5 Ways to Lose Weight, Get More Energy, and Detox Your Life

By Vanessa Sheets –

As you pull out your bathing suit from last summer, you break into a cold sweat. You’re not sure you can wear this on your upcoming beach vacation with your husband.

 As you peel off the bathing suit, you sigh. 

It feels like you’ll never be confident in a bathing suit again, no matter how hard you try. You work-out and attempt to eat right, but no matter how hard you try, you continue to gain weight. You  ’re considering another green juice fast before the trip in hopes of shedding a few pounds. 

You think the answer to losing weight is to exercise longer and harder, running five miles a day instead of your regular two. If you’re consistent enough, and you manage to eat less, maybe your body will respond the way you want it to. 

But what if the answer isn’t in going hungry and endless exercise? In fact, research shows that over-exercising and cutting calories can cause weight gain due to an increase in the stress hormone cortisol.  

It turns out the answer to weight loss, and overall health and wellness, is eliminating toxins from our daily life.

“Most women over 50 are going through dramatic changes with their hormones,” Dr. David Below, a fourth-generation chiropractor and founder of The Body Renaissance said. If a woman is already carrying extra weight, she’s going to have a harder time breaking it down due to insulin resistance, which is common in older women.”

But Dr. Below doesn’t recommend juicing or fasting.

“If you are doing a juice fast, you’re pumping way too much sugar into your system,” Dr. Below said. “Even with fresh juices, you are using a concentrated amount, possibly getting the equivalent of 10 oranges. That’s way too much sugar to put in your body at one time.”

He adds that you’ll get better results from a detox program that includes the necessary minerals and vitamins your body needs.

Workout less. It sounds counter-intuitive, but 20-minute interval sessions are more effective than spending an hour or more on daily workouts. If you’re cycling, go hard for 2-5 minutes followed by a resting period of equal length.  

Dr. Below recommends moderation, especially for older athletes. Running marathons or other extreme activities put unnecessary stress on the body and may lead to surgery later. Consistent, moderate exercise can help detoxify the lungs and skin while managing weight.

In fact, a recent study found that moderately active people expend the same amount of calories as more extreme athletes do. Researchers concluded that as we exercise more, our bodies adapt to higher activity levels and don’t necessarily burn more calories.

Get your daily greens. The biggest challenge for most women is changing their diet, according to Dr. Below. “I’ve heard every excuse in the world, from it takes longer to prepare meals, to finding healthy ingredients can be difficult.”  

These complaints inspired Dr. Below to offer cooking classes in his practice, to help women learn to meal plan and incorporate healthy ingredients into their diet.

“When my patients say this is their diet food, I tell them this is the food they should be eating every day for the rest of their lives,” Dr. Below said.

Adding a cup of raw veggies to your diet every day boosts cellular function, helping your body perform optimally.

Stop using these toxic products. Avoid body care products containing hormone-disrupting ingredients including phthalates and propylparaben, toxins that can increase your risk of developing certain cancers and autoimmune conditions. Check EWG.org to make sure your body care products are free from these harmful ingredients.

Sleep Yourself Thin. Turn off devices an hour before bed to help regulate your sleep. The pineal gland is responsible for producing melatonin, which affects your circadian rhythm and sleep patterns. Because the pineal gland is highly sensitive to electronic light, Dr. Below recommends drinking herbal tea and reading a book or meditating instead of using devices until bedtime.   

“Sleep is when we detox the brain,” Dr. Below said.

Eat more dark chocolate and other anti-inflammatory foods. Garlic cloves, ginger, fermented vegetables like kimchi and sauerkraut, turmeric, lemon water, and 80 percent dark chocolate all have anti-inflammatory properties that help us detox chemicals and waste from the body. Dr. Below recommends one or more of these foods daily to his patients.

All because you’ve taken the steps to detoxing your life.

Sound impossible? It’s not.

Take the necessary steps to eliminate toxins from your daily life that are stopping you from looking and feeling your best.

When you feel great this summer in your bathing suit, congratulate yourself on taking the steps towards a healthier life.

Vanessa Sheets is a freelance journalist whose articles on health, fitness, and nutrition have appeared in print and online magazines and business websites. You can view her online portfolio at vanessasheets.contently.com.