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Many a time, you may have felt the daily activities have become an uphill journey because the going is tough. Be it waking up in the morning, focusing at your workplace or college, or sweating it out at the gym, the zest that used to be is missing. Your energy levels may be at their lowest.
All you need is a recharge. You need to Rejuvenate!
So, what does “rejuvenate” mean?
For a better understanding, let’s split the word into three. Re-juven-ate. The prefix “re”, means “again,” and the middle part “juve” sounds like a juvenile, which refers to youth. And the suffix “ate”, which stands for “do or make”. Rearranging them all together, you get “make young again” — the meaning of rejuvenating. Or to make young again; to restore to youthful vigor, appearance, etc.
But it is a common misconception to relate it to getting recharged to something much better than what you were. Nope, if you are down and out, you can reset yourself only to your normal level. You cannot become superior to what you are not.
This simply means rejuvenation is limited to the capacity of what your body can achieve optimally; nothing more, nothing less.
Rejuvenation starts with detoxification.
It typically implies adhering to a specific diet program or using special products or services that claim to rid your body of toxins, resulting in improved health.
The good news is that your body is well-equipped to eliminate toxins on its own and does not really need special diets or expensive supplements to do so. Not just that, you can actually enhance your body’s natural detoxification system yourself.
For centuries, it has been a popular myth that detox diets eliminate toxins from your body, improve health, and promote weight loss. Such special diets include the use of laxatives, diuretics, vitamins, minerals, teas, and other foods assumed to have detoxifying properties.
However, popular detox diets rarely identify the specific toxins they aim to remove or the mechanism by which they supposedly eliminate them. Moreover, no scientific evidence supports the use of these diets for toxin elimination or sustainable weight loss.
The fact is, you are God-gifted with a body that naturally has a sophisticated immune system for eliminating toxins by involving the liver, kidneys, digestive system, skin, and lungs.
Yet, only when these organs are healthy, can they effectively eliminate unwanted substances from your body. Unhealthy or dysfunctional organs cannot perform a detoxifying process to clean up the mess. That is when you would need external resources to detoxify, which may or may not suffice for your needs.
So, it is only prudent to optimize your body’s natural detoxification system than spend several thousand dollars on diet programs and other treatments, only to be unwell again.
Here are 10 Super Tips to help you rejuvenate naturally:
Eat Antioxidant-Rich Foods
Oxidation is a chemical reaction that can produce molecules called free radicals, which leads to chain reactions that may damage the healthy cells of organisms. Oxidative stress is a condition caused by the excessive production of free radicals. Antioxidants protect your cells against damage caused by free radicals.
By causing damage to your body’s cells, these molecules have incriminating connections with several conditions, such as dementia, heart disease, liver disease, asthma, and also certain types of cancer.
Eating a diet rich in antioxidants can immensely help your body fight oxidative stress and other toxins that increase your risk of disease. Examples of antioxidants include Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, Lycopene, Lutein, and Zeaxanthin.
Berries, fruits, nuts, cocoa, vegetables, spices, and beverages like coffee and green tea have some of the highest levels of antioxidants.
Eat Foods High in Prebiotics
The Gut is part of your alimentary canal between the stomach and the anus. Your intestinal cells have an excellent detoxification and excretion system that protects your gut and body from harmful toxins, such as chemicals.
Prebiotics are a type of fiber that feeds the good bacteria in your gut called probiotics. With prebiotics, your good bacteria can produce nutrients called short-chain fatty acids, which are beneficial for health.
The good bacteria in your gut can become unbalanced with bad bacteria from overuse of antibiotics, poor dental hygiene, and diet quality. Consequently, this imbalance in bacteria can weaken your immune and detoxification systems. It will intensify your risk of diseases and inflammation.
Eating balanced amounts of both probiotics and prebiotics can help ensure that you have the right balance of these bacteria, which should improve your health. Good food sources high in prebiotics include asparagus, artichokes, bananas, garlic, onions, tomatoes, and oats.
Reduce Your Salt Intake
Salt is an essential mineral that enhances the flavor of cuisine. But too much salt can cause your body to retain excess fluid, especially if you have a condition that affects your kidneys or liver. This excess fluid buildup can cause bloating.
While it may sound unreasonable, increasing your water intake is considered one of the best ways to eliminate excess water weight from consuming too much salt. Because when you consume too much salt and not enough water, your body releases an anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) called arginine vasopressin that prevents you from urinating.
Therefore, water intake acts as detoxifying.
By increasing your water intake, your body reduces the secretion of the antidiuretic hormone and increases urination. This eliminates excess water and waste products.
Foods rich in potassium include bananas, kidney beans, potatoes, squash, and spinach.
Drink More Water
Water is a large component of the human body and plays a key role in normal physiological balance. It is the key component of cells and tissues and a major element of body fluid compartments. You can regulate your body temperature, lubricate joints, and remove waste products with it. It also aids digestion and nutrient absorption.
Your body’s cells are prone to damage. It requires continuous repairs to function optimally and break down nutrients for your body to retain as energy.
However, these repair processes release wastes, such as urea and carbon dioxide, which cause harm if allowed to build up in your bloodstream. Water acts as the savior by transporting these waste products, efficiently removing them through urination, breathing, or sweating.
