you tired and bloated (and possibly wondering if you should go up a pant size).
To combat the negative side effects of toxins and to remove them from your system safely and naturally, you’ll need to simply drink one cup of SkinnyFit Detox each day. Simply steep one bag in 8 oz of hot water for 5-7 minutes and drink hot or cold. It only contains 17.98mg of caffeine, making it safe to drink multiple times throughout the day if you’d like. The ingredients are all-natural and the most effective whole leaf teas and herbs that are known to fight off toxins and heal you from the inside out.
A combination of sencha green tea, milk thistle, nettle leaf, dandelion leaf, goji berries, yerba mate, oolong tea, lemongrass, guarana, ginseng, matcha green tea, stevia leaf, and natural peach flavoring, help fight off even the most stubborn toxin build-up, boosts metabolism, and helps you shed excess water weight in the process. This exotic blend was scientifically formulated with the unique metabolic needs of women in mind with absolutely no laxatives, making it safe, effective, and easy!
To continue your Detox and toxin release while you sleep, you can drink one cup of our caffeine-free Detox blend, ZzzTox, before bedtime to fight stress-induced weight gain, improve your quality of sleep, and relax your mind. Our calming and comforting night time blend contains whole rooibos leaf, chamomile flower, lavender buds, lemon balm leaf, peppermint leaf, cornflower, valerian root, and natural vanilla flavorings to help soothe your mind and body all night long.
Now, just to be clear, SkinnyFit Detox and ZzzTox should not be used by themselves or to replace real food. They should be used in conjunction with a healthy diet and together for best results. That said, the best thing about SkinnyFit Detox and ZzzTox is that it is scientifically formulated to meet the unique metabolic needs of women, allowing you to eat a reasonable amount of calories throughout the detoxification process. Moving onto step two, I will go over how and what you should eat during your Detox for sustainable weight loss, plus below you will find a link to the best clean eating grocery list to help get you started on your journey!
Step 2: Prevent New Toxins From Entering
By eliminating existing toxins from your body you are preparing your body for optimal performance– with that said, you also have to prevent new toxins from entering, if you want to see a sustainable change. There is nothing worse than completely undoing all the good detoxing you’ve done by shoveling in more toxins!
In order to see a sustainable change, you need to make a sustainable change– and the most effective way see this change come into fruition is to change your mindset about food and nutrition so that eating healthier becomes second nature. Therefore, no crash dieting and no major calorie restriction. This simple and effective 3-step process for learning how and what to eat while detoxing will completely streamline your weight loss, make the entire process enjoyable, and will quickly become your new effortless lifestyle change. There is so much helpful information I’d like to go over, but because I don’t want to leave anything out, check out ways you can to make healthy eating simple for sustainable weight loss!
Step 3: Participate in Physical Activity
Step 3 may not really be groundbreaking news, I know, but physical activity is a crucial step to ensuring that you are seeing sustainable weight loss! In terms of weight loss or weight gain, it’s all about calories in versus calories out. Sure, you can restrict your calories and suffer from hunger pains day in and day out without having to move a finger… but wouldn’t you rather enjoy the freedom of flexible eating (being able to eat what you want [within reason]) and simply move your body?
I’m sure you’ve heard this before but physical exercise releases endorphins and endorphins do wonders for your health, mindset, confidence, and stress! Working out doesn’t have to be such a trivial task as some might make it. The CDC (Center of Disease Control and Prevention) recommends that for substantial health benefits adults should participate in 30 minutes of physical activity each day at least five times per week. [1].
This could include hiking, biking, playing tennis, swimming, dancing, yoga or getting a workout at the gym. By participating in regular physical activity you reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and some cancers. It also strengthens your bones and muscles, improves your mental health and mood, increases your chances of living longer, and can reduce your risk of injuries [2].
You don’t even need to get a gym membership to get a great workout! Use what you have at home at get creative—any movement is better than no movement at all.
