The 5-day New Year Detox

We know you want it. After months of busy schedules, holiday functions and family dinners, this totally achievable 5-day detox will get you back on track, fast. It’s all about restoring a healthy glow and those feel-good, energetic vibes. Start with making a choice and taking a little guided action – because if we just tell you what to do, you’re less likely to commit!

All you have to do is write down 5 x vices you’ve indulged in a little more often over the holidays than you usually would, things you know are starting to make you feel a bit low energy.

For example:

• Wine

• Desserts

• Bread/baked goods

• Milky coffees

• Hot chips/deep fried foods

Now choose 4 of the above items to cut from your diet completely (and we really do mean 100%!) for 5 days for a little reset. The good news is, you can keep the 4th item! We are so kind ;)

So, for example you might choose to remove desserts, bread/baked goods, deep fried foods and wine, but keep your daily coffee.

That’s your main commitment for this simple 5-day reset, but here are three basic principles you may also want to follow, to take things next level.

• BEAUTIFUL: For the next 5 days, look at food as not just fuel, but information your body uses to generate energy, build new muscle tissue, help you recover from stress, create hormones and fire up your brain. At every meal or snack opportunity, ask yourself whether what you’re choosing to eat is providing all the information you need to feel incredible. This habit is all bout becoming mindful of what you’re eating and why, rather than continuing to just eat because it’s social season! If you need a little guidance, eat similarly to the plan below.

• UNSTOPPABLE: Move your body for at least an hour every day over the next 5 days (you can break it up any way you like – we’ll leave it to you, there are lots of ideas on our other blog posts, or you can join the next round of our transformation program

• FEARLESS: Do 1 x 5-step gratitude journal entry every day (write down just one thing you’re grateful for, but 5 reasons you’re grateful for it).

An idea on what to eat!

For those of you needing a little more guidance on what foods will really help your body to detox naturally, we’ve written up two example, ‘days on your plate’ below. The main principles we’ve used are lots of antioxidant and fibre-rich foods, like greens and berries, plus some good quality proteins to fire up your metabolism, and healthy fats to help keep your hormones happy.

Note: all meals below are simply suggestions/ideas. Adjust to suit your own needs and philosophy.

EXAMPLE ONE

Breakfast – 2 eggs scrambled with a 1 cup chopped green veggies (for example an combo of broccoli/spinach/zucchini/asparagus)

Lunch – Half a bowl of salad leaves, with half a chopped avocado and a palm-sized serve of protein (e.g. chicken, a tin of wild caught salmon, or half a cup of chickpeas). Add a sprinkle of goats cheese or seeds, drizzle with lemon/lime juice

Dinner – Fillet of white fish pan fried in a little butter, with a cup of steamed greens and either half a cup of rice, or some baked sweet potato or pumpkin

Snacks – Green apple slices or celery sticks topped with nut butter, small tub of Greek yoghurt loaded with antioxidant-rich berries

EXAMPLE TWO

Breakfast – Smoothie with 1 scoop protein powder, plus half a frozen banana, a few sprigs of fresh mint and an optional teaspoon of raw cacao powder for the chocaholics out there! If you like your smoothies thick, add a quarter avocado or a half teaspoon coconut oil

Lunch – Turkey slices, avocado slices, cottage cheese rolled up in iceberg lettuce leaves (seriously delicious!)

Dinner – Salmon fillet pan fried or baked, with steamed greens or a leafy salad.

Snacks – Chopped veggie sticks with hummus, two boiled eggs with rock salt & chili flakes, or one of the natural snacks at This Natural Life.