Some people embrace aging and the wisdom, freedom, and even the wrinkles that come along with it. Others do everything in their power to try and stop the hands of time. Whichever side of the spectrum you fall on, one thing’s for sure: Everyone wants to feel vibrant, energetic, and younger than their years.
In my opinion, the single greatest thing you can do to feel younger is to detox.
Sadly, our world is pretty toxic. Our air and water are polluted; our food is sprayed with harmful pesticides; even many of our beauty products contain questionable ingredients. These substances make their way onto or into our bodies every day and overwhelm our liver and kidneys—our main organs of detoxification. When they can’t keep up, toxins stay in our bodies longer than they should. Eventually, this leads to symptoms like fatigue, headaches, allergies, joint and muscle pain, sleep problems, and frequent illness. All of which make us feel…OLD!
How To Detox Your Body?
There are many ways to detox. One method is fasting—forgoing food for a certain amount of time. It can be as drastic as one to three days, or a much less extreme form called intermittent fasting—where you either eat very low calories (about 500-600) for one or two days a week then eat normally the rest of the week, or avoid eating for up to 18 hours every day (usually between the hours of 8pm until lunchtime the next day). The benefits of fasting include lower blood sugar, reduced risk of heart disease, and improved mood, memory, and focus.
You can also detox by using a sauna to sweat it out, or skin brushing. Along with the liver and kidneys, skin is a major detox organ, eliminating up to two pounds of waste every day! Skin brushing aids by removing old skin cells and promoting better circulation and lymph flow.
On the medical front, hormones play a huge role in how you feel. I’d suggest getting your hormones tested and taking bioidentical hormones, if necessary. Also get your hemoglobin A1C level checked. It’s usually a reflection of diabetes, but this marker also is indicative of how your body is aging. The lower your A1C is, the slower your body is aging.
Finally, nothing makes you look older (or meaner) than a frown or scowl. So…just smile!
Last Updated: May 22, 2021
Originally Published: March 3, 2018
