We are nearing the end of this year and I’m sure many of you have already chosen your New Year’s resolutions. While it’s very easy to choose one, it’s extremely difficult to stick to one even for a month. So this New Year, why don’t we look at some basics rather than going for bigger resolutions which may never be accomplished? It’s very important for us to understand that only a toxic body craves processed or toxic food, whereas a clean and healthy body craves healthier options. This is about our body but what about the mind? In our experience of working with thousands of people across the globe, we have also noticed that a toxic body does not just crave toxic food but it may inculcate toxic thoughts that further lead to toxic actions. After all, a wise man did say: ‘You are what you eat’.
Let’s look at a few actionable lifestyle shifts below:
Do not keep gaps of more than three to four hours between your meals. Longer gaps between meals lead to excess acid production and an acidic body cannot heal, recover, lose or gain weight effectively. Due to longer gaps between meals, an empty stomach and then the erosive action of stomach acid i.e. hydrochloric acid (HCL) will eventually destroy mucosal linings and digestive enzymes in the stomach. This leads to serving gut-related issues like acid reflux, bloating, flatulence and indigestion.
Digestion begins in the mouth itself due to the action of salivary amylase, so focus on slowing down and chewing your food well. The more you chew, the cleaner your stomach, intestines and colon will be. This also helps in controlling portion size naturally.
Alcohol is bad for our liver and overall health, but having it in moderation is okay. One or two drinks once or twice a week as well is fine, but overdoing this will affect the function of your liver. Our liver has hundreds of functions but due to overconsumption of alcohol, the entire focus of the liver shifts to detoxification, plus alcohol destroys choline — a fat-burning vitamin B in our body. That’s why you might have noticed that people who are heavy drinkers have excessive fat around the abdomen because of the deficiency of choline. Too much alcohol also keeps the body acidic, reduces metabolism, and can cause various disease conditions. Between every drink, try to drink a glass of water or lemon water to flush out toxins and reduce the pressure on the liver.
Do a 30-minute workout at a stretch to improve blood circulation and increase sweat to detoxify your body. We have five eliminatory organs and the skin is the largest in our body. With a good amount of activity, we sweat and release toxins from the body which helps in cleansing our bodies. Whenever possible, take a walk, and climb stairs instead of using the elevator, move around to track 8,000-10,000 steps throughout the day which will also add movement to the body.
Well, these are very basic changes that everyone can make to achieve a healthy lifestyle goal, but apart from that, my favourite is fasting. One can observe 16-18 hours only water fast (once a fortnight to start with) and then bring it down to once a week to give rest to your digestive system and enhance the healing process of the body. Let’s get a healthy start to 2023!