The festive period tends to leave most of us feeling more than ready for a new routine of self-care, mindfulness and sets us all in to overdrive in the quest for increased health and fitness. January, is considered by many as being one of the dullest months with the Spring still feeling far away on the horizon.
Limit Alcohol
A great way to kick the boozy habit is to get creative in the kitchen – not only will you be filling your time with productive recipe making, but you can also get into the creation of exciting Mocktails, we would also recommend a visit to One Below to browse the various discounted items, providing options to find some excellent bargains for the kitchen and home and spruce up your kitchenware with some nice little extras.
Blood Orange and spiced Vanilla Mocktail
Ingredients
- 6 blood oranges juice, freshly squeezed,
- slices for garnish
- 1 tbsp honey
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 lime
- 500ml sparkling water
- blood orange slices for garnish
- Cardamom
- ginger
Instructions
- Squeeze the blood orange juice into a jar with a sealed lid or cocktail shaker. Add the honey, spices and vanilla extract to the fresh juice. Shake. Add ice to cool it down.
- With the drinking glasses – you can frost the rims using orange juice round the rim and dipping into crystalized brown sugar, gold and silver sprinkles or other edible decorative frosting, generally, it is wise to use a ready-made decorator icing for the rim as opposed to orange juice for things such as sprinkles to stick.
- Pour evenly into two ice-filled glasses. Top with a squeeze of lime and sparkling water and a slice of blood orange on top.
Notes
Squeeze the blood orange juice on a non-porous surface or one that you don’t mind ruining. It will stain.
Alternatively, if you prefer the ready-made options, a trip to Sainsbury’s will be well worth it, they have a considerable range of Zero alcohol options from Prosecco, beers, spirits and wines!
Shops – Sainsbury’s
Focus on Sleep
To take time out to concentrate on your sleep routine is also step in the right direction in your January detox. The benefits of sleep are not to be underestimated and if you get it right you will be allowing your body the maximal opportunity to repair and your mind will feel refreshed, your general productivity and stress levels also be benefiting from a regular and quality sleep time.
Investing a little time and money on the mood of your room – aromatherapy oils, flowers and opting for a traditional (printed) book can all help in getting you settled into a more relaxed state and assist in achieving a full 8 hours of recommended sleep.
We would recommend a visit to the Chinese Medical Centre to explore their acupuncture and herbal remedies if sleep or lack of is causing any mild disruptions or anxieties.
Foods and Prebiotics
Getting the diet right is of course, instrumental in achieving a full detox, this means loading your diet with foods rich in antioxidants such as blueberries and also focusing on your intake of vitamins and minerals – which if you follow a healthy eating guideline will allow you to take full advantage of your diet with nutritious fruits and vegetables, proteins and healthy fats. You may also find a visit to the Imooluwa African Caribbean store inspirational in brightening up your regular mid-week cuisine.
Holland and Barrett offer an extensive range of natural supplements. Alongside vitamin D supplements during the winter months, it may be worth supplementing with pre-biotics and probiotics, the H&B staff are always there to help and often able to provide additional support and information on a range of products.
Get Active
The final step in achieving the full benefits of any detox is the exercise and activity.
Each individual is different and equally, each has their own objectives in terms of fitness levels and activities, however, just adding 10 minutes activity to your daily routine can make a big difference – whether this is a brisk walk outdoors, joining a gym or embarking on a regular exercise programme– you will notice the mental and physical effects and in terms of the detox, it will kick-start your body into strengthening and repairing cells and should provide a more positive mental outlook.
