Staying Active During Your Detox

Staying active while you detox is one of the best ways to keep your spirits up and to enhance your detox. It’s important to remember that the detox process is a powerful one, and that exercise during this time will do different things to your body than it typically does. For instance, if exercise is usually your biggest stress reliever, during a detox it may bring on feelings of stress or frustration as your body has fewer reserves to work with and you don’t have your typical post-workout meal to look forward to.

The biggest thing to keep in mind during this time is to practice awareness. Be conscious of your mindset during this time. Don’t get caught up in your thoughts. Watch yourself and watch where your mind and emotions go when you experience feelings of frustration or the desire to give up. Focusing on and expanding your consciousness will enable you to get through the detox with fortitude and grace.

Exercise is a great way to get outside of our heads and to stabilize our mindset. When exercising during your detox, you want to use it as a way to boost energy, get your blood flowing, and to help flush toxins. It is not a time to focus on burning calories or building muscle. Use it as a gentle and enjoyable practice as part of the process. This can include a bike ride, walking with a friend, going for a twenty-minute jog, or taking one of Udaya’s many online yoga classes.

The yoga classes in particular can be a very powerful part of your detox, and are a nice way to add some variety to your regimen. Vytas’ 20-minute cardio blast class is one of my favorites, especially for a detox. It moves quickly so your focus stays high, while giving you a good burst of energy for your day. The workout incorporates a lot of twists, which help with eliminating toxins and getting your blood flowing. There is some substantial abdominal work at the end, including boat pose and energetic twists, getting into your core and helping strengthen your will power from the inside out.

Consciously incorporating exercise to support your detox is a useful tool to elevate your mood and add variety to your detox. It also helps to redistribute energy, pulling focus from your lower needs and desires (ie food and sex), and contributes to your higher consciousness and will power.

To learn more and participate in Udaya’s yoga detox challenge, click here!

Photo by Jake Givens