If you’ve suddenly gained a chin, the ATM laughs at your request for money, and there are photocopies of your backside papering the walls of your workplace – chances are you overcooked the goose somewhat over Christmas and New Year. But if you follow our simple guide to detoxing, you’ll be in perfect physical shape to do it all again in 12 months time.
Click Here to Find a Cheap Motor Insurance Quote, and Many Other Great Deals
Detox Tip 1: Quit Smoking
Unless you’re Keef Richards or Ronnie Wood, you may have noticed a smoking ban coming into force in 2007. Cigarette sales have since dropped and if you fancy jumping onboard the smoke-free bandwagon, here are some scary stats to encourage your efforts.
- The Health Development Agency estimates that over 1,600 people die from smoking each week – that’s 230 deaths a day or nearly one person every six minutes
- Cigarette smoke contains 69 cancer-causing chemicals
- Smoking increases the risk of at least 50 medical conditions such as: dementia; heart disease; stroke; chronic bronchitis; emphysema; stress; and lung, mouth, throat, larynx, oesophagus, bladder, kidney, pancreas and stomach cancers.
- Just two cigarettes a day could cause lung cancer
- Men account for 62% of smoking related deaths
- In men, smoking can cause impotence and affect fertility
In addition, ditching the ciggies is kinder to those around you as well as being kinder to your bank balance. A 20-a-day habit will cost you around £150 a month or £1800 a year.
There are lots of ways to try and quit, including hypnotherapy, acupuncture, nicotine patches/gum, microtabs, inhalators, or just sheer willpower. The NHS offers free local support and you’re up to four times more likely to quit with their help. Visit gosmokefree for help and advice that works. Good luck!
Detox Tip 2: Quit Boozing
Beer bellies and love handles are two of the nicer side effects associated with drinking. Detoxers may be inspired to know that health risks associated with alcohol include: increased risk of stroke; stomach disorders; depression; mouth and throat cancer; hepatitis and cirrhosis of the liver.
In addition, heavy drinkers are more likely to have an accident, get divorced, or get into problems associated with violence.
If detoxing you should ideally quit alcohol altogether, although research does suggest that alcohol in moderation can be good for you (e.g. 1-2 daily units could counter heart disease). Whatever you decide, at least try and keep to the recommended weekly allowances:
- Men – no more than 21 units of alcohol per week
- Women
– no more than 14 units per week
A pint of lager/beer or a cocktail is approximately two units, and a glass of wine or a single measure short is one unit.
Another reason to cut out the booze is that being tipsy can weaken your resolve in other detox areas, such as smoking and dieting.
Detox Tip 3: Diet
Have all your clothes mysteriously shrunk in the wash? Is your belt pinching your waist like a snare pinching a rabbit? If so, you may be considering going on a diet. Here are some tips on losing weight safely.
First determine if you are actually overweight: Body Mass Index (BMI) shows whether you lie within a healthy weight range; Measuring waist circumference (between your lowest rib and hips) gauges the amount of fat you’re storing - while breathing out, your ideal healthy circumference should be no greater than 80cm (32in) for women and 94cm (37in) for men; Have your body fat measured using special fat analysis scales which pass a tiny electrical current through you.
Join a slimming club: competition, peer encouragement or the embarrassment of losing less than everyone else – whatever the motive, slimming clubs are hugely popular. Weightwatchers alone has seen 10 million people take to the scales over the last decade. There are numerous other clubs out there plus plenty of online options to help you lose weight.
Shop sensibly: Never go the supermarket hungry – temptation will win out and before you know it the trolley will be full of cakes, chocolate, crisps and other diet-unfriendly goodies. Nowadays, supermarkets are full of diet foods, and the newer ones apparently come in flavours other than cardboard.
Basically, watch what you eat and drink, and stay active to burn off the calories (I know, easier said than done). One last tip, if you’re a ‘slimmer of the year’ in the making, don’t forget to keep last year’s outsized trousers for you to hold up in the publicity photos.
Detox Tip 4: Keep Fit, Stay Fit
Why not expel those toxins the hard-graft way and join a gym (or for those living in posh areas, join a ‘James’). Gyms are everywhere – in the high street, people’s garages, retail parks – so there’s no shortage of choice.
According to the Fitness Industry Association (FIA) – the industry body for UK gyms and leisure centres – 12% of the population are now registered members of a health and fitness club, and the industry is worth around £3.6 billion.
National gym chains include Fitness First (170 clubs), Virgin Active (167 clubs), Esporta (55 clubs) and Cannons (52 clubs), all of which offer free one-day passes. They’re not cheap though and you may find better membership rates at smaller, independent clubs.
A cheaper option still is your local council gym, which will charge by the session. And don’t forget that your workplace may have a gym or an affiliation with a local fitness club.
Most gyms will tie you into a 12-month contract, which is fine if you regularly go, but a survey by Sainsbury’s found that around £200m is wasted each year in unused gym subscriptions.
The scenario’s a common one: it’s January 2nd, your New Year’s resolution is to get fit so you fork out on gym membership. But two months down the line, after early motivation turns to aching perspiration, you realise it was easier being a couch potato so you give up – out of pocket and out of shape.
So if you are determined to join a gym, good on you, but try a bargain option like your local leisure centre first. That way, you can see if going to the gym is right for you before coughing-up for an expensive year-long contract that may go to waste.
Detox Tip 5: Revitalise in a Spa
In medieval times, sick people would visit a valley town in Belgium to bathe in its therapeutic, iron-rich, waters – the town’s name was Spa.
The word Spa has since become synonymous with health, relaxation and wellbeing – although it’s likely that the original pilgrims would have been disappointed by the resort’s lack of mud wraps, Dead Sea salt curbs, massage, reflexology, exfoliation and facial treatments.
In today’s busy world, spas can offer a dizzying array of services targeting stress management, peace of mind, pampering, health and general TLC. Also, where once the preserve of the trendy rich, spas now have treatments that cater for most budgets.
Single treatments – such as a basic facial or an Indian head massage – typically start at around £30, and at the time of writing, lastminute.com is offering a relaxation day for two at Whittlebury Hall Spa in Northamptonshire for £89, or an overnight stay for two at Greenwoods Retreat in Essex for £199.
But the elite and exotic are still out there – visit the Spa V at the Hotel Victor in Miami and you could relax in an Evian Bath – that’s right, a bath filled with Evian water – 1,000 bottles to be exact. Champagne, Seven Sins Chocolate dessert and two other spa treatments are also thrown in, but you may find your stress reappearing after being handed a bill for £2500.
Finally, try a colonic irrigation for the ultimate detox flush out (quite literally). These bowel-cleansing enemas are guaranteed to put a spring in your step and, as some advocates claim, regular sessions lessen the risk of cancer, heart problems, infertility, diabetes and signs of ageing.
One word of warning, if your enema session is taking place next door to a fire station, don’t take the wrong door by mistake. Fire stations have much bigger hoses and the water jets are way too powerful – Ouch!
Happy detox in 2008!
Click Here to Find a Cheap Motor Insurance Quote, and Many Other Great Deals