So staying properly hydrated is important for detoxification.
Health authorities recommend a daily intake of water of 125 ounces (3.7 liters) for men and 91 ounces (2.7 liters) for women. The volume may vary depending on your diet, your geographical location, and the activities you engage in.
Reduce Your Intake of Sugar and Processed Foods
Studies have proven sugar and processed foods to be the culprits of our health hazards. Doughnuts, burgers, pizzas, french fries… Oh, how tempting!
These temptations drive you to consume unhealthy foods linked to obesity and other chronic ailments, like heart disease and diabetes.
High consumption of sugary beverages can cause fatty liver, a condition that harms liver function.
How to overcome these tempting foods yet keep diseases at bay?
By consuming less junk food, you can keep your body’s detoxification system intact. You can also limit junk food by ignoring it to be left on the store shelf. Not having it in your kitchen eliminates the temptation altogether.
Replacing junk food with healthier choices like fruits and vegetables is a healthier way to reduce junk food consumption. Abstain from junk food till you detest it, and consume healthy food until it becomes a habit.
Restrict Alcohol Consumption
Did you know 90% of alcohol is metabolized in your liver?
Liver enzymes metabolize alcohol to acetaldehyde, a known cancer-causing chemical.
Your liver first detects acetaldehyde as a toxin and then converts it to a harmless substance called acetate. It is later eliminated from your body if your liver is healthy enough.
The good news is that low-to-moderate alcohol consumption is considered beneficial for heart health, as observed by some studies. But excessive drinking can cause a myriad of health problems.
What actually happens with excessive drinking?
It can severely damage your liver function by causing fat buildup, inflammation, and scarring. When this happens, your liver cannot function adequately and perform its essential tasks—filtering waste and other toxins from your body.
Limiting or abstaining from alcohol is one of the best ways to keep your body’s detoxification system running strong.
Maintain a Good Fitness Regime
In many studies, they associate regular exercise with a longer life and a reduced risk of many unfavorable conditions and diseases, including Type-2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and certain cancers too.
While there are several health benefits of exercise, reducing inflammation is an important one. By reducing inflammation, exercise can help your body’s systems—primarily its immune and detoxification systems—function properly and protect against disease.
It is recommended that you do at least 3 to 5 hours a week of moderate-intensity exercises, such as brisk walking or sprinting. Alternatively, 2 to 3 hours a week of high-intensity physical activity, such as running or aerobics, can be highly beneficial to keep your systems active.
8. Try Fasting or Calorie Restriction
Scientists and researchers believe that, like exercise, intermittent fasting stimulates the generation of a new healthy mitochondrion and a faster metabolism. Intermittent fasting not only helps in losing weight but also contributes to living longer and healthier.
You can fast for about a day or consume only fresh fruits and veggies instead of heavy meals. This would give your digestive system a much-needed break and help with rejuvenation. It will amaze you to see the effects of fruit and veggie fasting, as it not only makes you feel lighter but also provides ample rest for your gut.
Get a Relaxing Sleep Every Night
Sufficient and quality sleep each night is a must-have to support your body’s health and natural detoxification system.
Sleeping facilitates your brain’s ability to reorganize, recharge, and remove toxic waste byproducts accumulated throughout the day.
One of those waste products is a protein called beta-amyloid, which contributes to the development of Alzheimer’s disease. With sleep deprivation, your body does not have time to perform those functions, so toxins can build up and affect several aspects of your health.
Research has linked poor sleep to short-and long-term health hazards such as stress, anxiety, high blood pressure, heart disease, Type-2 diabetes, and obesity.
If you have difficulties staying asleep for 6 to 8 hours every night, then you may be sleep-deprived. For example, sticking to a sleep schedule and limiting light emitted from mobile devices or computer screens before going to bed.
Other Effective Detox Tips
Certain dietary changes and lifestyle choices, when practiced regularly, may help reduce toxin load and support your body’s detoxification system.
- Sulfur-containing foods attack and help eliminate harmful chemicals. Foods high in sulfur, such as onions, broccoli, and garlic, enhance the excretion of heavy metals like cadmium.
- Garnish dishes with cilantro. It enhances the excretion of certain toxins, such as heavy metals like lead, and chemicals, including phthalates and insecticides.
- Support Glutathione. Eating sulfur-rich foods like eggs, broccoli, and garlic helps enhance the function of glutathione, a major antioxidant produced by your body heavily involved in detoxification.
- Switch to natural cleansing products. Choosing natural cleansing products like vinegar and baking soda over commercial cleaning agents can reduce your exposure to potentially toxic chemicals.
- Choose herbal body care. Using plant-based deodorants, makeup, moisturizers, shampoos, and other personal care products can also reduce your exposure to chemicals.
Conclusion
Being energetic is contagious. It inspires others to be active and vivacious. You can be healthy and vibrant when your body and mind are in good condition. This requires discipline, dedication, and determination. Junk food, lack of physical activity, and an improper lifestyle are the major causes of the toxins that build up in your body.
You cannot avoid toxins completely. So, your body will require detoxification from time to time to cleanse and recharge your cells. The process would take longer to give the desired results if the toxic level in your body is high.
Follow these 10 tips to rejuvenate and live a healthy life for a longer time.