Easy Steps to Detox Your Life for a Healthier New Year

Parties, shopping, traveling and seasonal overindulgence (too much food and alcohol, not enough sleep and exercise) can leave you feeling a little more stressed and a little less healthy during the holidays. And even those who embrace a healthy lifestyle from January through November, often find themselves a bit off-kilter this time of year.Thankfully it’s never too late to start fresh.



So, with the holidays almost behind us, Britta Aragon, natural beauty expert, cancer survivor, and author of the life-changing book, “When Cancer Hits: Your Complete Guide To Taking Care of YOU Through Treatment,” offers these tips on how to reduce your toxic intake from every day products and foods and commit to a healthier, smarter, happier New Year.



• Reduce Your Toxic Load at Home: Make your own non-toxic household cleaners. You’ll be amazed how much money you can save, while you save your tender nasal passages and lungs from absorbing all the toxic chemicals typically present in over-the-counter cleansers. All you need is a little baking soda, washing soda, and vinegar.



• Detox Your Beauty Bag: Pamper your skin with goodies from your own kitchen. Smash up a banana or an avocado, mix it with some yogurt, and wear it as a mask for 10-15 minutes. The result: smooth, radiant skin, without a visit to the spa.

• Don’t forget to read the labels on your oral care products. Think about it, ingredients in toothpaste and mouthwash penetrate our systems through mucous membranes in cheeks, tongue and gums. So look for alcohol-free mouthwashes and sulfate and fluoride-free toothpastes. Choose safer brands like VITACARE – the first vitamin infused oral care system.



• Safeguard Your Skin & the Environment: 1 in 5 Americans develop skin cancer in their lifetime, so protecting your skin from the sun is crucial. Unfortunately many sun care products contain controversial ingredients that you may not want penetrating your skin or the environment. Your safest option is to look for chemical-free, mineral-based sunscreen products such as those offered by MD Solar Sciences, which was developed by one of the country’s top dermatologic-oncologists.



• Eliminate Harmful Additives from Your Meals: Avoid toxic ingredients such as phosphoric acid (found in soda), sodium nitrates (found in lunch meats and other processed meat products), acrylamides (found in baked and fried starchy foods like chips), and sugar in your foods. All are harmful and some are even considered carcinogenic. For more details see http://cincovidas.com/10-toxins-to-avoid-in-food. And remember, we are what we eat.



• Help Remove Accumulated Toxins from the G.I. Tract: Toxins in our diets, along with excess dietary wastes, can sometimes become “stuck” in our digestive tract. A natural colon cleanse is a great, gentle way to help remove accumulated toxins from the G.I. tract without expensive doctors visits or external colonics. Cleansing the colon makes for a great full body detox and may help you experience clearer skin, less bloating, fewer headaches and even more energy.

• Take Baby Steps: Remember to make your goals realistic and attainable. Instead of saying, “I want to lose 50 pounds,” try “I want to lose 1 pound a week.’ That way you’re less likely to get discouraged and more likely to continue on your plan.



• Try Something New: Yoga, tai chi, dance, zumba, whatever gets your body moving. To increase your chances of sticking with it (and having more fun), partner with a friend who has similar goals.



• Be Inspired: Choose a book that will help you live a healthier life. One of my favorites is Feel the Fear . . . and Do It Anyway, a great read whenever you’re taking on new challenges.

For more tips on how to make inspiring, healthy choices in 2012, visit Britta’s website: http://cincovidas.com. If you have any questions or need more information, please let me know. Here’s to a healthier, toxic-free New Year.