That’s it! Your body is giving you all the signals: you’re drained. The stress of being confined, sheltered-in-place or simply of constantly watching the news has exhausted you!
You have really pushed the limits with long work-from-home days, meals swallowed in a rush, large coffees and “sugar-free” sodas because you’re bored, sleepless nights because you watch the news in your bed until 11pm, the stress of too many demands from bosses and loved ones alike—not to mention a complete lack of physical exercise (or almost). The accumulation of all these stress factors have stored up a lot of toxins in your body!
You have run out of energy, your skin is dull…it’s time to reset the clock with a nice little 3-day DETOX program that will do you a world of good.
Make a date with yourself for tomorrow—yup, that’s when we begin. We will be done by the end of the 3rd night after dinner, but nothing prevents you from going on for another few days to create some good habits.
3 days is short. Very short. Not long enough to establish lifelong habits (that takes at least 3 weeks). Nevertheless, it is sufficient to jumpstart your system, to reboot just like your computer, to cleanse your organism.
10 major principles for these 3 days:
- No meat, no cold meats
- No dairy, no gluten (so no bread or pasta) and no yeast
- No alcohol
- Plenty of green, white and herbal teas
- Sudation (sweating) to flush out toxins
- Fresh fruit & vegetables, whole foods and grains in abundance
- No ready-made meals
- Choose organic
- Lots of physical activity
- Sleep and meditation to reduce stress
Menus
Breakfast: juice of a lemon in room temperature water, followed by a cup of Sobacha (roasted buckwheat tea), and then green or white tea.
DETOX Smoothie:
– 250 ml non-dairy milk (hemp, rice, almond or coconut—avoid soy if you can. As a last resort, soy milk will do) + 1 banana + 1 handful seasonal berries or 4 dried figs or, supreme delight, 6 squares bitter dark chocolate (80% cocoa) + a touch of vanilla extract
Zap zap, enjoy.
If you are still hungry—which is virtually impossible considering the size of your stomach—you can have a large pink grapefruit.
Lunch: We opt for foods with strong detoxifying capacities such as watercress, lambs lettuce, garlic, almonds, apples, prunes, artichokes, asparagus and wholegrain rice.
We substitute meat for a veggie steak, or steamed, grilled or baked (in foil parcel) line-caught fish (no farmed fish to avoid the noxious stuff the poor animals are made to feed on)
Sample menu: kale salad marinated in orange juice to tenderize, followed by baked cod steak with quinoa—you can use a little oil here but no more than a tbsp, and finish with 2 squares of dark chocolate for dessert.
Snack: DETOX smoothie: 250 ml non dairy milk + 1 banana + 5 prunes + 1 tsp vanilla extract.
Dinner: Watercress or lambs lettuce salad followed by Indian risotto: cook some wholegrain rice in vegetable stock, add a little light coconut milk, peas, black pepper, and turmeric—for its powerful detoxifying properties. Finish off with a few lychees and 3 mandarins for dessert.
Or
A homemade wholesome soup followed by the same fruits.
Exercise
- At least 1 hour walk per day. That really is the minimum. No excuses. If you cannot walk for one reason or another, cycle (on a stationary bike or outdoors), get on the elliptical trainer, swim, put some music on and dance…in short, whichever type of cardio you can find to do!
- As 1 hour is the minimum, I would like you to carry a pedometer and aim for 20,000 steps a day. Yes I know, it’s twice what is usually required, but you must bear in mind that the notorious 10,000 steps are the very teeny weeny bare minimum required! This 10k you can cover even just from home by pacing while on the phone (yes, every time you make a call!) or simply go out a second time if it is allowed where you live.
- 100 ab reps a day or more depending on your fitness level. To assess your level, go for the burn and then add 5 reps.
- 25 push-up reps on your knees or not—depending on your fitness level—without arching your back
- 10 minutes LeBootCamp wakeup yoga routine
Meditation / Yoga:
- When you wake up, do not rise immediately: stay lying down another 10 min., and if you can, play some relaxing music. Close your eyes, but stay awake and visualise your body, from the tips of your toes, to your feet, ankles, calves, knees…keep going upwards, thighs, buttocks, pelvis, abdomen, ribs, lungs, heart, throat (make sure it is truly relaxed), jaw (that one too, don’t clench), tongue nice and soft, eyes, ears, forehead, and finally, the top of your head. Now go back down, visualizing each part of your body in the same fashion. Slowly move your limbs, and move your head from side to side. Awaken gently, serenely.
- Now you are awake, but still keep your eyes closed. With your eyes shut, sit up on the side of your bed, feet on the ground, back straight, your head resting gently on the top of your spine. Visualize the day ahead. You might be going to work, or maybe not, and these days are yours to enjoy before getting back to the coal face. Whatever lies ahead of you, imagine beautiful moments in this day—putting to the side anything that might drag you down. Inhale visualizing beautiful things, and exhale visualizing how negative things leave you—just as your breath leaves your body. Continue for at least 2 minutes, ideally 5.
- In the evening or at the close of your day—when you get home for example—practice yoga breathing to relax your mind.
- Don’t watch any TV. Yes, it is possible—I can assure you! Instead, page through the pile of magazines you never get to read, reach for the novel gathering dust on your bedside table, spend time with your family and talk about your day, pamper yourself. In short, keep away from passively absorbing dramatic or negative images.
I recommend that you tick off what you have done each day. I also advise you to diarize you meals or log them in your LeBootCamp blog. You are welcome to use the comment box at the end of this post to share your recipes, menus and experiences. I will happily give you personal feedback, constructive criticism or a big pat on the back!
Be safe!
Valérie Orsoni
Your LeBootCamp Weight Loss & Healthy Living Coach
Tags: co-vid19 confinement coronavirus detox health shelter
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