Get your groove back

28 Dec 2009 06:00 AM | Posted by bh'sOlivia

A brand new year is just around the corner. It’s time to get serious about getting in shape, and where better place to start than on the inside?

We called upon the experts – Nutritionist Taryn Polovin and Emma Seibold, founder of Urban Remedy, yoga teacher and nutritional coach – to chat cleansing, good health and getting well on the way to having your dream bod.

 

 

 


How often should you make a conscious effort to cleanse or detox your body for optimal results and good health?

“Cleansing is a very individual thing. It usually depends on a person’s lifestyle and metabolism. Some people can get away with just doing a quick cleanse in the New Year after the crazy party season but most people find that they get much better long term benefits with more regular cleansing. A one to three-day cleanse once every three months is a great starting point for most people and then, depending how you feel with it, you can start doing one cleanse a month,” Polovin says.
 
How does replacing solid foods with healthy, nutrient-enriched drinks work to improve health?

“Your body expends a huge amount of energy breaking down, digesting and assimilating the food you eat. Cleansing works by giving your body and digestive system a break. By ingesting nutrient-rich fluids, which are easily absorbed your body has a chance to focus on other areas of need such as healing and detoxing. A juice fast works to help your body detoxify naturally while supporting it with vital nutrients.”
 
What nutrients are key for helping to address the effects of a busy, stressful lifestyle?

“There are many important nutrients that help to combat the effects of stress and unhealthy lifestyle choices. Many of these nutrients are found in everyday fruits and vegetables such as vitamin A,C,E,K, chlorophyll and folate found in silverbeet spinach and chlorophyll, flavonoids, carotenes and vitamin C found in parsley. The aim should be to include as much variety of fruits and veggies with as many colours as possible – rather than trying to include specific nutrients. Many nutrients work synergistically with others to provide us with the optimal health benefits,“explains Polovin.
 
"Superfoods such as spirulina are incredibly nutrient dense and contain a wide variety of vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and antioxidants,” she adds.

What are some of the main benefits of detoxing? What else can be done to support a cleansing program?

“Detoxing (essentially the removal of toxins from the body) has many benefits including increased energy levels, weight loss, clearer and brighter skin, improved digestion, reduced cellulite, improved concentration and focus, and reduced cravings for sugar and other stimulants. Cleansing also helps to kick-start or reinforce a healthier lifestyle,” explains Seibold
 
“There are a number of ways to intensify the benefits of a cleanse. We recommend that cleansers:
·        Massage as this helps to increase circulation and expel toxins
·        Exfoliate or dry skin brush to remove dead skin cells
·        Have a steam or sauna to sweat out toxins
·        Go for a walk or a gentle jog to boost your circulation
·        Go to bed earlier than usual. Give your body time to recharge and renew    
          overnight.
 
“Yoga is great for muscle toning, flexibility and general relaxation, but it is also a great detoxifier. Sun salutations, triangle pose, revolved triangle, downward dog, twisted lunge and backbends are excellent for detoxification. Twists are particularly good for detoxing.”

 

Competition: detox and renew with Urban Remedy Cleanse

Urban Remedy Cleanse is a nutritional juice cleansing program designed to detox and renew the body in a healthy and balanced way with minimal disruption to lifestyle and routine. The cleanse involves replacing all solid foods for one, three or five days with a daily series of six super nutritious juices, delivered directly to you the night before your detox begins.

For your chance to win either a one-, three-, or five-day Urban Remedy cleansing program, simply click here to enter..