Winter Pre-tox

Winter is a tough time: cold weather and icy winds, dry central heating, indulgent holidays. So I am going to make an extra effort to stay fit and healthy. I have made a quite ambitious fitness plan (post to come later) and  will make a few changes to my diet and make more time to long baths and skincare routines (spa days). Many  magazines are writing about "pre-tox" which is a series of things you can do to prepare for winter and especially the Christmas holidays.

• regular exercise
• body- brushing to remove toxins 
• drinking a lot of water and non-caffeinated drinks
• eating a lot of green vegetables
• reducing the intake of red meat (pork, beef, bacon) as well as processed meats ( sausages, ham) 
• eating wholegrains and proteins
• taking supplements especially B vitamin
• drink fresh fruit juices
• eat healthy snacks such as crudities and soup
• regular moisturisation with essential oils

Oatcakes: whole oats to support digestion and the liver, plus they are packaged in packs of four so I will use them as an alternative to crisps and biscuits when I am at University.

Oolong tea to promote fat and cholesterol burn, Green tea to aid digestion and reduce blood pressure and boost immunity, Rosehip tea to protect against infections and for clear skin. Generally, I hope these will proves good alternatives to caffeinated drinks (which I drink too much of)

Essential oils: Inspired by this wonderful blog to make my own oil mixtures. I bought a base oil of Grapeseed, Jojoba, Peach Kernel and Wheatgerm oils and Patchouli Oil (not sure if I like it though- I might change it) to mix with it.

My favourite innocent cranberry, blueberry and cherry smoothie (note the handknitted hat- 25p goes to an old-age charity) Berries are an excellent alternative to acidy or very sugary fruits and are full of vitamins and antioxidants. 

for more info. on pre-tox see the December issue of Health&Fitness